If Minneapolis were one big high school, Tony Zaccardi would win the vote for class president in a landslide—but he wouldn’t be happy about it. In fact, he’s the most humble, unassuming 43-year-old popular kid you could ever meet. Before becoming the owner of the iconic Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis’ West Bank in 2018, Zaccardi … [ Read more]
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Brewing in the Time of COVID: To ensure their survival, Minnesota breweries have had to get creative
July 2, 2020 by
In the time since March 16, when it was announced that Minnesota’s bars and restaurants would only be allowing takeout service, breweries across the state have been in a constant state of flux. Though some breweries saw the storm approaching and started ramping down production in the weeks leading up to the state’s lockdown, the … [ Read more]
Brewing Change Collaborative: Changing the faces in brewing one beer at a time
January 27, 2020 by
When Ramsey Louder pours a beer at ONE Fermentary and Taproom, he may also break the ice and ask you if you consider yourself a person of color. Louder, ONE’s head brewer and the first black man to co-own a brewery in Minneapolis, makes it a daily personal goal to seek out other people of … [ Read more]
Red Ale Rising: An upstart Irish brewer is betting Americans will soon tire of exotics and embrace classics
December 23, 2019 by
One afternoon last fall, Ian Hamilton hoisted a glass of red ale to his bearded lips as he recalled his days at the old Smithwick’s brewery. Hired at age 21, the tall Irishman had spent nearly two decades across two stints working at the manufacturing facility in Kilkenny, Ireland. In 2013, however, Smithwick’s longtime owner, … [ Read more]
Out Picking: Harvesting with Urban Forage Winery and Cider House’s Jeff Zeitler
August 30, 2019 by
Jeff Zeitler is tireless. The co-owner of Urban Forage Winery & Cider House has a vision—to create high-quality small-batch hard ciders, meads, and wine from local, crowd-sourced fruit, flowers, and honey—and he uses his trailblazing attitude to carry it out. “We make stuff that is real [free of artificial chemicals and preservatives] and it’s … [ Read more]
Barley, Water, and Heat: The careful craft behind estate barley malt at Vertical Malt
August 1, 2019 by
Most grains being farmed in the Midwest are destined, directly or not, for dinner plates across the world. Adam Wagner’s grains, however, fill pint glasses across Minnesota and North Dakota through his craft malting company, Vertical Malt. Located in Crookston, a small college/ag town on the eastern edge of the Red River Valley, Wagner works … [ Read more]
Bob Was There: From Town Hall to BlackStack, Bob DuVernois’ career spans Minnesota’s craft beer history
July 2, 2019 by
Ask any old-school brewer how their fire was lit and the answer will almost always be, “I started homebrewing…” This holds true for Bob DuVernois, head brewer at BlackStack Brewing. His spark came in 1979 when he tasted a dark beer made by a friend’s father. Not a fan of the macro lagers that monopolized the … [ Read more]
Bringing Berliner Back: Jace Marti gives the traditional German beer a second life at The Starkeller
May 29, 2019 by
A battering ram of carbon dioxide punches me in the face and leaves me coughing for air. It’s been trapped inside its wooden tank prison for a little over two years now, the byproduct of a long, slow Berliner weisse fermentation, and it’s not wasting any time getting the hell out. “Yeah, it’s no joke,” … [ Read more]
Stuart Long Brings Southern California to Northern Minnesota at Voyageur Brewing Company
April 29, 2019 by
It’s not Grand Marais’ cold snaps that trip up Stuart Long. Or the solitude. It’s the seagulls. “What the hell is a seagull doing in Minnesota?” the head brewer of Voyageur Brewing Company quips. “I don’t know; it’s weird, man.” Stuart moved to Grand Marais two years ago after spending the majority of his 31 … [ Read more]
Norwegian Nights: HammerHeart Brewing Company is an oasis of heavy beers and heavier metal in Lino Lakes
March 26, 2019 by
On a Saturday afternoon in the absolute nadir of the worst Minnesota winter in recent memory, HammerHeart Brewing Company’s taproom is full of warm bodies. Nestled among a small grove of pines just off Highway 23 in Lino Lakes, HammerHeart’s hand-built log cabin exterior would look like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, if … [ Read more]
Working Together: Will Hubbard’s egoless spirit defines Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative’s beers
February 25, 2019 by
From grocery stores and credit unions, to restaurants and apartments, all the way up a wall to bouldering gyms, Minnesotans are enamored with co-ops. Chalk it up to our state’s rich agricultural tradition, or perhaps the multitude of progressive-minded wallets in our metro areas. For Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative’s head brewer Will Hubbard, that co-op … [ Read more]
Dave Hoops: Master Brewer, Realist, and Risk-Taker
January 28, 2019 by
With his wavy, tousled hair, generous salt-and-pepper beard, and preferred outfit of jeans and a flannel shirt, Dave Hoops fits the archetypical portrait of a brewer better than that of a businessman. Yet his 25-plus years of experience in the industry have afforded him a wealth of expertise in the business of making beer. He’ll … [ Read more]
The Glamorous Life of an Engineer-Brewer: Jeff Moriarty of Tin Whiskers Brewing Company
October 29, 2018 by
Jeff Moriarty, founder and head brewer of Tin Whiskers Brewing Company in downtown St. Paul, has been fascinated with outer space since middle school. That’s when he discovered “Star Trek,” and quickly became enamored with the mechanical allure of deep space technology. “I’d imagine, if I were in the ‘Star Trek’ age, what would I … [ Read more]
Going all in with Nick Huisinga of Cuyuna Brewing Company
September 24, 2018 by
Nick Huisinga takes off on a trail barely wider than the tire of his fat bike, kicking up tufts of rust-colored dust into the air as he banks through root-ridden turns. The serpentine single-track trail winds through dense woods in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area outside of Crosby, Minnesota. Exposed boulders and trees jutting … [ Read more]
Back to the Source with Chris Priebe of Millstream Brewing Company
July 30, 2018 by
Chris Priebe’s first word as a child: “Hi.” His second: “Beer.” At two years old, he was enjoying small sips of his grandfather’s beer. At 16, he traveled to Germany, thus beginning his love affair with German beer. As an adult, Priebe found himself as an unofficial “taster” for the Dubuque Star Brewery in Dubuque, … [ Read more]
