It is time once again for the Minnesota State Fair. It's almost better than Christmas if you ask me. So much to see and do. So many interesting people to watch. So many new foods! This is a recap of our first visit. We'll be going again later this week for a second all day visit. This was just a quick stop last Friday after work, so not a lot of food has been sampled yet.
new entrance from transit center
Here is the super awesome, brand new frozen blueberry foam and blueberry Grain Belt (on left) and Schell's Oktoberfest on right. This is my 2014 pick for best new fair item. Anyway, it is very fresh and light and the foam does help it stay cold longer. Very good if you like a shandy style beer. The foam was not as good with the Oktoberfest beer.
John's favorite, the Turkey to Go turkey sandwich. Delicious! It was very juicy and flavorful. He says it does not need any additional sauces or toppings, though they are available if you want them.
My favorite, a Pronto Pup from the Pronto Pups stand. The batter is thin, but crisp, with a touch of sweetness.
French fries from the Fresh French Fries stand. A bit greasy, but very crisp with good potato flavor.
We made a quick stop at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild area and each got a flight of beers. I went with a lighter flight and John tried the hoppy flight.
This has to be one of the most popular venues at the fair the last few years. It is always busy. We really like it because we can try beer from breweries we have not had a chance to visit yet.
The much discussed Flat Earth Cygnus Porter S'mores beer from Giggles Campfire Grill is on the right. John liked it a lot; it was not too sweet, like a porter with hints of chocolate, graham cracker and marshmallow. I had Leinenkugel's lemon berry shandy. Also very good, if you are into shandy beer.
Here are the pretzel cheese curds from O'Gara's. They are gooey cheese curds coated with crushed pretzels. They were very, very, salty, but I enjoyed the crunch from the crisp pretzel crust. I don't think I would order them again though. Regular cheese curds are better.
We also took a ride on the Space Tower at the fair. It was dark out and we could see the lights of both Minneapolis and St Paul, but the photos did not turn out at all. We need to ride at dusk instead maybe. We learned from the operator that it opened at the fair in 1965.
We also stopped at the Minnesota State Lottery booth and got fabulous complimentary gifts with purchase of a t-shirt and a tote bag. We did not have any big wins; I had two $1 wins and John won $5 on a $5 ticket. Sadly, that is better than I usually do on most scratch off lottery tickets!
Here's a photo from the best new place to sit and enjoy your blueberry beer at the fair; the rooftop patio at Lulu's Public House. It has a nice view, cooling fans and TVs to watch any sporting events you just can't miss. Also a grab spot to watch the daily fireworks.
So far, this seems like the year of the beer. Who knew the State Fair would be the destination of choice to sample so many special edition beers from local breweries? I mean, just a few years ago, only 3.2% beer was available and nothing else!
We are looking forward to one more visit to the fair later this week! I'll try to get the post done by the end of this week. We have a lot of new foods on the list to try.
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