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Vodka, and an Alternative Energy Capitol
The West Central Tribune talks about a new, Minnesota-grown, organic, kosher vodka. It's called Prairie, with the tag "Let the Prairie In," and is being billed as high-end. Also, the town of Benson is cited as one of the world's alternative energy capitols. Anybody remember which ruralplex that's a part of?
46 Reader Comments
I was surprised to learn that the folks behind Phillips vodka, Shakers vodka, and the U.S. distributors of Belvedere vodka were Minnesotan. I guess I already knew you could get drunk off corn.
I thought I read a Bottlegang thing about most vodkas being kosher?
All liquors are hypothetically kosher, because all vegetables and fruits are kosher. But Jews can be particularly picky, and many won't drink it unless there has been some Rabbinic supervision to make sure that, I don't know, bacon sauce isn't getting dripped into the final mix.
Minnesota: America's Russia.
The Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company is one of the smartest and greenest (environmentally, and in finding new ways to profit its owner/operators) ethanol producers in the nation. I recently met with a Wisconsin ethanol plant producer at this event and suggested they look to CVEC as an example of a company willing to try new ideas.
I have spoken of Shakers before on this site.
mmm, bacon vodka...
Kevin: MNspeak's Yakov Smirnoff.
Isn't shakers made from wheat? I'm so not in the alcohol loop so I may be mistaken.
Yes, it is. There is also a rye version.
In Soviet Minnesota, the vodka makes YOU! hahahaha
No, actually I just wanted to link to this and be on record as saying "Famous last words..." (sfw)
shakers is made from the sweet tears of angels. and the website for Prairie Vodka is teh awesome. (if a tad slow-to-load)
On a related note, does anyone in Minnesota make wine? I'm out and looking for something good, but I'll settle for something Minnesotan.
There is a wine shop in Roseville that speciallized in Minnesota-made wines, kev, although they are sold just about everywhere.
Yeah, there's a bunch of MN wine. Alexis Bailley (sp?) vineyards is probably the best-known of the bunch.
You people are just enabling Kevin. Do you care nothing for his liver, which is now the size of a Vespa scooter?
@kevin, Winehaven has a good Riesling, Alexis Bailey has all sorts of good mixes, and Northern Vineyards in Stillwater has a couple great whites, too.
If the town of Benson is all that, as the article and Bob claim, you'd think they had some eco-tourism or something to help propel those progressive ideas around the state.
And there's an excellent Pinot Noir made in Oregon by a MN couple who lives half the time in Oregon to produce this great wine... the name is escaping me, but it is really good wine.
If the town of Benson is all that, as the article and Bob claim, you'd think they had some eco-tourism or something to help propel those progressive ideas around the state.
If the town of Benson had a pitchman like me, they would.
Minnesota not oly has wine, it has its own wine tour.
Benson is part of the Morris-Clontarf-Donnelly-Chokio-Hancock-Benson ruralplex.
MN wine making is still in its infancy. If you want something truly Minnesotan, Frontenac is the signature red grape of Minnesota wine making, and if used properly can make a decent wine.
@Max, I know the article is about corn, but in the use of kernels to make organic vodka and husks to power the distillery... does the post merit "gas" and "transportation" tags if ethanol is not mentioned? Is there a "greater MN" or "environment" tag?
@grote: Good call on the website--it is teh awesome.
Benson, MN an alternative energy capital?!?
What kind of turkey sh** are you handing us, jerad?
Oh, this kind.
I just put those in because sooner or later Bob was going to talk about ethanol.
Also, I didn't even notice we have a "gas" category before today.
jane...Domaine Serene. Awesome Willamette Valley Pinot Noir @ ~$50 / btl. Named after their daughter, Serene, who IIRC is a Wayzata Soccer Mom. Also, IIRC, dad is a retired chemical engineer...maybe a 3Mer.
Don't blame max for the tags, Jerad. Force of habit. My bad.
Suggested new MNSpeak tags:
"flame bait"
"STFU!"
"yawn"
One comment on ethanol does not a thread make, max. My others focus on wine, turkey poop and mocking kevin.
You're right. I should have included the Mocking Kevin tag.
wine, turkey poop and mocking kevin
Is that an excerpt from Alexis' meth recipe?
Wine, turkey poop and mocking kevin
Sounds like a Al Franken fundraiser potluck!
Alexis Bailly vineyard's Voyageur is one of my favorite wines. Surdyk's carries Alexis Bailly and Winehaven. I don't think they carry another favorite, Winehaven's Deer Garden White but you can get a glass at Common Grounds on 26th and Lyndale.
I tried the Baily ice wine, but didn't like it quite as well as the German originals.
Also, I didn't even notice we have a "gas" category before today.
Oh yeah we did!
(farts)
More greenhouse warming! I blame kevin.
...but didn't like it quite as well as the German originals.
Hhm. In retrospect, that looks like I'm borrowing from classic Molly Ivins line about a certain Pat Buchcanan speech.
@Bob: I just noticed the URL in your link to MPR's story of turkey power in Benson. Nice. Interesting that the word isn't used anywhere in the article itself.
Poop Power To The People!
I have to be a bit biased, as Phillips is a dear client of mine and Prairie Vodka is hugely important to the company.
However, this is some incredibly smooth, lovely vodka. It is on par with any of the top vodka brands. Better than SKY, better than Kettle One and will be easier to find at least in this state any of the other Organic Vodkas, such as Square One.
Prairie Vodka is super good and sold already at Surdyk's.
Ummm, and Manny's - Organic Vodka with a side of bacon, please?
Sugar, are you originally from the Morris-Clontarf-Donnelly-Chokio-Hancock-Benson ruralplex?
D'oh--it might be a good vodka, but if I'd known this then I would have held off on the post:
Truck drivers and warehouse workers at Johnson Brothers Liquor Company's distribution facility in St. Paul have been on strike since St. Patrick's Day, and the 700 Teamsters are asking supporters who drink Phillips liquors, Gallo wines or Karkov Vodka to boycott those labels until the dispute is settled.
(h/t to my bro, who thought he heard something on the Current about this)
More on that strike. It's solidarity with local people being treated unfairly vs. buying a local brand, folks. As much as I'd like to try Prairie, I think I'll wait until this gets resolved.
You wear the union label with pride, Jerad. I was wathching the American Experience two-parter on Truman this week on PBS, and they covered the rash of strikes that occured immediately after WW II, including the crippling railroad workers strike that shut down everything.
Truman responded by threathing to "draft the striking workers into the Army and order them back to work." When he first said it, everyone thought he was kidding. He wasn't, and the strike was settled as he adressed a joint session of Congress calling for the law to draft striking workers.
Needless to say, relations between Truman and organized labor were not the same after that.
I'll gladly give up drinking Karkov Vodka. Don't have to ask me twice.
Probably not on everyones radar but the ILWU is scheduled to strike on July 1st.
The longshoremen on the West coast are no friends of the Republicans and if they can embarrass them further in an election year it may cause some seriously screwed up shipping of goods in and out of the country.
They went on a one day strike on May 1st to demand an immediate pull out from IRAQ.
yeah...well the world needs ditch-diggers, too.
Domaine Serene... Grote, I knew you would know! That wine is fab.
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