Beer Archives - France 44

It’s Time to Talk Oktoberfest

Bill Nosan

Bill (he/him) is France 44’s beer buyer. He's been at the store since 2006 and has his WSET Level 3 Wines & Spirits certification. He regularly stocks his fridge with local Craft Pilsners, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Gin, Cocchi Americano, and Bubbles ... always Bubbles. At home, you'll find him cooking for his wife Bec, and arguing with his dog Mavis, the most stubborn Pyrenees in St. Paul.

Okay — It’s time. I’ve held off as long as I can. It’s time to talk about Oktoberfest beers.

I’ll spare you the history about a wedding 200 years ago, you’ve heard about that before. I’ll just get down to what you care about, the beer.

But first, a quick breakdown of the two styles. Germans drink two types of Oktoberfest beers under the tents in Munich; the traditional Marzen, which in amber in color. And Festbiers, which are typically golden in color. The Marzen commonly drinks a bit heavier, with a more toasty, bready malt style. Where the Festbier usually drinks a bit lighter and brighter. Still malt forward, but with a bit more hop bite to them (but not hoppy!!) Both carry a similar alcohol weight, and both are perfect Fall weather beers. We feel that Oktoberfest beers are, without a doubt, the best seasonal beers of the entire year.

We currently have over 40 Oktoberfest style beers in the store. We love all of them, but here is a list of a few that we wanted to highlight for you. Last year, we discussed the first two beers, but they’re so special to us, I wanted to quickly touch on them again.

A Guide to Hops

Bennett Porter

Bennett (he/him) is is our Spirits Buyer, is a Certified Cicerone® and holds his WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. You’ll often see him lurking about the German pilsner and kölsch sections. He also enjoys Steel Toe, Odell, and La Croix and chocolate milk on occasion. If he wasn’t at France 44, he’d be trying to make it work as a full-time snowboard bum. He and his wife share a great Anatolian Shepherd named Bear.

The proliferation of craft beer has drawn an ever closer focus on the importance of hop selection, for both the consumer and the brewer.

Hops are an essential ingredient in brewing: providing bitterness, aroma, flavor, foam stabilization and a natural preservative with their antimicrobial qualities.

To the educated consumer, hop varieties listed on a beer label can offer an indication of the flavor and aroma characteristics to expect.

That said, the same hop variety can show differently when used in a pilsner versus an IPA versus an Imperial Stout. Just as a chardonnay aged in oak barrels differs hugely from a young chardonnay, aged in stainless steel, the way that hops are used in brewing will have a huge outcome on the finished product. It’s as much about the method and brewing technique as it is about the hops. Lighter and hop-forward beer styles will naturally showcase more of a hop variety’s characteristics than stronger, darker styles.

What Exactly Are Hops?

Hops (humulus lupulus) are a species of perennial flowering bine from the hemp family Cannabaceae. Though used interchangeably, hops are considered a bine not a vine, as their flexible shoots wrap around their support, whereas vines use tendrils to secure themselves and do not twist.

The plant is dioecious, meaning male and female plants are separate. It is only the female flower cones that are known as hops. Hop cones contain lupulin glands at the base of their petals that house essential oils, resins and terpenes. These are the components that provide the bitterness, aroma and flavor to beer.

Hop varieties can be grouped into three types:

Bittering hops: The high alpha acid content in these varieties gives greater bittering potential. More bitterness is extracted the earlier they are added in the boiling process.
Aroma hops: These hops contain more volatile oils and terpenes that can contribute a bouquet of aromas and flavors in the finished beer. Aroma hops are added later in the boil or during fermentation to not boil off their distinct qualities.
Dual-purpose hops: These hop varieties offer great flexibility to the brewer. Their high alpha and oil content can provide both bittering and aroma potential.

