Situated on a hill just overlooking the lake, right on the edge of downtown, you’ll find Waconia Brewing Company. The impressive taproom not only boasts a great ambiance, but also is quite spacious. It also has free popcorn, which is an easy way to get on my good side.
I enjoyed a WacTown Wheat (ABV: 5.1%, IBU 17), which was packed with mandarin orange peels that made me want to head down to the lake, hop on a boat, and enjoy it there. I also got to sample some of the Gin Barrel Aged Driftwood Russian Imperial Stout and the Single Hop Series Batch #5: Sorachi Ace, both of which were quite good, but still too advanced for my beer drinking experience.
My advice came from the beertender Dru DeLange. Dru is part of the DeLange family, who founded and manage every aspect of the brewery. He told me, “Drink every beer like it’s your last.” He added that he would want his last beer to be a “big boozy barleywine…something that will linger.”
What better advice could come from a craft brewery? Every beer you drink should be an experience–a source of mindfulness and appreciation–rather than just another drink.
