Each year we ask you, The Growler readers, to tell us who you think is the best of the best in the realms of food, drink, and culture in Minnesota. You have once again answered the call, submitting your nominations and then casting your final ballots for this year’s Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards. The voting … [ Read more]
Alumni Bars: Where March Becomes Madness
March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Frank Mason III has the ball at the foul line. The game is winding down, his third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are closing in on one of the most incredible comebacks of the college basketball season against ninth-ranked West Virginia. All eyes are glued on the man wearing number 0, a venue packed with people, passion, and … [ Read more]
7 Continents of Beer
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
With all that’s happening with craft beer in the U.S., it’s easy to overlook the influence the movement is having on the world stage. Today, microbreweries can be found in every continent across the globe. Plucky young entrepreneurs are navigating complicated liquor laws to start breweries in their local communities, sometimes partnering with American expats … [ Read more]
Supatra’s Thai Holiday: The longest month of the year
January 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It happens at the same time every winter, but it always feels like a shock. Supatra’s Thai Cuisine, located at 967 West 7th Street in St. Paul, locks the doors, turns off the lights, and a posts a sign in the window that strikes fear and hunger into the hearts the entire staff of The Growler: “Supatra’s Thai … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: New Englandish Bitter
December 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. I hate to call this a session IPA but if you had to you could. It’s a sub-five percent ABV glucan-rich, non-“C” hop juice bomb, but it’s really got the soul (or at any … [ Read more]
Pryes Brewing building riverside brewery in Minneapolis
November 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Two years after Pryes Brewing launched their first beer, Miraculum, the company announced it has found a permanent home for its brewery along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The company, which started as an alternating proprietor at Lucid Brewing’s Minnetonka facility and now at North Loop BrewCo in Minneapolis, aims to open their own space to the … [ Read more]
Patton Oswalt on stand-up, Twitter beefs, and a ‘Mysterious’ reboot
November 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Despite the fact that some standup comedians manage to become A-List mega-stars (e.g. Amy Schumer, Louis CK, Kevin Hart, etc.), the reality is that even the most well-known comics see their popularity plateau at some point. Patton Oswalt is one of the few comedians who has managed to avoid this trap. He’s done so by … [ Read more]
Surly alums bringing new brewery to St. Paul’s Lowertown
November 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A team of brewing industry veterans announced plans to open their own brewery in St. Paul’s Lowertown. Barrel Theory Beer Company is expected to open in early 2017 on the corner of 7th Street East and Wacouta in the bustling east end of St. Paul’s downtown. The brewery and taproom is a partnership between Surly Brewing Company’s … [ Read more]
Artist Profile: Erica Williams
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
As a 14-year-old girl, Erica Williams was obsessed with the magical action-adventure series, “Sailor Moon.” And one of her high school companions had a knack for drawing the characters from the Japanese television show, which instilled immense motivation for the Colorado Springs native to be just as good as her friend. It was the spark … [ Read more]
Distilling a Definition: What are ‘craft spirits’ and does it matter?
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
You needn’t look any further than the Twin Cities to see the flourishing craft spirits movement afoot in the United States today, with new distillers taking up residence in old warehouses all around us. As of March of this year, the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) reported that there were upwards of 1,300 spirits producers … [ Read more]
Bad Weather’s Joe Giambruno reflects on first year of taproom
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Bad Weather Brewing Company will celebrate the first anniversary of their West Seventh Street taproom this Saturday. Co-owner Joe Giambruno, who spends much of his time in the taproom, doesn’t hesitate when asked what it’s meant for the brewery. “Obviously, it’s the greatest thing in the world,” he says, “but that doesn’t take away from what … [ Read more]
Dry in Duluth: The story behind the last dry neighborhoods in the Zenith City
October 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Nearly all of Duluth has embraced the explosion of local beer, but there’s one eastside neighborhood that hasn’t partaken. In fact, the Lakeside/Lester Park neighborhood hasn’t sold a drop of alcohol during its 125-year-old ban on liquor sales. The historic run came to end in June, however, when the Duluth City Council voted to sign … [ Read more]
Beers for Bob: 10 perfect pairings honoring Dylan’s Nobel Prize
October 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Bob Dylan became the first singer-songwriter to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” In honor of this achievement by one of Minnesota’s most recognizable native sons, here are 10 of our favorite Dylan songs or albums and their perfect Minnesota beer … [ Read more]
Bachelor Farmer Cafe adds cocktails
October 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
North Loopers pining for The Bachelor Farmer’s erstwhile brunch service were happy to see the open-faced sandwiches and pastries make the transition to Bachelor Farmer Cafe, which opened in January of this year. Well, glory be. Now the cocktails have returned as well. “It’s a cool opportunity to bring back the things people loved,” says Casey Underkofler, … [ Read more]
Grow a Farmer Fund raising money for low-interest loans to farmers
October 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
There’s nothing better than fresh produce from a local farmers’ market. Whether it’s juicy tomatoes or perfectly globular pumpkins, farm-to-table foods are seasonal delights. But the reality is that small-scale farming is hard work and earning a living from it can be even harder. From land prices to equipment, animal housing to securing bank financing, … [ Read more]