The characteristics that determine which category a hop falls into are strongly influenced by origin and lineage. Traditional European hop varieties impart a delicate and mild character into the finished brew, effusing floral, earthy and spicy aromatics. Their lower alpha acid content lends a finer, crisp sort of bitterness. American hops are bold by contrast, with more pronounced and varied aromas of citrus, pine and tropical fruits. Their generally higher alpha acid content can impart a strong, lingering bitterness that is key to many American beer styles. The difference between European and American hops is best reflected in the styles brewed there. Even a mild American style such as Amber Ale is noticeably more hoppy than most imported lagers and ales.

That being said, more isn’t always better! The key is to understand what you like and why, making it easier to select the next brews for your fridge.

Now that we have a general outline of hops and their usage, listed below is a few of our favorite hop varieties and familiar beers made with them:

Saaz (Žatec, Czechia – Aroma hop): One of the four original noble hops, Saaz is used prominently in Bohemian pilsner and lager styles. Its high farnesene content gives off a woodsy, herbal, sometimes green apple-like quality and low alpha acid content can add a soft bitterness when used early in the boil.

- Fair State Pils, Luce Line Piedmont Pils, Pilsner Urquell, Stella Artois

Hallertau (Bavaria, Germany – Aroma hop): Another noble hop variety, whose cultivation dates back to the Middle Ages. It is arguably the “classic” German hop, with clean floral aromas of sage, rosemary, lavender and pine thanks to higher humulene content. Perfect for pilsners and other lager styles.

- Insight Avant Pilsner, Weihenstephaner Pils, Paulaner Münchner Lager

Strisselspalt (Alsace, France – Aroma hop): Low in alpha acid with a pleasing herbal, spicy quality with hints of citrus from higher percentage of myrcene

- BlackStack Slopes Pilsner, Kronenbourg 1664, Orval Trappist Ale

Citra® (Yakima, Washington – Aroma/Dual-Purpose hop) Arguably the superstar of American hops, Citra® bursts with lime, grapefruit and tropical aromas. Its high alpha acid content can produce a harsh bitterness, so it must be used judiciously.

- Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue Pale Ale, Falling Knife Daydreaming Pale Ale

Mosaic® (Yakima, Washington – Dual-Purpose hop) Just ever-so-slightly in the shadow of Citra® hops, Mosaic is equally beloved by American craft brewers. Featuring aromas of mango, pine, citrus and berry with a pleasing bitterness, this hop can do it all. It is often featured alongside Citra® as they play well together.

- Weldwerks Juicy Bits NEIPA, Modist False Pattern NE Pale Ale, Junkyard Flip Flops and Wheelies NE Pale Ale

Warrior® (Yakima Valley, Washington – Bittering hop) This high alpha hop is perfect for adding a clean bitterness to brews, with hints of citrus and spice.

- Surly Furious IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Nelson Sauvin (New Zealand – Dual-Purpose hop) Named after the Sauvignon Blanc wine grape, with whom it shares many characteristics. Notes of gooseberry and white wine grape, it can impart a smooth bitterness.

- Modist Foeder 44 Dry-Hopped Pilsner, plus many limited release IPAs and Pale Ales (keep your eyes peeled!)

Zero Proof Pours: Navigating Non-Alcoholic Beers

Jake Rollin

Jake (he/him) can be found primarily working in the Beer and Spirits departments, though he occasionally dabbles in Wine. He loves helping customers brainstorm ideas for new and interesting cocktails (ask him about his Caprese Sour cocktail), and talking all things whiskey. His fridge is stocked with a healthy combination of local hazy IPAs, Belgian beers, and Riesling, and he has an ever-growing whiskey collection.

Non-alcoholic and low ABV alternatives are currently all the rage. You may have preconceived notions of what non-alcoholic beer will taste like, but the category as a whole has come a very long way. Gone are the days of products that only vaguely resemble beer. The non-alcoholic beers of today present much of the same flavor as their full strength counterparts, but without the potential side effects of alcohol.

Non-alcoholic beer dates all the way back to prohibition when, in order to stay in business, some breweries began to brew beers capped at 0.5% ABV. But after the 21st amendment passed, the prevalence of non-alcoholic beer decreased drastically.

