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.

A (Short) Tale of Two Taprooms – Pryes and Unmapped

By on June 15, 2017in Bad Weather Brewing Co., Badger Hill Brewing, general beer, Pryes Brewing Co., Unmapped Brewing Co.

Two new taprooms Saturday?

Pryes Brewing Co. made their debut in the Twin Cities nearly three years ago. Brewer/owner Jeremy Pryes started with just one beer, Miraculum, which he first brewed professionally at the old Lucid (North Loop BrewCo) facility in Minnetonka under an alternating proprietorship model. You nerds playing along at home may recall that both Badger Hill and Bad Weather Brewing got their start there as well. This Saturday, you’ll be able to enjoy Pryes Brewing beers at their Near-North neighborhood brewery at 1401 West. River Road in Minneapolis. As others have espoused, they have “plenty of parking,” but if you ask this bike dork, it just seems right to bike to the brewery. Bonus (big bonus, really), there should be some excellent food coming out of the kitchen at Pryes Brewing as well… according to our friend Dara, they’ve built a full-on commercial kitchen with Red Wagon at the helm for the first three months. Things are looking good. Congrats Pryes!

Pryes Brewing Taproom Grand Opening
Saturday, June 17th, 11am – midnight
Regular taproom hours: Thursdays 4-11pm,  Fridays 3-midnight, Saturdays 11-midnight
1401 West River Road N, Minneapolis, MN 55411

 

 

Unmapped Brewing Company will also have a soft opening on Saturday. Unmapped has quietly been building out a brewery in place of the century-old Kraemer’s TrueValue Hardware in Minnetonka. Minnetonka’s first taproom is located near the intersection of Excelsior Blvd. and Eden Prairie Road, not far from Gold Nugget. Husband and wife team JD and Megan Park are Minnetonka natives and aim to offer a “year-round lineup of flagship ‘Belgian & Stateside Ales'” as well as a variety of other special and limited-release beers.

At the helm of the brewery is our old friend Derek Allmendinger (@lutherhaus) who was an old-school Minnesota beer blogger and homebrewer.  Derek went to brewing school and then jumped into professional brewing, cutting his teeth at Summit Brewing, Schell’s, Surly and Excelsior Brewing. Derek brings a wealth of experience to this new brewery and we’re excited to see what he cranks out at Unmapped!

Unmapped Brewing Company
Opens Saturday, June 17th, noon-11pm, Sunday noon-8pm.
Regular taproom hours starting June 20th: 3-10pm Monday-Thursday, noon-11pm Friday and Saturday, noon-8pm Sunday
14625 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka 55345

St. Paul Summer Beer Festival

By on May 23, 2017in general beer
Dave Hoops, St. Paul Summer Beer Fest... I think....

Meet fine folks… like these guys!

Friends. I can call you that, right? One of my favorite festivals of the summer is coming up very quickly, the 9th Annual St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. This is your friendly reminder to buy tickets today as I would assume that this event will sell out.

I’m not quite sure how this festival got to be 9, but Juno and Mark’s baby is growing up to be quite the little kiddo’. You probably already know the drill, but in case you don’t, this festival plays host to more than 100 local, regional and national breweries on June 10th at the Int’l Bazaar at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Music, education, beer, food trucks, beer, beer. You should go.

Hours: 2-5 (or 1-5 w/ early admission tickets)
Tickets: $45-60 ($55-70 if available at the gates)
Buy tickets: Here
More info: stpaulsummerbeerfest.com

Video: Damon Bay

Duluth is Calling – Get your All Pints North Tickets NOW!

By on March 14, 2017in beer travels, breweries, brewpubs
all pints north

 

all pints north

Tickets for one of our favorite summer beer festivals are on sale right now. I mean RIGHT NOW! Right here: bit.ly/allpintsnorth2017

All Pints North takes place on July 29th at Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park and is organized by the always-awesome Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. Readers of MNBeer know that we love Duluth and its beer scene and we always recommend making a weekend out of this event.

At the festival, you can expect the usual great mix of more than 120 breweries, food vendors, games, education and music. I’ve always found this festival to be very intimate, comfortable and totally enjoyable. Just go.

 

Note that Duluth hotels aren’t necessarily cheap in July. There are deals to be found. If you’re traveling on the cheap, look into Voyageur Lakewalk Inn on Superior or even camping. Totally worth it.

Get tickets now: bit.ly/allpintsnorth2017

All Pints North
Saturday, July 29, 2017, 3-7 p.m.
Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, MN
Tickets $45 in advance and $55 day-of if available (plus taxes and fees)

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

Utepils Brewering Co. Grand Opening Saturday

By on February 17, 2017in grand opening, Utepils

If you haven’t had a chance to drop into a soft opening of Minneapolis’ newest brewery, you might just want to pay Utepils a visit on Saturday for their grand opening.  In case you’ve been living under a rock or are just overwhelmed with the sheer number of breweries in our state, Utepils Brewing Co. is the baby of Dan Justesen, former co-owner of Vine Park Brewing in St. Paul. The brewery is a massive jump in scale compared to Justesen’s previous project, boasting the sixth-largest brewhouse in the state. Justesen explains “Our plan was to build our brewhouse at a size that meets what we’ll need in the future. We didn’t want to be in a constant state of upgrading our brewhouse or our equipment. So we built the upgrade.” That theme continues throughout the brewery and taproom with meticulous attention to detail. While some new breweries open in a mild (or not-so-mild) state of disarray, it’s clear that Justesen and his crew aim to impress right out of the gates.

But what about the beer? Brewer Eric Harper has a solid line-up of European-style beers ready for Saturday including a Czech-style Pilsner, Albier, IPA, Hefeweizen and a Kölsch.  There are also non-alcoholic offerings. If you’re hungry, the Gastrotruck food truck will be on site and Utepils also has an open-door policy for food delivery to the taproom.

The brewery will be open Saturday from noon to 11:00 pm. They’ll also have live music throughout the entire day from a variety of artists including The Eddies, Dad Man Trio and more.

Following the grand opening, regular operating hours will be noon until 10:00pm Wednesday and Thursday, noon until 11:00pm Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6:00pm Sundays.

Utepils is located at 225 Thomas Avenue North in Minneapolis.