Category: beer travels

Target Field Going Yard on Local Once Again

By on April 3, 2023in beer travels, food pairing, Fulton Brewing Co., general beer, homebrew, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co.

Target Field hosted its annual Taste of the Twins event again ahead of the Home Opener and they are going big on “local” as per usual. Here were some of my favorites:

Official Fried Chicken (Section 133) is serving a number of items in right field. Four pieces of fried chicken, chicken tenders, a chicken sandwich, and fries. Stick with the classic four piece here and pair it with a Surly Hell.

Union Hmong Kitchen (Section 127) is turning up the heat with their Kramarczuk’s Hmong Sausage and Khao Sen Rice Noodle Bowl. Chilled noodles are dressed with a sweet chili vinaigrette, fresh herbs, and cabbage slaw. Chef Yia Vang’s influence is all over town these days and the Twin Cities are much better for it. This dish plays well with Twins Pils from Summit Brewing.

Soul Bowl (Section 113) is offering a Gong Jerk Chicken Bowl which consists of chicken thighs slathered in pineapple jerk sauce—along with plantains—all resting on a bed of yellow rice. Go to bat with a Sweet Child of Vine from Fulton, it’s a flawless match for spicy food.

 

Cheers!

All Pints North Suggestions

By on July 28, 2017in beer education, beer events, beer travels, breweries

all pints north

All Pints North is Saturday! It’s one of our very favorite festivals for a number of reasons, some of which don’t even involve beer. For me, Duluth holds some amazing memories. My grandpa was a salesman (Glad bags, Old Spice, Del Monte, Air Wick, etc.) who worked with grocery stores in Duluth and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In any case, a few times a year my family would roll up to Duluth and we’d explore the city and the surrounding area. I love Lake Superior, the city’s rich history and the fact that it’s just a unique place in Minnesota.

If you don’t have tickets for All Pints North on Saturday, you’re too late as it’s sold out. If you’re going, you’re in for a treat – a great festival on the edge of the largest lake in the world. Kick back at Bayfront Festival Park from 3-7pm, partake in some beer education, enjoy some tunes from Viva Knievel and Private Oates, have a bite (I’m partial to The Rambler and of course Natedogs) and have a good time. With over 120 breweries present, you’re sure to find a beer or fifty to enjoy as well.

If you’d like to check out all of the beers available for the festival, download the All Pints North app for IOS or Android. We’ve perused the list and here are just a few that we’s suggest you try. Let us know what you think!

August Schell/Starkeller Framboise du Nord
It’s back! This is a phenomenal beer that we’re glad to see return to All Pints North. Our friends at August Schell have the Berliner Weiss variants dialed in and this will no doubt be a tart and refreshing punch of raspberry bliss. Also try: Tidal Disruption (blackberry Berliner Weiss), Electrik Empress (plum Berliner Weiss).

Bemidji Brewing Honeyberry Sour
Quickly. Guess what’s in this beer… If you guessed “honey” and “berries” you’re wrong. Don’t feel bad, I was too. As luck would have it, honeyberries are blueberry-like fruit from honeysuckle. Make sense right? Bemidji Brewing added locally-grown honeyberries to their barrel-aged golden sour. It’s quite tasty.

Bent Paddle Citrus Party Kanū
I had the pleasure of enjoying this a couple of weeks ago at Rare Beer Picnic. To no one’s surprise, I really enjoy Kanū, Bent Paddle’s Session Pale Ale. I’m a sucker for Citra and Idaho 7 hops. Citrus Party ads citrus (go figure) zest to the mix. The result? Everything I love about Kanū and more. 

Dangerous Man Vic’s Secret Single Hop IPA
Vic’s Secret is an Australian hop that has nothing to do with lacy undergarments. It’s been on my list of hops that need to find their way into my beer for about a year. Dangerous Man suggests juicy melon notes with a citrusy, balanced finish. BSG suggests that the hop has a “clean and bright tropical character (passionfruit, pineapple) with supporting notes of fresh herbs and pine needles.” Sold!

Fair State Barrel-Fermented du Pounde
So I really like blueberries… and beer. This particular beer is a sour version of Fair State’s Saison du Pounde, refermented on blueberries. Fair State is quite making some of the best sour beers around and no doubt this will not be an exception. Cheers!