Now, jump forward to the 1990’s. Anheuser-Busch launches O’Doul’s, arguably one of the most well known non-alcoholic beers of all time. While most people won’t claim that O’Doul’s was an award winning example of non-alcoholic beer, the effect it had on the non-alcoholic beer movement is undeniable, forever creating a market for non-alcoholic beer.

In order to understand the process of making non-alcoholic beer, we first need to start with the process of making regular beer.

At the most basic level, hot water is added to malted barley and left to soak, extracting fermentable sugars and creating a sugar-rich liquid called wort. This wort serves as the perfect food source for yeast.

However, before the yeast is added, the wort is boiled with hops, which serve as both preservatives and a flavoring agents. Once the boil is complete, the wort is cooled, and the yeast is introduced. The yeast consumes the sugars in the cooled wort, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts. After fermentation is complete, the beer is kegged, bottled, or canned, ready to be enjoyed.

The process for non-alcoholic beer is essentially the same, but there’s no one way to ensure the ABV is under 0.5%. The simplest method is heating the alcohol out of the beer, though this can have a detrimental effect on flavor, as beer and heat don’t often mix well. Another option is to use specific yeast strains that don’t produce alcohol. In theory, these preserve the flavors of the beer, thereby creating a product that is closer to a beer made in the standard way. Other breweries have their own proprietary methods for producing their non-alcoholic beers (like Athletic Brewing). There is still constant innovation happening in the industry as non-alcoholic beer becomes more widely enjoyed.

With an ever expanding selection of non-alcoholic products, there has never been a better time to get into non-alcoholic beer. Many of our favorite local companies have started to create non-alcoholic products that we’re proud to sell and enjoy. Our beer staff is extremely knowledgeable about the newest non-alcoholic beers in the cooler, so if you have no idea where to start, please don’t be afraid to ask!

Picnic Picks

Bennett Porter

Bennett (he/him) is one of our Beer Cave Trolls, is a Certified Cicerone® and holds his WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. You’ll see him lurking about the German pilsner and kölsch sections most often. He also enjoys Steel Toe, Odell, and La Croix and chocolate milk on occasion. If he wasn’t at France 44, he’d be trying to make it work as a full-time snowboard bum. He and his wife share a great Anatolian Shepherd named Bear.

Memorial Day weekend is here, marking the unofficial start to summer in the US. As you gather with friends and family to honor those who have served and enjoy the warmer weather, don’t forget to include some refreshing beers to complement your meal. Whether you’re firing up the grill or lounging in the park, here are some of our top recommendations for elevating your Memorial Day picnic experience.

Luce Line Ecstatic Static West Coast IPA

Though they originated across the pond, IPA has become the quintessential American craft beer style. This new-school take on the West Coast IPA is the latest year-round offering from Plymouth’s Luce Line Brewing. An abundance of Citra Cryo, Simcoe and Strata hops deliver bright tangerine, peach and melon notes to complement the tapered malt bill. This is an IPA that delivers on flavor while retaining a great drinkability.

Fair State Hefeweizen

Late spring is when wheat beers emerge from their winter slumber to accompany beer drinkers on warm, sun-dappled afternoons. Fair State Hefeweizen offers refreshing aromas of banana, clove, vanilla and a prickle of citrus. On the palate it has a softly-textured bready malt flavor, restrained fruitiness and a crisp finish that begs another sip. Bavarian-style hefeweizens like this are particularly enjoyable alongside your favorite fruits, salads and picnic snacks.

BlackStack Slopes French-Style Pilsner

Feel free to disregard the snow-covered mountainscape that adorns this crispy pilsner’s label. Originally a limited winter release, Slopes has recently been upgraded to year-round status. This French-style pils drinks like freshly-fallen champagne powder: light, dry and smooth. French pilsner malt, a kiss of corn and a healthy dose of spicy, herbal Strisselspalt hops makes this a perfect thirst quencher for après-waterski.

