Category: hops

Summit Celebrates 30 Years With Double IPA

By on March 12, 2016in history, hops, mnbeer.com, new beer, Summit Brewing Co.

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Back in 1983, Summit founder Mark Stutrud received a letter from The American Brewers Association. It read:

My dear Mr. Stutrud:
Thank you for your letter, and I note that you are working on a feasibility study on establishing a Micro-Brewery in the Twin Cities area.
Please know that I am not encouraging you to do so, because it is a long and hard road that you are planning to go down.
You did say that you would like to receive an Application for Membership, and it is enclosed.
With all best wishes, I remain
Sincerely,
William O’Shea

Now Summit is celebrating 30 years (They first opened in 1986) and they are releasing four different beers throughout the year to celebrate. The first is a Double IPA (sold in 4 packs of 16 oz cans) checking in at 101 IBUS. Tropical fruits dominate with a strong backing of Pale malt which bumps the ABV of this one to 8.5%.

I remember when I first tried Summit EPA years ago and I thought it was way too bitter. Summit brought us a taste of the craft beer movement that was going on out in California and to this day I still consider Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Summit EPA the standards for that style.

To that I raise you a glass Summit, and hope you see many, many more years of success.

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!

Five Beers to Try at Winterfest

By on February 25, 2016in August Schell Brewing Co., beer education, beer events, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, brewpubs, cask beer, Fulton Brewing Co., general beer, hops, Junkyard Brewery, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, misc. mn beer, MN

Winterfest2016

If you are fortunate enough to attend the 15th annual Winterfest on either Friday or Saturday, you are sure to get a taste of some of the best locally made brews. Here are some of the highlights for both nights.

Friday:

Apricot Vista from August Schell Brewing Company – The latest in the Noble Star collection was aged for a year before Jace dropped 4,800 pounds of apricots in the tank. That tank by the way is from 1936 and will be on display at Star Keller when it opens in May.

Cherry Double Shot Double Black from Bent Paddle Brewing – This Bourbon barrel-aged version of their Black Ale received an infusion of cherries along with double shots of Madagascar Vanilla and Cold-Press. Have we mentioned that the Cold-Press comes from Duluth Coffee Company? Enough said.

Cabernet Barrel-Aged Belgian Dark Strong Ale from Dangerous Man – This is one of my favorite beers that they’ve made over at their Northeast brewery. Stone fruits and sweet caramel are prominent in this complex brew that was aged for almost a year in an oak Cabernet barrel. Let this one warm up a bit in your hand a little while and you’ll be rewarded.

300 from Fulton Brewing – All that really needs to be said about this brew is that it’s one of the best locally made IPAs. Expect blueberry and tropical fruits on top of a clean Pilsner malt base. Somehow the folks at Fulton are making this happen year-round and you won’t hear me complain.

Blackberry Gose from Junkyard Brewing – This Blackberry Sour Ale looks interesting and will be a nice change of pace from all of the really big beers being poured at the festival. Gose is an ancient German style of beer that goes back 1,000 years, and is unique in that it was traditionally brewed with salty water. Junkyard is based up in Moorhead so this also serves as a grand opportunity to get an introduction to their brews without the drive.

Saturday:

Imperial Cocoa Hefe from Blacklist Brewing – Chocolate and bananas will be the theme with this German-style Hefeweizen. Blacklist has always made interesting beers and they will now be able to better showcase them in their new space located in downtown Duluth.

Imperial Raspberry Truffle from Lupulin Brewing – I was able to try this version of their Porter at an event recently and I was impressed. The name of this one sums it up, big time chocolate with loads of raspberries. Who needs dessert?

2016 Fiddle Smasher from NorthGate Brewing – NorthGate is now 3 years old and they celebrated by releasing this Scottish Wee Heavy Ale. This version will be served from a cask and it tips the scale at over 8% ABV.

Saaz Pils from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery – Sometimes there is nothing better than a clean Bohemian style Pilsner, especially when it’s made by someone who loves them as much as Mike Hoops does. Saaz hops are known for their spicy and earthy characteristics and they are what define this style of beer. This is one of my favorite styles of beer hands down.

Gin Botanical Freewheeler from Sociable Cider Werks – This cider looks interesting on many levels. For one, this sat in Wander North Distillery’s botanical basket and also on top of a bed of fresh spruce needles. Nothing says Minnesota like evergreens and apples.

Cheers!

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Gearing Up for Barrel Aged Week

By on February 9, 2016in breweries, general beer, hops, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

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Town Hall Brewery has been hosting Barrel Aged Week for seven years now. This is one of the most popular events at the Seven Corners brewpub and it’s a lot of work so it makes sense that they’d dedicate an entire week to celebrate these brews. “These [beers] are a lot of work” says head brewer Mike Hoops. “It’s a lot easier to release them all at once.” February is also a slower month for most bars and restaurants and this was a way to get people to come out of their homes and into the brewpub. Barrel Aged Week will start on Monday, February 15th and run through Saturday, February 20th.

