Category: Steel Toe Brewing

Early Summer Beer Preview

By on March 31, 2017in Fair State Brewing, general beer, mnbeer.com, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co.

Warm weather is just around the corner and there are plenty of new local beer options hitting store shelves soon. Summit is releasing a Boundary Waters twelve pack while Surly is going year-round with their Xtra Citra release. Steel Toe will be releasing Sommer Vice and Fair State just released their Du Pounde and Pilsner. We tried these out with our thoughts below.

Summit Wit – This is going to be a hit on those 90 degree days. It’s got all the things you look for in the style. Spices, citrus, and those nice bubblegum notes from the Belgian yeast drive this beer. A perfect replacement for that Blue Moon sitting in the back of your fridge. This is part of the Boundary Waters twelve pack.

Summit Hefeweizen – It’s back! This is a well-balanced Hefe with some nice banana and clove notes that aren’t as overpowering as some of the other options out there. Not my favorite example of a Hefeweizen but it’s certainly tasty. This can also be found in the Boundary Waters pack.

Steel Toe Sommer Vice – This is one of my favorite local examples of a Hefeweizen. Big clove and bubblegum flavors in this hazy beer set it apart from some of the others. This will hit the taproom and store shelves in May. My only issue is that I want this in cans. One 22 oz. bomber won’t do the trick. (Notes for this were taken from last year. The recipe will be the same I’m told)

Fair State Du Pounde – Centennial hops give this a nice floral character in the nose and contributes a nice dose of citrus in every sip. This wheat based beer also utilizes a French Saison yeast which provides a slight funk to this one. Fill your cooler with this at your picnic or graduation party and you’ll be the most popular person there.

Surly Xtra Citra – Session beers are still growing in popularity, here and around the country. Xtra Citra is Surly’s version of the style and it doesn’t dissapoint. In fact, this is my favorite local session beer along with Size 4 from Steel Toe. Huge citrus flavor with a light body, and for the low price of $6.99 a four pack this should be in your fridge all summer long. I’m told this will also be available in twelve packs of 12 oz. cans around Memorial Day.

Summit Keller Pils – They say the best way to judge the quality of a brewery is by trying their Pilsner. This is because it’s near impossible to mask any off flavors in this style of beer. Well Summit hit a home run with this offering and I dare you to find a better local option outside of Schell’s. This is easily the best new recipe (debuted last year) from the 30-year-old brewery in St. Paul. Be sure to soak your brats in that cheap domestic stuff and save this for sipping out by the grill. This is available in twelve packs and can also be found in the Boundary Waters pack.

Fair State Pils – A nice, dry Pilsner with earthy aromas and a heavy addition of Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Not quite on the same level as the Schell’s Pils, but certainly worth a spot in your cooler on a fishing trip. Drink this one as cold as possible.

 

Cheers!

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest Saturday

By on March 7, 2017in August Schell Brewing Co., Bemidji Brewing Co., Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, Fargo Brewing Co., Fitger's Brewhouse, Fulton Brewing Co., Indeed Brewing Co., Lift Bridge, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Steel Toe Brewing, Surly Brewing Co.

As I write this, tickets are still available for Saturday’s Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. In its short history, the event has quickly become Minnesota’s premiere Winter (…er Spring?) festival with a finely-curated list of rare, one-off and specialty beers from 30 select breweries from Minnesota and across the country. Suffice to say that this event includes plenty of excellent food, entertainment and more.

I am, of course, a dumbass and won’t be there so here are Five beers I’ll really f&#@ing miss from this year’s Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival:

  • Indeed Wooden Soul: Ephemeral
  • August Schell Electric Empress
  • Fitger’s Brewhouse Tequila Barrel 1100 Wheatwine
  • Bemidji Brewing Flanders Sour Red
  • Steel Toe Brewing Before the Dawn with Tart Cherries

That being said, there are a lot of interesting beers. Learn more by checking out the program or visiting their website.

Download the program here.

Buy your tickets here.

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest, Saturday, March 11th, 7-10pm.
Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul

Steel Toe Brewing Moving to Cans

By on June 30, 2016in general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing, tap rooms

Back when Oskar Blues first starting canning their beers in 2002 many people wondered why they went that route. Now just about everyone is going to cans for many reasons, one of them being that you can take them anywhere. Just ask Steel Toe Brewing owner Jason Schoneman who tells me that they are going to start canning their suds—which are expected to hit a limited number of stores on July 13th. “The big reason we are going to cans is that we want our beer to be everywhere” he says. “We like going to the lake too, and bombers (22 oz. bottles) are a pain in the ass” he says laughing.

