The Lager Queen of Minnesota

Although hardworking and humble like her Minnesota counterparts, Helen feels discontent with the expectation of becoming a farmer’s wife and catering to others for her entire life. Helen’s character would have thrived in a different time and place. Unlike her sister and mother, Helen prioritizes her own passions over the wants and needs of others. Intelligent, she knows what she wants and feels frustrated when those closest to her, particularly her mother, attempt to diminish her ambition: “If she had a major fault, perhaps it’s that she wasn’t emotional enough, and perhaps, over time, that builds up a little, and perhaps that’s how a bottle of root beer gets chucked through a kitchen window” (34). Helen’s single-minded ambition leads her to convince her father to leave all his property to her, a move that enables Helen to launch her career but also destroys her relationship with Edith, demonstrating the Benefits and Ramifications of Legacy. The fact that Helen’s success depends on both her hard work and her and Orval’s family inheritances further illustrates Work Ethic Versus Privilege Regarding Success. Helen’s life once again proves that it takes both work and a leg up to succeed.

Helen embodies the theme of How Women Diversity Male-Dominated Industry. She disappoints her mother by pursuing a career as a brewmaster, a profession that Helen’s mother believes is entirely too masculine. Helen’s determination never wavers, and she breaks glass ceilings as a female CEO for a corporate brewery, paving the way for future female brewers like Diana Winter. In doing so, Helen loses her relationship with Edith and struggles to maintain close friendships while constantly surrounded by men. The loneliness and isolation Helen experiences as a female executive in a male-dominated field demonstrate the personal cost of breaking through the glass ceiling.

Helen loses her passion for brewing beer when she and her husband, Orval Blotz, grow Blotz Brewery into a successful business that sells bad beer. Helen’s character represents the American beer industry of the 1970s-1990s, which was controlled by a handful of corporate brewers who made beer that lacked flavor. Helen and Orval become wine drinkers while enjoying the fortune earned by catering to the limited desires of American beer consumers. Near the novel’s close, Helen visits an older roadside bar and realizes “[s]he’d come to like their unpretentious tap lists, faint country music, and old smoke that clung to the walls like a memorial to her generation of dead and dying customers” (321). Helen realizes that Blotz Brewing represents a dying era of the brewing industry, though she clings to any reminders of her significance and impact on beer making. She accepts the industry’s evolution by allowing Blotz to fail and providing Diana with a generous, unconditional donation. In feeling alienated after Orval’s death, Helen exhibits The Significance of Family and Community Support, something that she lost in her pursuit of success. She seeks out Edith, reconciling with her sister after learning that family is more valuable than any wealth or physical possession.

Like her grandmother and great aunt, Diana possesses a strong work ethic, though at first, she lacks direction for her career and passions. After Diana’s parents die tragically in a car accident, Diana and Edith struggle to survive on a low, fixed income. Diana’s circumstances prevent her from considering her future in any detail even though she receives a perfect score on the PSAT. In associating with other college-bound students, Diana explores how work ethic, luck, and privilege each contribute to success. Diana possesses more natural academic talent and works harder than her peers, and she is led to believe that a college degree is her only option if she desires a successful future. By chance, Diana falls into beer brewing after robbing Frank Schabert’s garage. She uncovers her brewing talent and learns what it means to be passionate and part of a community with Frank as her mentor. Frank provides Diana with skills, knowledge, and opportunities to become a successful brewmaster, widening Diana’s view of success apart from a college degree. Diana contributes to a growing trend of female brewers, adding to a conversation about How Women Diversify Male-Dominated Industry.

Diana takes ownership of her career and lives a more purposeful, intentional life after Frank and his wife Anna sell Heartlander Brewery. Diana grieves Heartlander’s closure: “All of the beer that Diana had developed, perfected, and brewed at Heartlander she could never make legally again. It felt terrifying and cruel” (233). Even though Diana never aspired to be a brewmaster like Helen, she grows into her passion and dedication for the profession. Unlike Helen, Diana never expects anyone to help her begin her brewery, adding to commentary about the Benefits and Ramifications of Legacy. Anna says to Diana, “You showed some initiative […] You didn’t come to my office thinking you deserved the equipment” (238), illustrating Diana’s more humble and less entitled persona. Yet Diana also recognizes that she relies on the support of her family and community for her success, and honors their contributions. Like her grandmother, Diana values her family and thrives as a young mother while simultaneously owning a lucrative business. In Diana, Edith’s and Helen’s strengths are combined, making Diana’s brewery the thematically perfect location for Edith and Helen’s final reconciliation to take place.

Frank’s defining personality trait is that he always completes his due diligence. Frank is unwilling to take risks without having all the facts upfront. In considering hiring Diana at Heartlander Brewery, Frank “spent all day asking around about [her], and everyone I met who knows [her] says that [she is] the nicest, smartest, most considerate kid they know. In my head, I was thinking, That thieving little piece of shit?” (173). A community pillar, Frank understands the weight of his influence while taking Diana under his wing. Frank knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Diana is a bright, hard-working kid, trying to provide for herself and her grandmother. Frank’s character provides another example of The Significance of Family and Community Support. He turns to the community to decide how to respond to Diana’s theft, and he offers her the support of a new community that enables her to achieve a type and degree of success that she could never have imagined for herself.

Frank’s obsession with certainty also exists within his approach to brewing beer; he refuses to sample Diana’s IPAs until her 13^th batch. Although challenging and frustrating, Frank’s consistency yields positive outcomes for the individuals he coaches and the beer he produces. Frank firmly believes that hard work and dedication to a craft alone can lead to success. Diana thoroughly disagrees with Frank, recognizing that luck and privilege have allowed her to direct her work ethic into something that could lift her out of poverty. Nearly all of Diana’s decisions made while opening Artemis are influenced by what she thinks Frank would or would not approve of, illustrating that a legacy can be more than a financial contribution.

Agatha is one of the novel’s main avatars of How Women Diversify Male-Dominated Industry. Like Helen and Diana, Agatha works tirelessly to pursue her ambition, and she is immensely passionate about beer. Helen observes of her friend: “The fact that she’d earned a degree in chemistry as a single mom with a part-time job told Helen everything she needed to know about Agatha’s work ethic” (153). Whereas other CEOs would likely turn Agatha away from employment for being a single mother in the 1970s, Helen views Agatha’s life experiences favorably, demonstrating the importance of diversifying male-dominated industries. Helen and Agatha support and encourage each other as minorities at Blotz Brewing: “As someone who felt demographically outnumbered every day at her own company, Helen was acutely attuned to this” (153), illustrating the importance of female friendship in a male-dominated industry. Helen and Agatha have each other’s backs and demand recognition within the Blotz community.

Unlike Helen, Agatha never loses her desire to brew delicious beer. When Agatha declines to take ownership of Blotz Brewing, she showcases her preference for doing what she loves over profit. Agatha encourages Helen to rearrange her priorities when she suggests Helen allow Blotz Brewing to fail. Agatha witnesses the Significance of Family and Community Support while working at Artemis Brewing, valuing her position among the fearless and inventive women.