Now Open (Or Damn Close) is supported by underwriting partner Maltwerks, a Midwest malt house focused on genuine relationships in offering quality, locally produced, traceable malt. The Growler maintained full editorial control over the content. Opening a distillery seemed like a logical next step for Harmony Spirits co-owner Jim Simpson and his other two co-owners, … [ Read more]
Change Agents: A series of fermentation projects at Colita is making old cocktails taste fresh and new
December 23, 2019 by
We squeeze past the crush of people in the entryway and snag two seats at the end of the bar at Colita. This is how we usually eat there—take a drive on Penn Avenue, slow down at 54th Street, assess the regular chaos (is that a new crowd or the six o’clock crowd finishing up?) … [ Read more]
Pink Drink Pandemonium: The rise of rose-colored gin, plus cocktail recipe
December 23, 2019 by
A pink wave is washing over the Western world and there’s no shortage of strong opinions on the matter. The European and Australian continents are currently glowing with the rosy hue of an explosive drinking trend which might soon light up the U.S.: pink gin. The current definition of pink gin is a far cry from … [ Read more]
2019 Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Award Winners
November 26, 2019 by
Who better than the readers of The Growler to nominate and vote for the finest of the finest in Minnesota beer, spirits, food, arts, and culture? We had a tidal wave of votes to determine the winners of the 2019 Kind-of-a-Big-Deal Readers’ Choice Awards, and we’re proud to share the results with you. These are … [ Read more]
2019 Year in Review: Wine & Spirits
November 26, 2019 by
Ready, Set, Drink! Local distilleries mounted a full-scale invasion of the ready-to-drink (RTD) category in 2019. Canned and bottled cocktails are up 40% nationwide over 2018, riding the same wave as hard seltzers and canned wine in which drinkers are gravitating towards new flavors in convenient packaging. Vikre Distillery of Duluth launched Frenchie, a pink … [ Read more]
Artist Profile: Designing the written word with Anne Ulku
October 28, 2019 by
Anne Ulku just wants you to feel something. As a designer and illustrator, she’s made a name for herself through her work with brands ranging from small local startups to national companies like Apple, HP, and Nickelodeon. Her deft use of bright color, eccentric design, and interpretive typography flows together in a way that lends … [ Read more]
Variety is the Spice of Whiskey
October 28, 2019 by
Whiskey aficionados know which grains they like in their spirit. They can distinguish between the sweet softness of corn, the mellow creaminess of wheat, and the sharp grassiness of rye. But do they know which kind of corn or rye they like best? Probably not. But this might be the direction that craft whiskey is … [ Read more]
Minnesota’s Industry Icons: Badass bartenders leading innovation in the North
October 28, 2019 by
The Minnesota cocktail landscape is seeing a shift change. This year, the local chapter of the U.S. Bartenders Guild appointed Kate Hoffman Mikkelson as their first female president. Christina Jenkins leads Hai Hai’s highly-awarded cocktail program. Family-run Dampfwerk Distillery Co. has put marketing powerhouse Bridgit Loeffelholz at the helm of their brand new cocktail … [ Read more]
The Ultimate Home Bar in 20 Bottles
October 28, 2019 by
Whether you’re an aspiring bartender or just a novice looking to get their home collection up to snuff, we’ve got your guide to the must-have building blocks for any bar worth its salt. We asked members of the Minneapolis–St. Paul chapter of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild to curate a list encompassing the three tiers of … [ Read more]
Distiller Profile: Ralf Loeffelholz and the opening of Dampfwerk Distillery’s cocktail room
October 28, 2019 by
There’s a simple reason that Dampfwerk Distillery didn’t open a cocktail room when it started production in August 2016. “I am not a mixologist,” head distiller Ralf Loeffelholz says. He is cheerfully unapologetic about this, and for good reason. His craft and calling is distilling, and his singular focus on creating true-to-tradition products has helped … [ Read more]
Dashfire unveils six(!) single-serve canned cocktails
July 30, 2019 by
There’s been lots of recent activity in the local ready-to-drink beverage scene. Vikre Distillery is canning a pink and bubbly French 75, Crooked Water Spirits has announced a bottled Negroni, and Plain Spoke Cocktail Co. from Madison, Wisconsin, has just introduced a canned mojito to complement their Bourbon Smash and Moscow Mule. Now perhaps the … [ Read more]
Spirits Close-Up: The Next, Next Cool Spirit
May 28, 2019 by
People are always trying to find what’s “next” in spirits. Whiskey is locked into its heyday. Tequila has overcome the fake amber stuff we shot in college. Minnesotans have decided to be “nice” about the smoke of mezcal. Sherry may never fully bloom here. My money says the next big spirits boom will come when … [ Read more]
Jace Marti and Nate Gieseke opening Black Frost Distilling Company in New Ulm
April 4, 2019 by
Few people know more about fermentation than Jace Marti. The 35-year-old assistant brewmaster and sixth-generation brewer officially started working at his family’s brewery, August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm, Minnesota, when he was 18 years old, but had been doing odd jobs around the brewery long before that. In 2017, he opened Starkeller Brewing Company, the Schell’s … [ Read more]
The Great Debate: Should A Craft Distillery Purchase Already-Made Spirits?
January 28, 2019 by
The term “craft” is ambiguous at best. This is especially true when it comes to the world of spirits. With the surge of smaller-scale distilleries taking root in Minnesota and beyond, more attention is being paid to not just the final bottled product but the ingredients used to make it. Several spirits companies purchase neutral … [ Read more]
Year in Review: Minnesota Wine & Spirits in 2018
December 3, 2018 by
A martini at Nye’s Bar is a fine drink to reflect on the year 2018 in local spirits. In January, this bar, Nye’s in name only, opened in the dust of the demolished Polonaise Room, a place whose divey charm earned it the Best Bar in America designation from Esquire in 2006—a lifetime ago, from the … [ Read more]