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The State of Craft Beer

Bennett Porter

Bennett (he/him) is one of our Beer Cave Trolls, is a Certified Cicerone® and holds his WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. You’ll see him lurking about the German pilsner and kölsch sections most often. He also enjoys Steel Toe, Odell, and La Croix and chocolate milk on occasion. If he wasn’t at France 44, he’d be trying to make it work as a full-time snowboard bum. He and his wife share a great Anatolian Shepherd named Bear.

From my decade-plus experience of selling beer at France 44, I have been fortunate to get a first-hand perspective of the craft beer boom. My favorite quip about working in craft beer is that “the only constant is change”, one of the principal reasons I have enjoyed this industry so much. As new beers arrive daily, often hourly, the beer cooler exists in a fluid state. Every week is different, requiring a constant effort to keep your finger on the pulse. With near limitless choices of ever-improving quality, there has never been a better moment to enjoy craft beer; yet behind the rose-colored lenses the industry faces a new version of change.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on what got us here, and what the future holds. How “fully fermented” is craft beer? Early craft beer drinkers were like yeast introduced to sugary wort: consuming, metabolizing, multiplying in numbers, along the way generating by-products of more breweries, more craft beer in more styles, and more flavor. The chemistry of this industry developed quickly, thriving like an active fermentation. It seemed like a new brewery was opening every day.

We rode that high for quite a while. Then the pandemic hit, fraying the fabric of in-person social interaction—the main environment in which craft beer is enjoyed. Its toll magnified a reality we learned to be true: the market had matured and become much more competitive. For the confluence of these reasons and more, I believe we’ve reached the “secondary fermentation” of craft beer, a period of slowing change and maturation.

•••

Around the time I took my first shifts in the beer cooler was a particularly exciting time in the Minnesota craft beer scene. The recently passed “Surly Bill”, which allowed distributing breweries to sell their beer on-premise, opened the floodgates for new local craft breweries to plant their roots.

Up to this point, our beer selection looked much different. Swaths of shelf space were dominated by mid to large-sized regional breweries, most from out-of-state (e.g. Bell’s, Deschutes, Odell, etc). The local craft scene was just beginning to blossom. Brewery release calendars were steady and predictable back then. I could usually tell someone when to expect a certain seasonal offering. It was specifically the limited release bottles, often barrel-aged imperial stouts in tall glass and a fancy crown, that really generated peak excitement. I reflect fondly on my first few Surly Darkness releases when lines of people, lawn chairs and thermoses in hand, would form outside our doors in the early morning hours. Acquiring bottles of the most limited beers like these had become a sort of tradition for craft consumers.

This perpetual hunt to find the next rare beer was a nascent gamification for the widespread “gotta catch ‘em all” mentality that took over craft beer in the following years. BeerAdvocate, RateBeer and especially Untappd were all platforms on which users could rate and review the beers they had tried. Much like on social media, people became more aware of what beers their friends and peers were drinking, and if it was any good. Limited beers began to take on new faces: hazy New England-style IPAs featuring newly-developed hop varieties, pastry stouts with candy factory adjuncts, and smoothie sours saturated with fruit puree.

The “haze craze” was born, as hazy IPAs quickly became the hottest-selling beer style in our cooler. People who once lined up for stout releases turned to “truck chasing”: tracking down the freshest, juiciest, most-limited IPA drops from breweries like BlackStack, Drekker and Junkyard. Funny example, our Junkyard delivery driver would post his delivery route on Instagram, and by the time he arrived we’d have a crowd waiting to buy their beer. Genius! It was so crazy I actually had people actually grab beer out of my hands as I tried to keep the shelves stocked.

Like fuel to fire, soon we were juggling 50, 60, 70+ new beers coming through our doors every week. Sell out of one, replace it with another–wash, rinse, repeat. This became the environment in which most breweries had to operate to be successful. If you weren’t constantly developing new beers and flavors, you weren’t “staying atop the feed” in consumer’s minds. The results of these flavor pursuits were admittedly varied. It led to some of the best beers I’ve ever tried, and some of the worst. It was a time in craft beer when people responded well to gimmicks, us included. However, I think we reached a point of overstimulation that coincided with the eventual maturation of the craft beer market.

