Category: Fitger’s Brewhouse

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest Saturday

As I write this, tickets are still available for Saturday’s Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. In its short history, the event has quickly become Minnesota’s premiere Winter (…er Spring?) festival with a finely-curated list of rare, one-off and specialty beers from 30 select breweries from Minnesota and across the country. Suffice to say that this event includes plenty of excellent food, entertainment and more.

I am, of course, a dumbass and won’t be there so here are Five beers I’ll really f&#@ing miss from this year’s Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival:

  • Indeed Wooden Soul: Ephemeral
  • August Schell Electric Empress
  • Fitger’s Brewhouse Tequila Barrel 1100 Wheatwine
  • Bemidji Brewing Flanders Sour Red
  • Steel Toe Brewing Before the Dawn with Tart Cherries

That being said, there are a lot of interesting beers. Learn more by checking out the program or visiting their website.

Download the program here.

Buy your tickets here.

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest, Saturday, March 11th, 7-10pm.
Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul

Places and Events to Check out Over All Pints North Weekend

All Pints North is one of the best beer fests held here in Minnesota for a few reasons. The first reason is that Duluth is one of the most picturesque cities in all of Minnesota, and there isn’t a better city to host such an event. The second reason is that Duluth is home to my favorite bar scene, partially due to all of the music that takes place on stages big and small across town. The third reason is that the beers that breweries bring to this event are some of the best being made here locally.

While the main event is always going to be the beer festival, you owe it to yourself to make a weekend out of it and check out the town on Friday. If you see me around, be sure to say hello. I’ve highlighted some of the events going on the night before the big event.
All Pints Eve Hootenanny at Bent Paddle – This event starts at 2 pm on Friday and will feature some rare beers which will of course include Double Shot Double Black. There will be a happy hour (3-5 pm) with 90.9 The Current which will be followed by bands from 7-11 pm.

Fulton Beer Presents This is a Cool Party at Pizza Lucé Duluth – Admission to this event (9:30 pm until midnight) is free and it will feature the bands Reflectivore and Dem Atlas. Grab a few beers and some pizza and prepare to party.

All Pints Eve at Sir Ben’s Tavern on the Lake – Live music, a restaurant pop up, and special tapping highlight this event on Friday from 4 – 9 pm. Beers from NorthGate, Bauhaus, Surly, Indeed, Castle Danger, Schell’s, Fair State, Dangerous Man, 612Brew, Beaver Island, and Bent Paddle will all be available for purchase. There will also be games and a kombucha station.

The Rathskeller at Tycoon’s – It’s no secret that this basement hangout is the place to be over the weekend. The Rathskeller is where people in the beer community hang and with good reason. The beer selection is top notch, and the whiskey is some of the best you’ll find around town. One thing to note is that the fire code dictates that only a certain number of people can be down there (it’s in the basement of Tycoon’s) so you may have to wait in a line to get in.

Places to eat over the weekend include Duluth Grill (fantastic breakfast), Northern Waters Smokehaus, Fitger’s Brewhouse, New Scenic Café, Tycoon’s, and Taste of Saigon.

And finally some pro advice: Don’t overdo it on Friday night or Saturday might be daunting. I’ve done this a few times. Perhaps I’ll never learn…

Cheers!

Congrats to Minnesota GABF Winners

GABFI don’t need to tell you that Minnesota brewers make some very good beer. Yesterday at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Minnesota brewers walked away with seven medals. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is the country’s premiere beer festival and competition organized by the Brewers Association. Taking home a medal is a big deal. Congrats to our local winners and everyone involved in the event!

Silver medal winners:

Bronze medal winners:

See the full list of Great American Craft Beer Festival winners:

https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/