The Most Popular Beer at Target Field Isn’t From Minnesota
Target Field is home to the Minnesota Twins, but the most popular beer poured there isn't even from Minnesota.
Baseball is back! And fans are finally allowed back into Major League ballparks across the country, including here in Minnesota. And where there are fans, there is definitely beer, right? So which beer is the most popular beer in each baseball city?
That's the question that ListWire set out to answer-- and their answer here in Minnesota is a bit of a head-scratcher. Is that really correct that despite the fact that there are a TON of incredible craft breweries not only in the Twin Cities but across Minnesota, the most popular beer at Target Field is an interloper NOT from the Land of 10,000 Lakes?
Well, to get a better handle on this SCANDAL, we checked in with the folks over at ListWire. According to THIS article, they 'hit up our friends at Untappd, the social app that allows you to check-in at different locations and record the different beers you drink there. Our question was simple: What was the most “checked-in” beer at all 30 ballparks?' ListWire wondered.
And, yeah, here in Minnesota, in 2019 (the last year there's any data from, given that fans weren't allowed at ballparks in 2020), the most checked-in beer at Target Field was... Next Coast IPA, made by Goose Island Brewing in Chicago (which is actually owned by Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser and Bud Lite.)
So how does a Chicago beer become the most popular at Target Field in Minnesota? Well, doing a little detective work, I noticed that when the Twins released their list of new food and beverage vendors for 2021, one of the new vendors was Summit Brewing of St. Paul, whose Summit Brew Pub is taking over the space that was previously the Goose Island Pub. So perhaps the fact that the Goose Island Pub won't be around this year will help one of Minnesota's beer move up in popularity.
The Target Field website doesn't specifically say which beers are available this year, though this 2019 Sports Illustrated story mentions that beers available two years ago included Island Next Coast IPA, Beaver Island Tribute IPA, Fair State Pils, Summit Cabin Crusher and Summit Slugfest Juicy IPA.
Also, Insight Brewing offered Dankbot IPA, Splendid Moose (pale ale) and Trollway IPA. Surly Brewing sold its popular Furious IPA in addition to First Avenue +1, Hell (German helles) and Xtra-Citra Pale Ale.
Finally, other craft brews available were Fair State Vienna Lager, Castle Danger Cream Ale, Fulton Sweet Child of Vine IPA, Third Street Lost Trout (brown ale), Third Street Minnesota Gold Lager, Waconia WacTown Wheat (pale wheat ale), Modist Supra Deluxe (Japanese rice lager), Bent Paddle Cold Press Black Ale and Northlake Honey Brown Lager.
Hopefully one of our great Minnesota beers will be the most checked-in and, thus, most popular at Target Field during this return-of-fans season of 2021! And speaking of Minnesota craft beers, I love ALL of them. But keep scrolling to check out my list of 10 definitive Minnesota beers you should definitely try!
TASTY: 10 Incredible Minnesota Craft Beer IPA's You Need To Try
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