Thursday promises to be a fun night of beer at Stanley’s NE. The crew from Third Street Brewhouse in Cold Spring will be on hand to sample their first three beers (a black IPA, a cream ale and a brown ale), which should hit shelves and draft lines in July. With a team that includes Horace Cunningham (formerly of Summit Brewing and Terrapin) as well as Bob McKenzie (Sherlock’s Home, Granite City) and Chris Laumb (O’Hara’s, McCann’s). St. Paul Summer Beer Fest “luminaries” will also be on hand and giving away tickets every half hour. Good times. 5-7pm.

Photo: StudioSchulz.com

Ready your “GregFace” if you’re so inclined and spend an evening with Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co this weekend. Check out these events.

Greg will be at Republic on Friday, May 25  from 7-8:30pm, and of course the Stone beers will be flowing: Arrogant Bastard Ale, along with several special releases: Double Dry Hopped Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Stone Smoked Porter w/ Chipotle Peppers,  Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine.

On Sunday, May 27th from 8-9:30pm, the St. Cloud area gets a taste of Stone at Old Capital Tavern in Sauk Rapids. Stone beers on tap that evening include: Stone Smoked Porter w/ Chipotle Peppers, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone IPA, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, and Stone Ruination IPA.

More info on other stops as we get them. We know, for example, that he’ll be at Tilia for a beer dinner on June 3rd. Cheers!

Today Better Beer Society announced that they have partnered with The Butcher & the Boar for the the second event in their “Brown Bag Blind Tasting Event”. The event will be held on June 30th in the beer garden at The Butcher & the Boar.

The theme for Series #2 is “Summer Session: Backyard BBQ Beers” and will feature 28 taps paired with summer flavors. The goal is to expose participants to beer pairing techniques, with a nod to backyard bbqing.

The event will guide guests through four categories of blind samples paired with a different small plate, designed to accentuate both the beer and the food. Sounds like a blast!

This event will sell out. Get your tickets now at www.betterbeersociety.com

The Better Beer Society is a multi-faceted agency dedicated to the growth and promotion of craft beer; focusing on quality control in our restaurants and bars, as well as hosting creative events, based upon educating the MN craft beer community.

This is the second event in our series of blind tasting events; all designed to challenge and educate your palate. Our aim is to get you thinking and talking about the aromas and flavors that you are experiencing, as well as get rid of any preconceptions one may have about certain beer styles.

You need something to look forward to as you settle into the week. Keep your eyes on the Beer & Beast prize at Acadia Cafe. $12 gets you beef fajitas with all the trimmings and Harriet Pilsner.

Boom Island’s fourth beer, Brimstone makes its way to market this week with a release party at Eli’s East on Tuesday starting at 4:30 followed by a bottle release at the brewery on Wednesday from 5-8.

At  Eli’s East from 4:30-6:30pm, there will be special pricing on Brimstone and a Boom Island Tap Takeover featuring all four Boom Island beers on tap as well as special beer recipes, pairings and more.

On Wednesday, you can head over to the brewery (2207 North 2nd Street, Minneapolis) from 5-8pm for the first crack at bottles of Brimstone.  Brimstone is priced at $10 per 750ml bottle (tax included) with a limit of two per person. Kevin and the rest of the staff will be on hand to answer questions, and you’re welcome to take a peek at the brewery.

The Beer: Color: Light Blond Flavor: Slight Sweetness layered over subtle yet complex spiciness Strength: 9.5% ABV (The important part) -A true example of the Belgian Abbey tradition of brewing, one of which I personally am very, very proud.

The first firkin of Summit’s Saga IPA rolls out to Old Chicago in Minnetonka on Tuesday at 6pm. This one has been dry-hopped with Citra hop  Samples and giveaways as well!

Tonight (Thursday May 17th) from 6pm-9pm Old Chicago in Minnetonka will be celebrating American Craft Beer week with local and national beers in support of Craftworks Foundation, an organization that helps the hungry and homeless. They’ll have 10+ breweries featuring 20+ beers as well as some tasty food. Tickets are $25 at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Craftworks Foundation helping the hungry and homeless.

On Saturday, May 19th from 2-6 “Taste of River Lakes Craft Beer and Wine Expo” will take place River Lakes Civic Center in Richmond MN. The event advertises over 100 different varieties of craft beers and 30 varieties of wine to sample throughout the afternoon. From what I gather, if you don’t get your fill, the event will continue offsite with special bar tapping at local pubs. Advanced tickets are $25.00 (Cash Wise Liquor) or $30.00 at the door. All proceeds to benefit River Lakes Hockey.

Music by The Hell Country Truckers. Food available from Jimmy’s Pizza, Cold Spring Bakery and others.

WWW.RiverLakesExpo.com

That’s about all I have. Third Street Brewhouse and Cold Spring are sponsors, so no doubt they’ll be present.

Kip’s Irish Pub in St. Louis Park is holding their first beer dinner on May 21st, featuring beers from Maredsous. $40/person gets you three courses, each paired with a different Maredsous offering. Call or email for reservations, 952.367.5070 and kip@kipspub.com respectively.

Menu/pairings below the fold…

First Course

Waldorf Salad
Served with Maredsous Blonde, A delectable blonde ale with sprightly fruitiness, soft malting and a slightly dry, gently-hopped finish.

Second Course

Guinness Braised Beef Short Ribs
Served with Maredsous Brune, originally brewed as a Christmas beer and now available throughout the year.

Third Course

Black and White Chocolate Mousse Torte
Served with Mardesous Triple, a golden-bodied Belgian Triple, redolent with festive sparkle, creamy body and a luscious head.

Limited space available. Call 952.367.5070 or email kip@kipspub.com to reserve your spot today.

A couple of updates from Granite City for American Craft Beer Week… First, they’ll be tapping their Blueberry Ale tomorrow (Wednesday). If I remember correctly, their version reminds me a bit of a very lightly-hopped blonde ale with a very generous addition of blueberry.

Secondly, they’re advertising brewery tours – see manager for details. As you might know, their process is a little different than most brewpubs, with a brewhouse (worthouse, perhaps) in Iowa the produces wort that is then shipped to locations in something not unlike a dairy truck (broken into sections for beer varieties) and then fermented on-site. With the exception of St. Cloud, none of the pubs have a full brewhouse on site. Regardless, it might be interesting to check out. Fill us in if you take a tour!

Finally, they’re offering samplers now. $3.75 gets you 8 small portions of beer.