Category: breweries

Bauhaus Over the Charts Series: Sky-Ten!

By on October 7, 2016in Bauhaus Brewlabs

Next week, the fine folks over at Bauhaus Brew Labs debut their brand-spanking-new Over the Charts series, a series of beers that will offer a departure from the brewery’s more session-friendly offerings. “Over the Charts releases will be big, kickin’ beers with bold, bodacious flavors.”

The first beer from the Over the Charts series is a double IPA, Sky-Ten! With lots of hops and weighing in at 8.8% ABV, this beer should offer up a nice punch. Ready to try it? Nobody likes IPAs, do they?!

You’ll be able to find Sky-Ten! next week (starting 10/10) in 750 ml bottles at select retailers throughout the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, as well as in the brewery’s Northeast Minneapolis taproom. You’ll also find it on draft at the taproom  and at select local bars and restaurants.

Oh, and watch the video. You know you want to…

stthreebottles

Town Hall Lanes Fresh Hop Fest

By on October 6, 2016in Bad Weather Brewing Co., Badger Hill Brewing, breweries, Castle Danger, Indeed Brewing Co., Lift Bridge, North Loop BrewCo, Northbound Smokehouse

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Fresh hop beers are very popular these days, and the folks over at Town Hall take their hops seriously. This is why they are hosting the fourth annual Fresh Hop Fest on October 22nd from 1 – 5 pm at the bowling alley in south Minneapolis.

Fresh hop beers are expensive to make in that the demand is so high for them, and the timing (should be used within 24 – 48 hours) from bine to brew kettle is so crucial. The hops are in fact still wet (and can be quite a mess) so brewers need a larger volume of them than with dry pellets. We’d actually be better off defining these as wet hop beers.

The brewery itself consistently brews one of the best fresh hop beers every year, and they enjoy celebrating with other breweries—local and national. Fresh Hop 100 and Fresh Hop Dry will be available along with offerings from Badger Hill, Bad Weather Brewing, Castle Danger, Dark Horse Brewing, Indeed, Founders, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Northbound Smokehouse, Odell, Lift Bridge, North Loop, and more.

Tickets are available for $7, but you’ll need tasting tickets ($2 each) if you want to enjoy the beers. VIP tickets are the way to go for this event. They’ll run you $37—but you get unlimited tastings, a tasting glass, exclusive VIP beers, a game of bowling, and a t-shirt.

If you’re a fan of hops, you should really check this out. These beers are only available once a year.

 

Saturday, October 22nd from 1 – 5 pm
Town Hall Lanes
5019 S 34th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55417

 

Surly Hashing Up Plans to Paint the Town Black Leading Up to Darkness Day

By on September 30, 2016in Surly Brewing Co.

img_1914Back in 2007, Surly Brewing was just a small brewing operation out of a Minneapolis suburb making bold beers for loyal beer nerds. One of those beers was called “Darkness” which is a Russian Imperial Stout that was dreamed up by Director of Brewery Operations Todd Haug. Now this is one of the most sought after beers in the country—where people line up 24 hours prior, just for the opportunity to purchase some on the day dedicated to the annual release…Darkness Day. “The first year I made 12 barrels” says Haug. “That first month at Café 28 [a restaurant formerly owned and operated by Todd and his wife Linda] no one knew about it” he said.

But for the last 8 years they’ve not been able to make enough of it which is why this year they made a concerted effort to do so. Surly is now distributed in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Chicago, Iowa, and Nebraska and they don’t want let those markets down. So this year they’re running a campaign called Paint the Town Black. They will be releasing 3 dark beers into all of their markets starting this week with Furious Black, a nod to the character from Harry Potter. The recipe for this version of Furious is essentially the same aside from the addition of roasted malts—which add notes of dark chocolate and seemingly tone down the bitterness of the hops in comparison. This is the only one of the 3 that will be draft only.

