Author: ryan

Ryan Anderson (that's me!) is the editor & founder of MNBeer. Much has changed since the fall of 2005 and I'm proud to have been a part of it all. Sometime I'll tell you about my grand theory that links craft brewing to punk rock. Just ask.

Insight Brewing Grand Opening

insight1

Photo: Insight Brewing Co.

Do you remember when we only had something like seven breweries in Minnesota? It really wasn’t that long ago. Today we add another to the tally, Insight Brewing Company. Their taproom opens at 4pm today (Friday) at 2821 East Hennepin in Minneapolis. O’Cheez food truck will be there and The Dead Pigeons will be playing in the evening as well.

Beer? But of course. How about Chiswick Porter, Curiosity IPA, Yuzu Pale Ale, Lamb and Flag English Ale and Saison de Blanc?

Go check them out! Welcome to the scene, guys!

Friday Five: Some Old Pop/Punk Favorites

If you find yourself bobbing your head along with these, you’re probably not alone. Punching Screeching Weasel into Pandora earlier in the week sent me down this road. I grew up this stuff. Enjoy!


Screeching Weasel – The Girl Next Door. The impetus for this week’s 5ive. One of my old favorite tunes from Screeching Weasel.


Descendents – Bikeage. The Descendents are one of my all time favorite bands. This is a great tune that’s been covered by a bunch of bands. I’m not sure I’m crazy about the backing vocals from the singer from Rise Against in this live clip, but it’s better than watching the album cover for two minutes. 🙂

The Queers – Fuck This World. I’m pretty sure this band is a bastard child of The Ramones and The Beach Boys.


Jawbreaker – Boxcar. “You’re not punk and I’m telling everyone… Save your breath, I never was one…” Remember the 90s? Grunge? Pop punk? Nirvana going mainstream? Green Day graduating from driving a bookmobile and playing First Avenue to tour buses and arenas? Jawbreaker’s Blake Schwarzenbach treads on the topic of “selling out” quite nicely with this one.

Blatz – Fuk Shit Up. Again with the f-bomb. How punk of you Mr. Anderson. Sloppy, somewhat poppy and rough around the edges. How can you not like something so simple?

New Life for Minneapolis’ Grain Belt Sign

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia

Yesterday our friends at August Schell Brewing Company announced that they had reached an agreement to purchase the iconic Grain Belt Beer sign on Nicollet Island. Better yet, the brewery is in the process of discussing plans for preservation and relighting of the historic sign with the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. In connection with the purchase, the brewery is in the process of discussing plans for preservation and relighting of the historic riverside sign with the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. Wouldn’t it be cool to see the sign lit up again? From what I gather, it’s been dark since 1996.
“As the stewards to a 154-year old brewery and family business, we understand the importance of preserving heritage. We are honored to have this opportunity to protect and restore such a beloved part of the Minneapolis landscape,” said Schell’s Ted Marti. “Working in concert with the community, our goal is to preserve and relight this important remnant of the city’s industrial and commercial past.”

For more information on the history of the sign, be sure to check out https://historicminneapolissigns.wordpress.com/signs/grain-belt-beer/

Doomtree Gets Surly

Doomtree at Surly. Photo courtesy of Surly Brewing Co.

Doomtree at Surly. Photo courtesy of Surly Brewing Co.

Happy Monday. As you’ve probably heard, local hip hop collective Doomtree is hosting their last Doomtree Blowout in December. And if you’ve been playing attention, you’ve noticed that one of those days was labeled as a Surly Doomtree Day. Music and beer fans, we now have news as to what’s going on…

Surly Doomtree Day is Sunday, December 7th. The day will include creative bar crawl curated by Doomtree and Surly as well as a collaboration beer that will be available at concerts during Blowout week.

surly doomtree logo for webThe fine folks from Surly and Doomtree crossed paths this summer, and compared notes about their craft and a mutual affinity for going against the grain. After several months of scheming, talking and perhaps popping a few beers, the idea for a collaboration came together. Lips are tightly sealed on this one, but the collaborative beer is said to be a style that fits both Doomtree and Surly, “non-traditional and hard to classify.”

“We always say that the Surly way isn’t the easy way, but it’s the way we’ve always done things,” said Omar Ansari, President of Surly Brewing. “We were attracted to working with Doomtree because they shared our belief that putting out a quality product that you can be proud of is more important than chasing what you think consumers want. This collaboration is a nod to that shared belief.”

Doomtree Producer Lazerbeak said: “We wanted to do something really special to cap off this decade-long Blowout run. Getting to know the Surly guys over the last year and witnessing the pride and dedication they have not only for the beer that they create but the state that they come from, it all just kind of clicked. Our approach to our craft is super similar, plus we all just get along really well. Simple as that. Collaborating on a new beer that we could all enjoy during the Last Blowout Ever was a no-brainer. SO PUMPED.”

More details forthcoming.

Friday 5ive – Five Random Bands from My Collection

This week we pull some random tunes from the collection. Whether they’re good, bad or just plain ugly is up to you. Without further delay…


Gun N’ Wankers – Skin Deep


David Bazan. Three great songs recorded/filmed at Sacred Heart in Duluth. This sounds amazing. Listen to them all.


Material Issue – Valerie Loves Me. In college I played in marginally-okay punk-ish band. Our cover of this song was one of our few things that redeemed us…


Man Afraid – Uncommon Valor. Aah, memories of sweaty basement shows…


3 Inches of Blood – Destroy the Orcs