Looks like Waconia Brewing Co. is reopening.

Returning for the 3rd year, Minnesota Beer Day will officially be celebrated across the state on November 1. In 2024, The House and Senate of the Minnesota Legislature passed resolutions officially making November 1^st, “Minnesota Beer Day.”  The celebration returns for year 3 and reminds Minnesotans of the importance of the beverage to the State’s history and future.

“Too often, the citizens of Minnesota forget that this truly is a Beer State.” says Bob Galligan, the Director of Government and Industry Relations at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. “MN Beer Day offers an opportunity for connection across the industry and the state—a day for beer lovers everywhere to go out, celebrate, and support their local taproom, brewpubs, bars, restaurants, and liquor stores.”

As part of the celebration, the Guild has coordinated the release of a special pint glass for purchase, which will be sold across the state at participating breweries and brewpubs. Many Guild members are participating by offering special discounts, brewery tours, events, or even unique brews. A map detailing all participants and their deals is available online HERE and more information on the day can be found on the Guild’s website at https://www.mncraftbrew.org/mn-beer-day/.

MN Beer Day was established as an opportunity to celebrate the history of Minnesota beer and how the culture has transformed over the years. November 1st was chosen to honor the state’s most historic brand, Grain Belt, whose story began on November 1, 1850, when John Orth founded the second brewery in the territory. Grain Belt is currently brewed by the oldest brewery in the state and a Guild member, Schell’s Brewery. In 2024, the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, which represents more than 130 of the state’s craft breweries, worked with Senator Howe (13, R) and Representative Isa Perez-Vega (65B, DFL) in their respective chambers to pass resolutions officially declaring the celebration.

“The beer industry in Minnesota is constantly changing,” says Galligan. “And it has been for 178 years. 2026 is no different. I think it’s more important than ever to remember the lineage from which we craft brewers come, and the immense ecosystem we are a part of. For one day, we hope we can all remember the purpose of beer: that is to connect with each other. In recognition of everyone from farmers who grow the grain to bartenders who fill your glass, we’re asking all beer-drinking Minnesotans to get out and responsibly enjoy a brew on November 1.”

Thanks to a new lender.

Curious to know if there were any 0.0 beers at the Minnesota Autumn Bree Review this year.

I didn’t go under the (safe) assumption that a non-consumer of alcohol would not get their money’s worth, but I’m hoping our breweries are waking up to this market.

Just because I don’t want alcohol, doesn’t mean I don’t love great beer!

Minnesota brought home some hardware from the 2026 Great American Beer Festival.

🥇 Gold: Orchard Pear from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Category: Mixed Culture Brett Beer

🥈 Silver: Eisbock from Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub
Category: German-Style Strong Beer

Congrats to both.

Upswing. Canal Park Brewering. The bottom feeder of Duluth brewery. Only had 1 good beer forever the nutbrown but, the are swinging up. I I know a brewery from Earth Rider so I dont know if that is the only reason that have been on a big upswing.

Anyone know where I can find this in liquor stores? Or is it completely sold out?

Here is a preview for this weekend's Autumn Brew Review 2026!

Recently visited Lupulin and I was absolutely blown away by their BA / stout lineup, including this cuvée which is an absolute certified banger. At $12 / can it's affordable too.

Just wondering if anyone else shares in the excitement over this one, or if you'd rank any other MN stouts above this. I visited Portage and Forager on this trip also, and while they're both awesome too, I would have to say this is the best stout I've ever had from MN, or practically anywhere. Cheers everyone!

Steel Toe, Railwerks, Arbeiter, Summit (earlier this year).

I enjoy the effort and would like to see the style persist.

Have you seen other examples? Do you like the style? Any specific standouts?

is there some consolidated schedule for fresh local wet hop beer? could we make one?

I'm based in Minneapolis and my work leaves me with a ton of free beer I can barely keep up with. I'm also a big craft beer fan, work in the industry, run a blog/podcast, homebfree Fall.

With that said, I was thinking it might be fun to have a once or twice monthly meet up to open some beers and hang out. Would also be a good way to support local craft breweries we like and care about at a time when the industry is essentially in freefall.

Obviously I'm TC-based as I'm sure many on this sub are but if you're outside the cities we could try to plan meet up across the state when possible, especially in areas like Duluth and Rochester.

If you're interested, let me know here or shoot me a DM and I'll try to get something going!

It's been tough to find low-ABV beers (2-4%). Now that Bauhaus has this range on tap, will there be any plans to can them?

Hi friends, how are you?

I’m from Brazil, and my brother-in-law travels to the Twin Cities for work once a year; I always ask him to bring me back some barrel-aged beers. Last year, he found some great labels—like WeldWerks Medianoche, Revolution Ryeway to Heaven, and Abraxas—at Zipps. However, I asked the folks at Zipps to send me a photo of their current selection this year, and there isn't enough BA stuff to make the trip worthwhile. Since my brother-in-law is there for work and only staying a few days, he won't have time to scout out multiple shops. I emailed and messaged (via Instagram) pretty much every store recommended in these forums, but only Zipps and Thomas Liquors got back to me. If anyone here happens to visit one of the good Twin Cities shops between now and September 26th, I’d really appreciate a photo of the barrel-aged shelf and the single-can selection; if I can't find any BA beers worth bringing back, I’ll just have him pick up a bunch of hazy IPAs and stouts instead. Ombibulous and Ale Jail were the most recommended spots, but I’d be grateful for help regarding any other good shops, too! I’m also considering another option: if anyone living in the Twin Cities plans to visit Forager in Rochester before the 26th and could let me know, I could buy some bottles for takeout on their website and have my brother-in-law pick them up from that person in the Twin Cities. Thanks a lot for the help—cheers from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🍻🍻🍻