This is a first, as far as we know: the Minnesota Twins unveiled a self-service beer station at Target FIeld yesterday and will have another in place for next week’s All-Star Game.
Not everyone can belly up to the beer station and buy a beer. First, a fan must go to a concession stand and, after providing adequate ID for age verification, buy a vending card in $10 and $20 demoninations, and then use it at the beer station. (Yes, we know going to a concession stand and buying a card instead of buying a beer partially defeats the purpose of having a self-serve beer station.) On tap are four Bud brews: Bud, Bud Light, Shock Top Lemon Shandy and Goose Island 312 Urban Pale Ale. The beer costs $.38 per ounce for the Buds and $.40 per ounce for the “microbrews.” You’re limited to buying 48 ounces every 15 minutes, and yes, there is an attendant on duty to enforce the rules.
Right now there’s a single station on the concourse, down the third-base line. A second one will be added to the first-base side before next week’s All-Star Game festivities.
Now, there are restaurants in the Twin Cities area with self-service beer taps (in fact, we used to frequent one, Tonka Bay’s Hazellewood Grill), but we’ve never seen one at a sports facility before. And while the buying mechanism can be a bit cumbersome — both in terms of buying cards at concessions stands and requiring approval from an attendant before pouring a cold one — it is unique, and we’re guessing plenty of folks will want to try it out in coming months.
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