Today, it feels like we’ve come full circle. The onslaught of new beers continues, though at a more sustainable pace. Much to our satisfaction, maturing beer tastes have put a new focus on well-made craft lager styles (e.g. Pilsner, Helles, Bock) . Consumers are responding less to overengineered brews, as the risk of disappointment rises with the price point. Beer also faces fresh competition from the surging non-alcoholic and THC categories. In this “secondary fermentation” of craft beer, providing honest, dependable beer has become paramount.

It has never been tougher to decide what to stock our shelves with. Amongst the beer available to us there is a bit of amazing, a lot of great, and a sea of good, acceptable or worse. Our goal is to offer the freshest selection of the best quality beer we can provide. Although we make these decisions as a team, we rely on guidance from the most important people, our customers. Sharing your tastes and feedback with us is invaluable in shaping our selection and helps us best support the breweries that you want to thrive.

At this stage of craft beer, the future is in your hands. Support your local breweries and your locally-owned beer shops!

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Valentine’s Day Guide to France 44

It’s that time of year again – check out our favorite Valentine’s Day picks below!

The Valentine's Pairing Box

Wine & Cheese Exploration

Sign up a loved one by January 31st and they’ll receive their first box the week of Valentine’s Day!

Wine of the Month

Embark on a wine journey with us. Each month, our wine team puts together a themed box of three bottles of wine for you to explore. Based on a varietal, single producer, style, or seasonal theme, these bottles will take you on a wine adventure month after month - and we provide tasting notes and pairing suggestions to guide you along your way.

Sign Up Now

Cheese of the Month

Our Cheese of the Month club takes you on a voyage across the world of cheese. We'll introduce you to our favorite cheese staples, and some adventurous ones you may have never tried (or even heard of!) before. Let us inspire your monthly cheese boards with this curated box, and if you want to really take it to the next level, add our wine pairing as well!

Sign Up Now

Dinner for Two

Our Valentine’s menu this year features a delicious, hand-made dinner for two – including beef tenderloin, roasted vegetables, macarons, and more! We also have individual desserts and cheeses available for pre-order.

Exclusive Bourbons

For the bourbon lover in your life, we have a couple of special bottles in stock that you can’t get anywhere else! A truly one of a kind gift.

Bottle of New Riff Bourbon on wooden table

New Riff Single Barrel

$54.99 - Shop Now

Elijah Craig Lucky 13 Private Barrel

$89.99 - Shop Now

Maker's Mark Private Selection

Our fourth Private Selection from Maker’s Mark featuring a unique stave selection. With heavy baking spices and candied banana on the nose, this bourbon is rich, sweet, and complex. The palate evokes toasty French oak, salted caramel, and vanilla.

$74.99 - Shop Now

Romantic Wines by Argyle Vineyards

Chocolate local Red Wine small production spirits Valentine's Day whiskey Wine and Chocolate

The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide of 2023

The holiday season is officially here and it’s time to start shopping for the special people in your lives. Between our Cheese & Wine subscriptions, our gift boxes, and our classes, theres something for every food & beverage enthusiast at France 44. Browse below for a taste of what we can offer!

Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? Come talk to our staff for inspiration or feel free to fill out this custom gift form. Cheers!

Gift Boxes

A few of our exciting gift boxes available this holiday season.

BLIND WINE TASTING KIT

Welcome to the world of blind tasting! Everything you'll need to blind two delicious wines is included in this kit. We'll guide through the process of blind tasting, and you'll come out a more experienced taster!

CHEESE & WINE DELUXE

The perfect gift for anyone who loves to eat great cheese and drink great wine! We’ve selected a few of our favorites and paired them with amazing Minnesota honey, organic crackers, and more.

ITALIAN BOX

A beautiful selection of some of the best Italian products imported into the USA. This box contains everything necessary to make a perfect Italian meal, including, of course, excellent Italian wine.