Damien is a beer that has been made for 5 years but has only really been available at the annual Darkness Day event. This year it will be packaged in bomber bottles that will sell for around $8 in all of Surly’s markets. The release date will be October 3rd for the beer dubbed as “The Child of Darkness” according to Jerrod Johnson, lead brewer over at the Brooklyn Center brewery. “Damien is made from the last runnings of Darkness” he explains. “It’s always been a big game to see how high we can get the ABV [percentage of alcohol by volume] on that beer.” This year though, it’s different. They wanted to make it a more sessionable beer steering the ABV below 6.5%. Damian is somewhat similar to Darkness but you don’t get the stone fruit notes and the chocolate notes seems to be more prevalent in “The Child of Darkness.”

img_1913Darkness will round out the lineup being released into the wild October 17th, a couple of days after Darkness Day. There should be quite a bit of this available this year unlike in years past, which has always been a gripe of those among the Surly Nation. People have often accused the brewery of brewing a limited supply to keep up with demand, but that’s not the case according to Johnson. “The only thing that has kept us from brewing this amount was capacity. That’s it. We’re excited to be able to provide more of it this year” he says. Todd verified that statement and also added that over the years they’ve really been able to “dial in” the recipe. “It is what it is” Haug says. It took us years to get that recipe down, and brewing more of it has allowed us to do some blending.” Surly Darkness Day will take place on Saturday, October 15th at the usual location, the Brooklyn Center Brewery.

One last note about the 2016 version of Darkness being released in a couple weeks is that it is not barrel-aged. The High West Rye Whiskey barrel-aged version will hit shelves in early 2017 meaning it will get its own release at that time. In the meantime, enjoy these limited fantastic offerings. They won’t last long.

If you go:

Surly Darkness Day

When:

Saturday, October 15th 2016

Where:

4811 Dusharme Drive

Brooklyn Center, MN 55429

Noteworthy Beers from Autumn Brew Review 2016

By on September 18, 2016in beer events, breweries, Dangerous Man Brewing Co., general beer, hops, Indeed Brewing Co., Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, NorthGate Brewing

With so many fantastic beers on display at the 16th annual Autumn Brew Review, it’s hard to choose favorites. Instead I’ve highlighted some that stood out. Here they are:

Whiskey Queen from Indeed Brewing – A smooth Russian Imperial Stout that delivers flavors of bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, stone fruits and oak to the palate.

Twisted Zweig from Forager Brewing – This was probably my favorite beer at the festival. An Imperial Berliner Weisse aged on black currants. Sour, juicy, and extremely drinkable. You’d never know this was an 8% (ABV) beer, which is almost dangerous. This brewery has really impressed me this summer and it would be worth your while to visit them down in Rochester. I was honestly shocked that there wasn’t a line at this booth.

Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout from Dangerous Man – Smooth and creamy milk chocolate with a little bit of heat (alcohol) on the end. It’ll be fun to explore some these barrel-aged beers coming out of Dangerous Man in the coming months.

IWL from Town Hall Brewery – This wheat based lager was very heavy on my two favorite hops—Mosaic and Citra. Another fine creation by Mike Hoops and his team of brewers over at the Seven Corners brewery. There’s a reason it’s the first place I take anyone new to the Twin Cities.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout from NorthGate – Dark stone fruits, chocolate, and bourbon dominated the flavor profile of this one. Nice example of the style for a brewery that focuses on British ales. This one stood out among the many other Imperial Stouts available at ABR.

Cheers!

A Guide to Autumn Brew Review 2016

By on September 15, 2016in breweries, brewpubs

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By Jeremy Zoss

The 16th annual Autumn Brew Review will be held this Saturday, September 17th at the Historic Grain Belt Brewery. Autumn Brew Review (ABR) is one of the largest and oldest beer festivals of the state, and for serious craft beer fans it is considered one of the most important beer events of the year. This guide will help you prepare for the event and maximize your beer-tasting enjoyment.

About Autumn Brew Review

Autumn Brew Review is the largest and longest-running craft beer festival organized by the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild. The non-profit outdoor festival feature unlimited beer tastings from local and national craft breweries, as well as a few ciders, wines, and non-alcoholic samples. Each visitor receives a commemorative tasting glass and guide, and can also enjoy games, food vendors on-site, beer educational sessions and more.

