[Updated: 1:12pm, July 2, 2020]: Kale Johnson, one of the co-owners of 56 Brewing, resigned as CEO on July 2, 2020, in the face of corroborated reports of racial harassment against a Black employee. In a statement on the company’s Facebook page, Johnson says that he is “resigning as CEO effective immediately,” adding “it is … [ Read more]
About Brian Kaufenberg
Brian Kaufenberg is the editor-in-chief of The Growler Magazine.
The Growler’s Tourism Guide 2020: Road Trip Worthy Podcasts
April 3, 2020 by
Find more great travel ideas in The Growler’s Tourism Guide 2020 When you’re behind the wheel watching the interminable flat expanse of the Great Plains slowly roll past your window, hit play on an audio adventure that will fill the silence and get those neurons firing on all cylinders again. Here are some titles to … [ Read more]
Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild pushing temporary changes to liquor laws for struggling breweries, bars, and restaurants
March 20, 2020 by
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild (MCBG) is pushing for temporary amendments to the state’s alcohol sales laws in order to help breweries, bars, and restaurants weather the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The multi-pronged legislative proposal asks state lawmakers to modify rules regulating what establishments can sell alcohol and in what types of packaging alcohol can be … [ Read more]
Original brewery of Duluth’s Lincoln Park ‘Craft District’ closes
January 10, 2020 by
Duluth’s oldest craft brewery, Lake Superior Brewing Co., has shuttered after a quarter of a century of business. While no official announcement has been made by the company, Lake Superior Brewing Co.’s brewery and taproom in the Lincoln Park neighborhood has been locked since December and its state brewery license expired in August 2019 according … [ Read more]
Minnesota’s Ron Swanson: Former Minnesota Twin Glen Perkins talks life after baseball at his woodshop and brewery
December 23, 2019 by
We pull into a driveway of former Minnesota Twins pitcher Glen Perkins’ 100-acre Lakeville farmstead, Gala Farms, on a crisp December day. He jumps out of his blue Ford Raptor to greet us, sporting a gray, half-zip hunting sweatshirt, khaki-colored winter hat, and a scruffy beard. He looks less like a millionaire former pro athlete … [ Read more]
Congress passes bill averting end-of-year tax hikes for U.S. distillers, brewers, and winemakers
December 19, 2019 by
An end-of-year tax crisis for America’s brewers, distillers, and winemakers has been averted after Congress passed a bill on December 19 that included a one-year extension of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA). The bill, which is now on its way to the president’s desk and is expected to be signed on … [ Read more]
2019 Year in Review: Beer, Cider, and…Seltzer
November 26, 2019 by
From 30,000 feet up, American craft beer looks to be settling into a new, stable normalcy. After years of double-digit production volume growth, craft beer grew at just 4% in 2018 and according to the mid-year report by the Brewers Association, 2019 is projected to stay steady at that mark. But look closer and … [ Read more]
Cooking With Cider
August 29, 2019 by
When cooking, quality ciders can bring the same level of brightness, fruit, and acidity to food dishes as white or red wine. But with the wide-ranging flavors in cider—from sweet and apple-forward to dry, acidic, and funky—its utility in the kitchen is more versatile than that bottle of merlot or pinot grigio slowly losing vitality as … [ Read more]
Lowertown St. Paul brewery announces closure, effective June 1
June 1, 2019 by
Nearly two years after opening, Lowertown St. Paul’s 12welve Eyes Brewing has called it quits, shutting its doors for good as of June 1, 2019. 12welve Eyes Brewing’s brewery and taproom was located in the basement of the Historic Pioneer Endicott building off of 4th Street East in downtown St. Paul. Like many of the … [ Read more]
Better Camp Eats & Drinks: Best Camp Coffee
May 28, 2019 by
This article is a part of The Growler’s Outdoor Guide. Find more tips for outdoor adventure and dining here. While backcountry camping, a full-flavored, fresh cup of coffee is one of those small luxuries that can lift one’s spirits. But how do you produce the highest quality flavor while keeping the amount of equipment and … [ Read more]
Craft beer growth slows to 4%, record number of craft brewery closings in 2018
April 3, 2019 by
The Brewers Association released its 2018 growth figures for craft beer on April 2 and it contained some stark statistics for the industry. Not only did craft beer volume growth fall for the third year straight, slowing to 4% in 2018—down from 5% in 2017 and 6% in 2016—but the industry saw a record number … [ Read more]
Portable Potables: Traveling With Booze
April 2, 2019 by
Your feet are sore, your camera card is full, and you’ve checked off all the places on your sightseeing list. Yep, you can chalk this vacation up as a grand success. But now it’s time to pack your bags again and head back to the daily grind. Thankfully, being the wise person you are, you … [ Read more]
‘ONE’ of a kind brewpub coming to the North Loop
March 23, 2019 by
Two names familiar to Minnesota’s beer industry are behind a new brewery project in the North Loop of Minneapolis—ONE Fermentary & Taproom. Ramsey Louder, formerly a brewer at Dangerous Man Brewing Company and most recently a cellarman at New Holland Brewing in Michigan, and Joseph Alton, the former editor-in-chief of The Growler Magazine, are starting … [ Read more]
Falling Knife has no handle, but it does have a brewhouse
February 28, 2019 by
There’s a new brewery taking over the former NorthGate Brewing space off of Highway 280 and Broadway in Minneapolis—Falling Knife Brewing Company. After a potential sale of NorthGate to Tod Fyten fell through, Falling Knife founders Andy Rutledge, Dan Herman, and Tom Berg toured the 7,400-square-foot brewery, which still has NorthGate’s 20-barrel brewing system installed, … [ Read more]
‘We made mistakes’: 612Brew opens up about their past and how they’re reinventing themselves in 2019
February 15, 2019 by
W hen 612Brew opened its taproom in February 2013, the excitement was palpable. The mayor and city council members celebrated the opening by hopping behind the bar and pouring beer; a sea of people filled every inch of the taproom and a line stretched out the door. The moment was a long time in the … [ Read more]
