Being a farmer in the Upper Midwest is a guessing game. Some years are incredibly lucrative, and some years can be an absolute disaster because of the weather. This year was a prime example of that. Even in these tough years, us farmers find a way to cope with the uncertainty and stress. Things such as family, faith, and connecting with individuals who can relate ease the pain of these difficult years.
A few months ago I was headed up to the Twin Cities to visit my cousin. We’re both farmers, and both have had really difficult harvest seasons, producing less yield than ever before. Once I arrived at his place just outside of Lakeville, he insisted on taking me to his new favorite brewery, a new “gluten-free” place in Uptown called LakeState Ciders and Brewskis.
As someone who makes a living off of farming wheat, I was somewhat turned off right away. I completely understand that some people have to eat/drink gluten free for their own health, but the “fashion statement” gluten free folks are sometimes viewed as negative contributors to the wheat industry. Nonetheless, I figure I’d give it a try.
Once arriving, we were immediately greeted by a young man named Arthur. It turns out that Arthur was the son of two farmers, and was in the process of receiving his agriculture and business degree from the University of Minnesota. After receiving our drinks, Arthur returned to our table to talk farming with us. He sympathized about the poor weather conditions all fall, and shared stories about his experiences growing up on the farm.
I was even more impressed when Arthur told us that LakeState got all of their product from local farmers and growers. Maybe these gluten free people aren’t so bad!
The drinks at LakeState were absolutely delicious. I had a Golden Apple Cider followed up by an Iron Range IPA. But what I was most impressed about was the exceptional customer service and sense of genuineness that came from our bartender Arthur. It was a busy night at the bar, and Arthur didn’t have to get to know us by any means. But he did. He didn’t just care about our paycheck, but he cared about us as human beings. He related to us, offered support, and provided a glimpse of brightness in a season that has been very dark for my brother and I.
I don’t live near the Twin Cities, and won’t be back for quite some time. But when I am back, I will certainly be returning to LakeState Ciders and Brewskis. Not only for their delicious drinks, but because the embody they spirit of the Midwest.
Wow, is it cold up here! My name is Jane and I’m a nurse at a branch of the Mayo Clinic in downtown Minneapolis. I mention the cold because this place is an igloo compared to the other places that my life’s journey has taken me to.
I was born across the Atlantic in Fulham, England, just outside of London. I attented school there, and got my first job working at as athletic trainer for Tottemham Hotspur football club, right out of college. Following that position I traveled over to the United States to attend school at George Mason University to pursue my nursing degree. After my four years there I received my first nursing position right here in Minnesota!
When I first discovered the news I was pretty excited. I had heard that despite the cold weather, people were quite cheerful and kind. I had also heard that this was a wonderful place to raise a family, which was especially convenient considering my husband and I were expecting our first child at the time.
All of those things were true, and we really settled in here nicely. The only problem was eating and drinking. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at a young age, and finding gluten free food in the London area was quite simple. It wasn’t much more difficult at all in the Eastern United States. Things were a bit more difficult in Minneapolis however.
After some looking and talking to locals I was able to find a fair amount of restaurants with gluten free entrees. Beverages were a different story though. There was practically nowhere where I could go out and enjoy a drink or two on a Friday night in the Twin Cities metro area.
One afternoon I was chatting with a co-worker and they mentioned a place called LakeState Ciders and Brewskis, saying that they offered some gluten free drinks. The following weekend I went with a couple of my friends to check it out.
What I found was absolutely wonderful. Not only did LakeState offer some gluten free drinks, all of their beverages were gluten free! This offered me a lot of reassurance, as I am someone who is heavily effected by cross contamination.
While the drinks and appetizers (which were all gluten free as well) were awesome, I was even more impressed with the lively atmosphere that LakeState had to offer. I was particularly impressed with their live music the night that I was there. As someone who plays the guitar in a local band, it melts my heart to see places like LakeState supporting local artists.
And well the majority of the crowd was young adults, I was impressed by the number of middle-aged adults there too. There were even a few grandparents watching their grandson play high school hockey on TV while sharing some beer and wings!
LakeState is a place that I feel comfortable going to with friends, family, and co-workers because of the creative and festive environment that it offers. If I hadn’t have found LakeState I don’t know what I would’ve done!
The last two Friday’s we’ve been lucky enough to have some incredible local artists perform on the LakeState stage. Two weeks ago, Eli Simonson lit up the bar with his vibrant guitar solos, busting out everything from Bob Dylan to BB King. This past Friday, Jack Anderson and his band pulled out some classic jazz hits including Basie, Parker, and Davis.
