When I walked into Shamrocks Irish Nook for a team happy hour on the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day I got a blast of green I didn’t expect. From the moment I set foot in the place, and all the way back to our table in the back-back room, all I could smell was reefer. … [ Read more]
Trailblazers 2017: Sandy and Jay Boss Febbo of Bang Brewing
How do Sandy and Jay Boss Febbo split up the responsibilities of owning and operating a brewery and taproom? It’s simple: they don’t. “Our chosen scale has allowed us to operate as a true partnership,” says Sandy Boss Febbo, co-owner of Bang Brewing and wife of Jay. “We both like seeing things through start to … [ Read more]
Trailblazers 2017: Quality Beer
If there’s one trend in local beer that I’d like to see stick around, it’s a newfound dedication to consistency and quality. For far too long in this community, inexperienced breweries have been bringing bad—often fundamentally flawed—beers to market. Now, as consumers become educated about quality craft beer and more breweries are investing in quality … [ Read more]
Can Can Wonderland is weird and that’s why you’ll love it
The seating area next to the main bar at Can Can Wonderland // Photos by Kevin Kramer The expression on my face must have conveyed awe to the bubbly host that greeted me at the door. “It’s weird right?!” she asked with boastful pride and earnest excitement. Having successfully navigated a catacomb-like warehouse in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, I … [ Read more]
Trailblazers 2016: 89.3 The Current
Minnesota Public Radio will celebrate 50 years on the airwaves in 2017. A lot has changed since the organization humbly began broadcasting a single classical music frequency out of Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1967. But one thing has remained constant: MPR’s forward-thinking focus on remaining an indispensable resource for Minnesotans of generations present and future. The … [ Read more]
The Year in Beer 2014
Minnesota has seen significant growth in craft beer over the past 12 months, and all signs point to an equally impressive 2015. By our count Minnesota currently has more than 75 breweries and brewpubs in operation. We now have more breweries in the state than we have had at any point since Prohibition. In addition … [ Read more]
Toast the Repeal of Prohibition with Craft Cocktails from Easy & Oskey
At 5:32 p.m. December 5, 1933, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st amendment, giving prohibition opponents the three-fourths majority needed to repeal the 18th Amendment, ending the national prohibition of alcohol in the United States of America. The Volstead Act–passed in Congress on October 28, 1919 and co-authored by Minnesota native Andrew … [ Read more]