One Wednesday every month, Paul Colling of Forest Lake, Minnesota, meets his college buddies for beers at a local taproom. Since this tradition began in late 2015, Colling and about a dozen others have visited over 40 Twin Cities breweries. On this particular Wednesday, Colling is in Lowertown St. Paul, where pouring rain and blowing wind … [ Read more]
About Brendan Kennealy
Brendan Kennealy is a writing and PR professional who lives and works in St. Paul. Find him on Twitter here: @extrapalemale.
Roads to the Past: One man’s mission to document Minnesota’s historical highways
April 29, 2019 by
Andrew Munsch steers a blue late-model Honda Civic to the shoulder and stops beside a snowbank as tall as his car. He zips up his black jacket and slings a Canon EOS digital camera over his arm. After checking the laces on his boots and straightening a pair of black sunglasses, he kills the engine … [ Read more]
Essay: How I Wound Up with Three Unforgivably Lame Tattoos
February 5, 2019 by
“Tattoos are like stories. They’re symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful.” – Pamela Anderson, actress and animal rights activist who contracted hepatitis C in 2002 after sharing tattoo needles with the drummer from Mötley Crüe. Pam is … [ Read more]
Craft Culture: Hand-sewn garments at Mill City Fineries
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Surrounded by fabrics from all over the world, Brad Wellman, 29 years old and cofounder of Mill City Fineries, stands in a quiet, freshly painted warehouse in St. Anthony East. Bundles of pastels and plaids crowd a wire rack packed with Brazilian silk, soft Scottish wool, and swatches of houndstooth and herringbone. Arms outstretched, he … [ Read more]
Craft Culture: Custom messenger bags at Trash
July 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
When Modist Brewing Company painted its trademark teal floor and started pouring beers this spring, Andy Larson, the 34-year-old owner and CEO of Trash Messenger Bags, had a front-row seat. That’s because the North Loop brewery is also his landlord. Tucked into the narrow, low-ceilinged loft above Modist’s brewing tanks, the doorway and stairs leading … [ Read more]
Craft Culture: Great Northern Boatworks turns unusable boats into show pieces
June 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Along the eastern edge of a chewed-up dirt lot off Como Avenue in St. Paul, the pristine white bow of a Windsor Craft boat noses through a large garage door, reflecting the bright afternoon sun. It’s an odd place to spot a boat, considering there’s not a drop of water in sight. The buildings around … [ Read more]
Conservation in action: Restoring North America’s bison population
March 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Take a Sunday drive along the rolling county roads of outstate Minnesota, watching out your window as lakes and clustered cabins give way to sprawling farmland and the odd barn or cowshed, and you might spot among the dairy farms and cornfields the occasional ranch dedicated to raising bison. From the safe side of a … [ Read more]
160 years of curling in Minnesota
January 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Two-time U.S. Olympic curler and former junior high chemistry teacher Jeff Isaacson, 32, has a new gig: teaching curling. Last April, he became manager of the new Chaska Curling Center, which began its first season of league play just after the New Year. Interest in the new curling club is overwhelming, Isaacson says. When the … [ Read more]
Sour Notes: The story and people behind New Belgium’s funky beer
October 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment
With 336 total entries at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival, the American-Style India Pale Ale category remained the event’s most competitive. One of the fastest-growing trends, however, is sour beer. In fact, this year’s GABF competition featured four categories for sours, each with various sub-categories for fruited and barrel-aged varieties. While many American breweries … [ Read more]
LIVE BLOG: The Growler at the Great American Beer Fest
September 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
[shareprints gallery_id=”32850″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”light” image_hover=”popout” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”] Updated: September 27, 9:30 a.m., from a Nameless Corporate Coffee Shop on a Sunny Street in Downtown Denver A total of 275 professional medals were awarded yesterday to 242 different breweries, and since seven of those medals went to Minnesota breweries, we tracked down Phil Platt, … [ Read more]
Book Dabbler: Violent Nature in The Dig
July 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
When I opened the bottle of Badger Hill’s High Road Everyday Ale and passed it to my dad, neither of us expected it to fizz up and foam over. The beer flowed over my outstretched hand and spilled onto the floor. Dad stayed dry in his recliner, fortunately, but the dog, Gus, ran for the … [ Read more]
Craft Culture: Tim Reede’s Custom Guitars and Basses
June 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Photos by Kristine Erickson Tim Reede sits on the edge of a green loveseat with a handmade Sitka spruce acoustic guitar in his lap. He’s in the attic above his custom guitar workshop, which looks from the outside like any other garage next to any other home in the Corcoran neighborhood of Minneapolis. Rock gods Jimi, … [ Read more]
Fissures in Friendship: ‘I Refuse’ by Per Petterson
June 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
New Glarus Brewing Company made news this spring when Spotted Cow, its flagship brew, was sold illegally at a tavern in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Because New Glarus distributes and sells its beer exclusively in Wisconsin, any non-Wisconsinites who want to legally purchase Spotted Cow—or any of the brewery’s offerings—must travel to the Badger State to … [ Read more]
Four Years on Seven Corners: A Profile of Matty O’Reilly
May 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Matty O’Reilly, shaved clean from his chin to the top of his head, relaxes in a high-back chair at the bar at 318 Café. Behind him, on a narrow stage framed by wood beams and soaked in late-afternoon light, members of the Daisy Dillman Band test their mics and tune their acoustic guitars. A couple … [ Read more]
Book Dabbler: The World is on Fire
May 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Last June I drove to Osceola, Wisconsin, to paddle the St. Croix with a college buddy. I filled a cooler with beer and beef jerky—ready for a day of sunburn and sweat—but a thunderstorm forced me off the road before I left the Cities. I managed to avoid the flash floods and tree limbs in … [ Read more]
