INTERVIEW: Land of 10,000 Beers & MN Craft Brews Take Over State Fair

"We were back in a booth by the horse barn."

That is how Surly Brewing owner Omar Ansari described to the Star Tribune his brand's first go at the state's iconic Minnesota State Fair, known locally as the "great get together." Since then, Surly has won numerous awards from such organizations as the Great American Beer Fest and  Beer Advocate, the latter of which named it the Best Brewery In America not once but twice. The brand's Surly Fest event now sells out. Its local popularity and influence is so strong that a state bill aimed at loosening regulations on craft breweries was dubbed the "Surly Bill."

Ansari has since become the president of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. And Surly is back at this year's fair with 35 of its closest "friends" as Minnesota's craft brewery business booms at The Great Get Together. Continue reading...