And for those who haven’t heard, the one and only Jimmy Buffett is bringing his easy-going, lawn chair on the beach music to the great north this Friday night! On a week that is supposed to hit subzero temperatures, we are pumped for Jimmy to bring his Margaritaville vibes to Uptown Minneapolis!
Many people view us as a sports bar or brewery. We don’t blame them! Its no secret that we passionate about sports, Minnesota ones especially! We’ve even received a few comments of surprise when we announced that we would be featuring live music!
We at LakeState want to cater to as wide of a crowd as possible. Whether you’re a sports junkie or a jazz connoisseur, we want LakeState to be a place where you can feel at home! Here are a few reasons why we chose to debut live music!
1.It Lightens the Mood!
There’s nothing more relaxing than enjoying a beer and laughing with friends with the soothing sounds of a guitar or saxophone in the background. Loud speakers and stereo are great, but nothing beats the sounds of real, live instruments and voice. We don’t expect all eyes to be on the music 24/7 (although you might want to when Jimmy is in town), we just want people to enjoy the beautiful craft of those who come and join us on stage
2. Versatility
We’re that annoying friend who answers the “What’s your favorite type of music” question with “all of it!” We truly do see benefit in bringing in all different types of artists and genres. We’ve featured some solo guitar ad jazz so far with tropical beach rock this week. Expect lots more jazz, local rock, alternative, and even some country!
3. Supporting Local Artists
We are so lucky to have a massive pool of incredible musical talent in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. And well we will ocassioanlly strive to get big names (such as Jimmy), we want to showcase the outstanding musicians that the Twin Cities have to offer. If you are interested in gigging at LakeState give us a call at 790-123-4567.
4. Sports and Music go together like Nutella and bananas
Imagine this: Watching the Twins score on a walk-on homer in the 9th while listening to a kick-butt cover band absolutely shred on Boston’s classic tune, “Peace of Mind.” Two great things that are even better when they are paired together! So many people are passionate about both sports and music, and when you combine people who are passionate about these things, it creates room for so many wonderful conversations and relationships!
Got any music suggestions? Hit us up! Give us a call or mention to our staff what music/group you would like to see at LakeState. Drink Minnesota!
If you haven’t heard by now, there’s big news at LakeState. We’re offering appetizers! We know as well as anyone that beer simply is not complete without some tasty food to compliment it. So, based off of suggestions by YOU, our customers, we’ve released a brand new appetizer menu. It includes the following:
Minnesota Made French Fries (Regular and Sweet Potato)
Mini Tacos
More TBD!
Well we believe that all of these pair perfectly with our beer and cider, we’ve decided to come up with a few combos to help make your decision a little less difficult.
1.Deluxe Nachos with HoneyCrisp Cider
This combo features two iconic tastes. The bold, spicy kick of our piled-high nachos (chips, cheddar and monterrey cheese, grilled chicken, green peppers, olives, jalapenos, sour cream, and salsa) with the crisp, light, and refreshing taste of our legendary original cider. The cider helps cool off the spice for those of you who struggle with the heat, yet quenches the thirst of all those who drink it. A duo you can’t pass up!
2. Honey BBQ Wings with Iron Range IPA
A classic sports pub taste combined with the pride of Northern Minnesota. The bold, dark and oak-finished taste of our signiture IPA is the perfect way to wash down these tangy, crispy morsels. A fan favorite whenever the big game is on!
3. Sweet Potato Fries with Rainy River Sour
The perfect blend for a light appetite. These lightly salted fries are grown from potato farmers out of Wilkin County, MN. Combined with our fruity Rainy River Sour, this combo is perfect if you’ve got that “kind hungry, but not super hungry” craving.
4. Pretzel Bites with FirstKiss Cider
These salty, handmade pretzels are baked to perfection and glazed in butter. That salty taste meshes perfectly with our sweetest ciders. Made from Minnesota’s very own FirstKiss apples, the crisp and sweet aftertaste of this drink will brighten the mood on any occasion.
Discover any new groundbreaking appetizer/drink combos? Let us know and we’ll feature in our menu! As always, drink Minnesota!
Here at LakeState we like to be versatile. We personally think that both beer and cider are the nectar(s) of the God’s. However, we respectfully understand that not everyone is a beer guru; and some people prefer eating apples off of trees compared to ones brewed into our delicious beverages. And that’s okay! We’re here to help you indecisive folks decide what beverage is best for you! The best part? You can’t go wrong with either!
