| By METRO Staff |
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Simply known for decades as “The Root Beer Lady” for selling her root beer to Boundary Waters visitors, Dorothy Molter is memorialized with each bottle of her legendary brew (and every penny from proceeds goes directly to her namesake root beer-brewing museum in Ely; rootbeerlady.com). It’s full of spice and vanilla, and has a nice balance of sweetness and carbonation. Basically, it’s perfect. Find it at Lunds for $7.59/six-pack.
Glewwe’s Castle
The most flavorful root beer of the bunch—and the one most reminiscent of root beer barrel candies—this homemade treat originates (despite its grandiose name) from a backyard shed in the tiny township of Spring Lake. It’s only available at the Prior Lake Farmers’ Market, but it’s worth the trip: The spicy blend of honeyed root beer and birch bark flavors makes it one of a kind. Get it for $2 a bottle, $7/four-pack or $10/six-pack; you can also order a 5-gallon keg for $35.
1919
The Schell’s Brewery in New Ulm is home to the king of all Minnesota root beers: 1919. This creamy delight harkens back to the days of Prohibition (initiated in the year 1919), when breweries produced non-alcoholic alternatives to the real stuff. As such, 1919 is only available in kegs (Cub Foods sells pony kegs for $18.99) and growlers, making it smoother than most over-carbonated brews, and it contains no corn syrup—just good old-fashioned granulated sugar and real vanilla.
River City
If Barq’s has bite, then River City Root Beer is a harmless lap dog. Light on the sharp, carbonated snap elemental in other root beers, Vine Park Brewing Co.’s unique blend incorporates locally produced honey into its recipe, making for a smooth, robust flavor. Available exclusively at the brew-it-yourself St. Paul brewery, Vine Park Brewing,12 oz. bottles go for $1 apiece and kegs will set you back $100.
Killebrew
Like the bat of the hall-of-fame slugger its named after, this root beer packs a wallop. Killebrew’s big taste comes from its balance of sweetness (its secret ingredient is Minnesota-made honey) and bite. It’s surprisingly light, too, which means you could easily drink a six-pack at the next employee softball game. (We don’t recommend it though!) Get it at area Lunds stores for $4.99/six-pack.
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Vine Park Brewing Co.
1254 W. 7th St.
St. Paul
651.228.1355
vinepark.com
Lunds
Throughout the metro
lundsandbyerlys.com
Throughout the metro
cub.com
Prior Lake Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. (through October)
Pleasant Street and Main Avenue
952.440.4558
glewwe-castle.com
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Want to see how our local brews stack up against brands across the country? Visit
, the ultimate root beer-ranking Web site and root beer lover’s paradise.
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