MN BEER DAY

Below Details are for 2024. 2025 Pint Artwork Coming Fall 2025!

What’s on the 2024 Pint?

• 3 Golden Stars: To celebrate producers, wholesalers, and retailers.
• 2 Golden Stars: To acknowledge two types of producers: breweries and brewpubs.
• 4 Blue Waves: To signify MN’s 4 water sources: our thousands of lakes, Lake Superior, The Mississippi River, and MN aquifers.
• 2 Grain Stalks: To honor the two main malting crops grown in MN: barley and wheat
• 32 Stars: celebrating our history as the 32nd State

Minnesota Beer Day celebrates the history, tradition, culture, and community of Beer in Minnesota. Since 1848, the citizens of Minnesota have counted on beer for their livelihoods and sense of community, have enjoyed beer’s economic benefits, and have simply enjoyed locally brewed beer in their community.

Beer has been, and still is, an integral character in the story of Minnesota, and we celebrate that history and culture on November 1 each year. 

>> Read More About MN Beer History

MN Beer Day Passage

Minnesota Beer Day is an initiative of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, with the support and assistance of other stakeholders, advocates, and citizens of the State. More than two years of discussion, research, advocacy and planning were done in the process of making “Minnesota Beer Day” State recognized and celebrated.

• Senate Resolution: March 21, 2024, passed by Sen. Jess Howe (13, R).
• House of Representatives Resolution: April 10, 2024, passed by Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega (65B, D).
• Governor’s Office: July 12th 2024, Governor Tim Walz signed the Proclamation.
• Official Proclamation: September 27, 2024, industry stakeholders gathered at St. Paul Brewing Company to celebrate the official proclamation act, carried out by Executive Director of Explore Minnesota, Lauren Bennett McGinty.

Why November 1 for MN Beer Day?

November 1 was selected by the MN Craft Brewers Guild as an appropriate date to celebrate a long history of MN beer because November 1 offers a unique throughline between early beer history and today.

• November 1, 1850: John Orth founds John Orth Brewing Company, the 2nd brewery in the Minnesota territory, 8 years before MN Statehood.
  • Orth joins Heinrich Brewing Association, Frederick Norenburg Brewery, and Germania Brewing Association to form the Minneapolis Brewing and Malting Company in 1859.
• November 1, 1895: This business, now the “Minneapolis Brewing Company”, places an ad in the Minneapolis Tribune announcing the winner of their “name-our-new-beer” contest winner. The winning name is “Grain Belt”.
  • The brewery rebrands to “Grain Belt Brewing” in 1967. By the end of the decade, Grain Belt Brewing is the 18th largest brewery in America.
  • 70s and 80s: Grain Belt is purchased by G. Heilieman Brewing from Wisconsin and the production is moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin.
  • 1991: Grain Belt is purchased by Minnesota Brewing Company and the historic Jacob Schmidt Brewery re-opens in St. Paul to brew it.
  • 2002: The Grain Belt brand is purchased and continues to be brewed today by the 2nd oldest family-owned brewery in the country, Schell’s Brewery of New Ulm, MN.

September 27, 2024 Proclamation Materials & Photos

• Historical Research Materials

2024 MN Beer Day Press Releases, Logos, and Social Images

• MN Beer Day Press Release 1
• MN Beer Day Press Release 2
• Event and Taproom Posters for Participant Use