Category: breweries

Hoops Brewing Set to Open Brewery in Canal Park Next Spring

By on October 28, 2016in Hoops Brewing
Dave Hoops at Fitger's Brewhouse

hoops-brewingIt’s happening….The longtime head brewer at Fitger’s Brewhouse is realizing a dream, a vision he’s had for a while will come to fruition in the form of a new brewery located in Canal Park. Hoops Brewing is aiming for a March/April 2017 opening date for their 9,000 square foot brewery and beer hall. The model? Something similar to what Dangerous Man did in Northeast back in 2013. “I have all this admiration for Dangerous Man. I give a lot of credit to Rob and Sarah over there” he says. Crowlers were chosen as the preferred package that will go out in limited distribution because Dave doesn’t like growlers.

Some breweries choose to have a wide distribution such as Surly, Bauhaus, Indeed and Bent Paddle. Hoops respects that model but points out that he wants to do things his way. “It’s the best model for me. I don’t need to sell my beer in a five state area. I just want to brew beer the way I’ve done it for 20 years” he said. Much of that time was spent running Fitger’s Brewhouse where he churned out award winning beers. Everything from lagers to wheatwines, using a wide variety of hops and malts.

Dave Hoops at Fitger's Brewhouse

Look at that baby face!

He pegged Melissa Rainville as his head brewer, someone he was very familiar with working at the Duluth brewpub. “She has a very similar philosophy to me, and I’m fortunate to have her” according to Hoops. He explains that she’ll have a lot of say with the types of beers they will create which will include everything from lagers to barrel-aged beers. He hopes to attract everyone, from the local community to tourists, and especially the hockey community—a community he proudly belongs to.

There won’t be a kitchen on-site, but he plans to have menus available from local establishments and he even expects to have a runner system where they will make sure that food ordered to the beer hall is delivered to his customers.

Hoops learned about the space (formerly Timber Lodge Steak House) being available last February and he insists that BevCraft (a consulting firm he’s a part of) was a big reason he secured the space. “They were huge in every aspect of this project” he proclaims. The space itself will seat around 250 people and with areas where one can watch a hockey game on the big screen, or areas with no televisions where people can socialize.

Photo: Tim Nelson

Photo: Tim Nelson

If one thing is certain, he’s proud to be local and he wants the place to be a big part of the community of Duluth. “This is my dream, and I’m going all in.”

That three-hour drive is looking better than ever.

The Axeman Leaveth: Todd Haug Steps Down at Surly Brewing

By on October 19, 2016in Surly Brewing Co.
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Where’s the beard? Todd Haug on Surly Brewing Co.’s first public tour.

Here’s the official and final word from Surly Brewing Co. TL:DR, Head of Brewing Operations at Surly Brewing Co., Todd Haug has resigned his position with the brewery to pursue new challenges. First and foremost, we wish him well – Surly Brewing got its start not long after I launched MNBeer.com and Todd and Omar have been huge supporters of the site for as long as I can remember.

It’s a sad day. Todd & Linda, Surly Brewing folks… we’re thinking about all y’all today. Cheers!

 

After more than 10 years setting the pace of the craft beer revolution in Minnesota, Surly Brewing Co., Head of Brewing Operations Todd Haug has resigned his position at the Twin Cities brewery.

“I’d like to thank our family, friends and fans – Surly Nation – for always believing in our vision. It never gets old to hear people tell you how much they enjoy your beer.  Omar and I set out with the modest goal to build a brewery so we could create a different kind of craft beer – the kind we wanted to drink – and I think we achieved that.”

Todd earned a reputation for refusing to brew-to-style. He defined the undefinable and brewed beer his way, which was rarely the easy way, earning the brewery gold medals in the process.

Omar Ansari, Founder and President of Surly Brewing says, “Todd has been an incredibly influential part of Surly since the beginning and was instrumental in building the brewery from the ground-up, often with his own two hands; brewing, welding, making connections and forming collaborations to establish the irreverent brand it is today. His talent is undeniable, and he will always be a huge part of who we are. He will be missed.”

Todd is stepping down from his role to pursue other opportunities and challenges in the industry that he has worked in for 25 years. The future is bright, and adventure awaits.