Cheese & Wine Subscriptions

CHEESE OF THE MONTH CLUB

Each month our mongers work tirelessly to source unique and delicious cheeses for our club members. In each box, members will receive three pieces of cheese; the styles will vary from month to month according to a new theme.

WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB

Each month, members of Wine of the Month will receive three bottles of wine, tasting notes, and suggestions for further exploration. The wines will follow a new theme each month - a varietal spotlight, a region, a holiday or even a single producer.

WINE DISCOVERY CLUB

In this club, we focus is on small-production and artisanal-quality wines, each with a unique story behind them. Members will receive a case of wine every other month, with detailed tasting notes and the opportunity to come in and taste the wines at our bar!

Gift Cards

France 44 Holiday Market

Join us for our first-ever Holiday Market on Sunday, 12/3, from 11am-3pm! This open-house style event will feature a variety of local makers, producers, and artists. Peruse unique handmade gifts and treats while you take in our gorgeous holiday decorations and sip on a hot drink, all within the coziness of the France 44 Event Space. No reservations necessary—just come on up and join the festivities! Here’s a sneak peak at some of the incredible vendors:

Single Barrel Spirits

We have a couple of single barrels in stock right now that we’re super excited to share with you! Gift an exclusive taste of spirits this holiday season!

Elijah Craig Bourbon

Bring this true one of a kind bourbon to your feast this year. Aged for 8 years, this could be our best Elijah Craig barrel to date. Rich caramel and vanilla dominate the nose, with subtle notes of apple and cherries following. The palate is bold and oily, starting with cedar wood that evolves into sweet toffee and balancing spice.

Rittenhouse Rye

Our second Rittenhouse Single Barrel! Sweet baking spices lead on the nose with caramel, subtle herbaceousness, and hints of black pepper following. On the palate, bright baking spices evolve in to deeply savory notes of black pepper, black tea, cardamom, and leather. The finish is surprisingly sweet and develops further as it sits.

Holiday Wines

Holiday Cheeses

Check out our selection of holiday exclusive cheeses – available in shop only!

drink local gifts holiday market Red Wine single barrel wine classes wine tasting

Thanksgiving Beverage Guide 2023

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, so we wanted to offer you a few suggestions for the big day. Unlike other holidays, Thanksgiving is a long celebration. For some, it may start as early as 4am when the turkey goes into the oven, and for others, it may last well into the night.

This year, we’ve categorized our beverage suggestions based on different parts of your day. We have something for the football game, something to pair with appetizers, impressive options for dinner, and even a drink to enjoy while digesting the massive meal.

Whether you’re hosting a traditional Thanksgiving feast or trying something completely new this year, you’ll find something here to enhance your day.

Beers for the Football Game

Junkyard Grandpa Bill’s Pils

Uffda, these are dangerous! Brewed with finest select malts, this working man’s Pilsner is lavish with flavor. Crisp, light, sessionable, and perfectly balanced with a trusty dry-hop of Citra. It’s the great outdoors, the call of the wild, and the often fresh and cheerful elder. Available in three distinct nature scenes- Deer, Duck, & Pheasant. Pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er!⁣

Castle Danger Cream Ale

Castle Cream Ale was created while sitting around the kitchen table during our start-up days, and the need for a sessionable beer became clear. Castle Cream is our version of a Cream Ale. Deep gold in color, it has a soft malty aroma, slightly sweet creamy texture with a balanced bitterness, while finishing smooth and clean.

Noshing Hour

Keepsake Organic Semi-Sweet Cider

A blend of old and new apples only picked from our organic orchard. Including Liberty, Northern Spy, Nova Spy, Keepsake and more. Bubbled naturally with the Charmat Method. All sugars are from the apple, none added. Just Cider. This sparkling hard cider is the perfect way to start out the Thanksgiving meal – festive & bright.

