Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild offering non-alcoholic craft beer flights for first time at state fair

New foods and specialty sips are all the rage at this year's Minnesota State Fair, but the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild hopes one of their new offerings inside the Ag-Hort Building quenches the thirst for individuals hoping to enjoy a craft beer sans alcohol.

For the first time, the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild is offering non-alcoholic flights featuring ciders, seltzers, sodas, and non-alcoholic craft beer.

"Minnesota brewers believe that everybody deserves a seat at the bar and that includes people that don't consume alcohol," said Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild executive director, Jessica Talley. "Minnesota actually has a booming non-alcoholic craft beer scene compared to other states."

It's the first time the brewers has offered an NA flight option at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

"We see breweries pursuing NA options because they want their spaces to be welcoming, inviting, and positive for everyone. Our NA flight, it's the first time we're welcoming non-alcohol drinkers into our exhibit to learn about Minnesota craft beer and the delicious options Minnesota brewers have for them."

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild has more than 200 individual craft beers at the Minnesota State Fair from more than 90 Minnesota craft breweries and brewpubs.

Flights at the fair are offered in various flavor categories including crisp and clean flights.

"If you're here on opening day, you can come by for lunch, checkout a couple of different flights, and come back later in the afternoon and have an entirely different set of beers to try," Talley added. "It really allows people to get a sense of the variety, artistry, and quality around the state."

Talley says Minnesota's beer industry continues to grow with more breweries opening than closing. While the growth may be slower than it has been in the past, the guild continues to bring-in new members.

"We're really seeing a huge boom in growth in greater Minnesota in smaller and mid-size communities. Those breweries, and all craft breweries in Minnesota, are really central to their communities and engaged in their neighborhoods and towns," Talley said. "We continue to see people supporting those craft breweries and those breweries supporting their communities."

According to the Brewers Association , there were 237 craft breweries in Minnesota in 2023, producing 525,333 barrels of craft beer per year.