Distilleries opening in Minnesota

I thought I would pass along these articles from the Pioneer Press about the craft distillery movement. There's even a distillery opening in Isanti soon! How exciting!!

Minnesota beginning to catch up with the craft spirits boom

Before Prohibition, many Minnesota farms had a still.

Farmers made use of leftover grain by making spirits that helped offset some of the financial heartaches of agriculture. That practice didn't necessarily stop during Prohibition, but after its repeal in 1933, a series of restrictive laws made it much more difficult to manufacture and sell alcohol, and the practice eventually disappeared.

Fast forward to 2011 when a change in a law drastically lowered the cost of starting a small distillery. Minnesota finally started to catch up with the rest of the nation in a craft spirits boom that harkens back to the state's roots.

"We grow great grain and corn here," said Lee Egbert, co-owner of 11 Wells, a distillery that will open on the Hamm's Brewery site on the East Side of St. Paul. "We're also known for our water -- you know, 'the land of sky blue waters' -- so it only makes sense. Minnesota is going to be a huge whiskey state."

READ MORE:
http://www.twincities.com/restaurants/ci_24375300/minnesota-beginning-catch-up-craft-spirits-boom?source=pkg

Minnesota's craft distilleries in high spirits

 

ISANTI SPIRITS
Location: 4242 285th Ave., Isanti, Minn.; facebook.com/IsantiSpiritsLlc
Spirits: Rye whiskey, bourbon, gin
Background: Rick Schneider is a college art professor (he teaches glass blowing) who grew up in Rochester, Minn., but lived in Virginia, Maryland and Alabama before coming back to the state to start living his dream -- distilling.

He and his wife looked at 70 hobby farms before settling on one just outside Isanti. Their distillery will be located on the property.

Originally, Schneider wanted to grow the grain for his whiskey, but it turns out he doesn't have enough acreage. No matter, he has organic farmers growing for him "within two miles" of his future distillery. "You can't get much greener than that," Schneider said.

Schneider might be the most well-trained of the state's startup distillers. He attended a weeklong hands-on workshop at Dry Fly Distillery in Spokane, Wash., and also worked as an intern in Michigan State University's distiller program -- the only collegiate alcoholic beverages program in the country.

When he was there, he created a rye whiskey that is now aging in barrels, ready to be sold as soon as he opens.

READ MORE

http://www.twincities.com/restaurants/ci_24372814/minnesota-distilleries-high-spirits?source=pkg

Introducing the Upper St. Croix Wine Trail

Check this out! There is so much that is exciting! Two new wineries in the local area! And I hadn't heard of the Wild Mountain Winery before either. Cool!

Introducing the UPPER ST. CROIX WINE TRAIL

6 wineries have formed a coalition to create the
Upper St. Croix Wine Trail

- James Perry Winery - Rush City (opening June 2013)
http://jamesperryvineyards.com/ 
  - North Folk Winery - Stark
http://www.starkwines.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/NorthFolkWinery?fref=ts 

- Wild Mountain Winery - Taylors Falls
http://www.wildmountainwinery.com/
Our regular tasting includes a selection of 6 of your favorites for $5 or a couples tasting to sample all 14 wines for $10.  All tastings include a complimentary sample of our port style dessert wine Aurora Borealis, and souvenir glass.

- Winehaven - Lindstrom
http://www.winehaven.com/ 
15th Annual Raspberries and Wine Festival June 13 & 14

- Dancing Dragonfly Winery - St. Croix Falls, WI (opening May 2013)
http://www.dancingdragonflywinery.com/
Their grand opening celebration is June 8-9

- Chateaux St. Croix Winery - St. Croix Falls, WI

What a great day trip! Sampling local wines from 6 wineries in a 40 mile distance.

http://upperstcroixwinetrail.com

January 2012 meeting

Hey ladies! We had a great time discussing Richard Louv's book in January. We missed those of you who weren't able to come. And we welcomed Karla (a friend of Elizabeth's) to the group. I think we all agreed that Louv had some great things to say, and was kinda "preaching to the choir" as we all think that nature is pretty important. Cass talked to us a bit about how she speed-reads; she using a process called "chunking." We all were interested in learning how to do that!

