2019-01-18 01:14:40
Wineries, breweries and distilleries are upping the ante with new locations, recipes and events. Come taste the results. BREWERIES If you’re drinking a beer that was made in South Dakota, you can be sure it’s of the craft variety. The craft beer scene is expanding into every corner of the Black Hills. Whether you’re a beer aficionado or just curious to taste what’s out there, the emerging microbreweries of the Black Hills have you covered. The owners of award-winning Prairie Berry Winery opened Miner Brewing Company in 2013, located off Hwy 16 in Hill City. Open daily, the brewery produces craft beers that are traditional in nature, highlighted with local and regional ingredients to make them distinctively South Dakota. The cozy, 30-person taproom expands during the warmer months to include a large outdoor beer garden with seating for 85 people. The Concert Lawn hosts a great lineup of local and national touring artists all season long. The Southern Hills are home to Mt. Rushmore Brewing Company, in downtown Custer. Their full-flvored beers are built on balance and drinkability, and pair well with their brewery-inspired food menu. Housed inside a split-level building, the taproom on the fit floor features a direct-draw tap system with 24 rotating taps. There is a full-service restaurant on the second floo . Sick-N-Twisted Brewing Company serves 22 in-house brews using local ingredients. The brewing company has two locations — at Hill City’s Naked Winery and on Main Street in Deadwood. Enjoy time with friends and family on the relaxing patio. Be sure to stop at The Knuckle Saloon & Brewing Company in downtown Sturgis during your visit to sample their craft beer. The Saloon doubles as a museum filled with antiqu s. New to the Black Hills brewery scene is Dakota Point Brewing in Rapid City. The brewery is located in the former Landstrom’s Black Hills Gold manufacturing facility, which has been converted into a thriving business complex. Catch up with friends while sipping hand-crafted English, Scottish, Irish and American ales. Discover more local brews at Crow Peak Brewing Company in Spearfish, Dakota Shivers Brewing in Lead, Hwy 79 Brewery in Hot Springs, and Hay Camp Brewery, Firehouse Brewing Company and Lost Cabin Beer Company in Rapid City. WINERIES South Dakota has a long history of winemaking, derived from local berries and fruits like rhubarb, crab apples, chokecherries, buffalo berries and plums. These native fruits, along with recently developed grape varieties, thrive in our Northern Plains climate. The region’s four wineries continue to win fans over as consumers become more knowledgeable about the unique varietals. Take a tour, try a wine tasting or attend a concert or festival. The area’s original winery, Prairie Berry Winery in Hill City, has been making South Dakota wines for fi e generations. They have more than 20 grape and fruit wines to taste and purchase. The family initially pioneered near Mound City, where the area’s “prairie berries” were turned into fruit wines using “old country” techniques. Prairie Berry’s Kitchen also offers artisan plates and fla -grill sandwiches to pair with your favorite wine. Naked Winery has two tasting rooms in the Black Hills, located in Hill City and Deadwood. The grapes are from Oregon and Washington, but the atmosphere is homegrown. Belle Joli’ Winery is owned and operated by Jackson Winery and Vineyards. It was established in 2000 near Belle Fourche. The winery’s presence now stretches across the northern Black Hills. Their Sparkling House, a state-of-the-art facility producing sparkling wine by traditional champagne methods, sits at the entrance to Vanocker Canyon near Sturgis. Local tour operators specialize in wine tours, including Black Hills Adventure Tours & Vacation Planning, Black Hills Tours and Black Hills Open-Top-Tours. For Tour & Transportation business listings, turn to page 134. DISTILLERIES The Black Hills and Badlands distillery scene is becoming every bit as celebrated as the region’s thriving craft brewery and winery explosion. Nothing’s more fun than a chance to sample the spirits. Two distilleries are ready to quench your thirst. For an up-close-andpersonal experience, make sure to take a distillery tour. Located on I-90 at Exit 150 in Kadoka, Badlands Distillery is a local, family-owned and operated business that provides handcrafted distilled spirits. The family has a history of bootlegging since the 1920s. Their Special Reserve even uses the original recipe that has been handed down through the generations. This ground to glass establishment uses corn grown on their family farm — right here in the Badlands — to make their traditional bourbon mash that’s placed in a barrel and aged into fine whiskey. Visit their tasting room for a free spirit tasting session, or to purchase spirits to take with you and share with your friends. Black Hills Contraband is South Dakota’s fist licensed, full distillery. The distillery has 14 flvors at their establishment in downtown Rapid City. For the past 40 years, they’ve perfected a secret, family recipe that’s been passed down from generations. It’s said that the notorious Al Capone once drank the original family recipe while hosting a friend’s wedding at a Chicago hotel. After his fist sip, Capone made the family’s flvored liqueur the most popular drink of the night. Visit the distillery for free tastings of their flvored liqueurs that always go down smooth. Plan your trip using the Black Hills Tasting Trail Map, blackhillsbadlands.com/maps.
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