For those who think the state Legislature doesn’t accomplish a lot, here’s evidence they do.
Lawmakers officially created Minnesota Beer Day to be on Nov. 1 each year, the first one being celebrated this coming Friday.
Beer has always played an important part in local history and current culture as it has worldwide.
Beer, along with wine and other very basic fermented drinks, were the first human-produced drinks, dating back thousands of years.
In China, residue on pottery dating from around 5,000 years ago shows that beer was brewed using barley and other grains.
There is a common belief that people in the Middle Ages made and drank beer because the water was unsafe to drink. Historians say it’s a myth. There was plenty of fresh water sources available in the Middle Ages.
The truth is that the Middle Agers liked getting a little buzz on after a day of hard work.
There are just four main ingredients in beer — water, malt, hops, and yeast. But brewers continue to tinker with adding everything from coriander and cinnamon to cacao, peanut butter and coffee.
The local area has a rich brewing history, much of it fueled by German immigrants.
Brothers Jacob and William Bierbauer started the first brewery in Mankato in the late 1850s. The brothers were experienced in brewing and wine making. The huge brewery closed in 1919 during prohibition but reopened in 1933 as the Kato brewery. The brewery was near Rock and Fourth streets and part of the gates are still visible.
There were also small, little-known local breweries, including Ibach Brewery located on James Avenue at the present site of Jefferson School in Mankato.
In St. Peter, the Engesser Beer Brewery was a major business. German immigrant Matthew Engesser was co-founder of the brewery, which opened in the mid 1850 in a brick building that still stands behind Arby’s.
The brewery stored beer in cool tunnels next to the Minnesota River.
There were nearly a dozen breweries in Mankato until the last closed in the late 1960s.
And, of course, the godfather of all Minnesota breweries is Schell’s Brewery in New Ulm. August Schell started the brewery in 1860 and it remains a family operation today, the oldest continuously operating brewery in Minnesota and the second oldest brewery in the country still run by its founding family.
In the past decade or so, breweries, along with wineries, have had a rebound in the area.
Mankato Brewery, opened in 2012, becoming the first Mankato-North Mankato brewery since the last local one closed in the late 1960s.
Others recently opened include LocAle in Mankato, Paddlefish Brewing in St. Peter and the soon-to-open Tremendous Brewing in St. Peter’s former fire station.
The nice thing is that small breweries can make it in small towns, not just regional centers.
Whit Wort Brewing in Gibbon, Oldenburg Brewing in Belle Plaine, Half Pint Brewing in Waseca, Ward House Brewery Waseca and Lost Sanity brewing in Madelia are just a few that have opened up in south central Minnesota.
The brewing history of the region, brought here by German immigrants in the 1800s, has been revitalized in recent years.
So if you enjoy a cold brew, head out to one of the local breweries next Friday and enjoy the brews and the history.
Tim Krohn can be contacted at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com or 507-720-1300.