‘Resilience, revitalization, and harmony’: South Minneapolis brewery hosts first Asian Phoenix Festival
Juno Choi and Kate Winkel are among the co-owners of Arbeiter Brewing in South Minneapolis. Their Tokki Korean Rice Lager won second place for best-in-show and first place for German and International Pale Lagers at the 2024 MN Brewers Cup.
Courtesy of Arbeiter Brewing
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
If you find yourself near south Minneapolis this weekend, one way to celebrate is with beer: Arbeiter Brewing is one of just 2 percent of breweries nationwide that are Asian-American owned.
On Sunday, May 26, Arbeiter is hosting a festival with food, drinks and performances by local dance and drumming groups, plus music by Minneapolis DJ Jen-E.
Brewery co-founder Juno Choi joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with details on the upcoming Asian Phoenix Festival.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and if you find yourself near south Minneapolis this weekend, one way to celebrate is with beer. That's a great way to celebrate. Arbeiter Brewing is one of just 2% of breweries nationwide that are Asian American owned, and on Sunday, May 26, Arbeiter is hosting a festival with food and drinks and performances by local dance and drumming groups, plus music by Minneapolis DJ Jen-E.
Brewery co-founder Juno Choi is on the line right now to tell us more about the upcoming Asian Phoenix Fest. June, welcome.
JUNO CHOI: Hi, Cathy. It's an honor to speak with you. Thanks for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Juno, it is a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much. So what is the inspiration for the festival? Tell me.
JUNO CHOI: Well, yeah, we call it the Asian Phoenix Festival, and, really, the Asian phoenix represents resilience, revitalization, and harmony. And the phoenix also has become an important symbol to our south Minneapolis neighborhood as we work to renew and rebuild what was lost after the spring 2020 uprising.
CATHY WURZER: Right. And, of course, Saturday, the day before the event, is the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. And if I remember correctly, wasn't it during the civil unrest, weren't you working on getting the brewery up and running at that point?
JUNO CHOI: That's correct, Cathy, yeah. We were almost about ready to be open during that time.
CATHY WURZER: Are you reflecting on what was going on this week?
JUNO CHOI: Definitely, yeah. It's always a time for us where we reflect and think about how we as sort of survivors on the block have sort of a responsibility to keep George Floyd in the community in our hearts and in our minds.
CATHY WURZER: So how did the fact that you got started during an uprising and, we should say, the global pandemic, right, influence how you are approaching running your business?
JUNO CHOI: Well, it's definitely made us more resilient. It's forced us to be more lean. And, frankly, it's given us a lot of mental strength to pursue on during the difficult times.
CATHY WURZER: Tell me about the difficult times. I mean, I don't want to dwell on it because this is a celebration we're talking about here, but for folks who have never run their own business and especially a brewery, tell me about some of the challenges you face.
JUNO CHOI: Well, I think a lot of the challenges were in just dealing with getting the brewery open during that time, having people not tend to come to the neighborhood after the uprising, and also just difficulty with COVID, with the limits on when we could be open, who we could have there. So those were some of the really big things that really impacted us.
CATHY WURZER: And yet you persevered, and you have some great beer. As a matter of fact, the Tokki Korean rice lager is great. Congratulations. You won Best in Show at the Brewers Cup this year. Good for you. Tell me about developing that particular beer.
JUNO CHOI: Well, yeah, that was a sort of a personal thing between me and my wife. I'm a first-generation Korean American, and she is a transracial adoptee Korean American. So creating this Korean rice-style lager was really important to us and something that we've enjoyed when we've been to Korea and enjoy with making food. So we really wanted to bring a little bit of our culture and create that beer and bring it to Minnesota. And, thankfully, people have enjoyed it. So it's been really a happy time for us to have this beer recognized.
CATHY WURZER: OK, this is audio, so you're going to have to describe the taste of that lager for me.
