Craft Brews On Tap At St. Paul Summer Beerfest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- New kinds of beer will be poured this weekend at the St. Paul Summer Beerfest at the state fairgrounds.

It'll feature hundreds of American craft beer and many are made in Minnesota.

"Minnesota is definitely one of the bigger craft beer communities in the country," Mark Opdahl said. "People want a better beer. It's no different than going to a really good restaurant that has a good executive chef."

Stop at pretty much any local liquor store these days and you'll find an array of craft beers.

Whether they're at-home brewers or a novice, beerfest organizer Opdahl said beerfest will tap into those thirsty to learn about their beer from the people who make it.

Pete Rifakes is a founder of Town Hall Brewery, one of the 87 breweries you can sample this weekend.

"There's a real trend toward local," Rifakes said. "I think breweries in their communities represent their communities."

Opdahl added that the number of women coming to learn about beer has doubled if not tripled over the past few years.