Cider: What’s in it?
Apples, apples, and more apples! Cider is made from squeezing apples, fermenting them, and aging the product! Cider can be made from all sorts of apples. At LakeState we use HoneyCrisp, McIntosh, Golden Delicious and First Kiss.
What does it taste like?
Cider is known for having a crisp flavor. Some blends tend to be more sweet while others tend to be more bitter. Cider is considering to be less filling than beer, and is considered to be slightly more “healthy.”
Our Favorite Blend
Our most popular blend of cider is our original Honeycrisp Cider. Made from Minnesota apples, our Honeycrisp Cider makes up for almost half of our sales! It can be found at the brewery as well as at vendors around the state. Look for it on the shelves at a Liquor Store near you!
Beer: What’s in it?
While regular beer consists of barley, gluten free beer is crafted with sorghum, buckwheat, or millet. The process and fermentation period are the same for both gluten free and regular beer.
What does it taste like?
Well, it depends on what type of beer! Our IPA’s tend to have a stronger, long lasting taste whereas a lot of our sours tend to be more fruity. There have been negative stereotypes about the taste of gluten free beer for a long time. However, in recent years, through experimentation, gluten free beer has begun to taste so much better than it perhaps did a decade ago. Similar to our Cider, we strive for a crisp, refreshing finish on all of our beers.
Our Favorite Brew
Our most popular beer is our Iron Range IPA. Crafted with sorghum from Western Minnesota, this beer has a strong oak taste and a crisp, light finish. While this beer is one of our originals, we love hearing new ideas for flavors!
Talk to us!
If you and your friends have suggestions or feedback on ANY of our beverages, hit us up at lakestatemn@live.com. You’re who makes us better!
It’s no secret that at LakeState we have a passion for the community around us. Not just our friends Uptown, or even the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, we are proud to represent the entire state of Minnesota. Whether you’re from Alexandria or Zumbrota, we’re proud to call you our neighbor. Lets take a look at ten things that we at LakeState love about the Land of 10,000 lakes.
1. The People
It’s called Minnesota nice for a reason! The people of this state are who keep us up and running everyday. Whether its interactions at the brewery or just a side conversation at Trader Joe’s, the light-hearted cheerful spirit of Minnesotan’s is something to be cherished. While Minnesota nice sometimes comes with negative connotations (passive-aggressiveness), we hope that people can combine that sense of cheerfulness and positivity with honesty and openness. That combination sounds like the perfect brew to us!
2. Lefse, and Lutefisk, and Hotdish (oh my)
Anyone who is from Minnesota knows that there is deep tradition rooted in Scandinavian foods such as those listed above. And well these Norwegian niblets are fun to break out over the holidays, there’s plenty of other great food options that our state is known for as well!
Check out the Loon Cafe in Downtown Minneapolis. The sports bar has been recognized nationally for its award winning chili, but has a boatload of other killer options. You can’t go wrong with the Mexicali Nachos.
Venture 260 miles west of the Twin Cities to Moorhead to find the historic Moorhead Dairy Queen. Serving as one of the oldest DQ’s out there, the Moorhead DQ isn’t owned by corperate, which means they can offer special menu items that regular DQ’s can’t! Try a curly shake; a medium sized milkshake topped with a sundae of your choice with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
3. “And We’ll See You Tomorrow Night!”
While Minnesota may be known for it’s unlucky history in sports, it’s important to remember that some incredible moments have happened on the field, rink, and court here. Kirby Puckett’s Game 6 walk-off home run off of Charlie Liebrant in the 1991 World Series will always be revered as one of the greatest moments in MLB history.
On the gridiron the Vikings haven’t had a whole lot of success in Super Bowls, but they’ve sure had some great teams! Legend Fran Tarkenton dominated the league as the Vike’s QB in the early 60’s and again in the mid-70’s. Many of those teams were also known for their stellar defenses, better known as the Purple-People Eaters. More recently, Vikes fans have been gifted with great Wide Receivers including in-state product Adam Thielen. And while the team has yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, things are likely to change in the near future, with the team looking electric as ever.
4. The Times they are a-Changin’
The hit 1964 single by Bob Dylan wasn’t the only musical gem to come from Minnesota. Lizzo, Judy Garland, Semisonic, and the Replacements all join Dylan as Minnesota music icons. Perhaps no one is more famous than the great Prince, however. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince rocked the music world with hits such as Let’s go Crazy, Little Red Corvette, and his biggest hit, Purple Rain. Up until his death in 2016, Prince was always a huge advocate for the state of Minnesota. His famous quote “I like Hollywood, I just like Minneapolis a litter bit better,” stays near and dear to fans across the state.
