The Lager Queen of Minnesota

Kindle Immersion Read
I read ‘Kitchens of the Great Midwest ‘ (Stradal’s debut), three times in three years and waited patiently for a second novel. Let me just say ‘The Lager Queen of Minnesota ‘ was worth the wait!

Born and raised in Minnesota, the story and writing are accurate, very relatable, and made me smile. By the end my eyes were leaking, my heart was full, and my body was covered in goosebumps. Yep, it feels so good.

Kudos to Judith Ivey’s narration and her emphasis on strong vowels, which is ever so Minnesotan, don’cha know.

Personally, the only disturbing factor is the use of profanity, especially the F-Bomb. The story reads better without it and would make one of the best ‘Clean Reads List’ were they edited out of the story.

‘The Lager Queen of Minnesota’ will make for many grand book group discussions, especially with some pie in a bottle ale! Skol!

As a Minnesotan who has spent majority of my life in Duluth, this book is top notch. (Read it and you’ll see why). Besides the great shout- outs and nods to some pretty sweet cities (and breweries) in MN and WI, the book itself is amazing.

I love how the writer tells the story of these impressive women. Although fictional, they are so relatable that I was imagining specific friends, family and acquaintances as I read.

My only complaint is that like 70% of the book is basically set up to crave beer! Not just any beer, but a craft, beer-snob beer! I’m not an IPA gal myself (unless balanced with a fruit) but even these descriptions had my mouth watering for something over 100 IBUs.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how these ladies (and fellas) brewed their craft and it made me appreciate the process without muddying the story.

I was worried “The Lager Queen of Minnesota” wouldn’t be as good as his first book, “Kitchens of the Great Midwest.” Both tell excellent tales of women in the midwest as they find their calling in life. I now understand my own mother as I mutter the phrase “I love you both equally”

Definitely read “The Lager Queen.” But be(er) warned that it pairs well with a nice locally brewed craft beer.

As a Minnesota resident, I was so hopeful about this book, especially after reading the reviews. But I found the jumping about in time a bit jarring, some characters underdeveloped, and the beer information not easily accessible. I think this book would be better enjoyed by someone who already has a fairly good understanding of the various kinds of beer. For example, it would be better if you know what a lager is vs. an IPA before you start. I had to stop several times to look up background info on beers on the internet to understand what was going on. Admittedly – I know next to nothing about beers, as a wine drinker, so I may not be the target audience!

Otherwise – a pleasant enough read. The womens lives and how they worked through tough times was the most interesting to me. As a St Paul resident, fun to see references to places I know.

I loved this book..Characters went on even when bad things happened..maybe because I lived in MN for 42 years..maybe because I love Lager and Pie…each page and chapter was so filled with humor or sadness.. or survival of ordinary things ..that happen to ordinary people..the towns and places could be in any State..but it was so true to Minnesota..thought about Edith and the rest of the characters when I wasn’t reading the book…a true feeling of a good book..or maybe I want our world to be filled with people like this again..or at least show us they do exist!

Kudos for J. Ryan Stadal for following up the wonderful “Kitchens of the great Midwest” with “The Lager Queen of Minnesota”.

I picked this book up because of my appreciation for the earlier novel and for an intriguing title.

This is a novel that is a wonderful intertwining about a bit of modern American family life, communities and, of course, beer making. It all hangs together very nicely and is well plotted and well paced.

I think Mr. Stradal was very thoughtful in his portrayal of how difficult it is for some families and individuals to make it in America – even if they are “trying”. I think that any one who has asked themselves about the social safety net should read this book – it is not preachy but an effective reminder of why we have certain social programs. I also find that Mr. Stradal writes particularly compelling, strong female characters (men are a bit of side show in this book).

At the end of the book I reconsidered the title and thought that each reader must themselves decided just WHO, the title lager queen of Minnesota is referring to.

I highly recommend this book for both its thoughtfulness and its entertainment value.

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