Each year, we ask our readers to nominate and vote for the best of the best in Minnesota beer, spirits, food, and arts and culture. This year, a record number of readers cast their ballots to determine the winners of the Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards. These are the breweries and bars serving up great craft … [ Read more]
What We’re Drinking: December 2018
December 3, 2018 by
Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on recent remarkable beverages. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. James Norton, Food Editor ■ Urban Growler Wild Rice Brown Ale Urban Growler’s Wild Rice Brown Ale connects with the mission of its Plow to Pint series by utilizing … [ Read more]
Indeed Brewing to open second brewery and taproom in Milwaukee
November 10, 2018 by
Indeed Brewing is expanding its operations in Wisconsin by building a second brewery and taproom in Milwaukee. The new 10-barrel brewery will be located at 530 South Second Street in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, which co-owner Tom Whisenand says reminds him distinctly of their home hood of Northeast Minneapolis. Whisenand says that, while the project … [ Read more]
“An Honest Desire To Reach Out”: Eric Simonson on the return of “Silent Night”
November 9, 2018 by
One of the most important works of 21st century opera, “Silent Night,” winner of the Pulitzer Prize, returns this weekend to the site of its 2011 world premiere. The Minnesota Opera is remounting the show that sprang from its New Works Initiative, and has since enjoyed a remarkable tour. Stage director Eric Simonson is a … [ Read more]
What We’re Drinking: November 2018
October 29, 2018 by
Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on recent remarkable beverages. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. James Norton, Food Editor ■ Burning Brothers Roasted Coffee Ale If you didn’t already know that this strong ale blended with cold-brewed coffee was gluten-free, it probably wouldn’t … [ Read more]
Win Two Tickets to Charlie Parr at the Palace Theatre on November 17
October 25, 2018 by
Easily confused and very shy, Charlie Parr has been traveling around performing his Resonator-fueled folk songs ever since leaving Austin, Minnesota, in the 1980s in search of Spider John Koerner–whom he found about 100 miles north at the Viking Bar. The experience changed his life, made him more or less unemployable, and transformed him into … [ Read more]
Fair State hires Jerrod Johnson as Director of Brewing Operations
October 2, 2018 by
Jerrod Johnson, the former co–head brewer at Surly Brewing Company, has been named the Director of Brewing Operations at Fair State Brewing Cooperative. Co-founder Niko Tonks will remain head brewer, continuing to focus on recipe development in the original Minneapolis brewery, while Johnson will manage operations at the production facility in St. Paul, helping to … [ Read more]
The Growler Giveaway: Win Coffee For A Year From Peace Coffee
September 25, 2018 by
Peace Coffee was born out of a late-night conversation between the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and a group of Mexican farmers. Since 1996, when Peace Coffee got 38,000 pounds of Mexican Coffee, the Twin Cities based company has grown dramatically. While many companies source their beans via a broker’s cupping table, having gone … [ Read more]
Vote for the 2018 Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards
September 24, 2018 by
Voting for The Growler’s Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards is now closed. Below are the nominees for this year’s awards. The winners of this year’s awards will be announced in the December issue. Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards 2018 Nominees List Food Fine Dining Manny’s Steakhouse Martina Restaurant Alma Spoon and Stable Travail Kitchen and Amusements Restaurant … [ Read more]
What We’re Drinking: October 2018
September 24, 2018 by
Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on recent remarkable beverages. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. James Norton, Food Editor ■ Beaver Island Sweet Miss Chocolate Oatmeal Milk Stout As the weather inevitably deteriorates from warm and sunny to cold and rainy (followed shortly by … [ Read more]
Boom Island Brewing Company eyeing west suburbs for new location
September 12, 2018 by
After almost eight years calling the Hawthorne/Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis home, Boom Island Brewing Company on Saturday, September 8, announced it would be seeking a new location. The decision came after four people were shot just steps from the brewery on Friday, September 7. One of the shooting victims died. The company launched a … [ Read more]
Zicke Zacke, Zicke Zacke! Hoist a stein at all the 2018 Oktoberfest events across Minnesota
September 6, 2018 by
On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria celebrated his marriage to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen with the most boisterous party Munich had ever known, inviting everyone in the city to partake in the festivities. The party finally wrapped up five (!) days later with a final horse race. Thus began the annual … [ Read more]
The Growler’s Field Guide to Cider
August 30, 2018 by
Cider seems like a straightforward drink. We’re all familiar with apple juice and the concept of fermentation, and, at its core, cider is just a combination of the two. But in practice, the beverage is far more complicated. Because what about pear cider? Or rhubarb cider? What are those drinks? And what about those ciders … [ Read more]
The Growler’s Field Guide to Cider, Chapter 7: Editors’ Local Picks
August 30, 2018 by
You’re reading Chapter 7 of 7. For the complete contents of The Growler’s Field Guide to Cider, click here. Hoch Orchards Organic Barrel Aged This blend of Fireside and Bulmer’s Norman apples is a demonstration in barrel-aging restraint. Aged just long enough to add the slightest suggestion of vanilla and wood to dull the sharp … [ Read more]
What We’re Drinking: September 2018
August 28, 2018 by
Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on recent remarkable beverages. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Brian Kaufenberg, Editor-in-Chief ■ Summit Oktoberfest It’s my favorite season of the year: Oktoberfest. As I search for a beer to fill (and refill) my stein with during the … [ Read more]
