Now Open (Or Damn Close): Fat Pants Brewing Co. in Eden Prairie

When it comes to food and drink in Eden Prairie, just about every chain and franchise you’ve ever heard is represented. But nestled between Purgatory Creek and the gargantuan Eden Prairie Center mall complex lies something the booming southwest suburb hasn’t seen in a long time. A brewery. Fat Pants Brewing Co. is set to … [ Read more]

Opinion: Minnesota’s distilling laws are creating a high bar for spirit makers to clear

Shelly Dailey is busy. As one of the managing partners of the St. Paul small-batch whiskey maker, Studio Distilling, she’s planning for a new cocktail room, and keeping up with her new distributor, among her many daily tasks. It made it all the more frustrating when she had to spend several hours on the phone … [ Read more]

Now Open (Or Damn Close): Falling Knife Brewing Company in Minneapolis

When they were just under two weeks away from opening, Falling Knife Brewing Company’s chief revenue officer, Dan Herman, admitted there were still things left to do. “I’ve got about three months of work to do in the next 13 days,” Herman says. “But I’ve got an understanding fiancée and a need to never sleep.” The … [ Read more]

Black Cat Farmstead: Farm-to-loom art

If you’ve ridden the Metro Green Line in the Twin Cities, you’ve likely seen Andrea Myklebust’s work. The Raymond Avenue, Westgate, and Union Depot light rail stations feature granite, cast bronze, and concrete sculptures carved and forged by Andrea and her husband, Stanton (Stan) Sears. But the bulk of Andrea’s work happens an hour-and-a-half outside … [ Read more]

Hive Minds: How bees are inspiring food purveyors, artists, and policy wonks

Rawest Form of Honey Making a Comb-Back From peanut butter toast for breakfast to a hot toddy for breakf… a nightcap, a drizzle of honey makes everything better. And while local honey farmers have built a cottage industry around that spoonful of sugar, one farm is harvesting something a little less refined. Ames Farms is … [ Read more]

Heirloom Muskie Lures: Supernatural Big Baits

The warehouse complex at 755 Prior Avenue North in St. Paul most famously houses entities like Can Can Wonderland and BlackStack Brewing. But in the northwest corner of the building sits Supernatural Big Baits, where founder and owner Duff Thury has been hand-making some seriously big baits for serious muskie anglers since 2013. Duff is … [ Read more]

Mindful Consumption: A Minimalist’s Guide to Buying Stuff

When I was 10 years old, I stumbled into my most prized possession. It was a wallet that belonged to my grandfather. I was young enough when he passed away that I had no memory of him, just some photos of me sitting on his lap, and now this wallet. After dutifully serving me for years … [ Read more]