Category: Surly Brewing Co.

(Todd) The Axe Man Cometh

By on July 24, 2015in breweries, Surly Brewing Co.
Surly_todd-the-axe-man_logo
He doesn’t really look much like Lee Marvin, does he? In any case, next week our friends at Surly Brewing Company will be add a new canned beer to their lineup – Todd The Axe Man. Todd The Axe Man is a West Coast IPA brewed with Golden Promise malt and plenty of Citra and Mosaic hops. Dare I say it’s a tasty IPA? It has been a favorite in the Surly Beer Hall and now you’ll be able to find it in cans across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago starting next week.
Todd The Axe Man was first brewed as collaboration with Amager Brgyhus in Denmark in 2014. Amager chose the name in honor of Todd’s other gig as a (musical) axe-slinger. Perhaps Powermad rings a bell?
Surly will be celebrating the launch of Todd The Axe Man on Monday July 27 at Pat’s Tap in Minneapolis starting at 3pm, http://surlybrewing.com/events/todd-the-axe-man-can-release-party-at-pats-tap/

Opens Friday 5/22 – The Brewer’s Table at Surly Brewing Co.

By on May 20, 2015in bars/restaurants, breweries, general beer, Surly Brewing Co.
Tea Egg

Tea Egg at The Brewer’s Table (Photo: DD)

Located in the upper level of the brewery, The Brewer’s Table, Surly’s fine-dining sibling to the Beer Hall & Restaurant, opens this Friday and offers patrons a more ambitious menu and more intimate setting than what is found downstairs.

Creating the fine dining experience at a brewery has been a welcome challenge for both Executive Chef Jorge Guzman and Head Brewer Todd Haug; each of them masters of their craft, now tasked with innovating while also keeping the pairing of food and beer in the back of their minds.

The results of that collaboration are outstanding and belie the modest price point.  Entrees on the menu will be changed regularly and range in price from $10 to $25.  The most intriguing option, in my opinion is the $15 Beer and  Bump, where the diner has no clue what they’re getting other than is is a food paired with a beer.  I’m a sucker for a surprise.

A five-course food and beer pairing can be had for $75. You could combine your own, but you’ll be well-served to leave it to the experts. The pairing of Pentagram with beets & foie gras was an exercise in perfectly contrasting flavors. The tea egg paired with Cynic was a piece of art – a soft-boiled egg, steeped in black tea and a charcoal mixture to give a marbled appearance – and showed just how versatile that stalwart of Surly’s lineup is.

Octopus

Octopus & Chorizo @ The Brewer’s Table (Photo: DD)

While the butter-soft pork jowl is a must-have, I will go out of my way to have the octopus and chorizo again.  Spicy and smoky with a perfect texture one would not expect from a cephalopod, it was perfectly complemented by an Overrated West Coast IPA.

A different experience in different parts of the building – to paraphrase Surly Hospitality Director Linda Haug – is what Surly is offering patrons with their tours, Event Center, Beer Hall & Restaurant, and The Brewer’s Table. With the opening of the latter, the Surly vision is complete and ready to be had.

 

 

 

The Brewer's Table at Surly Brewing

(Photo: DD)

 

The Brewer’s Table

520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

Reservations via OpenTable can be made here.

Hours:

Wednesday & Thursday: 5-10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 5-11 p.m.

Phone: 763-999-6526
Email: brewers.table@surlybrewing.com

 

 

Surly Doomtree Cans Debut Today

By on February 25, 2015in bars/restaurants, breweries, Surly Brewing Co.

doomtreecanFans of Surly and/or Doomtree take note: Surly Doomtree cans will be available for the first time in Minnesota later today at The Depot Tavern as part of Doomtree’s First Avenue pre-party event. If you were fortunate enough to get your hands on tickets to tonight’s sold-out show, you’ll also be able to drack open a can of Doomtree at the show.

What’s that? You didn’t get tickets for the show? You may be in luck, friend – there will also be ticket giveaways for the sold out show at 6pm.

Look for cans around the state starting next week.

Here’s the description of the beer, courtesy of Dessa:

Surly started with some homebrewing in a garage. Doomtree started with some noisemaking in a basement. Careful what you do in your spare time in your spare rooms, man. That stuff just might take over your whole life.

