Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing

Spring Ale Fest

Crispin Cider sold to MillerCoors

​As part of its effort to expand into the increasingly popular craft market, MillerCoors has purchased Minneapolis-based Crispin Cider Co., reports the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal.  The full details of the deal, including the selling price of the company, have not been re ... More >>

Winterfest ticket giveaway

Winterfest is THE hot ticket of the Twin Cities beer-fest year. A showcase for members of the Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild, it is open only to Minnesota breweries. They are all trying to out-do each other in a friendly competition for bragging rights to the best beer in the state, so ever brewer b ... More >>

Autumn Brew Review

Winterfest is THE hot ticket of the Twin Cities beer-fest year. A showcase for members of the Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild, it is open only to Minnesota breweries. They are all trying to out-do each other in a friendly competition for bragging rights to the best beer in the state, so ever brewer b ... More >>

St. Paul Summer Beer Fest this Saturday

St. Paul Summer Beer Fest kicks off the summer season​The summer beer festival season kicks off this Saturday, June 25, with the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. In its third year, this is the biggest and best organized of all the Twin Cities' summer celebrations of suds. Formerly held in the parkin ... More >>

Surly's "Power of the Pint" party this Saturday

Shaking off the Prohibition-era laws with Surly.​Tuesday, May 24, was a historic day for Minnesota craft beer brewers, as efforts spearheaded by Surly Brewing to pass the so-called Surly Bill became law, allowing breweries producing less than 250,000 barrels of beer a year to sell pints on site. ... More >>

Lucky Bucket and Millstream beers arrive in Minnesota

Lucky Bucket Brewery launches this weekend in Minnesota.​Somehow the word has gotten out that Minnesotans love to drink beer. The list of out-of-state breweries starting distribution here just keeps expanding. In the last two months alone we've welcomed Stone Brewing Co., Brooklyn Brewery, and ... More >>

Minnesota Craft Beer Week is May 13-21

Here's what's in store for next week's festivities:​The second annual Minnesota Craft Beer Week will take place May 13-21 with all sorts of brew-related festivities. More than 40 events are on this year's Craft Beer Week calendar, taking place all over the metro. Participants pay $5 for a Cr ... More >>

Pizza Nea appreciates Surly this Week in Food

Venture out this Valentine's Day.Cupid has hit the Twin Cities. Explore Valentine's, viticulture, and vegetable gardens this Week in Food. Monday 2/14 Appeal to Cupid's culinary senses this Valentine's Day with myriad dining options. Wednesday 2/16 The Surly Appreciation Party keeps on kickin' ... More >>

Winterfest 2011 reveals trends for Minnesota beer

Mark RobertsBeer fans savor MN suds at Winterfest​The 2011 Winterfest beer festival sponsored by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild took place last Friday night at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. As beer festivals go, Winterfest is an intimate and elegant affair, if you can call 800 p ... More >>

Should Sunday liquor sales be allowed?

Currently, you can order this beverage in a bar on Sundays, but not buy it in a store.​A bill to allow Sunday liquor sales, SF 197, is being introduced in the Senate today by Sens. Scott Dibble, Linda Scheid, and Roger Reinert of the DFL and Republican Sen. John Howe. How would you like your ... More >>

Winterfest showcases the best of the best of Minnesota-brewed beer

The best of Minnesota beer at Winterfest​Winterfest, the annual celebration of home-grown craft beer, returns to the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on February 4. Sponsored by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild and open only to breweries that are current guild members, Winterfest showcases th ... More >>

Winterfest 2011 tickets are sold out--but you can still win 'em

Seven hundred tickets sold out in less than a minute. Seriously.​In spite of its chilly name, Winterfest is the hottest craft beer event of the year: Tickets for the 10th anniversary, 2011 event sold out in less than a minute! But you don't have to miss out. The Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild ... More >>

Harriet Brewing Co., Minneapolis's newest brewery, gets ready to launch

Harriet Brewing Company Harriet Brewing Company opening in Minneapolis​isn't just the latest entry into the burgeoning Minnesota beer scene, it's also the first new non-brewpub brewery in the city of Minneapolis since the Grain Belt Brewery closed in 1975. The brand-new brewery is housed in a ... More >>

612 Brew, Fulton Beer, Surly, and the craft beer renaissance

Raise a pint to local breweries

Affordable wines made for grilled food

Nothing like a steak off the grill​Most people who drink wine are not going to pop open a 2000 Chateau Montrose St.-Estephe, a 1998 Fox Creek McClaren Vale, or a 2005 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen for their casual grilling event with friends. If you do pop these open, make sure I am invited. Fo ... More >>

The most important concept in great wine: the winemaker

Mark VlossakMark Vlossak of St. Innocent Winery​Of the five most important facets of wine--terroir, vintage, appellation, wine producer, and winemaker--the last is arguably both the most and least important. The winemaker is the most critical factor in what comes out of the bottle, yet all win ... More >>

