Seeking Steak and IPAs? Hit a Brewery’s Meat Raffle | VinePair

To boost taproom attendance and bring home the bacon, breweries countrywide are embracing meat raffles, a longstanding tradition at bars and social clubs of the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The rollicking raffles are both low stakes (tickets are typically free or just $1) and high in steaks, briskets, and regional specialties bought from local butchers and farmers.

Each week, Heavy Rotation Brewing in Brooklyn Park, Minn., buys as much as $400 worth of maple bacon, bratwursts, ground beef, and more from the nearby Osseo Meat Market for its free Wednesday meat raffle.

“It’s become a community meet-up — no pun intended — every week,” says Ken Smith, a Heavy Rotation co-owner and taproom manager. “When people know they can come here every Wednesday, have a good beer, and potentially walk away with some meat, it just feels right.”

For VinePair, I tackle the surprisingly carnivorous world of meat raffles.