Author: Ryan Tuenge

Dangerous Man and Electric Fetus Collaborate for Record Store Day

By on April 14, 2016in beer events, breweries, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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A typical brew day at Dangerous Man starts very early, and if you were to walk in you’d hear music blasting from the speakers. Operations Manager Hilari Bandow loves music so much that she worked with the Electric Fetus to set up a collaboration beer with the Minneapolis institution. “We always have music playing here, so it’s cool to have something [a special beer] to enjoy while you’re listening to music. Music for our brewery is woven in, and we’re all big vinyl collectors.”

The beer this year will be called Record Store Day Organic IPA and it’s brewed with Amarillo and Bravo hops. This beautiful looking beer is super citrusy and very refreshing so it will pair well with this awesome weather. Co-owner and head brewer Rob Miller had this to say about the beer this year. “It is a light refreshing, tropical IPA. A beer you would want to drink sitting outside on a spring day listening to your favorite Peter Tosh vinyl.”

Sarah Bonvallet who also owns the brewery and is the Creative Director loves music, and can often be seen at shows around town—usually with other staff members. “We have a deep love for music at Dangerous Man, whether it is jamming hard at the brewery to P.O.S. or our staff going to see shows together. So it feels like an honor to work with Electric Fetus, such a Minneapolis staple in the music community and be able to support each other.

The artwork for the event can be seen on the new merch which will be available for purchase at Electric Fetus. “We used a local designer and screen printer to create the art. The whole thing has Minneapolis dripping off of it, which we love” says Sarah. “The beer itself pushes that fruity IPA boundary to the max, which I think is indicative of the Electric Fetus and their support of experimental art on all levels” she says.

So when is Record Store Day? Well technically it starts at 9:00 am this Saturday, but according to Electric Fetus owner Aaron Meyerring and Store Manager Bob Fuchs people will start lining up outside the door at 6 pm on Friday night. “It’s like crazy. It has become this national holiday. Last year was the most fun I’ve ever had” according to Aaron.

By lining up, many of the people who show up to Record Store Day are looking for the exclusive releases, but for most people they are just looking to pick up something new and they use the day as an excuse to support their local record shop. At the Electric Fetus they go big for this event with in-store performances from local musicians, food trucks lined up outside, and even a crafting area for kids.

On the collaboration, Meyerring says that the fit just makes sense. “Two years ago on Christmas, I wanted to carry some craft beer merch and they [Dangerous Man] wanted to sell their stuff here. We crossover pretty well.”

“There’s no shortage of love for beer around here.”

Here’s how it works. You show up and shop around, maybe hit a food truck or two and hang out for a while. Make a purchase and bring your receipt to Dangerous Man for $1 off your Record Store Day Organic IPA purchase. Please note the beer is NOT available for purchase at the Electric Fetus.

Here are the details:

Saturday, April 16th 2016 at 9:00 am

Electric Fetus

2000 4th Ave. S

Minneapolis, MN 55404

Food trucks will show up at 10:00 am and they will be Natedogs, Chef Shack, and Bubble Boy.

The music lineup will be:

10:30 am – DJ Jake Rudh of Transmission
Noon – The Honeydogs
1:30 pm – Prairie Fire Lady Choir
3:00 pm – I Self Devine/Muja Messiah
4:30 pm – Magic Castles

Cheers!

Modist Brewing Looks to Push Boundaries in the North Loop

By on April 13, 2016in beer education, breweries, cooking & food, education, general beer, grand opening, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

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It took a while, but Modist is looking to change the way we think about beer. First of all, founders Eric Paredes, Kale Anderson, Dan Wellendorf, John Donnelly, and Keigan Knee are all in on some state-of-the-art equipment that gives them efficiencies that other breweries just can’t achieve. “We’ve been able to reach 90 – 98% efficiency with our beers” says Paredes.

This is in reference to the fact that they “pulverize” their grain into a powder and filter it out afterwards rather than having to clean out the mash with a shovel. Essentially they run it through an expensive piece of filtering equipment which produces a cake of the unusable material.

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With the beer (reasonably priced at $3 for a tulip, and $5 for a 20 oz. pour) they hope to change the way we view beer. Paredes went on and on about how he wants people to see beer pair with food the same way that wine does. They aren’t big on making beers to fit into specific styles. Out of the gate they are pouring three beers, pHresh, TOATS, and Calibration Ale which are all very clean.

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PHresh is your sessionable patio beer. It’s described as “a refreshing tart beer” which it certainly will be. The initial batch didn’t quite reach the pH balance they were looking for so it’s not very tart out of the gate, but I’m told the next batch will be. “It’s super drinkable. A gateway sour beer” according to head brewer Keigan Knee.

Toats is my favorite of their initial offerings. People tend to think of robust and roasty Stouts, and a velvety mouthfeel with oat based beers. This one is clean, sessionable, and damn tasty with a citrus kick in the nose. A perfect example that the color your beer does not determine the bitterness, nor the alcohol content of your beverage.