We didn't get through as much wine this time around as two of us six at the meeting are pregnant! But Elizabeth and I have decided that the Fre non-alcoholic wine is a pretty great option for us; not too sweet and still tastes like wine. The Chianti was a big hit as the bottle emptied, and those who tasted the Blackstone Red Blend loved the berry flavors!

A few people asked for my minestrone recipe, so I posted it here.

Remember: Our February meeting will be Feb. 15 from 5-8 p.m. We'll have a special guest, the author of Javascotia, our book pick that month. He's a friend of Janis's. We talked a bit about how we'll handle an author at our meeting. It's not our place to be his critique group, but instead to learn as much as we can from a published author about his process of creation, ideas on writing, and thoughts about publishing. I don't know about you, but I can't wait!

Here's Obler's web site if you want to learn more about him before our meeting: http://www.benobler.com/. Or check out these blog posts: http://booksandwineat31st.blogspot.com/search/label/Benjamin%20Obler

We'll restart our rotation in March, so I'll pick the book. The rotation list is included on the right side of the navigation bar in reverse order.

November 2011 meeting

We had a blast at our November meeting! Lots of laughs!! Glad Janis could join us and hope to see Cass and Saki next month!! Amy made us her delicious Chicken and green bean Mexican soup.

We also talked about other tips for eating well. Get a CSA (I ate so many vegetables this summer!). Throw flax seed into everything (smoothies, meatloaf, etc.). Buy veggies in bulk and then set aside a day a week or every other week to chop and throw stuff into easy to heat containers that are labeled with cooking directions; then even if the hubby is home first he can throw it in the oven. Janis, what was the supplement you recommend that you throw in smoothies?

We talked about how to do it on a budget. If you have tips, send those out too! Some of the group buys industrial organic stuff at Costco -- which has added ALOT the last few years and sells it at a reasonable rate. I forgot to mention a great buyer's co-op I am part of, AzureStandard.com. I like to get bulk things like rice, crackers, oatmeal, soup, spices, tea, etc. there. They sell perishables there too, but I've never gotten them. The prices are much cheaper than at the natural foods coops because you cut out the middle man. They deliver once a month to various locations, one of which is the Cambridge First Baptist parking lot (so my parents pick stuff up for me :). I haven't found a place yet in Minneapolis :( But for a site all you need is total sales of $500 a month... If we pulled enough people together...

We also talked about the hidden costs of food, and how we vote with our dollar. We tell corporations and our government what is important to us based on where we spend our money. Something for us all to think about...

If anyone has a wonderful recipe, please email it out! I think we're all always looking for healthy meals (well, maybe not Grace :).

We've also decided that it would be great to visit Anderson's Farm in Arkansaw, Wis. (Amy and Janis might do it as a homeschool trip in the spring.) Apparently, their practices are modeled off of those of Polyface Farms, which is featured in Omnivore's Dilemma. Their stuff is free-range and grass-fed, and very sustainable. We all like the sound of that! Their prices are reasonable for organic pork, chicken and beef, and they do deliver to a few sites in the Twin Cities area each month.

WINE
Elizabeth brought a bunch of wine left over from our Organic Meal at her place. Among them were two from her family's vineyard bottled by Northern Vineyards: Edelweiss and Prairie Rose. She also brought a chardonnay from Organic Vintners of Boulder, Co., and Our Daily Red's 2010 California Table Wine.

Next year we are all going to pick grapes at her family's vineyard!

BOOKS

For December, we are reading The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. We will meet on our regular day, which falls on Dec. 21. There are a bunch of us with December b-days, so we'll have an extra little celebration! (Becky Dec. 18, Elizabeth Dec. 20 and me December 23).

We decided to push Javascotia by Benjamin Obler to February. He'll be attending our February meeting.

We haven't yet decided what to read for January.

Our own Omnivore's Dilemma

We had a fantastic meal and nice evening out at Elizabeth's on Nov. 8. She went to a lot of effort to prepare a delicious meal for us, cooking two chickens, stuffing, salad, potatoes and corn bread (without baking soda because we were doing this all natural and organic!!).

Building off the "Omnivore's Dilemma" (our book pick for November), Elizabeth bought a large-scale organic chicken from Costco and another from Anderson Farm in Arkansaw, Wis. The large-scale organic chicken was raised mostly in a shed, while the one from the Anderson Farm is free-range. What a difference in the meat! The large-scale one was whiter and plainer, while the Anderson Farm one was a richer meat. I think we're all going to be looking into the grass-fed beef, Berkshire pastured pork and pastured chicken from Anderson Farm. andersonfarm.us or 888-700-FARM

THANKS SO MUCH ELIZABETH FOR THE AMAZING MEAL!!

