Sunday Growler Sales in Minnesota!

On May 1st of this year, Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill into law granting craft breweries an additional day of growler sales. This is an exciting step, though the tiniest of steps, to a full repeal of Minnesota's outdated Sunday liquor sale prohibition (I wrote about the absurdity of this law here). After being signed by the governor, it was up to Minnesota cities to approve it in their local jurisdictions. Some municipalities were quick to take advantage of this law change for their local breweries. The city of Montgomery was the first to make the necessary changes and because of this swift action Montgomery Brewing sold the first Sunday growler three weeks after enactment. Minneapolis was a little slower, but yesterday I was able to go to a couple breweries and purchase some great craft beer to take home.

My first stop was to Day Block Brewery located in Downtown Minneapolis two blocks from the construction site of the new Vikings stadium. It was my first visit so I got a flight with all six of their tap beers. They had a berliner weiss which was perfect for one of the few sunny Minnesota summer days which I got to enjoy on their patio. The berliner weiss was served in the traditional German style with your choice of a flavor shot. I chose the rhubarb syrup which gave it a mellow sweetness. For home consumption I settled on buying a growler of their wit beer which I plan on consuming before my kickball game tonight.

The second stop was to another Minnesota sports stadium neighbor, Fulton Brewery, located two blocks from Target Field. Sticking with the summer patio style I got their summer saison ale, Randonneur, which I highly recommend. One thing that I found frustrating about my search for a Sunday growler, was the inconsistent rules that breweries have for filling growlers from other brewers. Prior to this weekend I only had one growler which I purchased at Lucid Brewing. After purchasing that growler I only had it filled once more at 612 Brew with no problems. The folks at 612 sanitized it, filled it, and sealed it with a sticker on the cap noting what was in it. Perfect! However, at Day Block they would not fill that growler and required me to buy one of their own, which I did, because I figured I could use a second. I encountered the same thing at Fulton, but I couldn't justify buying a third. I then called ahead to Northgate Brewing where they took my Lucid growler and gave me one of their pre-filled growlers in exchange.

Last year, the Minnesota legislature passed a law that would allow breweries to fill a growler from a different brewery as long as it displayed what was in it on the cap. The law change did not require them to fill growlers that were not their own, which I think is the right policy and I wouldn't want to see this change. However, it is a little inconvenient as a consumer when there are so many breweries in the Twin Cities and my wife and I have very limited cupboard space. When I asked why they wouldn't fill my growler, I was told that they wouldn't want me to share my beer with someone and have them think that it was from a different brewery. Though I would always tell my friends what they are drinking, the law also requires the product to be displayed on the cap. But whatever, I get it, it's about marketing. Any change in this policy is going to have to come from customer pressure. Today, I contacted both breweries about my concerns on Twitter. Day Block hasn't responded yet, but I was encouraged by Fulton's response.

I'm super excited about this law change and it is my hope that it will provide momentum to a full repeal of Minnesota's Sunday liquor sale prohibition.

Kanpai!