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.

Summit Union Series: 3x Mild Ale

3XM_Label_700pxThe latest beer in Summit’s Union Series will be called 3X Mild. This is brewer Damian McConn’s take on the Mild ales of 19th century England, brewed with a new American base malt, an experimental hop variety and a traditional English yeast. Summit refers to this beer as “a rich, malt-driven and full-bodied beer with notes of stone fruit, molasses, toffee, toast and a hint of chocolate. And if you can believe it, the chocolate notes come from the hops. Great Fermentations refers to the hop with this description: “Cocoa, tropical, stone fruit, Jolly Rancher (oh yeah), passion fruit, and carmel.” Expect this beer sometime in mid-to-late November.

UNION #4: 3X MILD Specs
ABV: 7.2%
OG: 1.5 Plato
IBU: 38
Malts: Expedition base malt (U.S.), with Mild Ale and Amber malt (U.K.)
Hops: Experimental 06300 (U.S.)
Yeast: Yorkshire Ale

New Brewery Friday LynLake Brewery & NorthGate’s New Location

I’m seeing a trend here! In truth, there are actually three breweries celebrating this weekend – as earlier reported, Gull Dam is having a grand opening on Saturday at their brewery in Nisswa.

lynlakeToday at 4pm LynLake Brewery opens their taproom to the public. They’ve been working their asses off at their brewery on Lyndale Avenue  in the former Theater Antiques building. They’ll be open from 4-11pm tonight and Saturday 12pm-11pm. Normal taproom hours are Thursday 6-11pm, Friday 4-11pm and Saturdays 12pm – 11pm.

LynLake Brewery
2934 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis

NorthGate Brewing also opens their new taproom today at 4pm. They’ll feature live music from 8-11pm, on-site screen printing, foosball league sign-up and Tiki Tim’s food truck. They’ll be open til midnight for your imbibing pleasures. Normal taproom hours will be Thursdays 4-10pm, Fridays 4-midnight, Saturdays 12pm-midnight and Sundays 12-8pm.

northgate

NorthGate Brewing
783 Harding St NE, Minneapolis

…and since we missed it last week, it’s worth noting that Junkyard Brewery opened their taproom to the public as well!

Friday 5ive – 5ive Minnesota Musicians We Wish Were Still Around

Friday is here! How about some music? Today’s 5ive was inspired by the news that Wilco, The Black Keys, Spoon and a bunch of others have donated to an auction as well as a sale to benefit the family of Minneapolis musician Andy Richardson, who died last month. Andy’s death resonated with me – he was close to my age, I’d seen a few of his bands live and he was a parent of a little kid. So if you’re feeling charitable and want to help out a family of a Twin Cities’ musician who everyone seemed to love, please follow those links above.


Let’s start with The Crush, shall we? Fitting as Andy was in the band. Early 00s catchy-as-shit pop-punk.

The Replacements – Bastards of Young. This is from the album “Tim” – Bob Stinson’s last studio album with the Replacements. Stinson was booted from the band and later died at the age of 35 in 1995. As a kid, my uncle (six years my elder) introduced me to a lot of Minneapolis music thanks to dozens of Maxxell cassette tapes. The Replacements, Soul Asylum and Husker Du were all required listening.


Soul Asylum – P9… a song supporting striking Hormel workers. Soul Asylum’s Karl Mueller died in 2005 after being diagnosed with throat cancer. A 2004 benefit for Mueller saw Husker Du’s Grant Hart and Bob Mould awkwardly reunite on stage for the first time in forever. I’m sorry I missed that one.

Eyedea & Abilities – Spin Cycle. Mike (Eyedea) Larsen’s death was yet another one that came far too soon. The St. Paul rapper/freestler’s delivery was said to be ahead of its time and I’m apt to agree with that.

Janitor Joe – Boys in Blue. Though Janitor Joe is hardly a household name, former bassist Kristin Pfaff later joined Courtney Love’s band, Hole, and played on “Live through This.” Pfaff died of a heroin overdose in 1994 – only a couple of months after the death of Love’s husband, Curt Cobain.

Beer Dabbler Store 2nd Anniversary Sale

The Beer Dabbler Store celebrated its 2nd Anniversary in September, and now they’re hosting a tent sale to celebrate! Coinciding with the St. Paul Art Crawl, and held at our store just down the road from the Schmidt Brewery, the Tent Sale is sure to have something for every craft beer lover. Discounts start at 30%, and sale items include:

  • Apparel
  • Accessories
  • Books
  • Glassware
  • Gifts
  • and much more!

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Congrats Minnesota GABF Winners!

gabf_medalsThis year Minnesota breweries took home six medals from the Great American Beer Festival. The GABF, organized by the Brewers Association, is the largest commercial beer competition in the world. Winning at GABF is a tremendous honor and our local brewers should be proud of their accomplishments. This years’ results honor several first-time winners from our beer scene, which is really awesome. Congrats to all!

Gold:

Badger Hill Brewing White IPA – American-Belgo-Style Ale
Steel Toe Brewing Wee Heavy – Scotch Ale

Silver

Indeed Brewing Co. Mexican Honey – Honey Beer
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Buffalo Bock – Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer

Bronze

Bent Paddle Brewing Co. 18° ESB – Extra Special Bitter
Summit Brewing Co. Extra Pale Ale – Classic English Style Pale Ale

Check out the complete list of winners here