You can now purchase books directly from Penguin Random House on RIF! Free Shipping on orders over $20.
    • Monthly Favorites
    • Excerpts
    • Giveaways
    • Book Apothecary
    • TBR Time
  • |
    • Articles
    • Videos
    • Author Interviews
    • 8 Great Questions
    • Author Essays
    • Longform
  • |
    • RIF Podcasts​
    • Marlon & Jake Read Dead People
    • The Adaptables
  • |
  • Subscribe

Top Bookstores and Breweries to Visit in America

Plan your next big road trip around these destinations.

By J. RYAN STRADAL • 1 year ago
Bookstores and Breweries to Visit in US

J. Ryan Stradal’s novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, follows cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that’s often stacked against them.

Recently, he curated a list of indie bookstores and craft breweries based on his travels and research for his book and now, we get to share it with you all. Pack your bags and hit the road—there’s a lot of cool places to see.


1. Borderlands Brewing Company, Tucson, AZ

Co-owner Mike Mallozzi is one of the friendliest guys in the business. He was a giant help to my beer and brewery research.

2. Mrs. Dalloways, Oakland, CA

One of the top bookstores in the state. I guarantee that Carolyn will find you books you’ll love that you’ve never heard of before.

3. Three Weavers, Inglewood, CA

Owned and run by women, this brewery is my favorite in Los Angeles County. They were the also the most consistent resource I had for beer questions in my home city.

4. OverTown Brewing Co., Monrovia, CA

They’ve been known to make “Grandma Edith’s Rhubarb Pie in a Bottle Ale” from time to time (and it’s wonderful).

5. Band of Bohemia, Chicago, IL

As of this writing, the only Michelin-starred brewpub in the United States.

What We're Reading This Week

Get recommendations for the greatest books around straight to your inbox every week.
Great! You've signed up successfully!
We are experiencing an error, please try again.
By clicking Sign Up!, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Penguin Random House Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and agree to receive news and updates from Read It Forward and Penguin Random House.

6. Dragonfly Books, Decorah, IA

The first time my grandma Doris came to a reading of mine was at this wonderful shop in northern Iowa, and it will always be close to my heart.

7. McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI

I love this small-town bookstore in a beautiful lakeside town in northwest Michigan. They were tremendously kind and generous to me as a nervous debut novelist in 2015.

8. Spiral Brewery, Hastings, MN

The first brewery in my hometown in over a century, Amy, Nick, Jen, and everyone at Spiral were tremendously helpful while I was researching Lager Queen. And their beer is fantastic.

9. August Schell Brewery, New Ulm, MN

The second oldest family-owned brewery in America, Ted Marti at Schell’s was a huge help in educating me about large-scale lager operations and the history of Minnesota beer.

10. Sweetland Orchard, Webster, MN

Founded by a high school classmate and her husband, Sweetland makes the best hard (and non-alcoholic) apple cider in the state. I learned a lot from them about alcohol laws and distribution.

11. Catawba Island Brewery Co., Port Clinton, OH

This brewery is where I learned about the specific equipment that my character Diana used while making her first IPA.

12. Blue Bicycle Books, Charleston, SC

I love this store. They sold books at one of the only events I’ve done so far in the South and I’ll always be grateful to them for drawing a crowd in a state I’d never visited before.

13. Remedy Brewing Co., Sioux Falls, SD

Tyler at Remedy was the first brewer who told me that a rhubarb ale could be made, and how it could be done.

14. Stoup Brewing, Seattle, WA

Co-owner (and former scientist) Robyn Schumacher makes my favorite beer in the state.

15. The Brewing Projekt, Eau Claire, WI

Every state would be fortunate to have a brewer like Will Glass. I learned more from him in one afternoon than I could use in three novels. And his beer is magnificent.


Featured image: The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

  • The cover of the book The Lager Queen of Minnesota
    Featured Book

    The Lager Queen of Minnesota

    J. Ryan Stradal

    Buy From Penguin Random House
    Also Available From
    Barnes & NobleBookshop.orgApple BooksAmazon
    Buy From Penguin Random House
    Also Available From
    Barnes & NobleBookshop.orgApple BooksAmazon
     

Find More

Indie BookstoresPersonal Essays

About J. RYAN STRADAL

J. RYAN STRADAL is a contributing editor at TASTE Magazine. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Granta, The Rumpus, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he co-hosts a culinary-themed reading series called Hot Dish. He has also worked as a TV producer, notably for Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch. Stradal is the author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota.

Read it Forward: Always Directing You To Your Next Great Read

At Read It Forward, we have a healthy obsession with authors, stories, and the readers who love them.

About Us
Affiliate Program Disclosure
Subscribe for Giveaways + Recommendations

Every week we host a new literary giveaway! Enter to win our favorite new reads, bookish goodies, and so much more.

Get weekly book recommendations delivered right to your inbox and find out What We’re Reading.

Subscribe to our Newsletters
Explore
  • Find your Next Book!
  • Essays and More
  • Author Interviews
  • Our Monthly Favorites

Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Copyright ©1995-2021 Penguin Random House. All rights reserved.

[email_signup id="4"]
Great! You've signed up successfully!
We are experiencing an error, please try again.
By clicking Subscribe, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Penguin Random House Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and agree to receive news and updates from Read It Forward and Penguin Random House.