I’ve been challenged to consume only Minnesota beers for the rest of the year.
As an advocate for beer in Minnesota, this doesn’t seem like a terrible idea, once one gets past the notion that I like a lot of beers from around the US and abroad. Could I do it?
Probably. Maybe. I have a 5 HopSlams in the chilly room below my front steps, a Trois Pistoles and La Fin Du Monde in my fridge… two Miller Lite’s that I probably won’t touch anyway. There are some other beers like last year’s Bigfoot, Bell’s Batch 7000 and Old Horizontal that would probably be fine if they aged another year. Dawn could drink the last can of Newcastle…
Between our brewpubs and our breweries, we’ve got a lot of good beer in Minnesota. I’m a homebrewer, as are some of my friends. Whaddya’ think? 6 months? The rest of 2007? Let me drink the last 7 non-MN beers and consider Autumn Brew Review a “holiday” and I think I could do it.
No, I’m not drunk. Cold, perhaps, but not drunk.
I think you can do it. I know you can.
Heck, I’d join you, except I know there’s gonna be plenty of other beers that’ll cross my path that I’ll have to try, for pleasure, or, ahem, for work…
For personal, at home consumption, buying for myself, rather than sampling bottles sent to me…I could do it…maybe…biggest temptation would be Bell’s, maybe Victory.
By and large, though, I am mostly drinking growlers from the brewpubs and cans of Surly!
Now that sounds like an interesting challenge. I think you can do it.
If I were you, I would purchase a few cases of Schell’s Snowstorm before it’s all gone. It’s sooo good this year.
Who put forth the challenge? You could probably do it easier than you imagine. There’s a pretty big variety of MN beers. Now if you lived in ND, it might be tough…
If I lived in North Dakota, I’d be limited to drinking growlers of Granite City beer… assuming, of course, that North Dakota allows growlers.
The challenge came as more of a joke than anything. We have plenty of good beer in Minnesota and I don’t plan on spending any vacation time outside of Minnesota this year, so it wouldn’t be painful.
Perhaps it’s time for a 10-month pledge allegiance to beer in Minnesota?
I’m sure you could do it but so what? What exactly would you be proving? Why limit yourself for the next 10 months when we have such a wonderful array of beers available in MN?
^
Look. Top of page. See the title? MNBeer, by, for and about Minnesota beer. I thought it was kinda obvious, but drinking only beer from Minnesota for the rest of the year would be a cool tribute to all of the great beermakers in MN.
Go for it dude. I’ll donate 5 smackers to your camera fund if u do.
Chris has the idea, and as an advocate and booster of all of the great beer made within the great state of Minnesota, it seems like a noble effort….
After thinking about it a bit more, perhaps I’ll amend things to say that I won’t be buying any beer that’s not from Minnesota for the rest of the year. That’ll exempt me from freebies and beer fests. 🙂
I moved to Florida for a couple years back ’round the turn of the century. Where we lived, at least, good beer was almost completely unavailable. I was lucky to find interesting US microbrews at the liquor store; imports or taps were completely out of the question.
When we moved back to MN, I adopted a “MN beer only” rule. I was so happy to be back in beer country, I wanted all of my beer dollars to go right back to the local brewers.
Over the past 6 years, I’ve adjusted my rules. I’ll enjoy a Bell’s or Belgian import with a clear conscience. Still, with the growth and quality of microbrewing in MN, I largely drink MN and I don’t suffer at all. Summit, Schells, Surley — that’s good living.
Enjoy your year of MN Beer!
Kevin