France 44 Pointettia

This festive cocktail is the best of Thanksgiving flavor. The Cranberry Liqueur by Tattersall (local!) adds the perfect touch of sweetness and the brut champagne balances the sweetness and texture beautifully. Add some sugared cranberries and you’ve got yourself a showstopper.

Pour 1oz Tattersall Cranberry Liqueur into a flute. Top with 5oz Kraemer Blanc de Blanc Brut. Garnish with sugared cranberries and a sprig of rosemary or thyme.

Dinner Time

Twisted Cedar Petite-Petit 2021

Twisted Cedar is a tribally owned and sustainably farmed winery in California. The brand is wholly owned by the Cedar Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. Their Petite-Petit is a perfect choice to celebrate Native American heritage this Thanksgiving. Juicy blackberry and bold blueberry notes show in this wine, with a vibrancy of color, aroma, and flavor.

Drew Suitcase Pinot Noir

This deep, ruby colored, mineral driven, California Pinot Noir shows deep savory red fruit tones, shitake mushrooms, and wet stones. A very elegant wine at a very competitive price. This Pinot Noir will pair beautifully with your turkey as well as with roasted butternut squash.

Gustave Lorentz Gewurztraminer Alsace 2021

This is the perfect choice for the white wine drinkers at your dinner. Gustave Lorentz Gewurztraminer Reserve has a clear and pale-yellow color, with an expressive floral and spicy nose. On the palate, it is a warm attack, but the acidity gives it its remarkable length. The wine is complex and rich but still elegant and food-friendly due to its freshness.

Post-Feast

Elijah Craig F44 Private Barrel Lucky 13 Bourbon

We just got this new Single Barrel Bourbon last week and we’re so excited to share it with you. Bring this true one of a kind bourbon to your feast this year. Aged for 8 years, this could be our best Elijah Craig barrel to date. Rich caramel and vanilla dominate the nose, with subtle notes of apple and cherries following. The palate is bold and oily, starting with cedar wood that evolves into sweet toffee and balancing spice.

Rittenhouse F44 Single Barrel Rye

Our second Rittenhouse Single Barrel! Sweet baking spices lead on the nose with caramel, subtle herbaceousness, and hints of black pepper following. As is breaths, expect sweeter notes of cinnamon and maple to come through. On the palate, bright baking spices evolve in to deeply savory notes of black pepper, black tea, cardamom, and leather. The finish is surprisingly sweet and develops further as it sits.

A Few 2023 Oktoberfest Picks

It’s impossible as always to pick true favorite Oktoberfest beers and seasonal fall brews, but as September wraps up soon, we did want to get a few on your radar!

Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier

This is the Fest Beer (golden in color) that you’d be drinking under the tent in Munich right now. Only shipped to the US during the Fall. Golden, crisp and snappy. A style that makes you want to have another. One of our go-to Fest beers each year and we celebrate when it arrives.

Ayinger Oktoberfest

Our most popular selling German Oktoberfest Marzen (amber in color) and most of the staffs favorite Marzen Oktoberfest. When I close my eyes and think of what a Marzen Lager smells, looks and tastes like, this is the beer I picture in my mind. A true Classic.

Kloster Andechs Spezial Hell Festbier

We’ve been selling Andechs are a while now, but this is the 1^st time the Festbier has been available in Minnesota. A monastic brewery at the Abbey run by its monks, this Festbier has been flying off the shelf here at the store. One of the more limited items on this list. Grab it while you can. Classic is every way. You’ll love it.

Lupulin Oktoberfest Marzen

This Sauvignon Blanc is super fresh and zingy with bright lemon citrus, chalk and wet stones. It’s a medium-bodied, transparent sauvignon with a taut palate. Dry and delicious!

Downeast Pumpkin Blend Cider

A Fall limited release cider that tastes like fresh pressed orchard apple juice, pumpkin and chai spice. We sell A TON of this and it’s very hard not to like this cider. Almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face when you drink it. Drinking this outside as the leaves change color—doesn’t get much better.

