Consumer Non-Cyclicals

10,000 Minutes of Minnesota Craft Beer 2013: Wednesday Events

You've made it over the mid-week uphill battle, and it's time to go treat yourself to something ice-cold, refreshing, and definitely full o' hops. Since it's Craft Beer Week, this is the week to go out and indulge in some new craft beers and meet the brewing geniuses behind the beer. We've compile ... More >>

10,000 Minutes of Minnesota Craft Beer 2013: Monday Events

From ales and porters to stouts and lagers, we're crazy about craft beer. And this week, we're especially excited because it's American Craft Beer Week. To celebrate this week-long festival of tasty libations in our neck of the woods, the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild are presenting 10,000 Minutes o ... More >>

Savor Minnesota

Great Waters brewpub: "It's never a straight path"

The current craft brewing growth isn't Minnesota's first brewery boom. The mid 1990s also saw an uptick in production of local brews, one that can teach the new startups some lessons--at least from those who survived. Great Waters Brewing Company in downtown St. Paul has seen a lot in its 17 years, ... More >>

Supervalu laying off more than one-third of the 1,500 employees at Eden Prairie headquarters

Just a week after selling off four grocery store chains, Supervalu announced it will be eliminating 1,100 corporate jobs nationwide, including 600 in Minnesota.SEE ALSO: Minnesota gained more jobs in last six months than any half-year since Reagan's heydayAccording to Fox 9's Paul Blume, 575 of the ... More >>

Save the Growler group of MN breweries want to make more beer and still sell growlers

With the beer business booming in Minnesota, local beer makers are looking to ensure that legislation isn't passed that would infringe on their ability to peddle their wares directly to the consumer market without the aid of a middleman. The campaign is called Save the Growler, and the for ... More >>

Sunday liquor sales bill introduced in Senate

It's baaaack! Less than a year after the last attempt to legalize Sunday liquor sales was killed in the House, the bill has been resurrected from the dead in the Senate.SEE ALSO: Study: Sunday liquor sales would boost state revenueAuthored by Senator Roger Reinert, D-Duluth, and Senator Jeremy Mille ... More >>

Fulton's Brian Hoffman says brewery is already at capacity

Over the past few years new breweries, brewpubs, and contract brews seem to spring up monthly. As so many new companies start up, the market share continues to show room for growth. The Hot Dish sat down with Fulton Brewery's co-owner Brian Hoffman and two pints of the Ringer to talk about Minneso ... More >>

2 Gingers Whiskey acquired by Beam Inc.

Just a year after veteran pub owner Kieran Folliard introduced his wildly successful 2 Gingers Whiskey to the free market, the premium spirit is now carried in more than 2,100 drinking establishments all over the state and the brand has sold nearly 20,000 cases of it product, making 2 Gingers the fa ... More >>

Bruce Bradley, local novelist and blogger, exposes the food industry

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the walls of the big-food industry? Well, that's something local industry-insider-turned-author Bruce Bradley knows a little about. Bradley, who lives in Minneapolis, has spent over 15 years working as a marketing executive for some of the biggest food com ... More >>

Surly founder Omar Ansari on the MN brewing scene and "what makes a Surly"

When Minnesotans think of the recent boom in microbrewing, it's hard not to think of the 2005 upstart Surly Brewing, whose distinct marketing, award-winning, and high-demand beers have helped lead the revolution. The brewery has taken the reins on the growing scene, with Surly founder Omar Ansari se ... More >>

Marilyn Hagerty wins journalism award, plans to review another Olive Garden soon

Marilyn Hagerty, the Grand Forks Herald restaurant reviewer whose writeup of a local Olive Garden went viral last spring, won the prestigious Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media for lifetime achievement last week."It was just overwhelming because other winners of the award were Walter ... More >>

Schell's: brewing German-style beer for 152 years

August-Schell Brewery is Minnesota's oldest operating brewery and the second-oldest family-run brewery in the United States (Yuengling in Pennsylvania is first). The New Ulm-based brewery has seen a lot of hard times, surviving the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, Prohibition, and a number of other historic ... More >>

Twin Cities' Roots, Rock, and Deep Blues Music Festival

St. Croix Chocolate Company: Sweets for the locavore

The St. Croix Chocolate Company has been supplying the river valley with artisan chocolates since 2010.  But located somewhat outside the usual foodie sphere of influence, seasonally inspired chocolates with flavors  like violet, pear caramel, or wildflower honey initially raised some eyeb ... More >>

Minneapolis among top 10 cities for drinking craft beer

Falling under the category of "things we already could have guessed without conducting a market research study", a new market research study from Scarborough Research shows that Minneapolis is one of the top 10 cities in America for drinking microbrews, particularly those that are locally made, repo ... More >>

MN Supreme Court's dismissal of Marb Lights lawsuit represents victory for big tobacco

In 1998, then-Minnesota Attorney General "Skip" Humphrey and Philip Morris reached a $6.1 billion settlement after the state alleged that the tobacco company used deceptive marketing, advertising, and research to encourage people to smoke. The settlement barred any future lawsuits regarding Philip M ... More >>

Brie Roland on the new Harriet Brasserie, coming soon to Linden Hillsve Questions

Harriet Brasserie is coming to Linden Hills. The new restaurant will be housed in an old firehouse and will focus on dishes that are multicultural in influence and locally farmed. The owners of the Harriet Brasserie, Alain Lenne, Helen Hamman, and Fernando Silvo, who will also serve as executiv ... More >>

Tomorrow is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

If you're the type of person who refuses to eat ice cream that you have to pay for, you're in luck. Tomorrow, April 3, in celebration of 34 years of providing Americans ice cream with funny names, Ben & Jerry's will be holding a free cone day!