“I leave my brewhouses in the extremely capable hands of our co-lead brewers and the innovative brewing team we’ve mentored together. I eagerly look forward to seeing what the next generation of Surly brewers will create,” says Haug. “This is an opportunity for them to take the torch and continue the legacy we’ve been building for 10 years now.”

It’s been a hell of a ride with Todd in the front seat, keeping the music loud and the speed fast. He’s the wizard, the bitter brewer and the creative genius.

Surly Nation thanks you.

Darkness Eve at Stub and Herbs Tonight!

By on October 14, 2016in Stub and Herb's, Surly Brewing Co.
Darkness Eve at Stub & Herb's \m/

Darkness Eve at Stub & Herb's \m/Our friends at Stub and Herbs have been throwing a great “Darkness Eve” event as long as we can remember (perhaps started with the 2nd Darkness Day?) and this year looks to be no exception. Starting at 7pm, they’ll have plenty of dark and forbidding beers and other special things. Special taps below:

Surly: Furious, Hell, Todd, Damien, Pentagram, Double Barrel Pentagram, Furious Black, One, Two, Three, Four, Nein, Ten, Blutpakt, Mother of The Gut, 2015 Smoke, Simpsons (Nitro), ’15 Darkness and ’16 Darkness.

Modist Introducing the Deviation Series

By on October 13, 2016in cooking & food, general beer, hops, misc. mn beer, MN, Modist Brewing, new beer, tap rooms

The brewery in town known for pushing boundaries is launching a series of beers they’re calling Deviation. Keigan Knee and his crew of brewers plan to make use of a 10-barrel fermenting vessel they installed 6 months ago with the sole purpose of experimenting with ingredients and processes to create new beer experiences.

These “experiments” will be taproom only releases and will not be made in large batches unless they are successful—measured strictly by popularity with their patrons. Those cute names they’ve given their flagships offerings will not apply to this series. Each batch will only be assigned a number beginning with 001 and 002. The first two will be available in the taproom on Friday, October 14th beginning at 7 pm for 001, and 8 pm for 002.

Deviation 001 is being described as a dark beer that was brewed with pilsner, rye, wheat, and coffee malts. The hops used in this batch were Amarillo, Cascade, and Columbus. Only 17 kegs were produced so it won’t last long. 5.6% ABV, 43 IBU, 21 SRM.

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Deviation 002 is a wheat monster. In fact, it was brewed with 100% wheat malts (which is very uncommon) and tons of Citra, Bravo, and Ella hops. This should be a beautiful, hazy looking beer due to the use of 100% wheat malts. Only 20 kegs were produced. 7% ABV, 88 IBU, 4 SRM.

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These releases are one-of-a-kind so you don’t want to miss out.

The Modist vision:
At Modist, our aim is to modify beer and how it is perceived by defying rules and
expectations. We don’t abide by established style guidelines and refuse to bend to pre-
conceived notions. We push past traditional brewing by embracing creativity and
unconstrained experimentation, taking an innovative approach to ingredients and
techniques in order to harness raw inspiration and create a new beer experience.

 

Cheers!

Get Fresh With Indeed

By on October 13, 2016in Indeed Brewing Co.

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Do you like hops? How about fresh, straight from the bine Mosaic hops? Indeed has a hookup for you. Starting this week, you’ll find their Fresh Hop Ale at bars and restaurants around the Twin Cities. Indeed’s head brewer Josh selected these hops in September, they arrived at the brewery shortly thereafter, went right into a brew and now the beer is ready for your imbibing pleasure.

The folks at indeed tell us that the beer brings flavors of “dank, resinous hops” with some citrus and stone fruit. Look for a golden beer with a rocky head and plenty of hops in the nose.

Enjoy!

Find Fresh Hop Ale at all Red Cow locations, all Blue Door Pub locations, Pizza Luce Downtown, New Bohemia NE, Sporty’s Pub & Grill, The Unofficial, Up-Down, Stub & Herbs, Ray J’s NE, Reverie Cafe & Bar, The Bulldog Uptown, Mackenzie’s, Sweeney’s Saloon, Sea Salt, Grumpy’s NE, Muddy Waters, Dark Horse Bar & Eatery, Ox Cart Ale House, Buster’s on 28th and Smack Shack.