The two chickens. See the color difference? The one from Anderson Farm was more moist and flavorful.

Amy, Jenni and Elizabeth enjoying dinner. (Jenni hasn't been able to make it to book club because of her work schedule, but we were happy she could come to dinner in Isanti!)

October's Wine

Cindy brought cheesecake to compliment her wine choice for October: Raspberry Infusion by St. Croix Vineyards. I LOVE THIS WINE! It's been one of my favorites since I first tried it years ago on the Three Rivers Wine Tour. Yum.

For more on this local winery, go to: http://www.scvwines.com

We also had:
The Naked Grape, Cabernet Sauvignon - Becky's pick

September's wine

- Clean Slate, 2010 Riesling, Grace's pick
- Kiyapura, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Elizabeth's pick

Plus we polished off the bottles from our August meeting.

And everyone tried MooJoos, a great beer with coffee and dark chocolate overtones.

I think everyone loved the Clean Slate Riesling, for sure.

Special Night Out in the works

Elizabeth and I are ready to go out and hit up some wineries. Woodland Hills Winery in Delano sounds like a great place to visit. It has just been named Minnesota's Best Winery.

Listen to this (http://woodlandhillwinery.com/winery/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=27&Itemid=2):


On a scenic, winding country road on the outskirts of Delano sits one of Minnesota's newer and most beautiful wineries. After planting in 2005, making a commitment to the land (to use no herbicides and only natural compounds and fertilizers), and first harvesting in fall 2007 -- owners Katie and Mike Dickerman have been reaping accolades ever since.
No wonder. The setting is picturesque (pretty buildings surrounded by pine and oak trees and well-tended flower gardens); the wines are top-notch (winning eight medals at the 2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition); the tasting room/boutique a delightful place to spend time; and the winery calendar is filled with fun activities all year, from sleigh rides and teas to Girls Nights Out, art fairs, German festivals and holiday dinners.


In season, there's live music on the covered patio, winery tours, wine tastings and more. The gorgeous setting is also making Woodland Hill a new favorite option for weddings and events.


We are thinking about doing this event:

Ladies Night Out
Holiday Boutique
November 5^th 4:30-9:00
$15.00 per Person

Glass of Wine, live music,
Appetizers & Desserts
Ladies bring your friends to the winery and enjoy a memorable evening of wine, music, shopping and loads of fun. If you haven't been to a Ladies night out you will want to make sure to experience this event.

Call for Reservations
763-972-4000

Wine from August meeting

We had quite a variety of wine at the August meeting, including my sangria. In retrospect, we were heavy on the Merlot!

• Door County Blackberry American Merlot

Amy's contribution

• Pavao Branco-White wine, Portugal

Grace's contribution

• Abby Road, 2009 Washington State Merlot

Sweet cherry aromas continue on the palate marrying with the flavors of blackberry and blueberry with a touch of cedar. A smooth tannin structure rounded out with lingering notes of berry on the finish.

• Hyatt Vineyards 2006 Merlot

Bright and generous flavors of raspberry and black cherry with tannins turning dry on the finish.

• Menage a Trois California Red Wine, 2009

Becky's contribution in July. I finished it up in the sangria.

A delightful blend of three varietals: zinfandel, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

What did you gals think?

Our July meeting

We had a great time at our last book club meeting discussing what we liked and disliked about "The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang. 

WINE

We tried three different kinds of wine: California Red by Meange A Trois, Sunset Blush by Door Country Peninsula Winery, and Purple Moon (a steal for only $4 at Trader Joes!). 

AUGUST

Our August meeting is set for Wednesday, Aug. 17, 5-8 p.m., at my place. If you're a bit late, we understand :) Remember to bring a bottle of wine to share.

The book of the month is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. It's Cindy's pick. Amy will be picking our September book.

GOODREADS

I want to remind any of you on Goodreads that I've set up a group for us. Especially if you can't make it to a club meeting, I hope you write a review of the book and post it on Goodreads so we can "discuss" it with you! 

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/50304.Standish_Book_Wine_Club