Category: cooking & food

Badger Hill Brewing and Valley Fair Team Up for High Roller Extra Park Ale

By on May 5, 2016in Badger Hill Brewing, breweries, cooking & food, general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

High roller tap handle

Valley Fair is turning 40 this year and they wanted to celebrate with a special beer offering at the park. The folks at Badger Hill met up with Valley Fair last month to come up with a beer (Extra Pale Ale) that will be available at 3 locations within the park. Those locations are Atomic Beer, Chickie’s and Pete’s, and Depot Refreshments.

The beer will be called High Roller Extra Park Ale and will also be available in the Badger Hill Taproom when the beer is officially released on Friday, May 13th. Oh, and the tap handles are made out of reclaimed wood from the famous High Roller ride that was built back in 1976. The beer checks in at 5.2% ABV and hits 43 on the IBU scale.

Who says that kids get to have all the fun?

Also, The Curious Goat’s little brother The Smoking Cow will be debuting at the Badger Hill Taproom tomorrow (Friday, May 5th) from 4:30 until 8 pm. Ian Gray and Kiri Anderson are the ones behind both of these trucks, and they are known for serving up some of the best locally sourced food around. Heads up: If there’s brisket on the menu, order that. You’ll thank me later.

Cheers!

Modist Brewing Looks to Push Boundaries in the North Loop

By on April 13, 2016in beer education, breweries, cooking & food, education, general beer, grand opening, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

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It took a while, but Modist is looking to change the way we think about beer. First of all, founders Eric Paredes, Kale Anderson, Dan Wellendorf, John Donnelly, and Keigan Knee are all in on some state-of-the-art equipment that gives them efficiencies that other breweries just can’t achieve. “We’ve been able to reach 90 – 98% efficiency with our beers” says Paredes.

This is in reference to the fact that they “pulverize” their grain into a powder and filter it out afterwards rather than having to clean out the mash with a shovel. Essentially they run it through an expensive piece of filtering equipment which produces a cake of the unusable material.

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With the beer (reasonably priced at $3 for a tulip, and $5 for a 20 oz. pour) they hope to change the way we view beer. Paredes went on and on about how he wants people to see beer pair with food the same way that wine does. They aren’t big on making beers to fit into specific styles. Out of the gate they are pouring three beers, pHresh, TOATS, and Calibration Ale which are all very clean.

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PHresh is your sessionable patio beer. It’s described as “a refreshing tart beer” which it certainly will be. The initial batch didn’t quite reach the pH balance they were looking for so it’s not very tart out of the gate, but I’m told the next batch will be. “It’s super drinkable. A gateway sour beer” according to head brewer Keigan Knee.

Toats is my favorite of their initial offerings. People tend to think of robust and roasty Stouts, and a velvety mouthfeel with oat based beers. This one is clean, sessionable, and damn tasty with a citrus kick in the nose. A perfect example that the color your beer does not determine the bitterness, nor the alcohol content of your beverage.

Calibration is the first beer that they brewed on their new equipment. Years of homebrew experimentation inspired this one. This tasty sipper clocks in as their highest ABV offering yet at 5.9%. Once again, this is very drinkable and the Pilsner malt comes through nicely lending it a touch of sweetness.

The wait is over and Modist definitely lives up to the hype. With those prices, Twins fans are going to be very happy.

Grand Opening

Friday, April 15th 3:00 PM

Modist Brewing

505 N 3rd Street

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Cheers!

Finnegan’s Releases Hoppy Shepherd

By on March 4, 2016in breweries, charity, contest, cooking & food, general beer, hops, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, Summit Brewing Co.

Finnegan's

Jacquie Berglund founded Finnegan’s back in 2000 with the hopes of turning beer into food. Her organization donates 100% of profits to feed the hungry in the communities where their beer is sold. They’ve made a few different styles over the years (their beers are contract brewed at Summit) and they have all been very solid. The latest from Finnegan’s is a Session Ale called Hoppy Shepherd.

I was impressed with this addition to their lineup (although Dead Irish Poet is still my favorite) as it explores the interesting trend of hoppy session beers. I’m a sucker for these “hop forward” styles and this one lives up to that billing. Think lots of citrus with lightly toasted cracker from the malt. I’d suggest choosing this as you fire up the grill this spring and know that you’re not only feeding yourself, but also members of your community.

Speaking of community, Finnegan’s is partnering with local chefs this month in support of MN FoodShare’s Hunger Awareness Month. The theme….Food Fight. How it works is that chefs are asked to come up with a menu item using one of Finnegan’s beers and sell it at their restaurant for the month of March, and then donating a portion of that to profit. Voting will happen through the entire month with the winner receiving a free weekend at Chase on the Lake Resort. Check out the participants below.

• Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse – Chef Joe Bennett

• The Local – Chef Vincent Francoual

• Green Mill (Uptown, Lakeville, Eagan and Albert Lee)- Chefs Eric Heidelberger, Sammy Gonzalez, Danielle Puhle, Derek Oakland

• Le Town Talk Diner – Chef Ozzy Amelotti

• Pat’s Tap and the Red Stag- David Robinson (Pat’s Tap), Chefs Brian Krouch & Andrew Erenst (Red Stag)

• The Minneapolis Club – Chef Hakan Lundberg

• FireLake Grill House and Cocktail Bar (MOA and Downtown Mpls) Chefs Dinesh Jayawardena and Jim Kyndberg

• Jake O’Connors and O’Donovan’s- Chris Oxley

Cheers!

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!

Sociable Cider Werks and The Curious Goat Offer Unique Valentine’s Day Experience

By on February 7, 2016in beer dinners, beer events, cask beer, cooking & food, food pairing, general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, tap rooms

sociable

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be boring. If you want a unique experience, you may want to pick up tickets for the Valentine’s Day Dinner at Sociable Cider Werks. For $45 a person, you will experience a three course dinner prepared by the talented folks at The Curious Goat.

Each course will be paired with a special cider and the setting will be special in that you will be sitting back by the tanks in the cellar room. The menu looks superb and it finishes with a drool inducing chocolate cake with rum almond creme fraiche and chestnuts—paired with a cherry vanilla cask cider. Check out the menu below and grab your tickets here.

Course One:
Seared cheese curds and salami salad paired with single hop speciality Hop-A-Wheelie
Course Two:
Braised short rib with creamy polenta, fingerling potatoes and crispy leeks paired with Fat Bike Mulled Apple
Course Three:
Chocolate cake with rum almond creme fraiche and chestnuts paired with Cherry Vanilla Spoke Wrench Cask

Cheers!