MN STATE FAIR: BREWED IN MINNESOTA

About the Flights

Our exhibit features 200 unique beers and other craft beverages from 98 MN breweries, brewpubs, and other beverage producers. It’s the most diverse lineup at the fair and highlights brewers from all across Minnesota! At any one time, you’ll find 20 different products on tap; come back after a few hours for a whole new set of options! New this year, we’re also featuring an NA beverage flight for folks who want to explore craft beverages, without the alcohol! We’re excited to bring more options to the Fair and highlight that locally-made craft brews are for everyone!

NOTE: Featuring so many brews in one place is no small feat! Because we cannot predict when a beer will sell out and a new keg will replace it, we can’t offer a beer schedule or tell you which beers you tried after the event. Be sure to take a picture of the flight screen you order to remember what you tried!

Sample These MN Craft Brewers at Our Exhibit:

Thursday, August 22 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Hear from the team of the Black Brewers Podcast! The Black Brewers Podcast is driven by seasoned service industry veterans Anthony, Phill, and Greg, discussing current events, music, and beer. Indulge in brewery insider conversations between sips and have a good time with whoever is at the table for the Black Brewers Podcast. 

Friday, August 23 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Discover the Early History of Lager in America with Tom Schroeder’s “How the Germans Saved a Drunken Nation.” From Waldmann Brewery, Tom will present the history of lager beer and brewing in America and Minnesota from 1848 to 1918.

Friday, August 23 | 4:30 p.m.

Discover the latest in brewing technologies! Jeremy Pryes from Pryes Brewing / Idyll Forest will provide a virtual tour of Pryes Brewery and discuss the importance of state-of-the-art equipment in the brewing industry.

Saturday, August 24 | 12:30 p.m.

Minnesota State Fair Homebrew Competition Winner Announcement! Abby Rouster, Matt Johnson, and Dave Matson from the MN Homebrewers Association will announce the winners of the Minnesota State Fair Homebrew Competition.

Sunday, August 25 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

What’s going on in the world of MN Hops? Josh Havill from the University of Minnesota will provide updates on the University of Minnesota Hop Breeding Program.

Monday, August 26 |12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Karl Eicher and David Stennes from Haggard Barrel Brewing will present how Arcola Farms has partnered with Haggard Barrel Brewing to showcase a new trademarked perennial grain, Kernza®, from Kansas. Kernza® is gaining traction due to its potential positive impact on farming and environmental practices. They will detail how this grain is used in brewing and its potential for sustainable brewing in the future.

Tuesday, August 27 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Are you curious about Homebrewing with Local Ingredients? Linda Rae Holcomb and Mary Nieting from GLUEK BEER will discuss “Growing Your Homebrew Garden.”

Wednesday, August 28 |12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Pat Carey from Padraigs Brewing in Minneapolis will discuss the history of Irish beer.

Thursday, August 29 | 12:30 p.m.

Craft Breweries are more than just Beer! Nate Smith from Lagersmith will discuss how breweries are making other craft beverages, such as sodas, NA drinks, hemp beverages, and functional beverages, and how these products benefit local craft breweries.

Thursday, August 29 |  2:30 p.m.

The Amazing Aluminum Can! Nate Smith from Lagersmith will cover the history and benefits of aluminum cans and how beer is packaged in them.

Friday, August 30 | 12:30 p.m.

Love Mixed Culture beers? Jeremy Pryes from Pryes Brewing / Idyll Forest will present “From Barrel to Bottle – Everything Mixed Culture / Spontaneous.”

Friday, August 30 | 2:30 p.m.

Discover the latest in brewing technologies! Jeremy Pryes from Pryes Brewing / Idyll Forest will provide a virtual tour of Pryes Brewery and discuss the importance of state-of-the-art equipment in the brewing industry.

Saturday, August 31 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Want to know more about being a woman in the Minnesota Brewing Industry?  Jen Fox and Morgan Smith from Spiral Brewery in Hastings will discuss what it’s like to operate a women-owned and operated brewery in Minnesota.

