Microbreweries

Although for some Minnesotans January can be a flurry of busyness and outdoor activities (while for others it's the complete opposite), the 24th should absolutely take priority for the most important Midwest winter activity: drinking beer. The 2015 Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival has been a growing tradition for Twin Cities beer aficionados: hosting the entire elite cast of our state's breweries (and beyond). The event will offer live music, food trucks, various important beer people, a handful of politicians and much, much more. ...

One recent start-up that has been gaining interest (and distribution) is Burning Brothers Brewing. Their specialty is gluten-free beer; not just gluten-free in the legal sense, but an actual zero parts per million sense. They do this by brewing in a completely gluten-free facility and by using sorghum, an ancient and drought hardy crop that has changed little through the modern era. We decided to pay them a visit. We had to stop in and give it...

The northwestern corner of St. Paul has followed the lead of nearby northeast Minneapolis and started brewing in earnest. The most notable of these newcomers is Urban Growler; Jill Pavlak and Deb Loch (who is famous among home-brewers for her accolades in beer competition) established this St. Anthony Park brewery...

Beer has always been important to us (Robert and Erik). Be it home-brewing, savoring a Bavarian masterpiece or just frothing our respective mustaches on pitchers of Hamms at a local dive bar, we think about, discuss and enjoy our ales and lagers all the time. So it's with great pleasure that we introduce the first of (hopefully) many articles (and podcasts!) on Minnesotan breweries. Not enough is being said about Minnesota beer! It's time to start navigating the yeasty, hoppy renaissance that is sweeping our state. This week we take on ...