Author: Ryan Tuenge

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!

Surdyk’s Open for Business on a Sunday Ahead of Law Change

By on March 12, 2017in beer laws, beer stores, general beer, MN

Just another Sunday in March. Snow flying, temperatures fluctuating, and a liquor store open on Sunday? Yep, you read that correctly. Surdyk’s which has been in business for 80 years opened for business today at 11:00 AM even though the recently passed Sunday Sales law doesn’t go into effect until July 1st.

Consumers were smiling and laughing in the store as if they knew they were doing something illegal, but didn’t have to suffer any consequences as the store would be responsible for penalties. We spoke to Nate from Southwest Minneapolis who was adamant that Minnesotans should be able to purchase beer on Sunday. “A friend of mine posted on Facebook that they were open today. I think all stores should be open on Sundays. Listen to your customers” he suggested.

For context, Jim Surdyk has opposed this law change from the beginning but it didn’t stop him from making decision to open his store today. “The governor signed it. Why the hell are we gonna wait three months for this” he says.

We asked him if he plans to open on Sundays in the future leading up to the law change but it doesn’t seem likely. “The cat’s outta the bag. Maybe others will follow suit. I’m the first to do it” he said with a chuckle.

So what’s the penalty? According to this state document, it would seem that a suspension or revocation of their license is in order. He didn’t seem quite so sure. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

 

Read into it however you may, but this seems like a big middle finger to his competitors while offering a fun opportunity for Minnesotans to purchase beer on a Sunday ahead of the law change. Whatever happens in response to this should be interesting. Stay tuned.

***Update***

Minneapolis fines Surdyk’s $2,000 and hands out a 30 day suspension for the Minneapolis liquor retailer beginning on July 2nd. The suspension begins the first day of the law change. They will further penalize Surdyk’s (revocation of license possible) if they choose to open for business on the Sundays leading up to that law change.

 

Cheers!

Starkeller Now Open in New Ulm

By on March 5, 2017in August Schell Brewing Co., general beer, grand opening, new beer, tap rooms

It’s finally here. The all sour taproom headed up by Jace Marti (of Schell’s) was given the go ahead from the TTB recently and they’ve opened the doors and are ready to serve (check their social media for hours) their popular Berliner Weiss beers. “This story began in 1919. Prohibition happened, so for 13 years we were making soda” according to Jace. He is of course referring to those beautiful cypress tanks they purchased (and repurposed for the Starkeller) back in 1936 which were much cheaper than their steel counterparts. “We couldn’t afford new equipment after prohibition so we installed wooden tanks instead of steel ones.” The vessels were used at Schell’s from 1936 until 1991, mostly for Deer Brand Lager.

One might ask why they decided to use these cypress tanks from 1936 at the new space. Well there are a couple of reasons. For one, they’re gorgeous, rare, and they add a ton of character to the space. “These are the last 10 tanks like this in the world” says Marti.  Another reason is that the bacteria and brettanomyces being used at the brewery like a tiny bit of oxygen which steel tanks can’t provide on their own. The cypress tanks breathe a little which allows a very small amount of oxygen in without ruining the beer.

Why Berliner Weiss? Schell’s has always made traditional German style lagers but Jace wanted to do something a little bit different. So he went to Berlin to learn about a style of beer they were brewing over there that had roots in other parts of Europe. “The French brought the sour technique that they learned in Belgium over to Berlin” he says.

The second oldest family run brewery in the country is once again changing the way we think about beer. From Belgium to Berlin, and now to New Ulm. Welcome to Sour Country.

 

Cheers!

Beer Smarts Class Back in Session at Modist

By on February 27, 2017in beer education, Modist Brewing

Modist Education Director Paige Latham will again be hosting her Beer Smarts class at the brewery beginning on March 6th. The six-week course will cover water, grains, hops, fermentation, evaluating beer, food and beer pairing, and the popular optional 7th session which is a beer dinner with chef Ian Gray from The Curious Goat and The Smoking Cow. Tickets for the optional four course dinner will cost $50 and the seats are limited.

I had the opportunity to sit in on one of these sessions and I was very impressed. Paige is very knowledgeable and is the perfect person to teach such a class. She’s the woman behind the blog Alcohol by Volume and is the beer expert at Heavy Table. She also worked at The Four Firkins in St. Louis Park where she became a Cicerone Certified Beer Server.

Tickets for the six sessions are on sale for $60 and you can find them here. See the schedule below:

Session 1: Beer History and Water (3/6/17)

  • Intro to course
  • History of brewing
  • Properties of water
  • Ratio of grain to water / “gravity”
  • Beers famous for water reasons

Session 2: Grains and malting (3/13/17)

  • Focus on malted grain / barley
  • German Purity Law
  • Other sources of sugar (candied sugar, lactose)
  • What happens when water meets grain
  • Beers famous for grain reasons
  • Mini brewery tour!

