Tandoori Chicken Quesaratha, Midway Sunset Mocktail and Aloha Pineapple Haze. To support local at the Minnesota State Fair, these are a few of the items you’ll have to remember.
This year’s “Great Minnesota Get-Together” features food and drink from more than 9 different establishments in Northeast Minneapolis. Just how did these establishments get involved with the Fair?
“I went to the Fair and just started walking into all these places every day and met the decision makers,” Alex Jacoby said in a phone interview. Jacoby is the Sales Director for Pryes Brewing, 1401 West River Rd. N.
The State Fair this year is held from Thursday, August 21 through Monday, September 1, Labor Day. In 2024, more than 1.9 million people attended the annual celebration of Minnesota in just 12 days.
“The Fair is very intense and a short time window,” Jacoby said. “Everybody is on the Fair the whole time.”
Each year, a list of new foods and specialty cocktails comes out in July, preparing fairgoers for what they will consume while on the fairgrounds. More than 30 of those items were produced by Northeast establishments.
More unique flavors come out each year, with Pryes boasting drinks like Mexican Fruit Cup, Irish Sticky Toffee Pudding and Soft Serve Royal Raspberry, an ice cream version of the beer already made in their taproom.
“We start pitching in November and December to the vendors. Once they lock in, we go together to present it to the Fair,” Jacoby said. “The Fair this year is saying that these need to be unique. They’ve been more restrictive this year.”
Despite the restricted acceptance, Northeast Minneapolis, just within the Specialty Cocktails section, features 29 beverages. These drinks are produced by eight breweries, cideries and distilleries in the area.
“We don’t want to expand past Minnesota,” Jacoby said of Pryes Brewing. “The whole thing is awareness.”
To get a look at the items featured at this year’s Minnesota State Fair, head over to https://www.mnstatefair.org/fair-finder/food/.