Calibration is the first beer that they brewed on their new equipment. Years of homebrew experimentation inspired this one. This tasty sipper clocks in as their highest ABV offering yet at 5.9%. Once again, this is very drinkable and the Pilsner malt comes through nicely lending it a touch of sweetness.

The wait is over and Modist definitely lives up to the hype. With those prices, Twins fans are going to be very happy.

Grand Opening

Friday, April 15th 3:00 PM

Modist Brewing

505 N 3rd Street

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Cheers!

LTD and MN Beer Activists Team up with Adam Turman on Sunday Sales Beer

By on April 6, 2016in beer events, beer laws, general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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The fine folks at MN Beer Activists spent a rainy Tuesday over at LTD Brewing where they helped brew a beer they are calling Sunday Sales Pale Ale. Part of the proceeds will go to SundaySalesMN.org which is run by consumer activists.

The estimated release date is on Sunday, May 1st from 1 pm until 5 pm at LTD which is located in Hopkins. Adam Turman is the man behind the label and has long been an advocate for changing this law.

If you’d like to join the cause, sign the petition over at their website.

LTD Brewing
8 8th Ave. N.
Hopkins, MN 55343

Cheers!

MN Beer Notebook: Early April 2016

By on March 30, 2016in general beer

Xtra Citra

Surly just released Xtra-Citra Pale Ale into the market in 4 packs of 16 oz. cans. The beer itself is bright and beautiful with big citrus notes and a very crisp, clean finish to go along with a very low ABV of 4.5%. Perfect for all that grilling you’ll be doing when the weather cooperates. The best part though may be that you can find this for $6.99 a four pack which is a very approachable price point.

Firkin Fest is happening at The Happy Gnome this weekend. This is always a really fun event and it takes place from noon until 4 PM on Saturday, April 2nd with tickets going for $60. Expect some fun brews that you can only find at this event. Grab your tickets here.

Modist Brewing is set to open in mid-April in the North Loop. Stay tuned to the blog for a sneak peek most likely happening next week. I have high expectations for them given their pedigree and passion for making beer.

I’m hearing rumors of the return of Sticker Fight at Steel Toe Brewing. This tropical hop bomb of a Double IPA is one of my favorite seasonal releases and it usually sells out pretty quickly. Stay tuned for more details….

Indeed Brewing is collaborating with New Belgium on a couple of beers they are calling Come Together Honey Wheat Wine, and Strawberry Fields Sour. Come Together will hit shelves first (this was brewed in Fort Collins recently) in very limited quantities (expect an April release) and the sour will be brewed at the end of April here in Minneapolis. I will be there on the brew day and will be sure to post some photos and such.

That’s it for now.

Cheers!

Wild Mind Ales Brewing Up Something Different

By on March 22, 2016in breweries, general beer, hops, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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It all started back in college when Mat Waddell tried a Saison for the first time. “That got me into fermenting with fruit” he says. Next were a series of internships at breweries like Summit and Badger Hill where he says he learned the importance of quality when it comes to making beer. Now Mat finds himself taking the ultimate risk in opening his own sour brewery in south Minneapolis.

This isn’t just any brewery though. His beers are going to fall under the category of “coolship” which by definition are fermented in open vessels—meaning that they utilize wild yeast to munch on the sugars instead of those cultivated and sold to the masses. There are a number of breweries out there currently practicing this including Allagash Brewing and Jester King. This of course involves a lot of risk in that one beer won’t taste the same as the last. “I love the wild, uncontrolled risk” says Waddell. “You get a nice reward.”

There are two ways of making coolship beers. The traditional way with open fermenters sitting out doors which would ideally happen in late winter and spring, and what is called wood cellaring (Jester King does it this way) which is where the wort is inoculated with wild yeast after it has been transferred into wooden barrels.

The space currently is not much to look at with all of the construction going on. Eventually though, there will be windows throughout the brewery where you can peek inside the production area, and picnic tables to sit at while you sip your brew. There will also be an indoor projector and screen where you will be able to watch the Olympics all summer long.

The outdoor beer garden will need plenty of work (currently a barren slab of busted concrete) but in the end will be home to some fire pits and a nice plot of grass complete with trees and hopefully hops. Mat also plans to screen some outdoor movies on the wall out in the beer garden where he hopes people will gather and enjoy the beer and weather. In fact, the goal is to keep the glass garage doors open all summer so the entire space will feel open. “We’re going for light and bright open space” according to Mat.

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Upon opening he plans to have his House beer (and a Spanish cedar version), a Pale Ale using Conan yeast, and a House Stout that showcases bourbon sugar. After a couple of months you can expect to see some of the Barrel Fermented Saisons come out followed by their sours in about 6 months. Mat is hoping for an early summer opening.

Wherever there is risk, there are often rewards.

Wild Mind Ales

6031 Pillsbury Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55419

Cheers!