We LOVE Hard Cider!

by Melissa Waskiewicz

As anyone who has read my blogs (opinions) before, you know that Milk and Honey is the local cider that introduced me to the world of local cider and craft cider as a beverage. I still feel the love for them and all cider they create. But for this blog, I wanted to introduce you to the other local cider makers you can regularly find in our cooler.

We carry an average of 12 local (MN and WI) cider makers in the store. Each brings something different to the cooler and many of them have seasonal flavors that come and go. This gives us a great variety of ciders to choose from that can’t be found elsewhere while giving us all a chance to enjoy local goodness.

Easton Cider is based out of Minnetrista at Minnetonka Orchards. They are one of the newer cider makers and are in very few retail locations. We are one of those lucky few and currently carry their Apple Blend and Blueberry Blend ciders. If you like Blueberry, you will enjoy their Blueberry Blend.

Keepsake Cider is based in Dundas. All of their ciders are wild fermented which means they leat the natural yeasts on the apples do all the work rather than adding a produced yeast. We carry seven of their ciders currently. Their Sunset Dry is a treat! It is cider aged on grapes and berries.

Loon Juice is in Spring Valley. They promise no loons are used in the making of their cider. We currently are carrying their Flagship, Extra Juicy, and Honeycrisp Haze. This is a great choice for people who like sweet cider without a lot of excess sugar.

Maiden Rock comes from just across the river in Stockholm, WI. They have been growing apples that they make into cider for almost 25 years. We carry their Honeycrisp. It’s on the sweet side, and quite refreshing.

Milk and Honey can be found in St. Joseph. They have been making cider for 12 years and are definitely one of our most popular brands. At this time, we have eight of their ciders, including their new non-alcoholic cider. Something fun to try from them would be their Bagnum which is 1.75L of still cider that really shows how closely wine and cider are related.

Minneapolis Cider Company is, as you can guess from the name, here in Minneapolis. Their urban cider house is a great place to visit (and play pickle ball) when you have a chance. In the meantime, you can grab one of their five ciders we are carrying to take home and enjoy. Their Brut makes a great cidermosa (mimosa using cider instead of bubbly wines.)

Number 12 Cider is another urban cider house we have here in Minneapolis. They started out on a farm and came into the city to expand their tasting room and their production. Five of their ciders can be found in our cooler these days. Siren is really unique with its use of pomegranate in the cider.

Restoration Cider is another WI maker based in Madison. It is a Veteran owned company that donates a percentage of proceeds back to saving streams. They have a Driftless Dry, Door County Cherry, and Central Sands Cranberry. The Cranberry is a tart cider that is perfect for sitting by a bonfire.

Sociable Cider is the first to make cider in the city. They have a very large variety to choose from that includes a handful of regulars and rotating seasonals. We have seven of their options available. If you want to have a last taste of summer, grab some Beach Cruiser Tropical Cider before it’s gone!

String Theory comes to us from a private orchard in WI. They spend three years (!!) producing each bottle of cider for our consumption. New to the market, we are happy to have them join our selection. We are carrying the three offerings they have which are Pirouette, Picnic, and Meadow Lark. The staff all varied on which their favorite is, so you can get one of each and let us know what you think.

Sweetland Orchard is down in Webster. Gretchen and her team have been making rustic ciders for years and we are proud to carry six of them. You can taste the orchard in each sip. The Cherry Rhubarb is a great cider to bring to gatherings and share with friends. Fun fact – our Cheese Shop is a drop off location for their CSA! Want to sign up?! Click Here!

Wild State is located in Duluth. They are full of flavor and fun! We currently have six of their ciders available. They have a great variety pack that you can get if you can’t choose which individual flavor you want.

Though not available for a few more weeks, we do have one more local cider coming back to the store. Crispin is making its return to the market thanks to Minneapolis Cider Company. They will launch with their Original, an Imperial (higher ABV) and a Mango Mimosa. Look for those in the cooler in October!

Of course we have a lot of great national and international ciders as well as these locals, but I want to make sure you know what you can get from “your own backyard” in the cider section.