Id consider myself a pretty normal Minnesota guy. I grew up in the Twin Cities, spent my summers watching the Twins, and spent my winters in an ice house on Lake Minnetonka. But there’s one thing that’s always constant regardless of the season; beer. I’ve always been an avid beer connoisseur for more reasons than one. I love hearing the stories of local breweries and how they got their feet off the ground. I also just love to taste different blends from different parts of the country and internationally.
There’s only one problem. It’s awfully difficult to sample beer from all over the place when you’re allergic to gluten, one of the product’s main ingredients.
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 7th grade after having a summer full of stomach problems. Like many folks, I wasn’t the first in my family. My Grandma had it, two cousins, my uncle, and my brother would be diagnosed 3 years after I was. Because of this, gluten-free eating was too tough growing up. My mom became the Gordon Ramsey of Rice Flour, making sure that I would never go hungry.
As I moved away for college and entered adult life, things became a bit more difficult, especially social life. To put it kindly, gluten free beer is almost as scarce as Lombardi Trophies in the state of Minnesota. Occasionally I would stumble upon an imported bottle of something at a large chain bar, but that was best-case scenario. I tried the whole gin-thing for a while, but I just couldn’t drink it here after having it in London, the Gin capital of the world.
Then one day one of my gluten-free buddies (we’re a tight knit-bunch) called me and said there was a new brewery that opened up in Uptown Minneapolis; LakeState Ciders and Brewskis. A place that was completely gluten free. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked.
LakeState has been a saving grace for me and others in the gluten-free community who are looking for great drinks and a place to have a social life. The facility is 100% gluten free, so there’s no risk of cross-contamination. One of the cool things though is that LakeState is a place where “normal wheat eaters” flock to as well! Their apples are locally picked for their cider, and the sorghum used for their beer is from Minnesota and North Dakota too!
The place’s local and satisfying drinks combined with their love and passion for Minnesota have made this a watering hole where people of all dietary/non dietary needs fill up. The term “gluten free” can be a turn off for many. LakeState has not only done a great job making their drinks avoid the gluten-free “cardboard-tasting stereotypes,” but also make sure that the public knows that everyone is welcome within their walls.
Drinking gluten-free has traditionally been pretty crummy, especially in the Midwest. There’s still a lot of work to do, but LakeState is a step-and-a-half in the right direction.
LakeState Life 