5. That’s a nice boat ya got there!
Those 10,000 lakes (actually closer to 11,000) aren’t just sitting there empty. Anglers from around the world flock to Minnesota for it’s world-class angling. The Walleye certainly gets the most hype across the state, but Minnesota is home to supreme angling for all types of species.
Monster Muskie and Pike can be found throughout the state. In fact, the state Muskie record (catch and release) was broken just this past year on Lake Vermillion! While Pike don’t get quite as larger as their Muskie relatives, they sure do taste good. If you can learn to clean the “Y-bone,” you’ll be set for life!
6. Get Outta Town
While Minnesota has it’s share of metro hubs such as the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Rochester, it’s so easy to get out and escape from the busy life of the city. With lakes, bike trails, and forests all over the state, diving into nature is about as easy as it gets. Check out our friends at Hovland Expeditions to schedule a wonderful Minnesota adventure for you and your loved ones.
7. Higher Education!
While post-high school plans look different for everyone, Minnesota has a versatile spread when it comes to higher education! The University of Minnesota is cited as the state’s marquee college and is the 3rd largest in the United States. The U features world-class programs with students from all over the state, country, and world. In addition to the large-campus atmosphere that the U offers, the state also has some incredible private institutions that offer stellar educations and smaller class sizes. Carleton College in Northfield is renowned as one of the top liberal arts institutions in the nation, and features 33 different majors on a campus with just over 2,000 students.
The state also offers some great 2-year options as well. There are over 54 community colleges in Minnesota, serving over 143,000 students. St. Paul college was ranked the #9 community college in the nation by thebestschools.org.
Regardless of whether you are looking for a public, private, or community institute, Minnesota has a variety of options that cover the entire spread.
8. Sweet Martha’s and more!
Ask anyone Minnesotan about Sweet Martha’s cookies and they’ll know what you’re talking about. The popular cookie stand is just one of the perks of the Minnesota State Fair, a yearly event held in St. Paul. The Great Minnesota Get-Together features rides, contests, concerts, and much more. A must-attend event!
9. Employment
With major company’s such as Target, Best Buy, Cargill, and Marvin Windows, Minnesota is a place where there are always employment opportunities opening up. While there are certainly big company’s such as the one’s listed, Minnesota takes great pride in small local business. There is a strong startup culture, and a mutual level of support among small businesses.
10. Let it Snow
While winter driving isn’t exactly fun, Minnesota is the perfect definition of a winter wonderland. There is nothing more beautiful than a peaceful night of falling snow in the mid 20’s. If you’ve got your hat and choppers, it doesn’t get any better!
Those of you who follow us know that we are over obsessed with the great state of Minnesota. We love the Vikings, hat anything that starts with the letter W, and are more than happy to call this snowy playground our home. But our love of Minnesota isn’t just limited to sports and snow. We make it a priority to make sure that our ingredients are sourced with within our great state. And if they don’t have it, our lovely neighbors to the west (that’s North Dakota, not you, *isconsin) sure do. Our award winning cider is made with apples from Afton Apple Orchard, just 25 minutes up the road. Lets get to know them a little bit!
Afton Apple Orchard was born in 1965, and features a wide variety of delicious apple varieties. At LakeState we use their Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, and the newly released First Kiss blend. Their Honeycrisp apples are the most popular, so they account for 70% of our total apples!
Every week our incredible truck driving Chad makes the trek over to Hastings to grab the apples. They are never frozen or tampered with in any way, shape, or form. Straight off the tree! Once they make it back we sort the apples into their respective blends. At LakeState we know that looks aren’t everything! Some apples may look better/worse than others, but we use them all because they all contribute the same towards making a kick-ass final product!
Once the apples are back the the Brewhouse we take time to squeeze them. This process takes roughly 2-3 days to ensure maximum quality. Follwing this we add a gluten free yeast known as “brewers yeast” to begin the fermentation process (similar to beer). This is the “watching the paint dry” part of the process. Fermentation takes about a week to complete, and the product must sit for a following week to ensure that the yeast settles. Following this, we put the fermentated cider in Oak vessels to create a crisp, smooth finish. The apple creates the explosion of taste as the cider hits your mouth, but the crisp, oak finish is just as important. After roughly three weeks in the vessels, our cider is ready to hit the tap!
