It’s the most Minnesotan time of the year, folks: State Fair time. Since the launch of Lift Bridge Mini Donut in 2013, the Fair has engendered the zaniest output from Minnesota’s breweries and cideries. Fair beverages are 12 days of devil-may-care: stuffed with fruits, pickled with veggies, ringed with cotton candy, frozen into slushies, or … [ Read more]
Tasting Notes: All 27 new drinks at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair
August 24, 2018 by
2018 makes the biggest lineup of new craft beverages ever at the Minnesota State Fair. We sampled 27 new drinks—a wild array of beers, ciders, and wine cocktails made with fruits, vegetables, vanilla, sugar, spice, and everything Minnesota nice. Here are our tasting notes (listed alphabetically within each group). You can also find our Complete … [ Read more]
The Growler’s Complete Guide to Beer at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair
July 31, 2018 by
You can almost sense its arrival—the faraway hoofbeat of livestock, the clank of carnival rides, the waft of frier grease in the air. Yes, the Minnesota State Fair is upon us once again. You’re going to need a beer. Since the launch of Lift Bridge Mini Donut in 2013, the Fair has engendered the zaniest output from … [ Read more]
The Growler’s Complete Guide to Beer at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair
August 17, 2017 by
The Minnesota State Fair is known for its golden brown, deliciously deep fried foods on-a-stick, but there’s another culinary crusade those of us 21 and older can undertake—sampling through all the creative beer concoctions. The Growler is here to guide you on your quest for beer during the 12 days of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. … [ Read more]
Fair trial: Our favorite new State Fair libations
August 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Drinking at the Minnesota State Fair is all about balance. You don’t want anything too thick or heavy, nor anything too dry. You’re looking for something crisp and tart, light and refreshing. Something to pep you up. Something to help you slink amidst 100,000 of your closest statesmen. Something to help wash away whatever cheese and … [ Read more]
The Growler’s Complete Guide to Beer at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair
August 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Great Minnesota Get Together is back for another year of cramming everything the state has to offer into a 12-day extravaganza that sends summer off in style (or in Zubaz, but what’s the difference?). While food often gets top billing, particularly the new foods for 2016, The Growler is here to help in you in … [ Read more]
Lakes & Legends to debut Sweet Corn Summer Ale at State Fair
August 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The end of summer: a time to sink your teeth into perfectly ripened sweet corn alongside hundreds of thousands of fellow fairgoers at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. As one of the quintessential Fair foods, it was only a matter of time before someone worked Minnesota-grown sweet corn into a beer, and this year Lakes & … [ Read more]
Sociable Cider Werks to debut caramel apple cider at 2016 Minnesota State Fair
July 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Cooking caramel! #MNStateFair #CaramelApple #SociableSummer MNBeer pic.twitter.com/VkQb50Cu3X — Sociable Cider Werks (@SociableCider) August 12, 2016 When Lift Bridge first brewed their Mini Donut Beer for the Minnesota State Fair a few years back, they set off a chain reaction among Minnesota breweries that has since spawned beers like Flat Earth’s S’mores Porter and Excelsior’s Maple … [ Read more]
Craft Beer at the MN State Fair 2013
August 15, 2013 by 2 Comments
By Joseph Alton, @JoeAlton View The Growler‘s Guide to Craft Beer at the State Fair 2014 The Minnesota State Fair is upon us. And Minnesota beer enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to. What a difference six years make. It wasn’t until 2007 that The State Fair “ditch[ed] the long tradition of wimpy 3.2-percent-alcohol beer … [ Read more]
