The Minnesota Craft Brewers Build held their “Autumn Brew Review” on Saturday, September 17th with two sessions at the historic Grain Belt Brewery complex in Northeast Minneapolis! It is billed as “An Outdoor Beer Sampling Festival Dedicated to the Fine Art of Craft Brewing” and it certainly lived up to the billing.
The first session ran from 10am to 2pm and while it did not sell out, you can see that about twenty five hundred people understand our motto that “it’s noon somewhere” applies when presented with the opportunity to drink good beer. The second session ran from 3-7pm, and was a sell-out will 3,000 attendees.
Over eighty craft brewers from across the whole country were present. Minnesota brewers were well represented, and our favorites from Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, California, Wisconsin, New York and others were there too. You can see the full list at the Guild’s web site www.mncraftbrew.org.
There is so much beer to be tasted, that you have to pace yourself so as to not get too inebriated. I focused my tastings to Stouts and Porters, and had no shortage of samples. I also tried several IPA from brewers that market their beers in Minnesota.
Finally, it is important to note that my friend Jack and I did not have to drive home from the event. We had prearranged for someone to pick us up.
Research shows that moderate beer consumption can help prevent heart disease and strokes, provide important vitamins and minerals, is low in fat and helps increase good cholesterol (HDL).