Sunday, September 1 | 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Learn how Minnesota Cider is made! Jason Dayton, President of the Minnesota Cider Guild, will discuss how Minnesota Cider is made from farm to table.

Monday, September 2 |12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

So, You Want to Open a Craft Brewery? Patrick and Erika Lundberg from Outstate Brewing Company will explore the ins and outs of starting a brewery in Minnesota.

Free Brewery Maps

While at the exhibit, check out the giant brewery map hanging on the wall to explore MN’s amazing network of craft breweries and brewpubs. Then, grab a free brewery map to-go as you head off to explore MN craft beer throughout the rest of the year! (Free maps while supplies last!)

Craft Beer Gifts

Grab some new swag for yourself or for a fellow craft beer lover! Our exhibit sells t-shirts, hats, pint glasses, and more. All proceeds of the exhibit support the MNCBG non-profit mission to promote, protect, and grow a robust Minnesota craft brewing industry.

Supporting Partners

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the MN State Fair for elevating MN craft beer throughout the Fair for more than a decade! In addition to visiting our exhibit, be sure to check out the Fair’s Specialty Sips program to find dozens of new MN-made craft beverages at venues all across the Fair.

We also want to thank our exhibit employees and presenters, and these important exhibit partners:

• Lancer Hospitality Group
• Metro Cold Stor
• Beertory

Brewed in Minnesota FAQs

What Makes This Exhibit Unique?
The MNCBG “Brewed in Minnesota” exhibit offers the largest number and variety of Minnesota-made beers at the Fair, but why we’re able to do so is the really special thing about this exhibit!

For more than a decade, the MN State Fair has been incredibly supportive of the MN craft brewing industry. In 2012, with the support of the Fair, we opened our “Land of 10,000 Beers” exhibit in the Ag/Hort building, which allowed the Fair to more-than-double the amount of MN-made craft beer on offer to fairgoers. Back then, the majority of MN craft brewery business were brewpubs, and brewpubs are not normally allowed to distribute their beer. So we and the Fair secured a specific legal exception to allow brewpub members of the MN Craft Brewers Guild to supply their beer to us, just for this exhibit! Our exhibit at the Fair continues to be one of the only places you can sample brewpubs’ beer outside of the brewpub itself!

Since the early days of the exhibit, we have continued to feature an ever-growing array of MN beer from all across the state. While most venues at the Fair require breweries to supply a large number of kegs to ensure consistent products for the Fair’s duration, our exhibit does not! Any member of our organization is able to submit as few as a single keg for purchase, and all of our members are guaranteed at least one keg at the exhibit. Through the Brewed in Minnesota exhibit, the MN State Fair and MN Craft Brewers Guild are able to minimize the barriers to participation, and provide promotion and support opportunities to nearly every craft brewery and brewpub in the state, no matter their size or production capacity. That means fairgoers get a real representation of the quality and variety of craft beer that can be found across MN!

How much beer flows through the exhibit? 
Over the course of the Fair, we pour roughly 500 kegs of beer for Fairgoers! Our exhibit features 5 constantly-rotating flights (4 beers from 4 different breweries); flights are themed based on flavor to help Fairgoers discover new styles and flavor profiles they might like. If you know you like pilsners but aren’t sure where to go from there, you can buy a “Crisp & Clean” flight to sample a pilsner, lager, kolsch, and cream ale!

Who is giving presentations?
Presenters are MN craft brewery and brewpub staff or other experts from within the industry. Presentations cover a range of topics – from the earliest ingredient, to the process of brewing, to the business of getting beer to the people, and the culture in which this all happens. We also are featuring several industry partners this year, including the MN Home Brewers Association, who will be awarding their MN State Fair Homebrew Competition winners on our stage!

Learn more about the MN Craft Brewers Guild, our mission, and our members on our About page.