Sober State Fair: Non

Dec 29, 2023

Looking for a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst at the Minnesota State Fair? There are more NA options than just the all-you-can-drink milk booth.

Manny’s Tortas is offering a non-alcoholic piña colada in a hollowed-out fresh pineapple.

Russell Sampson of Prior Lake, Minn., doesn’t drink alcohol, so he bought the NA piña colada from Manny’s Tortas on the first day of the fair.

“My dad never drank, and my mom never drank, and my grandpa was the town drunk, so that kind of left an impression on some of the people in our family. But not me, because I didn’t know him. I was four years old when he died,” Sampson said. “But I’ve just never been a drinker.”

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Sampson said he mainly drinks lemonades at the fair.

Non-drinkers can also find an NA piña colada-style smoothie, along with fresh-squeezed lemonades and other smoothies at the lemonade stand outside the Food Building.

Lulu’s Public House is offering a non-alcoholic canned hibiscus margarita.

The Summer Lakes Beverage stand is offering mocktail options like a non-alcoholic jalapeño margarita and a fresh ginger and orange drink.

There are plenty of zero-alcohol beers to try, including some from local breweries. The Summit-on-a-Stick stand is offering their Nialas Non-Alcoholic IPA. You can also find the St. Paul-brewed beer at the Midway Mens Club and O’Gara’s at the Fair.

The Hideaway Speakeasy is offering Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing Company’s non-alcoholic Sparkling Hop Water, a hop-flavored drink that’s also zero calories.

Minneapolis-based Bauhaus brews some non-alcoholic beers under their “Nah” brand. You can find their Nah Helles at RC’s BBQ and their new Nah Blonde at Lulu’s Public House.

You can find more NA beers from out-of-state breweries at Dino’s Gyros, The Frontier, The Hangar, Chicago Dogs, Ragin Cajun, Mancini’s al Fresco, The Blue Barn, Andy’s Grill, Coasters, and Giggle’s Campfire Grill.

If mocktails and NA beers aren’t your jam, maybe a “jam’nade” will be. The organic lemonades incorporate locally made jams. The Jammy Sammies stand at the north end of the fairgrounds offers two flavors, strawberry jalapeño and blueberry mint. They also offer an NA drink called the Joey Mary, a cold brew with vanilla cream and whipped cream or confetti whip.

The Anchor Coffee House offers a non-alcoholic cold brew lavender shandy, a coffee with lavender lemonade mixed in. They also have a range of coffees and teas, including a mini donut flavored latte.

The French Meadow Bakery & Cafe has a jalapeño honey lemonade and Spinning Wylde has lemonades topped with cotton candy in a variety of flavors, as well as a fresh-pressed watermelon juice.

There’s a fresh-brewed iced tea with strawberry flavoring offered on the corner of Randall Avenue and Underwood Street at the Strawberries N Creme stand.

In addition to an assortment of mocktails, the Summer Lakes Beverage stand has lemonade and sweet tea options, including an NA lavender-infused lemonade.