House shoots down Sunday liquor sales, Twittersphere groans

​Today, a pair of GOP Representatives -- Stephen Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove -- introduced amendments to allow Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota.Both amendment went down in a ball of flames, with about four times as many nays as yays.Who are these Minnesotans who don't ... More >>

Cannon River Winery hosts Meet the Winemaker

​This summery spring has the open road calling. What better way to celebrate the warm breeze than spending the day at a not-too-far-away winery? On Saturday, April 7, Cannon River Winery in downtown Cannon Falls will be hosting its annual Meet the Winemaker event. The winery, which is less than an ... More >>

"Pink slime" no longer sold at Eden Prairie-based Supervalu family of stores

​Like Jamie Oliver, the Anoka-Hennepin county school district, and any character in The Real Ghostbusters, we've been following the trail of slime, specifically "pink slime," or ammonia-exposed beef filler that federal authorities still attest meets food safety standards, which has been making its ... More >>

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 >>

More detail on the Crispin/MillerCoors deal

Initial reports of the sale of Crispin Cider to MillerCoors contained scant detail. Little information was given beyond the fact of the sale and that Crispin, along with its affiliate Fox Barrel, was to be run as a unit of Tenth and Blake the craft-and-import division of the mega-brewery. The lack o ... More >>

Supervalu cutting 800 jobs, 200 in Minnesota

​Supervalu announced plans today to cut 800 employee positions across the country, including 200 in Minnesota. The company, based in Eden Prairie, has been struggling for the past couple of years: In 2010 and 2011, the company cut 650 employee positions either through layoffs or by leaving open p ... More >>

Cooperatives Working Together uses herd retirement to fix milk prices

A half-million cows were worth more dead than alive, and now we're all paying the price

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 >>

Supervalu focusing on record number of food stamp recipients

Food stamps account for 40 percent of sales at Supervalu's Save-A-Lot stores.​Eden Prairie-based Supervalu is one of a handful of grocery chains changing the way it operates to accommodate the record number of food stamp recipients. From opening supermarkets at midnight, when government benefits a ... More >>

Bemidji Brewing needs a kickstart

Bemidji Brewing is state's newest brewery-to-be​For the Minnesota craft-beer world there's yet another new kid on the block; or at least on its way to the block. From up there near the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi comes the announcement of Bemidji Brewing Company. The brewery's three p ... More >>

Looking for Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream? Here's where to find it

Yael GrauerBen & Jerry's popular limited-edition flavor is a best-seller​Finding Schweddy Balls in the Twin Cities ain't easy, as the popular Ben & Jerry's limited-edition flavor has been flying off shelves. If you've been curious to try it, here's where you can pick up a pint in the Twin Ci ... More >>

Outback Steakhouse ordered to pay $1.25 million in tip-sharing lawsuit

Outback servers won a class action lawsuit over tip pooling. ​Tip-pooling--when a restaurant's waitstaff shares a percentage of their gratuities with untipped staffers, such as bussers and dishwashers--has become a popular practice at some local restaurants, including Piccolo and Travail. Bu ... More >>

Food truck owners to restaurateurs: Blame yourself, not our trucks, for business problems

Barrio Restaurant Group think it's easy for restaurateurs to blame food trucks for their problems.​Local food truck vendors are striking back at the suggestion that their trucks are eating local restaurants' profits. "I think in a downward economy we blame everybody but ourselves as restauran ... More >>

Supervalu responds to protest at shareholders meeting

CTUL.Supervalu says the protesters have unfairly targeted Cub Foods.​Tuesday morning, a group of workers protested outside a shareholders meeting for Supervalu, the parent company of Cub Foods. It was the latest in what has become a long series of similar demonstrations, some held at Cub Food ... 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 >>

Stone Brewing Co. announces MN launch events

Stone Week Minnesota promises to be "a week-long lineup of epochal events"​Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego is one of those breweries whose beer people seek out. Stone's beers and the copy used to promote them are renowned for being over-the-top; the latter suggesting that the drinker with bottl ... More >>

Surly asks fans for help changing laws

Surly asks for help to get dream brewery approval​When Surly Brewing Company announced plans for a new $20-million brewery complex last week the Twin Cities beer world exploded with excitement. This wasn't going to be just any brewery; this was going to be a "destination brewery" complete with ... 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 >>

D'Amico "date night" a Sunday steal--or FREE if you win!

Deals at D'Amico Kitchen. ​You've already made plans for Valentine's Day: Strong work! But how do you plan on stoking the fire beyond next week's steak-and-chocolate gorge fest? Check out the D'Amico restaurant group's plans for a new "date night" promotion that will run every Sunday evening ... More >>

Rogue Chocolatier Colin Gasko plans to move out of Minnesota

Rogue ChocolatierMaster chocolatier and his creations move out east in spring​This might come as a shocking news to local chocolate lovers: Rogue Chocolatier and its sole proprietor, Colin Gasko, plans to move the whole operation to central Massachusetts in April, according to the Heavy Table. ... 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 >>

Chipotle fires Latinos

ICE bears down and the fast-food chain reacts

Big Wheels

Part two of our guide to the best cheeses of the Twin Cities—ever

Cheese It

Premier Cheese Market adds new life to the old milk scene

Noble Grapes

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