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Pints North
In recent years, Minnesota has developed one of the most vibrant and original beer scenes in the nation. Home to more craft breweries per capita than its famously beer-loving neighbor Wisconsin, Minnesota is pumping out an exciting array of innovative IPAs, spectacular stouts, succulent sours, and perfect pilsners—among countless other styles of lager and ale. These small-batch concoctions are taking their place alongside mass-produced national and regional beers on tap lines and in coolers throughout the state, forever changing the tastes of discerning beer drinkers in Minnesota and beyond.
The relatively recent revolution in Minnesota craft brewing has led to an explosion of new breweries and taprooms, and in Pints North , Katelyn Regenscheid is here to guide you through the latest trends. In addition to providing background history to Minnesota’s beer renaissance, Regenscheid introduces you to the people who helped build the craft-beer scene—the brewers, the entrepreneurs, and the consumers—bringing an insider's perspective to the business and the beer. In-depth profiles of a selection of innovative and unique craft breweries illustrate the variety of approaches and offer a snapshot look at taprooms from Moorhead to Minnetonka, and New Ulm to Nordeast.
The relatively recent revolution in Minnesota craft brewing has led to an explosion of new breweries and taprooms, and in Pints North , Katelyn Regenscheid is here to guide you through the latest trends. In addition to providing background history to Minnesota’s beer renaissance, Regenscheid introduces you to the people who helped build the craft-beer scene—the brewers, the entrepreneurs, and the consumers—bringing an insider's perspective to the business and the beer. In-depth profiles of a selection of innovative and unique craft breweries illustrate the variety of approaches and offer a snapshot look at taprooms from Moorhead to Minnetonka, and New Ulm to Nordeast.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 27, 2021
If you are a fan of craft beers and drink them in Minnesota this is a must and fun read. The books starts out tracing the recent history of this industry during its phenomenal growth cycle and the legislative changes made to grow the industry.
I have never been a fan of “corporate” beers and would always order a local beer in my travels outside of Minnesota. Now the craft beer movement allows me the opportunity to drink unique brews without leaving my home state.
There are a number of subtle differences in how craft beers are purchased; brewpubs, taprooms, crowlers and growlers and liquor stores. The author selects 16 operating craft beer companies to profile in this book. They represent a good cross section of the industry from veterans Shell and Summit to stars like Surly and Bent Paddle and smaller and focused like Finnegans and Steel Toe. She even profiles the future of taprooms in smaller towns like Lupulin in Big Lake and Portage in Walker.
A second edition on the impact of the pandemic and the coming fallout, or not, in a saturated market, featuring more companies would be fun.
No question the taproom has become the neighborhood gathering place for all ages, families and dogs replacing the corner bar.
I have never been a fan of “corporate” beers and would always order a local beer in my travels outside of Minnesota. Now the craft beer movement allows me the opportunity to drink unique brews without leaving my home state.
There are a number of subtle differences in how craft beers are purchased; brewpubs, taprooms, crowlers and growlers and liquor stores. The author selects 16 operating craft beer companies to profile in this book. They represent a good cross section of the industry from veterans Shell and Summit to stars like Surly and Bent Paddle and smaller and focused like Finnegans and Steel Toe. She even profiles the future of taprooms in smaller towns like Lupulin in Big Lake and Portage in Walker.
A second edition on the impact of the pandemic and the coming fallout, or not, in a saturated market, featuring more companies would be fun.
No question the taproom has become the neighborhood gathering place for all ages, families and dogs replacing the corner bar.
December 30, 2020
Great, great job! A beautiful book, and a love letter to Minnesota craft brewing. I raise a toast to the young author, Katelyn Regenscheid. She's spent the last few years traveling around Minnesota with the goal of hitting every tap room. I read some of her articles from those travels and enjoyed them, so I was very excited to learn this book came out. Along with some key history about Minnesota brewing, the book centers on profiles of sixteen important MN breweries. Props for including the fabulous and underrated Bang! Brewery. It is so cool to have this book as a snapshot of a unique moment in time, bookended by the start of the meteoric boom following the passage of the Surly bill and leaving off with the uncertainty of the COVID situation. Man, this book makes me want to visit every MN brewery to support these wonderful businesses, to spend time with great friends, and just go back to normal so bad. Thanks to the author, the Minnesota Historical Society for publishing the book, and to all the creative entrepreneurs and patrons that make this scene thrive.