About the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild

The Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild is a trade group for Minnesota breweries. Most Minnesota breweries are members, but not all. The Guild works to promote Minnesota craft beer and to educate consumers about the great beer made in Minnesota. In addition to Autumn Brew Review, the Guild organizes events like Winterfest, All Pints North and the Land of 10,000 Beers exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair.

The Breweries

This year, 135 breweries will be participating in ABR. The list includes established locals like August Schell Brewing Company, Dangerous Man, Fulton, Indeed, Summit, Surly, Town Hall Brewery, and many more. ABR is also a great place to sample beers from some of the state’s younger breweries, including Bald Man Brewing, Disgruntled Brewing, Roundhouse Brewing, Wayzata Brew Works, and other breweries in their first few years of operation.

Of course, not all the breweries at ABR are local. Many heavy-hitting national breweries will participate as well, including Alaskan Brewing Co., Deschutes, Evil Twin, New Belgium, Oscar Blues, Sam Adams, Stone, and more. ABR often serves as the launching pad for national breweries entering the Minnesota market for the first time, and this year is no exception. For many visitors, ABR will be their first exposure to national breweries like California’s Alpine Beer Co., Michigan’s Arcadia Ales, and the Colorado Saison specialists Funkwerks.

The Beer

ABR is more than an excuse to drink large quantities of beer – it’s about quality, too. No matter your tastes, make sure you seek out some hard-to-find brews in your favorite styles. Here are a few of the rare brews this writer hopes to sample at the festival:

  • August Schell’s – Harmony of Spheres, Orbital Drift, and Tidal Disruption Weissbiers
  • Bent Paddle – Double Shot Double Black American Black Ale
  • Dangerous Man – Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout
  • Evil Twin – 2014 From Amager With Love Imperial Stout
  • Funkwerks – Multiple saisons
  • New Belgium – 2016 Le Terrior American Wild Ale
  • Prairie Artisan Ales – Prairie Bomb! Imperial Stout
  • Surly – Barrel-aged Pentagram, Vanilla Oak Aged Darkness, One, Two, Three Anniversary Ales
  • Toppling Goliath – King Sue Imperial IPA

Preparation and Tips

Here’s some advice to help you maximize your enjoyment of ABR:

  • Here’s the most important advice of all: make sure you have arranged a sober driver to pick you up after the event! If you can’t try to travel via public transportation.
  • In advance, make yourself a pretzel necklace. Lace several dozen pretzels on some string to wear around your neck. There will be plenty of food available to purchase at the event, but eating a pretzel between beers will not only keep you from getting too intoxicated, it will help reset your palate between samples.
  • ABR has an app! Grab it from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store and use it to plan your visit.
  • Expect big crowds and long lines. ABR is a big festival, so you will have to wait in lines. You won’t get a chance to try every beer you want, especially those tapping at specific times. Go with the flow, and don’t sweat if you miss out on a hard-to-find beer.
  • Skip the standards. If you’ve had a beer before, don’t ask for a pour. There is only so much time to drink, so focus on seeking out samples from breweries you haven’t visited yet, or exciting new offerings from your favorites.
  • There’s no shame in dumping beer on the ground. Drink every last drop and you’ll be drunk before you know it. Take a few sips and pour the rest – unless of course it’s too delicious to waste!
  • Drink plenty of water. There are rinse stations throughout the event for rinsing glassware, but the water is drinkable. Staying hydrated will keep your palate fresher and stave off intoxication.
  • Remember that festivals aren’t a completely fair way to try beers for the first time. No matter how many pretzels you snack on or water you drink, your palate will be pretty shot by the end of the day. Just because a beer didn’t stand out at ABR doesn’t mean you won’t love it later.
  • Don’t be a dick. Even with long lines and big crowds of people who have been drinking for hours, ABR generally has a pretty chill vibe. Everyone there is united by the love of craft beer, so most visitors get along pretty well. Don’t be the one that ruins the fun.