A decade later, Doomtree meets Surly. Instant crush. We’re both indie and strong-willed. We love Minnesota and we’re allergic to focus groups. We don’t have a formal professional outfit between us.

We convene at the brewery to scheme. Working in extreme secrecy, we decided to make a beer team Surly suggests, a “bastardized style” that will build on a classic, but buck convention. Doomtree cannot nod vigorously enough. We know this style. Guided by instinct, we came up with this dark gold, toasty, aromatic, subtly spicy, bitter enough, dry-hopped brew. Best enjoyed cold, in a spare room, with new friends.

WHAT: Surly Brewing debuts Surly Doomtree cans
WHERE: The Depot, 17 N. 7th Street, Minneapolis
WHEN: Wednesday, February 25, 4pm – close

The New Surly Brewery & Beer Hall Opens Friday

By on December 15, 2014in grand opening, Surly Brewing Co.

surlyeeee

They’ve talked and planned and dug and poured and cleaned up for what seems like forever, but we’re excited to note that the new Surly brewery celebrates its grand opening THIS FRIDAY starting at 11am. Excited? Read on.

We’re proud of ’em. Some time after MNBeer.com got it’s start a little over 9 years ago, we began to hear talk of a new brewery in Brooklyn Park… or was it Brooklyn Center? Heh. A couple of long-haired (Sorry, I don’t have any shots of Omar with long hair.) dudes were going to be offering up two beers – a hoppy red ale of sorts and something similar to a brown ale or porter. These guy were going to open the first new brewery in quite some time, and we were excited to be a part of it… as were our 50 readers. 🙂 Beer fans got their first taste of Furious and Bender at Winterfest that year. We were all impressed. Little did we know that they’d blow up.

Friday, our old friends open their new brewery to the public. We’re guessing you’ll be there… if not Friday, soon. The Beer Hall and kitchen swing their doors open at 11am on Friday. Look for 12+ Surly beers on tap and of course a full-service food menu courtesy of chef Jorge Guzman. If you can’t make it Friday, regular hours will be 11am – 11pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am – 12am Friday and Saturday.

Congratulations guys. You’ve worked your asses off for this. We’re glad to have been friends since day one.

…and Omar, you look better with short hair. Just sayin’. 🙂

If you go…The brewery is located at 520 Malcolm Avenue SE in Minneapolis. Yes there’s parking, and yes there are plenty of bike racks. They’re also a short walk from the Green Line. For the first weekend, MN Transit is offering free public transport from 6pm – 3am on Friday the 19th and 10am-3am on Saturday the 20th. Follow this HERE link for the downloadable free pass that you’ll need to print out.

 

Surly Doomtree Day Details

By on November 25, 2014in bars/restaurants, Surly Brewing Co.
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You wanted details on Surly Doomtree Day? You’ve got Surly Doomtree Day info… As you know, Surly Doomtree Day will be a special curated bar crawl around Minneapolis and St. Paul to kickoff the Surly Doomtree collaboration and the release of the draft beer. Your friends from Surly and Doomtree will lead two busses of fans and friends on dueling bar crawls in St. Paul and Minneapolis, ending with a special invite-only Doomtree performance at an undisclosed location.

 

Yes, there will be opportunities to win tickets to that performance.

 

Dedicated Doomtree fans who purchased a full Blowout ticket pack will be joined by Doomtree and the gang from Surly. Didn’t buy tickets? Fear not. You’re encouraged to meet up with the pub crawl at various locations to try the beer and hang out. At each stop, they’ll be giving away a handful of tickets for the exclusive show as well as some of the Blowout shows.

 

…and yes, you can still get on the bus. Of course you’ll need to win those tickets. Keep your eyes on social media over the course of the next week or so for your chance to win.

 

Minneapolis bar crawl:
– 2:30pm, Muddy Waters
– 4:00pm, The Depot Tavern
– 5:30pm, Red Stag Supper Club

 

St. Paul bar crawl:
– 2:30pm, Billy’s on Grand
– 4:00pm, Pizza Luce
– 5:30pm, Grumpy’s Roseville
– 7:00pm, Exclusive Doomtree Show (invite only)

 

…and as a side note, dare I speculate where the show might take place? Perhaps somewhere partway between Minneapolis and St. Paul? Like maybe a destination brewery? Inquiring minds want to know…
So much for that theory. I’ve been told that the brewery definitely won’t host the show. It was a nice thought, anyway…