STB3

 

Steel Toe will be canning their popular flagships Size 7 IPA and Provider Golden Ale to start with other varieties to follow. The regal design of these cans will showcase the signature boot logo in a black on silver look that features the color associated with each brand. Green for Size 7 and yellow for Provider. They will be sold in 6 packs of 12 oz. cans and as stated above will start out at select retail locations across the metro beginning on July 13th. The plan then is to roll them out to all of their retail locations by the end of the year. You’ll still be able to find their other varieties in bomber bottles around town for now.

STB2

They had been talking about this change for a while but tank space was always the concern. So why the switch now? Two words: The customer. “We’ve had so many requests for this format. It’s what the customer wants” says Shoneman. Here’s to hoping Sommer Vice and Size 4 follow suit.

STB4

So grab your camping gear and don’t forget a six pack or two on your way out of town.

Cheers!

Beers to Seek Out for Memorial Day

By on May 27, 2016in Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, general beer, Indeed Brewing Co., misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing

Here are some local beers to procure for the long weekend ahead. Whether you’re fishing, hiking, hanging out on the patio, or out by the fire pit—these selections are sure to be a hit.

Summer Crush by Castle Danger Brewery – Sorachi Ace hops give this crisp beer a nice touch of lemon, which is perfect on a hot day or for a trip up to the lake.

pHresh by Modist Brewing – Swing into the brewery and grab a few crowlers of this refreshingly tart patio sipper. Enjoy this one out in the sun amongst friends and you’ll never want the day to end.

Lucy by Indeed Brewing – Indeed’s flagship beers are very popular in local liquor stores, but if you limit yourself to those you’re doing it wrong. Drop in to the taproom and fill a growler with their kettle soured Pale Ale called Lucy. Lemongrass lends a nice touch to this already tasty Pale Ale. Plus it’s only 4.2% ABV so you won’t fall into the fire at the end of the night.

Venture Pils by Bent Paddle Brewing – This is quickly becoming my favorite Pilsner made here in Minnesota, and it’s the ultimate fishing beer. Like an old crush, this will remind you of the first time you fell in love with beer. *Be sure to pick this one up here in the cities as it’s becoming harder and harder to find up in northern Minnesota. See this for further details.

Sommer Vice by Steel Toe Brewing – Whether you choose to pick this Hefeweizen up in bomber bottles at the liquor store or via growler at the taproom, just be sure you don’t forget this crowd pleaser. Sommer Vice is hazy and is packed with banana/clove flavor from the yeast, perfect for a day outside playing lawn games and listening to music. Grab it now though as it’s never around very long, much like a Minnesota summer.

Cheers!

MN Beer Notebook: News From Around Town

By on December 28, 2015in August Schell Brewing Co., Bad Weather Brewing Co., breweries, brewpubs, general beer, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing, Surly Brewing Co.

Dangerous Man

Here are some tidbits from around town as the holidays wind down.
Dangerous Man has just released their SMASH IPA and it’s fantastic. Citra lovers will rejoice over this one as it’s composed of 100% Citra hops and Simpson’s Golden Promise malt. It’s available on tap and in the growler room. Also on tap is Sour Delores #2. This kettle sour was brewed with raspberries and it is also available both on tap, and in the growler room.

The Belgian Pale Ale I helped brew over at Bad Weather Brewing is now on at their St. Paul taproom. I’ve yet to try it but I’m hearing good things. This means I may not have messed it up after all.

Surly canned more Abrasive recently and it should be available in stores throughout January 2016. Now if they’d only can Todd the Axe Man all year long….

Buffalo Trace is on the Barrel Reserve line at Town Hall Brewery. The brewery recently decided to dedicate a draft line to their spectacular barrel aged program. They’ll even have some 750 ml bottles for sale starting today at the brewery.

The popular Double IPA they call Size 11 is making a return mid-January at Steel Toe Brewing. They also have 750 ml bottles of Wee Heavy ($10) and Lunker ($20) for sale in bottles at the taproom. I’m hearing whispers that the supply of Lunker is getting pretty low, so you’d better act quickly if you’re looking to get some.

Schell’s is releasing a Bock sampler pack that is available now here in the Twin Cities. It consists of a pre-prohibition style, heirloom wheat, a 90s version, and their current variety.

Cheers!