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.

Historic Yoerg Brewing to Make a Comeback

Yoerg Logo 2If you know a bit about Minnesota’s beer history, no doubt you’re familiar with Minnesota’s first brewery, The Yoerg Brewing Company. Yoerg was founded in 1848 on the bluffs of what is now Ohio Street in St. Paul. As is the case with many breweries of that time, prohibition dealt a crushing blow to the brewery. Though Yoerg survived prohibition by producing a variety of other products, the brewery ultimately succumbed to post-WWII competition and closed in 1952. A fire destroyed the brewery several years later. All that remains of the brewery are highly sought-after pieces of breweriana.

…but all is not lost. This week we learned that the brand is being resurrected with a new brewery and tasting room. They’re currently in the process of finalizing a location and plan to use the original Yoerg artwork on all packaging and marketing materials.
We’re told that the lineup will consist of two year-round beers and two seasonal beers.

Yoerg’s Beer: a classic Bavarian Dampfbier.

Yoerg’s Bock Beer: A dark black bock with “a toasty malt profile and an assertive hop presence.”

Yoerg’s Picnic Beer: “A thirst quenching Pilsner with a rich, creamy mouthfeel and a wonderful dance of hops.”

Yoerg’s Strong Beer: A rich Doppelbock brewed “only while the weather is shitty.”

WEBSITE: www.yoergbeer.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Yoergbeer/

Summit’s Latest Unchained Beer Will be Available in Squans™

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Today we gleaned some fun information regarding the latest beer in Summit’s Unchained series, Dark Infusion. The beer will be canned in a new shareable and shelf-friendly 1 gallon rectangular can, the Summit Squan™. In addition to the gallon size offering, Summit will also offer this beer in a more modest 16 oz. can.

Squans™ are lighter than comparable glass containers, stack nicely when palletized and don’t roll around in the trunk of your car during transport. Summit has been rather tight-lipped about the new packaging, though Chap Wilton tells us that Summit and their Squan™ manufacturer are already in talks with other breweries.

Squans™ of other flagship Summit beers are expected to roll out by June first, just in time for picnics, summer outings and other outdoor fun. Note that due to Minnesota law, Squans™ will only be available at retail outlets and not at the brewery.

Watch this space for more details!

Fair State Celebration

medallion-smIn case you hadn’t heard, several Minnesota breweries were honored by RateBeer recently. The list includes the likes of Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery and Surly Brewing Co.

Fair State had the distinction of beating out over 5400 new breweries to be named one of the top ten new breweries in the world. Pretty rad. This is the first time a Minnesota brewery has been on this list. RateBeer also ranks Fair State’s lagers highly, with its Festbier and Kazbek Kellerbier ranked 7th and 2nd in their respective categories.

Minneapolis Town Hall was recognized as best brewpub in Minnesota and also was honored as of the top 100 breweries in the world. The ever-awesome Town Hall Tap was also honored as best restaurant in Minnesota.

Surly Brewing Co. also received some nice awards, ranging from being listed as one of the top 100 breweries to individual worldwide and Minnesota specific awards for beers such as SurlyFest, Abrasive, Todd the Axeman and more. Visit RateBeer for the full list of winners.

FAIRSTATE

Fair State is celebrating their honor with a month of parties to say thank you to their supporters and fans. They start on Friday at Grumpy’s NE and follow up next week on Thursday at Republic 7 Corners (5:00pm),  331 Club on Friday 3/4; Red Cow North Loop on Wednesday 3/9. We’ll be doing special tappings at each place, and Matt, Niko, and Evan will all be in attendance to chat with whoever wants to say hi.

They cap things off with a party at the brewery on Friday, 3/18. Members get half priced beer all night, but everyone is welcome.  If anyone’s not a member, for this whole celebration new sign-ups will get a free t-shirt with their Membership. They’ll also be tapping the second in their series of Member Designed beers, a Baltic Porter with maple and black pepper.

August Schell Brewery has Closed on the Grain Belt Sign in Minneapolis

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We’ve just received word that that our friends at August Shell Brewing Company in New Ulm (owners or the Grain Belt brand) have closed on the purchase of the iconic Grain Belt sign in Northeast Minneapolis.

The brewery plans to restore and relight this sign – one of the best-known signs in Minneapolis – after it has been been dark for nearly 20 years. They plan to work with local architects, engineers, sign experts, preservationists and members of the community. If everything falls together as planned, the sign should be re-lit by the summer of 2017.

Needless to say, we think that this is pretty cool and are looking to see the sign restored!

To celebrate, the brewery will release a new year-round beer in April, Lock & Dam. Not surprisingly, this copper lager is inspired by the Mississippi river and the hard-working lock & damn that powered the original Grain Belt Brewery. At launch Lock & Dam will be available in six-packs, 12-packs, as well as kegs. By summer, it will alsofind its way into 16-ounce cans.