reads from his much-anticipated The Lager Queen of Minnesota, a novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate, and the secrets of making a world-class beer, from the author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest. Please join us for a festive evening of books and brews at Novel Brewing Company (www.novelbrewing.com).
“Warm, whimsical, incredibly well-written and infused with Stradal’s signature sympathy for his characters–those everyday heroes we all know and love. . . a thorough delight, from beginning to end.”–Nickolas Butler
You may order a copy of The Lager Queen of Minnesota in the store, by clicking below, or at the event.
Edith Magnusson’s rhubarb pies are famous in the Twin Cities–they were named the third-best in the state of Minnesota and St. Anthony-Waterside Nursing Home has quickly become the hottest dinner ticket in town. Still, she lies awake wondering how her life might have been different if her father hadn’t left their family farm to her sister Helen, a decision that split their family in two.
With the proceeds from the farm, her sister, Helen Blotz, built her husband Orval’s family soda business into the top selling brewery in Minnesota. She single-handedly created the light beer revolution and made their corporate motto ubiquitous: “Drink lots, it’s Blotz.” But Helen dismisses IPAs as a fad, and the Blotz fortune begins its inevitable decline. Soon, though, she finds a potential savior that’s surprisingly close to home. . .
Diana Winter earns a shot at learning the beer business from the ground up just as the IPA revolution begins. The stakes couldn’t be higher: just as she’s launching her own brewpub, she’s due to deliver a baby girl. When the unthinkable happens, it’s up to Grandma Edith–and a delightfully surprising cadre of grandmother friends–to secure the next generation’s chances for a better future. Can Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb Pie In A Bottle Ale save Diana’s fledgling brewery, and change their hearts and fortunes forever?
J. Ryan Stradal is a contributing editor at Taste Magazine. His bestselling debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the 2016 American Booksellers Association Indie’s Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year and also the 2016 Midwest Booksellers Choice Award for debut fiction. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles.