Indian Island Winery’s Grape Stomp and Beer Fest has grown so much in popularity, there were two separate competitions during the event on Saturday, Sept. 14.
The weather during the morning made things a bit wet and muggy, as showers rolled in during the overnight before the event. However, that didn’t stop patrons from sampling some wine at the Winery, beers from five different breweries, and several pairs stomping on grapes.
The breweries at the event were Mankato Brewery, Schell’s of New Ulm, the Montgomery Brewery in Montgomery, Mineral Springs of Owatonna, and the Ward House in Waseca. Their collection of several flavors has shown just how far brewing has come. Twenty years ago, many would have wondered what a butterbeer from Harry Potter would have tasted like. Well, nowadays, there are “butter” beers of all kinds. How about a peanut butter beer? Or a grape beer? It’d be like drinking a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
The event also gave the breweries opportunities to share information about themselves. For example, Mineral Springs Brewery started four and a half years ago and is now looking to expand its operations thanks to its meteoric success. Ward House Brewery in Waseca also moved a couple of years ago to a new building in a former train depot next to the tracks south of downtown. While they’re brewing in one room, they’re also making pizzas through Pepito’s Pizzeria.
Of course, everyone came for the main event: the Grape Stomp. Several groups signed up for the event, meaning there was not only one but two separate competitions at 2 and 3 p.m. One pair was missing a partner, so a random spectator from the crowd joined her. They spent three minutes stomping the grapes in large plastic tubs before getting the total amount of juice they produced measured afterward. It’s quite interesting to see each pair’s strategies; some hold onto the supporting bar and face the front while stomping the grapes, while others turn their backs to their support beams and try to use their heels to crush the grapes. Some did a hybrid of both.
Although a tad humid, patrons also enjoyed the music on the winery’s patio, with the Ryanne Noelle Duo performing from 12:30-3 p.m., GTX from 3-5:30 p.m., and the Rain Kings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oh, and there was a costume contest.
Whether you’re a beer drinker or a wine connoisseur – or maybe you just like seeing people dressed up as old ladies stomping grapes – this event had many stomping to the groove of the music and enjoying sips of their brew of choice. The fact that a peanut butter and jelly beer exists makes one wonder what the future of brewing will look like over ten years from now.
