Twin Cities Craft Beer Fest
As our beer scene swells, so does the number of festivals. On Saturday, the Twin Cities Craft Beer Fest will be staged in downtown Minneapolis by Hand Crafted Tasting Co., a group behind a few fests nationwide. The sampling bash at the Depot is split between two sessions and highlights the spring seasonals of about 75 global breweries. Compared with other local festivals, the lineup is light on big-name Minnesota and national breweries that RateBeer geeks hyperventilate over, though there should be no shortage of tasty springtime brews. VIP ticketholders get an extra hour of swilling. (2-4:30 p.m. and 7-9:30 p.m. Sat. $49-$75 ($15 designated driver). 225 S. 3rd St., Mpls. www.handcraftedtasting.com.)
Lakes & Legends brewery
A new Minneapolis brewery is destined for the LPM Apartments building near Loring Park. Lakes & Legends Brewing Co. hopes to start construction soon on its 12,000-square-foot space en route to a late-summer opening. Lakes & Legends is the project of brothers-in-law Derrick Taylor and Ethan Applen, who tapped brewer Andrew Dimery to create their lineup of Belgian and farmhouse ales. Servicing its 3,500- to 4,000-square-foot taproom (big by local standards) is first priority, but they hope to distribute soon after opening.
Michael Rietmulder