Session 3: Hops (3/20/17)

  • Hops – what they are, how they’re grown, and where they’re grown
  • From the filter to the boil kettle
  • Hop additions and other additives

Session 4: Fermentation (3/27/17)

  • Historical significance of yeast as magic / God / luck
  • Classification of yeast
  • An overview of fermentation
  • Significant yeast strains through history and by style
  • Other methods of fermentation
  • The bright tank (forced carbonation vs natural)

Session 5: Evaluating Beer (4/10/17)

  • Packaging beer
  • Beer service (cleanliness/glassware)
  • Beer expiration
  • Critical evaluation and tasting
  • How to improve your palate
  • Good beer gone bad: off flavor training

Session 6: Food and Beer Pairing (4/24/17)

  • Why pair beer with food?
  • Pairing with beer vs wine
  • Basic taste elements
  • Congruent vs complementary food and beer pairing
  • Pairing tips and tricks

Winterfest 2017 Preview

By on February 21, 2017in breweries, brewpubs

The premier event hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild has a new home this year, The Legends Club at Target Field. The Brewer’s Guild outgrew the Union Depot even with the two-night format. The 16th edition of Winterfest will feature beer from nearly 100 Minnesota breweries. Once again the Snowshoe Award (Best of Fest) will be up for grabs and last year’s winner Bent Paddle Brewing will be defending their title.

Attendees will be able to try out some of the best beers made in Minnesota as this often serves as a showcase for rare beers that aren’t available year-round. Here are some beers we’re looking forward to:

Lichtenhainer from Fair State Brewing – This Smoked Sour Wheat beer aged in barrels sounds very interesting. This isn’t something I’d typically seek out, but Fair State has a great reputation with sours and this should be no different. You don’t often see beers like this around the Twin Cities.

Tawny Port Barrel-Aged Peanut Butter Porter from Dangerous Man Brewing– This beer sold out within an hour and a half of being released back in December. The last time I sampled this one there were some big bittersweet chocolate notes and the peanut butter had really mellowed. You’ll want to seek this one out early because it probably won’t last long.

Westside Brewery Collective Barleywine from ENKI – This beer is the perfect beer for Winterfest in that it’s big on caramel and molasses yet weighs in at a relatively low 7.1% ABV., uch lower than most Barleywines. They brewed this in collaboration with some of the other west metro breweries using the same ingredients including Minnesota grown Cascade hops.

Eye Wine Red from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery – This is a delightful beer with strong hints of grapes in the nose and a wonderful dose of honey on the back end. This was brewed for Barrel-Aged Week at the brewery and should certainly be a contender for Best Beer.

Vintage Lunker from Steel Toe Brewing – Marshmallow, dark chocolate, and plums can be found in the aroma of this beer that is certain to warm you up with its high alcohol content of 13%. The brewery out of St. Louis Park has been releasing plenty of Barrel-Aged offerings over the years and Lunker is always one of the highlights.

HEXIT from Badger Hill Brewing – This beer certainly lives up to the hype surrounding it. Big hops dominate this beer but if you let it warm a bit you’ll be rewarded with wonderful complex flavors from the local honey used to make it. This beer was made in collaboration with Todd Haug who recently left Surly to join 3 Floyds Brewery.

Emily’s Dream #15 from LTD Brewing – This should be a nice sour offering from the brewery located in Hopkins. This Emily’s Dream series has been a bit underrated and the combo of cherry and pomegranate together has me intrigued.

Flock Together from Indeed Brewing – This Belgian Dubbel is a collaboration project with the much anticipated Hoops Brewing out of Duluth. It can be difficult to find a well-made Belgian-style beer around town but this should be something special. Indeed’s head brewer Josh Bischoff has been heavily influence by the Hoops brothers (he worked under Mike at Town Hall Brewery) and this sort of a project seemed like a no-brainer. “The Hoops brothers have always had a strong influence in my brewing career, and with the announcement of Hoops Brewing opening this year, a collaboration seemed like a fun way to work with an early mentor” according to Bischoff. Hoops brewing is set to open this spring/summer.

Dreamyard from Modist Brewing Company – If you tried Deviation #2, this is the finished version of that beer. Plenty of hops are used to make this beer but it’s not super bitter. This actually tastes sort of like a IPA/mimosa hybrid. Lots of orange juice flavor in this beer.

Kolsch from Waconia Brewing Company – This beer is made with continental pilsner malt and will be a great in between beer at Winterfest. It’s lower on the ABV chart than most (5%) so you can go back for this one multiple times.