Minnesota 13 was the name given to the corn liquor moonshine distilled on many central Minnesota Stearns County farms. It became well known across America and Canada as "Minnesota 13", a premium quality twice distilled and properly aged whiskey,. Stearns County was populated predominantly by German American and Polish American Catholics at that time. Holdingford was considered the unofficial moonshine capital of Minnesota. According to historian Elaine Davis, this was because organized crime figures from the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Kansas City, made frequent trips to the Holdingford area to purchase Minnesota 13, which was distilled by local farmers with the collusion of corrupt politicians and law enforcement in return for protection money. Monks at Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, such as Justus Trettel, were said to have assisted farmers in their moonshining since the sale of alcohol was one of the few ways struggling farmers could earn a proper living.