When picturing a girls weekend, I know that beer doesn’t always come to mind as the drink of choice. However, I would make an exception this weekend and plan a getaway to Grand View Lodge for the third annual Grand Brewfest. Whether you and your girlfriends are beer lovers, craft connoisseurs or novices, all groups can enjoy this weekend’s festivities:
• Listen to live music and test your knowledge of beer-themed trivia at Northwoods Pub (located at the lodge).
• Sample favorite brews from local vendors, including Brainerd Lakes Beer, Brau Brothers, Finnegans, Leech Lake Brewing Company, Lift Bridge, Lucid Brewing, Schell’s, Summit, and Third Street Brewhouse.
• Put your taste buds to the test in blind tasting challenges.
• Feast on food at the chili bar or sample from culinary demonstrations.
• Learn about flavor pairings while enjoying a beer-paired five-course dinner.
• Sip on cocktails while being entertained by comedians Matt Fugate and Mary Rowles.
• Find out who will be named Grand View’s 2012 Brewery of the Year.
Photo courtesy of Grand View Lodge
For wine lovers, the lodge offers additional packages that also make for a perfect girls getaway. Book a Fork n’ Cork stay for $299/two people and enjoy two nights lodging, a daily breakfast, bottle of Grand View’s signature Cabernet or Chardonnay and a $200 card good for wine tasting classes or dining at Cru, the Lodge Dining Room or Northwoods Pub. In November, weekly tastings offer samples and information about wines from around the world, with more casual sessions on Fridays and more structured ones on Saturdays, both $25.
What girls weekend would be complete without a little relaxation? As long as you’re at the lodge, treat yourself at the Glacial Waters Spa. You can unwind with a deep tissue, chakra or hot stone massage, restore your skin with a sea salt scrub or mud wrap, and enjoy skin treatments, hydrotherapy or nail care. If you’d prefer to make it a packaged deal, the lodge offers a number of options, like the Ooh Aah Spa deal, which includes two days of lodging, breakfast, access to the sauna and steam shower, and $200 spa gift card for $199/person.
Grand Brewfest: Nov. 16-18, 2012
Grand View Lodge, 23521 Nokomis Avenue, Nisswa
Reservations: 218-963-8756
$140/person, non-package rates available for select events