Just like all good things in life, our cider takes time to be perfected. Our friends at Afton Apples make that perfection a reality. Afton’s convenient location allows for supreme freshness in all of our ciders; something that you just don’t see in nationwide ciders. But even more importantly, we appreciate their dedication to customer service and supporting other local businesses. Just like us, Afton is committed to treating customers as family, more than just another sale. That’s something that we strive for at LakeState, and are proud to support other businesses that think the same as us.
I’ve lived in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area my entire life. I was born in St. Louis Park, went to school at the U, and now live in Minnentonka with my husband and two kids. When I was a junior in college I was diagnosed with with Celiac Disease. At the time it was very difficult to find gluten free food options, even in urban Minneapolis.
Fast-forward 20 years down the road and things have changed quite a bit. Like most metropolitan areas, MSP has a decent number of gluten free restaurants as well as lots of chains that offer gluten free food. However, drinking in a gluten free environment was extremely difficult. I was able to drink bottled cider at quite a few places, but certainly no beer on tap.
My husband and I play in a bags league at one of the better known breweries uptown on Tuesday nights. Its a great escape from our busy lives and parenting, but I never was able to drink any of the locally crafted beers. One of those Tuesday nights on the way to bags, I noticed a new brewery had opened down the road, LakeState Ciders and Brewskis. Shortly after, through word of mouth, I heard that they offer some gluten free products.
To my pleasant surprise, ALL of LakeState’s beers and ciders are GLUTEN FREE and locally crafted and brewed. Even better, their facility is 100% gluten free so I don’t have to worry about cross contamination.
As someone who is passionate about spending time with others, my home state, and my own health, LakeState is the perfect match. Their impressive gluten free spread combined with their love of Minnesota makes it my new hangout on Tuesday nights (they have bags too).
In a world where the word gluten gets tossed around just as much as selfie, Tik Tok, and Tesla, its important to know what gluten is, and more importantly, how to tell if something is actually gluten free.
Gluten is a protein that can be found in the endosperm of grains. Overall, gluten makes up 75-80% of the protein in bread wheat (wheat flour). Gluten can also be found in Barley, Rye, and a crossover of wheat and rye called triticale.
Products, including beer, can be made gluten free by leaving wheat, barley, and rye out. However, even if these ingredients are left out, products can still be cross-contaminated, which can negatively effect those with Celiac Disease. This especially pertains to beer, as many companies will make “gluten reduced” beer, that isn’t actually 100% gluten free.
Gluten Reduced Beer
Gluten reduced Beer is brewed very similar to regular beer, using wheat, barely, or rye. The catch is, in the fermentation process, the beer is exposed to an enzyme called “Brewer’s Clarex,” which breaks down the gluten into microscopic pieces that are too small to be detected into laboratory tests. Some brewers claim that these particles are too small for your body to detect gluten. Other brewers claim that these particles are converted into amino acids that are not harmful to those who are gluten-intolerant. However, these beers are not 100% gluten free, and depending on your sensitivity to gluten, could be harmful to you.
Some popular national brands of gluten-reduced beer are Stone Brewing Delicious IPA, Wicked Week Gluten FREEk, and New Belgium Glutiny.
Gluten Free Beer
Gluten Free beer can be truly classified at truly “gluten free” if there is no gluten in the original recipe. This means no wheat, barley, rye or other grains that may contain gluten. Instead, brewers will use sorghum, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa, which are all gluten free.
While gluten free beer is tested to make sure there is less than <220ppm of gluten (the threshold for most people with Celiac or gluten intolerance), there is still a risk of cross contamination, as very few breweries are 100% gluten free.
What is LakeState?
LakeState is proud to be one of the few 100% gluten free brewing companies out there. Our beer and cider is not only brewed with gluten free products, but is crafted in a completely gluten free facility. Our beer is crafted with sorghum and buckwheat, two of the fan-favorite beer bases in the gluten free beer world.
While we are pumped that breweries around the company are making gluten reduced beer, we want to make sure that our drinks are safe for people of even the strongest levels of gluten sensitivity. We take pride in making sure that our customers can come in and enjoy a beer without having to worry about their personal help. We hope that our trailblazing efforts inspire others to consider the gluten-free brewery business. While we love running the market (we’re the only one, cough cough), we want to plant a seed in the minds of people around the country, and world.
Minnesota native John Smith appreciates a place where he can finally enjoy a drink and kick his feet up.
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 