Brew at the Zoo

Mark VlossakMark Vlossak of St. Innocent Winery​Of the five most important facets of wine--terroir, vintage, appellation, wine producer, and winemaker--the last is arguably both the most and least important. The winemaker is the most critical factor in what comes out of the bottle, yet all win ... More >>

Wine 101: Who made your wine--and why it's important

St. InnocentTemperance Vineyard Site​Can you name five wine producers? Many casual wine drinkers might mention Robert Mondavi, Sutter Home, Beringer, Coppola, or Kendall Jackson. But what about Monchhof, St. Innocent, and Felsina? In the fourth of a series of Wine 101 topics (which includes terro ... More >>

St. Paul Summer Beer Fest

St. InnocentTemperance Vineyard Site​Can you name five wine producers? Many casual wine drinkers might mention Robert Mondavi, Sutter Home, Beringer, Coppola, or Kendall Jackson. But what about Monchhof, St. Innocent, and Felsina? In the fourth of a series of Wine 101 topics (which includes terro ... More >>

Great River Road Wine Trail hosts food/wine weekend

​For a crash course in local wine, hit the Great River Road Wine Trail's "Local Foods-Local Wine Weekend," on Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. The trail consists of 10 wineries near the Mississippi River (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa) and will offer s ... More >>

Quiz: Test your beer brain

Lisa Gulya​To celebrate American Craft Beer Week, the folks at YumSugar put together a little beer-based geography quiz: Match the beer to its home state. You can take the test here. It's the perfect afternoon activity to tide you over before wetting your whistle at the next event celebrati ... More >>

Meek Family Estates: Minnesotan now makes world-class wines in Washington

Michael MeekMeek Family Estates Yakima Valley​I met Michael Meek two years ago as he was about to release his first vintage of Meek Family Estates. As a resident of Minnetonka, Michael realized that to make world-class wines you need to head west, and his location in Yakima Valley, Washington ... More >>

Odell Brewing enters the Twin Cities market

​The liquid libations created by Odell Brewing are making a big splash this week as they launch in the Twin Cities market. Starting today, the Colorado-based brewery's founder, Doug Odell, and head brewer, Joe Mohrfeld, will be attending a whopping *30* different beer-related tastings/dinners/ ... More >>

Wine 101: Vintage

One question I love to ask wine drinkers is: "What is 'vintage'?" Some people respond with "old," or the year the wine was bottled, or the year the grapes were picked. In this Wine 101 post, I'll explain the importance of vintage talk about how winemakers can create good wine in almost any year. ... More >>

Wine 101: Terroir

Ernst LoosenWehlener Sonnenuhr on the Mosel River​On a bottle of wine there is so much information, with some items being extremely important while some meet just meet legal requirements. Over the next five Wine 101 blogs I will explain five of the most important wine concepts in the world: t ... More >>

5 Great Bottles of unusual wine

Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary wine? Here are bottles made in odd places or from obscure grapes, recommended by Solo Vino.

Iowa wine industry growing

Iowa's capitalizing on some of Minnesota's cold weather grapes to support its growing wine industry.

Cans are the new bottles in the world of beer

Cans are replacing bottles as the go-to container for craft beer brewers, including locals like Surly and 21st Amendment.

Coming soon: Indian Island Winery

More wineries are coming to Minnesota. Schweet!

Brau Brothers, Flat Earth, and Lift Bridge present new school of microbrews

Three young microbreweries try their hand at estate beers, fruit-infused concoctions, and...the "Facemeltör"?

Minnesota's craft beer renaissance

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

WineFest

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

Beer Wars LIVE

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

Beer Wars LIVE

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

Beer Wars LIVE

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

Beer Wars LIVE

Surly, Summit, Brau Brothers among the intoxicating additions to Minnesota culture

5 Great Bottles: Minnesota wines

Wine industry toasts the Obamas

Former Leinenkugel president dies at age 87

The Natural History of Minnesota Wine

For These Pigs, Only a Microbrew Will Do

The spent grains from Twin Cities brewers have Dalroy Stachowski's swine wallowing in hog heaven

Port is the Answer?

In which Dara seeks great Minnesota wine in all the wrong places, and finds it anyway

Reviews You Can Use

Want to put your newfound wine smarts to the test? City Pages' guest taster issues his recommendatinos for bottles sure to please.

Asked and Answered

What's the wallaby on the label of that shiraz trying to tell you? What about the syrah label featuring a generic chateau? Dear Dara answers all your peskiest wine questions.

Asked and Answered: Dara Answers All Your Peskiest Wine Questions.

What's the wallaby on the label of that shiraz trying to tell you? What about the syrah label featuring a generic chateau? Dear Dara answers all your peskiest wine questions.

Elsewhere in Europe

Want to taste your way through another country? Local restaurants are a good first stop

Noble Grapes

Car-seat country scores a family-friendly wine bar with a serious education mission

The Wide Whirl of Wine

Dear Dara explains why you can't always get what you want