JUNO CHOI: Yeah, so it's clean, crisp, and has just a kiss of hops. And so there's a little bit of sweetness from the rice as well, too. So it's just really an all-around great beer to enjoy on food or a hot summer day.
CATHY WURZER: Hey, speaking of food, let's talk about the food at this big event. Who's going to be serving food?
JUNO CHOI: Yeah, we've got a James Beard Award nominee, Yia Vang, and his Union Hmong Kitchen. We've also got some Amazing Momo, which is a Tibetan-owned company as well. And we will have some other things like some spiked slushies available, and then we'll have some other makers that will be selling some goods to go, such as bao bao buns and Laune Bread.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, Juno, spiked slushies. Really? I like that idea.
JUNO CHOI: Yeah. So that was inspiration from some Asian flavors. So we really have a green tea-lemonade spiked slushie that we think everybody will enjoy.
CATHY WURZER: OK, I'm going to put that on my list. I also know you've got dance and drumming groups that are performing.
JUNO CHOI: Yes, we do. We've got some really talented performers. We've got a Korean-led organization called Jang-Mi Arts that will be performing a traditional three-drum dance. We also have a Hmong-led Cypher Side Dance School. They'll be doing some breakdancing. And then we have a Vietnamese lion dancing group called DTG Lions.
CATHY WURZER: Oh my gosh, Juno, this is going to be quite a festival here.
So as you look in your crystal ball-- and again, you've done so much work to get the business up and running and thriving. Where do you want to take this in, say, the next, I don't know, 5, 10 years?
JUNO CHOI: Well, for us, really, we want to just be integrated with our community. We are a neighborhood brewery, so we just want to see ourselves being fully integrated in the neighborhood, providing a space for people. That's always what a brewery or a bar has been is gathering a place for people to come and talk about things over a beer.
CATHY WURZER: I know. It's fun to do that too. Say, before you go, are there any other AAPI-owned businesses that you would recommend that folks check out this month or, really, any month, for that matter?
JUNO CHOI: Definitely. Well, if you get a chance to check out Theater Mu, I would definitely check that out. We also have Kim's. Obviously a lot of people know of that restaurant as well too. But yeah, support any Asian businesses that you can during this time. They really would appreciate it. We've got a bunch of great businesses that you can come and support on Sunday.
CATHY WURZER: All right, Juno, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today about this, and have a great time.
JUNO CHOI: Thanks so much, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Juno Choi is a co-owner of Arbiter Brewing in south Minneapolis. By the way, the Asian Phoenix Fest is happening this coming Sunday, May 26, from 1:00 to 5:00.
Brewery co-founder Juno Choi is on the line right now to tell us more about the upcoming Asian Phoenix Fest. June, welcome.
JUNO CHOI: Hi, Cathy. It's an honor to speak with you. Thanks for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Juno, it is a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much. So what is the inspiration for the festival? Tell me.
JUNO CHOI: Well, yeah, we call it the Asian Phoenix Festival, and, really, the Asian phoenix represents resilience, revitalization, and harmony. And the phoenix also has become an important symbol to our south Minneapolis neighborhood as we work to renew and rebuild what was lost after the spring 2020 uprising.
CATHY WURZER: Right. And, of course, Saturday, the day before the event, is the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. And if I remember correctly, wasn't it during the civil unrest, weren't you working on getting the brewery up and running at that point?
JUNO CHOI: That's correct, Cathy, yeah. We were almost about ready to be open during that time.
CATHY WURZER: Are you reflecting on what was going on this week?
JUNO CHOI: Definitely, yeah. It's always a time for us where we reflect and think about how we as sort of survivors on the block have sort of a responsibility to keep George Floyd in the community in our hearts and in our minds.
CATHY WURZER: So how did the fact that you got started during an uprising and, we should say, the global pandemic, right, influence how you are approaching running your business?
JUNO CHOI: Well, it's definitely made us more resilient. It's forced us to be more lean. And, frankly, it's given us a lot of mental strength to pursue on during the difficult times.
