Team Minnevangelist hails from hardy Eastern and Central European stock: Andrew Parks is half Polish and Ashlea Halpern is a Romanian-Ukrainian-German mutt — so it didn’t take much convincing to get our butts out to Giesenbräu Bier Co in New Prague for its monthly Sunday Steins and Polka Time happy hour.
The series is a collaboration between the brewery and KCHK radio station and takes place on the fourth Sunday of every month. It features live music from 3 to 6 p.m., plus generous drink specials ($1 off pints and $2 off every stein fill) and chewy, malty pretzels from Edelweiss in Prior Lake. Colton Tupy and the Sand Creek Connection kept the energy up the whole time—as evidenced by the number of both adults and children dancing.
As for the pours, Giesenbräu is one of our favorite local finds from the past year — “bier-flavored beer” on par with anything you’d find in Bavaria and beyond. Our go-tos are the Hildy’s Helles Munich Lager, a 1st place phenom at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild’s annual awards ceremony, and low-ABV riffs on a Berliner Weisse (the fruit puree-infused Lemmiwinks) and a crispy, cracker-y Bohemian Pilsner (Dožínky Pils).
Mark your calendar: The next polka jam session will be July 23.
Giesenbräu Bier Co
1306 1st St. NE, New Prague, MN; 952-758-4226.
