Raise A Glass For Minnesota Beer Day This Saturday
UNDATED (WJON News) -- This Saturday is a special day in our state, it's the second annual Minnesota Beer Day.
Not enough Minnesota citizens understand, or remember, how impactful the beverage of beer was in the early days of the state. And, how it's come full circle, and how now you can pretty much find a locally brewery in every community across the state, which used to the be the case in the early days.
Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild spokesman Bob Galligan says local breweries and taprooms are operated by small business owners, where you can meet the people making your favorite beers.
Meet the actual producers of the beverages face-to-face on an afternoon, getting to talk with the owner of the head brewer and getting to know the product and make a connection.
November 1st was chosen for Minnesota Beer Day to honor the state's most iconic brand, Grain Belt, whose story began on November 1st, 1850, when John Orth founded the second brewery in the territory. Grain Belt is currently brewed by the oldest brewery in the state, Schell's Brewery in New Ulm.
Galligan says, once again this year, they've created a special pint glass that you can buy at your local brewery.
Members buy the glass, and they get to choose how they promote that glass during the day. I know Bad Habit in St. Joseph is selling a pint glass for $3,0 and you get to drink pretty much all day, responsibly.
He says many Minnesotans will likely be filling up their glasses with their favorite lagers.
In Minnesota, given our history, we have a lager type mentality. It's been fun to see the craft brewers turn back around on their heritage and start celebrating the lagers a little bit more from our German and European heritage.
He says IPAs are still the best-selling style of beer nationally. There is a belief in the industry that we'll see a surge in English or Scottish-style beers in the future.
Galligan says the industry saw triple-digit growth in new breweries between 2011 and 2020. He says, This will likely be the first year that we see more brewery closings than openings. The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild was founded in 2000 and is made up of more than 155 breweries and brewpubs.
Photos of former Stearns County breweries from the Stearns History Museum:
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