Hoops Brewing #5050 Hefeweizen
My summer has been a bit short on Hefeweizens. Whether it was my relocation or market availability, I just haven’t enjoyed enough Hefeweizens this summer. So you, dear reader, have been tasked with enjoying some in my stead. The folks at Hoops Brewing know their way around this style, and I can’t think of anything better to enjoy on a warm summer day.

Indeed Wooden Soul #5, Saison de la Pomme
This beer was another standout from Rare Beer Picnic. This is a wood-aged, sour Saison fermented with fresh-pressed Winesap apple juice from Milk and Honey Ciders. Tart, fruity and damned tasty.

Junkyard “Jelly the Nut” Peanut Butter and Jelly Stout
Peanut butter beers aren’t really my thing. I’ll drink a short pour, but usually that’s enough. Much like my dislike for Mosaic hops, it’s a personal preference more than anything. As is the case, I never really order them. So when I had a beer a couple of weeks ago with Joe and Will from Lift Bridge, I begrudgingly tried Will’s beer. I enjoyed it. Suffice to say that if you dig peanut butter porters or stouts, this offering from my new neighborhood watering hole is totally worth trying. Junkyard adds raspberry puree to their take on a peanut stout and it’s nothing short of a peanut butter sandwich gone mad. Dig it.

Minneapolis Town Hall Manhattan Reserve
When you see this on the menu, you shut up and drink it. This is Town Hall’s excellent Grand Cru aged on tart cherries…and in bourbon barrels. It’s really nothing short of amazing and not always easy to come by. Just do it.

Utepils Ewald the Superior
Drink Hefeweizen (see above). This particular Hefeweizen is dry-hopped and created especially for All Pints North. Utepils has making some extremely tasty german-style beers and this should be no exception.

Enjoy All Pints North! Be sure to browse our Beer Festival Survival Guide to help you make the most out of the event!

 

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)

A First Look at Star Keller

By on February 8, 2016in August Schell Brewing Co., beer travels, cooking & food, general beer, grand opening, history, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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New Ulm is a charming city, one that seems almost lost in simpler times. The city is home to one of the most respected breweries in the country, one that has survived the Dakota War of 1862, the Civil War, Prohibition, and The Great Depression. In fact, Schell’s is the second oldest family owned brewery (D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest) in the country.

But if you think that Schell’s is stuck in that time period, think again. Jace Marti (who is next in line to run the brewery) has his eyes set on opening an all sour brewery and taproom on the north side of town that he will call Star Keller. This will be the first all sour brewery and taproom in the state of Minnesota and let me tell you, it’s beautiful. It’s every bit steampunk and like nothing you’ve seen even up here in the cities. “Everything in this brewery is from the original brewery” says Jace.

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This includes a boiler from 1885, the original copper kettle for the base of the bar, ten cypress tanks, picnic boxes that make up the bar top, some old wooden ladders, a wall of weathered tin, some old taxidermy, and much, much more. Those cypress tanks along with all the fittings cost the brewery $3,437 eighty years ago this coming May. Which by the way is the target opening date. “We’re aiming for a May 1st opening which marks the 80th anniversary of those tanks” he says. Oh and that tin that adds a ton of character to the space, that was given to the Marti’s as a gift from the family of one of their barrel coopers from back in the day. Literally everything in this new space has a story.

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This brewery and taproom will serve sours exclusively made at the brewery. This lineup will be diverse and there will be 8 beers on at any given time. “We want to have a core lineup eventually” says Marti. “We’ll put tanks on a two year cycle for blending.”

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Yes, you read that right. Expect to see some Lambic and Flanders styles to go along with all of those excellent Berliner Weiss brews they’ve been putting out in the Noble Star Series. The taproom itself will have a capacity of 40-50 people. There is also a kitchen in the taproom where Jace hopes that local chefs will be able to play with the flavors in his funky brews and help to create a “local” experience. One thing is certain, this place is going to be a hit and will be well worth the trip for those of us up here in the city.

May can’t get here soon enough….

Cheers!

Chop & Brew #19: NYC Homebrew Tour

By on February 1, 2014in beer education, beer travels, Features, general beer, homebrew, tours, video

In this episode of Chop & Brew, we hit the road from the Twin Cities to New York City for the NYC Homebrew Tour. The C&B crew join beer journalist Joshua M. Bernstein and dozens of beer tourists as they visit three homebrewers and their homebreweries in Brooklyn. Maybe some day soon, we’ll see soemthing like this in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area? Check out the Official Episode page at Chop & Brew’s website for information on the tour, three homebrew recipes, and C&B merch like t-shirts, stickers and ringtones.