Mike Hoops, Barrel-Aged Week 2014. Photo: Ryan Anderson/MNBeer.com

Mike Hoops, Barrel-Aged Week 2014. Photo: Ryan Anderson/MNBeer.com

They will release about two beers per day (schedule below) at 5 PM all week long on draft and for sale in “mini growlers” and most of them should have a pretty good supply. “There’s a sizeable amount of these. We expect to sell about 150 [mini growlers] of each” says Hoops. Ticket sales are limited for these growlers and will begin on Sunday, February 14th at 10:00 AM.

The lineup looks incredible with one of the highlights being the Trois Vie Series. There are a total of four in the series, all of which spent time in French oak Pinot Noir barrels that had also stored Kentucky bourbon in them. Hence the name “Trois Vie”, or “Barrels with Three Lives.” The grouping includes a Belgian Style Tripel, a Belgian Style Quadrupel, a Barleywine, and an Imperial Stout. All of these will be released on Monday, February 15th.

When should you enjoy these beers? “These beers are aged properly and people should drink them within reasonable time” says Hoops. “Drink them with your friends.”

Great advice from a wise man.

5 p.m., Monday, February 15
• Trois Vie Series — “Barrels with Three Lives”: French oak barrels first housed in California Pinot Noir, then Kentucky bourbon, and finally Town Hall beers.
• No.1 : Belgian Style Tripel
• No. 2: Belgian Style Quadrupel
• No. 3: Barleywine
• No. 4: Imperial Stout

5 p.m., Tuesday, February 16
• Foolish Angel — Belgian Style Quadrupel aged in both Blanton’s and Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels.
• Cuvee of Consequence — Belgian Style Strong Saison aged in California Chardonnay barrels, then finished with a touch ofbitter orange peel.

5 p.m., Wednesday, February 17
• Manhattan Reserve — Belgian Style Grand Cru with red tart cherries, aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbonbarrels.
• E.T. Wee — Scottish Style Wee Heavy aged in Elmer T. Lee Bourbon barrels.

5 p.m., Thursday, February 18
• Project 3106 — Belgian Style Bruin aged with Belgian chocolate and kumquats in Four Roses Bourbonbarrels.
• Buffalo Bock — German Style Weizenbock aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels.

5 p.m., Friday, February 19
• Maple Brownstone — American Style Double Brown with Town Hall’s brewmaster’s own maple syrup, agedin Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey barrels.

11 a.m., Saturday, February 20
• Twisted Trace — Barleywine aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels.

Cheers!

Fair State Debuting First Batch in a New Series of Sours

By on January 26, 2016in Fair State Brewing, general beer, hops, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

Bricoleur #1

Bricoleur: One who engages in bricolage.

The folks over at Fair State Brewing are getting themselves into a great number of experiments over at their space on Central Avenue in Northeast. The latest, a series of sours that include Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus, and Brettanomyces in the same stainless steel kettle. The naming convention will be the same with a separate batch number attached to each release. Each batch will have a similar pH level with the goal being to see just how American hops interact with the yeast and bacteria.
Batch number one was kettle soured initially with Brett being introduced during secondary fermentation. Niko Tonks who heads up the brewing operations seems excited to be releasing batch number one. “This was sitting for about 7 weeks before bottling. These beers will never see oak [never spend time in wooden barrels]. We want to let the Brett chew on all of those sugars.”
The beer smacks you in the mouth with bursts of pineapple and other tropical fruits and finishes very dry. Caleb Levar is the assistant brewer and he explains that a lot of the tropical flavors come from the Brett and how it works with the hops in the brew, especially the Nelson Sauvin variety. “I’m quite enamored with this beer” he says.
Where can you find this? Well, it will be on draft at the taproom and limited at other locations, but will also be available in bottles at the taproom ($15 each and no limit) beginning at 4:00 pm this Thursday, January 28th. They filled 1,550 bottles in total and whatever doesn’t sell at the taproom will be distributed to liquor stores. “We’re really happy to be pushing this stuff out to liquor stores” says Tonks. Niko also mentioned that they will be pouring this one at Winterfest which is coming up on February 26th and 27th.
You’ll probably want to grab one to enjoy now and one to save for later. “I’m always a proponent of drinking these beers right away, but this one will change over time” says Levar.
Bricoleur #1
18 IBUs
5.3 % ABV
3.65 pH
Hops used: Citra, Equinox, and Nelson Sauvin

Cheers!