North Dakota Beer – A Heady History
Before North Dakota obtained statehood and entered the Union as a dry state, the region's commercial beer industry thrived. A lengthy era of temperance forced locals to find clever ways to get a beer, such as crossing the Montana and Minnesota borders for a pint, smuggling beer over the rails and brewing at home.
After Prohibition, the state's farmers became national leaders in malting barley production, serving the biggest brewers in the world. However, local breweries struggled until 1995, when the first wave of brewpubs arrived on the scene. A craft brewing renaissance this century led to an explosion of more than a dozen craft breweries and brewpubs in less than a decade.
Alicia Underlee Nelson recounts North Dakota's journey from a dry state to a booming craft beer hub.
About Alicia Underlee Nelson (Fargo, North Dakota Author)
Alicia Underlee Nelson is a freelance writer and photographer who covers craft beer, travel, art, entertainment, history, outdoor adventures and breaking news for Thomson Reuters, USA Today, Delta Sky Magazine, AAA Living Magazine, Matador Network, trivago and numerous other publications. She focuses on slow travel, outdoor spaces and sustainable urban development and promotes uniquely local spots and stories from all over the world.
Follow her adventures across the Upper Midwest, the prairie provinces of Canada and all over the globe at prairiestylefile.com. When she's not traveling, you'll find her at home in West Fargo, North Dakota with an IPA and a good book.