January 1, 2021
Very in-depth book covering the Minnesota craft beer scene. The first 30% of the book covered the brewing industry in general and history of beers in Minnesota. I felt the section dragged a little because of the depth that went into.
While the first part of the book dragged, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. The deep dive into 16 breweries was very informative and interesting to read. I think the author did a good job of selecting a wide variety of breweries to profile. I really liked the way she went about the profile of each brewery. The top beers to know in the last section of each profile was very informative and a good perspective of what the main players in the brewery thought were their most important beers. I wish there was a little bit less of the brewing process itself and more of the actual breweries.
Overall a good look into the Minnesota Craft brewing scene. If you a fan of beers, especially Minnesota based beers, this book is worth the read even if you only read the brewery profiles.
While the first part of the book dragged, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. The deep dive into 16 breweries was very informative and interesting to read. I think the author did a good job of selecting a wide variety of breweries to profile. I really liked the way she went about the profile of each brewery. The top beers to know in the last section of each profile was very informative and a good perspective of what the main players in the brewery thought were their most important beers. I wish there was a little bit less of the brewing process itself and more of the actual breweries.
Overall a good look into the Minnesota Craft brewing scene. If you a fan of beers, especially Minnesota based beers, this book is worth the read even if you only read the brewery profiles.
January 27, 2021
I learned so much from this book and appreciated the section that focused on 16 Minnesota breweries. It was so interesting to read the stories behind the breweries, their core beliefs, and what makes them different from other breweries.
August 16, 2021
Very enjoyable read. I liked that I have been to many of the taprooms discussed and hope to enjoy more of the others.
November 22, 2025
A breezy summary of the craft brewing scene in Minnesota at its height circa 2020 in the context of the state’s rich brewing history, Pints North celebrates beer and brewing in the local community. As I have gotten more into beer and beer culture over the last ten years, I have enjoyed watching the number of breweries offering innovative, tasty beers explode as a burgeoning boutique industry. While Minnesota may not be the largest producer of craft beer (14th highest number of craft breweries and 12th for total barrels produced as of 2019), it is a vibrant scene and local beer blogger turned industry marketer Katelyn Regenscheid writes an engaging, if slightly hagiographic, account of this exciting decade.
Detailing the effects of this brewing renaissance on the culture of the state, in particular how local brewing entrepreneurs lobbied to change Minnesota’s archaic liquor laws dating back to Prohibition, making such things as taprooms and growler sales possible, Regenscheid explores the various factors making up running a craft brewery. The discussion on taprooms becoming a “third place” in the community was particularly interesting. The boosterish tone of the work is not completely uncritical, discussing changing demographics in the brewing industry, though it was released before allegations of rampant cultures of misogyny, racism, and sexual harassment in the beer industry (including locally) came out last year, nor can Regenscheid do much more than speculate about how the covid-19 pandemic may challenge the industry.
The bulk of the work, however, is devoted to detailed profiles of sixteen craft breweries across the state, each exemplifying various themes in the craft brewing industry, including one of my favorites, Fair State, Minnesota’s first cooperatively owned brewery. These entries are among the most interesting portions of Pints North, and gave me plenty of inspiration of breweries to try next once we feel comfortable leaving the house.
Detailing the effects of this brewing renaissance on the culture of the state, in particular how local brewing entrepreneurs lobbied to change Minnesota’s archaic liquor laws dating back to Prohibition, making such things as taprooms and growler sales possible, Regenscheid explores the various factors making up running a craft brewery. The discussion on taprooms becoming a “third place” in the community was particularly interesting. The boosterish tone of the work is not completely uncritical, discussing changing demographics in the brewing industry, though it was released before allegations of rampant cultures of misogyny, racism, and sexual harassment in the beer industry (including locally) came out last year, nor can Regenscheid do much more than speculate about how the covid-19 pandemic may challenge the industry.
The bulk of the work, however, is devoted to detailed profiles of sixteen craft breweries across the state, each exemplifying various themes in the craft brewing industry, including one of my favorites, Fair State, Minnesota’s first cooperatively owned brewery. These entries are among the most interesting portions of Pints North, and gave me plenty of inspiration of breweries to try next once we feel comfortable leaving the house.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews