Nightlife Notes: 2 nights of Winterfest

Two nights of Winterfest
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild's 14th annual gala Winterfest hits St. Paul's Union Depot this weekend. This year, the intimate beer festival, which usually sells out in nanoseconds, is spread over two nights, with different brewery lineups each session (though 10 popular breweries pour both nights). Because of the two-night stand, tickets for both sessions were still available at press time. (7-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. Feb. 27-28, 21-plus, $75-$135, 214 4th St. E., St. Paul, www.mncraftbrew.org.)
Wabasha Brewing opens
Following St. Cloud's Beaver Island Brewing Co.'s taproom kickoff last weekend, the 2015 parade of new breweries continued this week when Wabasha Brewing Co. held its grand opening on Thursday. The St. Paul spot, led by Chris Kolve, Josh Tischleder and Brett Erickson, opened in the West Side neighborhood near Boca Chica. Wabasha's year-round beers include a cream ale, amber ale, IPA and imperial IPA, plus seasonal porters and a winter stout. (429 Wabasha St. S., St. Paul, 651-224-2102, www.wabashabrewing.com.)
Wu-Tang cocktails
Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to, um, mess with and neither is the Negroni. The only other thing the great rap collective and the classic cocktail might have in common is Marin's drink menu. The restaurant's Library bar, tucked in Le Meridien Chambers hotel in downtown Minneapolis, features Negroni variations with Wu-inspired names. Accordingly, Marin is throwing a tribute party to Wu-Tang's debut album, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," with T-Wolves scratchmaster DJ Mad Mardigan playing cuts from the record, starting at 9 p.m. Friday.