The Lager Queen of Minnesota

“When you see a man falling off a ladder above you, Edith believed, you don’t envision your arms breaking. You just hold them out.”

Edith takes pride in making sacrifices to support her family and community. She values interpersonal relationships over financial success. This value contrasts greatly with Helen Blotz, Edith’s sister, who values her ambition and competitive spirit.

“If it were up to her, the people in this building would at least have the texture, the taste, or even just the smells of homemade pie once or twice a week, as heaven weaned them from the senses of this world. It’s the least a dang person can do.”

Edith introduces The Lager Queen of Minnesota as a work of food literature by serving her award-winning pies. Edith insists on creating her pies with quality ingredients and uses a family recipe to craft her desserts. Edith and the rest of the characters appreciate food not just for survival but for how it enhances the quality of life.

“Still, Helen had to wonder if maybe this whole time Edith was just waiting for an invitation.”

Helen and Edith fail to relate to each other as girls. Occasionally, the sisters attempt to understand each other’s perspective. Only until they face challenges that lead to their own self-discovery can the sisters fully empathize with each other.

“No wonder the older girls she knew had such a twisted and cautious relationship with beer; it was often only available to them in moments of social or sexual anxiety.”

Helen critically explores why women shy away from drinking beer and beer making. The substance is often associated with immoral and illegal behavior that can be damaging to a person’s reputation—often leading to harsher consequences for women. Still, Helen does not allow the negative social connotations of beer to prohibit her interest in the beer industry.

“In Helen’s mind, the best and worst thing about Chesley Sarrazin was that he grew up knowing he’d inherit a farm, so he’d never once considered another future for himself or any woman he might marry. Chesley was dismissive of other kids who didn’t share his singularity of purpose, but Helen had to admit that she envied his certainty.”

Helen first considers The Benefits and Ramifications of Legacy while dating Chesley in high school. She recognizes that living a life prescribed by one’s family eases the burden of making difficult decisions and prevents disappointment in others while forging a new path. At the same time, Helen finds Chesley’s lack of individuality boring and unattractive.

“[H]e shared not only a passion with her, but an ambition, and clearly had the means to make it all possible. She never told anyone, because it wasn’t the whole story, but it made him wonderfully, irretrievably attractive.”

Comparatively to Chesley, Helen recognizes Orval’s ambition to brew beer, a career plan different from what his family wants for him. In sharing this passion and purpose, Helen and Orval illustrate a couple’s essential need for similar values. Helen falls in love with Orval slowly, seeing him as a business partner first and foremost, and allowing their romance to grow stronger over time.

“Diana Winter had three rules. She only stole from middle-class or rich people, never broke or damaged anything, and never took anything that belonged to a child.”

Although Diana breaks into people’s homes and commits theft, she does so to provide for herself and Edith, and she tries to cause as little harm in the process. Diana lives in an extremely affluent area, although she struggles to get by on her and Edith’s low income; most of the items she steals go unnoticed by the wealthy families who own them. Diana’s actions demonstrate how a person can commit a crime while still adhering to a moral code.

“Most of the time she would let them believe that they really lived in the same world, because it comforted them, and she didn’t want people to feel bad or to do something out of charity that would imbalance their relationship.”

Feeling alienated in her economic position, Diana recognizes that wealth affords people power, and thus she is reluctant to accept gifts from her peers. Diana struggles to trust her friends and high school boyfriend, something she learns to overcome by the novel’s close. Only when Diana is in a position to help others does she more readily accept others’ support.

“In this farm, there was enough value to sustain the Calder family and keep them among society’s producers, but only if it was completely allocated to Helen.”

Helen’s father correctly predicts that Helen will grow his legacy into a successful business. Both Helen and her father prioritize financial success over fairness and moral obligation within their family. In his defense, most farmers from earlier generations bequeath their assets to one child, typically the oldest male (like Chesley) who will continue the family business.

“If she’d inherited a ribbon, she told herself, she’d be the one cutting it in half this time without a second thought, but this wasn’t a ribbon, this was a key—the sole and crucial key—to the best chance Helen would ever have to achieve her dreams.”

Helen’s blackberry pie symbolizes the differences in personality between Helen and Edith, and the divide that develops among the sisters because of their dissimilarities. Helen knows she isn’t as kind and self-sacrificing as Edith, and her inability to reciprocate Edith’s generosity harms the sisters’ relationship.

“Maybe if Helen had ended up on a few magazine covers, there’d have been more women in breweries, and more running breweries sooner. Who knows.”

Helen’s passion for brewing beer inspired her career decisions; she never intended to serve as a trailblazer for women in a male-dominated industry. Still, she does her part to diversify the beer industry, hiring and promoting women as frequently as possible. Helen understands that by allowing her male colleagues to serve as the face of Blotz Brewing, she misses an opportunity for more public representation, something that could have progressed diversity within the industry on a faster timeline.

“Yeah, for like forty minutes. Fascinating guy. You know he was an Army medic in World War Two? He was in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. It’s amazing he’s still alive.”

Frank Schabert never misses an opportunity to complete his due diligence. Moreover, he plays an important role in getting to know and supporting the people within his community. In addition to carrying his own strong opinions, Frank listens to and empathizes with the people he encounters.

“But Stanford was the only place she’d wanted to apply. It was where Paul would be.”

Diana nearly succumbs to the pressure to attend college, primarily so she can remain close to her boyfriend. Her friends, teachers, and principal constantly suggest that college is the only pathway to success, even though Diana doesn’t want to attend school and has not selected an area of study. Frank proves to Diana that success comes in many forms and is not dependent on a college degree.