CATHY WURZER: Tell me about the difficult times. I mean, I don't want to dwell on it because this is a celebration we're talking about here, but for folks who have never run their own business and especially a brewery, tell me about some of the challenges you face.
JUNO CHOI: Well, I think a lot of the challenges were in just dealing with getting the brewery open during that time, having people not tend to come to the neighborhood after the uprising, and also just difficulty with COVID, with the limits on when we could be open, who we could have there. So those were some of the really big things that really impacted us.
CATHY WURZER: And yet you persevered, and you have some great beer. As a matter of fact, the Tokki Korean rice lager is great. Congratulations. You won Best in Show at the Brewers Cup this year. Good for you. Tell me about developing that particular beer.
JUNO CHOI: Well, yeah, that was a sort of a personal thing between me and my wife. I'm a first-generation Korean American, and she is a transracial adoptee Korean American. So creating this Korean rice-style lager was really important to us and something that we've enjoyed when we've been to Korea and enjoy with making food. So we really wanted to bring a little bit of our culture and create that beer and bring it to Minnesota. And, thankfully, people have enjoyed it. So it's been really a happy time for us to have this beer recognized.
CATHY WURZER: OK, this is audio, so you're going to have to describe the taste of that lager for me.
JUNO CHOI: Yeah, so it's clean, crisp, and has just a kiss of hops. And so there's a little bit of sweetness from the rice as well, too. So it's just really an all-around great beer to enjoy on food or a hot summer day.
CATHY WURZER: Hey, speaking of food, let's talk about the food at this big event. Who's going to be serving food?
JUNO CHOI: Yeah, we've got a James Beard Award nominee, Yia Vang, and his Union Hmong Kitchen. We've also got some Amazing Momo, which is a Tibetan-owned company as well. And we will have some other things like some spiked slushies available, and then we'll have some other makers that will be selling some goods to go, such as bao bao buns and Laune Bread.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, Juno, spiked slushies. Really? I like that idea.
JUNO CHOI: Yeah. So that was inspiration from some Asian flavors. So we really have a green tea-lemonade spiked slushie that we think everybody will enjoy.
CATHY WURZER: OK, I'm going to put that on my list. I also know you've got dance and drumming groups that are performing.
JUNO CHOI: Yes, we do. We've got some really talented performers. We've got a Korean-led organization called Jang-Mi Arts that will be performing a traditional three-drum dance. We also have a Hmong-led Cypher Side Dance School. They'll be doing some breakdancing. And then we have a Vietnamese lion dancing group called DTG Lions.
CATHY WURZER: Oh my gosh, Juno, this is going to be quite a festival here.
So as you look in your crystal ball-- and again, you've done so much work to get the business up and running and thriving. Where do you want to take this in, say, the next, I don't know, 5, 10 years?
JUNO CHOI: Well, for us, really, we want to just be integrated with our community. We are a neighborhood brewery, so we just want to see ourselves being fully integrated in the neighborhood, providing a space for people. That's always what a brewery or a bar has been is gathering a place for people to come and talk about things over a beer.
CATHY WURZER: I know. It's fun to do that too. Say, before you go, are there any other AAPI-owned businesses that you would recommend that folks check out this month or, really, any month, for that matter?
JUNO CHOI: Definitely. Well, if you get a chance to check out Theater Mu, I would definitely check that out. We also have Kim's. Obviously a lot of people know of that restaurant as well too. But yeah, support any Asian businesses that you can during this time. They really would appreciate it. We've got a bunch of great businesses that you can come and support on Sunday.
CATHY WURZER: All right, Juno, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today about this, and have a great time.
JUNO CHOI: Thanks so much, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Juno Choi is a co-owner of Arbiter Brewing in south Minneapolis. By the way, the Asian Phoenix Fest is happening this coming Sunday, May 26, from 1:00 to 5:00.
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