Category: beer dinners

Surly Brewer’s Table Named Top Ten Restaurant by Food & Wine Magazine

By on June 9, 2016in beer dinners, breweries, cooking & food, food pairing, general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, Surly Brewing Co.

Two years ago Surly hired Jorge Guzman as the Executive Chef for their new destination brewery, a position that came with a lot of pressure. Two years later the accolades are rolling in.

The Star Tribune named Jorge Guzman Best Chef of 2015, while award-winning local food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl gave The Brewer’s table a glowing review a couple months back. Now, Food & Wine Magazine has named The Brewer’s Table among the top ten restaurants in the country. That’s right….the entire country!

The Chef & Brewer Pairing Menu consists of four courses including beer and will run you $70, not bad for a fine dining experience. The menu changes regularly, but if you see octopus be sure to order it. It was fabulous when this writer paid a visit.

Jorge is also competing in the national COCHON555 competition (June 18th in Snomass Village, CO) after he was awarded the title Prince of Porc (winner of regionals) back in February. The goal at the national event is to use a whole heritage breed hog (head-to-tail) and win over the judges by serving a selection of the dishes that won at regionals.

practice pig

If you’d like to check out the Brewer’s Table you can make your reservation here.

Cheers!

News and Notes Early June 2016

By on June 7, 2016in beer dinners, beer events, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, charity, Fair State Brewing, general beer, Lift Bridge, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, Summit Brewing Co.

On June 15th Fair State Brewing will release their sour Saison Roselle in cans. This beer is brewed with Hibiscus and is a perfect beer for warm summer days. Speaking of Fair State, they will be hosting a sour beer festival on June 25 called Mixed Culture. At this event they will be tapping 7 new barrel-aged mixed culture beers and bringing out some oldies from the cellar. Oakhold will also be previewing some of their beers at the event. As you may know, Caleb Levar (Co-owner of Oakhold) has been helping Niko and the Fair State crew around the brewery with their sour program.

The Lift Bridge folks made a trip out to Fort Collins earlier this spring to collaborate on a Belgian Ale with Odell Brewing called Peaks and Prairies. This recipe utilizes Colorado Palisade peaches and Cardamom and was aged on oak. This release is a part of Taps & Tables which is a celebration of craft beer and restaurants in June. For $30 you and a guest will be able to enjoy food and the beer at participating restaurants with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. Click here for the schedule.

This is the 5th year for Pride Dabbler which will take place on June 24th from 5:30 – 9:30 pm. More than 50 breweries will be on-site pouring beers while food trucks such as Natedogs, The Anchor Fish and Chips, Hot Indian Foods and more will be selling food. Grab your tickets here.

Summit will be releasing the 22nd variety in their Unchained Series called Zingiber Cream Ale with ginger. Expect this to hit shelves and tap lines in the next couple of weeks.

Bent Paddle’s Lollygagger Pale Ale hits store shelves this week. 5% of all sales of this beer will go to helping Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores build a 100 mile mountain biking trail system called The Duluth Traverse. This copper colored beauty is sure to please those that appreciate a well-balanced Pale Ale.

That’s it for now.

Cheers!

Minneapolis Cider Week Celebrating 6 Years

By on May 25, 2016in beer dinners, beer events, general beer, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, Republic

The cider scene in Minnesota has been growing over the years and for the sixth time the fermented apple beverage will be celebrated for an entire week from June 6th – 11th. Minneapolis Town Hall will host the event once again and to kick it off all of the Town Hall locations will offer 12 ciders on tap at any given time.

When they started this six years ago there was only one cidery in Minnesota, now there are 14. Of those, Four Daughters, Loon Juice, Milk & Honey, Number 12 Cider House, Sapsucker Farms Yellow Belly, Sociable Cider Werks, Sweetland Orchards, and Wyndfall will all be featured at the Seven Corners location, Town Hall Tap, and Town Hall Lanes. The schedule for Minneapolis Cider Week is as follows:

All Week

Ciders Take Over the Taps at Town Hall Locations
Town Hall Brewery, Town Hall Lanes and Town Hall tap will each have at least 12 ciders on tap all week.

Tuesday, June 7

Cider Dinner and Seminar at Town Hall Tap
7 p.m., Tuesday, June 7
Enjoy a cider-paired course dinner from Town Hall Tap featuring presentations from cider makers representing Minnesota cider makers Milk & Honey and Sweetland. Tickets are $65 and limited — call (612) 339-8696.

Thursday, June 9

Minnesota Cider Competition
Cider makers are invited to submit their homemade ciders for prizes, including a large cider collection. Register and find more information at http://townhallcidercomp.com. There is a $7 entry fee.

• Deadline to enter is 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 31 — submit entries at Northern Brewer on Lyndale Ave. in Minneapolis. Participants must submit two bottles per category entered (Dry, Sweet and Other).
• Awards ceremony is 7 p.m., Thursday, June 9, at Town Hall Tap.

Saturday, June 11

Cider Fest at Town Hall Brewery and Republic 7 Corners
1–5 p.m., Saturday, June 11
Discover hard-to-find ciders alongside favorites from local, national and international producers including Keepsake, Milk & Honey, Sweetland, Wyndfall, Yellow Belly and more. Tickers are $35 for unlimited samples and a Cider Week glass.
Tickets: www.tempotickets.com/ciderfest

Cheers!

Sociable Cider Werks and The Curious Goat Offer Unique Valentine’s Day Experience

By on February 7, 2016in beer dinners, beer events, cask beer, cooking & food, food pairing, general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, tap rooms

sociable

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be boring. If you want a unique experience, you may want to pick up tickets for the Valentine’s Day Dinner at Sociable Cider Werks. For $45 a person, you will experience a three course dinner prepared by the talented folks at The Curious Goat.

Each course will be paired with a special cider and the setting will be special in that you will be sitting back by the tanks in the cellar room. The menu looks superb and it finishes with a drool inducing chocolate cake with rum almond creme fraiche and chestnuts—paired with a cherry vanilla cask cider. Check out the menu below and grab your tickets here.

Course One:
Seared cheese curds and salami salad paired with single hop speciality Hop-A-Wheelie
Course Two:
Braised short rib with creamy polenta, fingerling potatoes and crispy leeks paired with Fat Bike Mulled Apple
Course Three:
Chocolate cake with rum almond creme fraiche and chestnuts paired with Cherry Vanilla Spoke Wrench Cask

Cheers!

Fulton and Republic Team Up For Valentine’s Day

By on February 4, 2016in bars/restaurants, beer dinners, beer events, food pairing, Fulton Brewing Co., general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, Republic
Fulton Brewing Co.

 

fultonbadge

If you’re still looking to make Valentine’s Day plans you may want to consider heading over to Republic Seven Corners for their beer pairing dinner with Fulton. This will be the fourth consecutive year that they’ve teamed up and at $35 a person, it’s pretty reasonable. The dinner will take place on Sunday, February 14th from 5 PM until 10 PM. You’ll want to make your reservations by either calling 612-338-6146 or hit them with an email at republicoperations@gmail.com. Check out the menu below.

Lonely Blonde – amuse bouche
Apple Brie Gougère

300 IPA – 1st course
Charred Brussells Sprouts buttery potato fondue, citron verjus
or
Sea Scallop mango salsa, basil-mint granita

Worthy Adversary Russian Imperial Stout – 2nd course
Portobello Mole black beans, rice, avocado
Or
Coffee Marinated Flank Steak smoked baby potatoes, chimichurri

Patience Barleywine – 3rd course
Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding malted-vanilla bean crema
Or
Barleywine Cake butterscotch, poached pear, almond crumble

Cheers!