“Frank Schabert said that a brewer should make a beer thirteen times before they think about putting it in a bottle or can or glass for a stranger. Mo Akbar said that Frank was a little extreme, considering the weeks required to make a beer, from grain to bottle. Frank used to say fifteen, but he’s getting old and running out of time.”

Similar to how closely he studies the people in his life, Frank insists on certainty while brewing beer. Frank’s rigid brewing philosophy affords Diana the ability to perfect her craft and build her story as a young brewer getting her start. Frank also delays Diana’s application to college, providing her with more time to consider what she wants to do with her life.

“Right then, for the first time in a long time, she felt worried about her granddaughter’s future. She was worried about what Frank was getting away with, what other behavior he was masking behind slightly generous favors. Then again, maybe behind-the-scenes Frank was actually as charitable as he seemed. She didn’t know. She just wanted people to be happy, so she kept all of this to herself.”

Protective of her granddaughter, Edith understands from experience how talent and skill can be taken advantage of by greedy bosses. Edith wants Diana to experience a prosperous future and regularly advises Diana to stick up for herself at Heartlander.

“‘[Y]ou told him that people can’t start from nothing, work hard, and become successful.’ […] ‘He actually proved me right. It wasn’t just that I worked hard.’”

After selling Heartlander’s equipment and property to Diana for a discount, Anna (Frank’s wife) attempts to persuade Diana that Frank proved to Diana that Diana’s hard work alone led to a successful outcome. Diana disagrees, knowing that privilege comes in many forms. Frank’s willingness to forgive Diana for her theft, his job offer and mentorship, and finally the financial break Anna gave her while purchasing Heartlander are all privileges that enabled Diana to become successful. Diana recognizes these privileges and refuses to take them for granted.

“She loved that he knew her well enough not to say she’d just been handed a brewery, as some people may certainly claim. He knew what she’d done and was capable of doing.”

In addition to respecting the legacy and privilege given to her, Diana takes pride in her strong work ethic. She acknowledges that other master brewers are often given more of an advantage when first starting. Diana believes in her skills and abilities, and she appreciates that her partner, Andy, appreciates her talent as well.

“It occurred to Diana just then that death doesn’t happen all at once. The public death is just the beginning, and the rest takes as long as it has to, in private bits and pieces, without any warning, schedule, or validation.”

Drinking one of the final beers she brewed with Frank, Diana reflects on the lasting nature of grief. Often, the shock that occurs immediately after a loss prevents people from realizing the full repercussions of what is no more. The more minor details, like the final taste of a favorite beer, catch Diana off guard, renewing her sadness about Highlander’s closure and losing all the beer and people she enjoyed.

“A day after the burial, Helen was alone in her kitchen with Agatha, who’d brought a pork loin over. The poor woman had barely taken her jacket off when Helen accidentally blurted out, ‘You’re the only person I have left.’”

After Orval’s death, Helen begins to realize the small size of her family and community circles. Having been affluent for most of her adult life, Helen realizes that financial wealth isn’t the most valuable asset in life. She begins to understand Edith’s perspective about self-sacrifice for the good of the family.

“Eventually, Agatha would indeed find a good one, and both the brewery and the circumstances would surprise Helen, but no one in need of a rescue gets the savior of her choice. They usually just get whoever’s closest, and someday, there would be one far closer than all the rest, ready for her, reaching out.”

J. Ryan Stradal employs foreshadowing to develop Agatha’s departure from Blotz Brewing to work at Artemis Brewing. Agatha feels her talents are being wasted at Blotz, and she views the unique women at Artemis as her saviors. Agatha serves as a bridge between Helen and Edith, helping both women to uncover parts of themselves that ultimately lead to understanding and forgiveness between the sisters.

“Linda Arquillos claimed that it all looked fun. As the organizer of the church quilting group, member of the Nicollet Falls Memorial Day Parade Committee, and founder of two book clubs, she was also the most outgoing of the bunch, and was excited to work behind the bar and meet people.”

The vast set of life and work experiences among The Grandmas demonstrates How Women Diversify a Male-Dominated Industry. Traditionally viewed as physically demanding and labor-intensive work, The Grandmas highlight the variety of tasks involved in owning a brewery, and how they are perhaps overqualified in certain areas. Linda assists in growing Artemis Brewery into a welcoming, relaxing environment.

“Eugene had rarely been the first to show up for anything that involved labor, let alone volunteer work, and to see him come prepared with boots and gloves was kind of touching. More shockingly, he didn’t ask for money, and didn’t take a single beer with him when he left, even when Diana let everyone know they could.”

For most of the narrative, Eugene is Mr. Calder’s worst nightmare. He squanders every financial opportunity provided to him by Edith, wasting precious funds she needs to support Diana. Still, Edith sticks by him, never giving up on his ability to succeed. Eugene proves to everyone that change is possible, and family support is more valuable than any wasted money.

“Blotz was around forever. My grandpa used to drink it. All those beer recipes came from the actual Blotz family.”

With Blotz nearing bankruptcy, Orval deceased, and Helen’s expensive possessions being liquidated, Helen realizes that she will never receive credit for the beer she invented during her lifetime. In taking Orval’s last name, Helen unintentionally forfeits recognition for her work, even from the people who love her beer. Helen resists the urge to set the record straight, thinking of herself as a staircase and reinforcing the Midwestern belief that hard work and humility are more important than vanity.