Category: new beer

Brew Day at Surly: $pice Boyz Lager Beer Camp Collaboration with Sierra Nevada

By on May 5, 2017in Beer Ingredients, breweries, general beer, new beer, Surly Brewing Co., tap rooms

Last Friday I had a rare opportunity to spend the day at Surly for a brew day with Michael Palmer from Sierra Nevada for their Beer Camp collaboration. The beer is called $pice Boyz, a lager infused with ginger and cayenne—aged on oak, and appearing on tap at the Surly Beer Hall. The Sierra Nevada version was brewed a couple months ago and will be released in the Beer Camp 12 pack. Their version was simply named Ginger Lager.

“All three of us came up with the idea for this beer” says Surly co-head brewer Jerrod Johnson. “We wanted to make a beer that would age well. We figured all the other folks would be making bigger beers, and we wanted to make something more sessionable.”

Ben Smith is the other co-head brewer at Surly and he was excited to work with Sierra Nevada on this project. “Their [Sierra Nevada] hospitality is second to none. Everyone there is a professional, and it was cool to see” says Smith. We wanna be stewards of the industry and it was a great experience.” He reiterated what Jerrod said about wanting to make something that was easy to drink. “We made some assumptions about what the others were going to do. They were doing sippers. Let’s make something simple but unique.” Jerrod and I have always wanted to do a ginger beer.”

How did this all come together? Well, it started when I ran into Michael, Jerrod, Ben, and Josh Lemke (brewer at Surly) at Grumpy’s in Northeast last Thursday evening. They suggested that I come in for a brew day at the Brooklyn Center Brewery. You don’t pass up an opportunity to brew with two of the best breweries out there.

The brew day began with a Red Bull courtesy of Josh. He mashed in while Ben and Jerrod held a meeting in back. Mike joined Josh and I on the brew deck and performed the ceremonial adding of the hops.

Ben and Jerrod joined in while we chatted about brewing and all the fun new beers that Surly has coming. Ben, Michael, and I sampled some of those beers to see how they were coming along.

Then it was back to the brew deck where we checked in on the boil. Josh was busy monitoring the progress of the batch. I chatted with Jerrod before he had to skip over to Surly MSP for a meeting.

Ben and I then bellied up in the old taproom and talked about Sierra Nevada, the collaboration beer, and life in general. He tells me that the Surly version of the beer will be a taproom only release starting in June and that the SN version will be included in the Beer Camp 12 pack, also in June.

Back out in the brewery Josh was manning the kettle and also took some time to change up the music in the brewery. Heavy metal would be the music of choice. Ben joined him on the deck to perform another hop addition while I was “busy” SnapChatting the process.

The crew then broke for lunch and that’s where my day there ended. The experience was fantastic, and the Surly brewing team is group of true professionals that know exactly what they’re doing. It almost seemed too easy. I guess that’s what you’d expect from one of the most respected breweries here in the country.

One thing is certain, you’re gonna want to stop in at the Surly Beer Hall in June for the $pice Boyz release. Just make sure you don’t break out in full Spice Girl mode….That would just be awkward.

Cheers!

Dangerous Man and Electric Fetus Collaborate on Single Hop IPA Record Store Day Beer

By on April 20, 2017in Dangerous Man Brewing Co., general beer, new beer, tap rooms

A few years ago, Electric Fetus owner Aaron Meyerring was trying to bring in some more stuff to sell for Record Store Day—a day that kicks off the spring/summer festivities here and around the country. He decided that he wanted to work with a local brewery and Dangerous Man stepped right up. “They’re great people over there and it’s been a great partnership” he says. The record store sells some Dangerous man merchandise and the brewery makes an exclusive beer for this day. Unfortunately, they can’t serve it at the south Minneapolis retailer, but if you bring your Electric Fetus receipt in to the brewery you’ll get a dollar off a pint of the beer.

Meyerring wishes they could serve the beer but notes that they don’t want to take away from what Record Store Day is about. “We didn’t want to make Record Store Day a beer fest or anything like that” he says. The beer itself is Single Hop IPA brewed with Eureka hops. Vinyl collector and Dangerous Man Operations Manager Hilari Bandow describes the flavor of the beer. “Black Currants, pine, dark fruits, slight citrus and herbal notes from the hops blanket the aroma and flavors of this ale. Crisp, clean simple malts round out the backbone to keep the balance all in check.”

New merch at the store will include some official Prince (a known supporter of Electric Fetus) merchandise not available anywhere else in the world. A year ago Aaron had the opportunity to attend Prince’s last show in Atlanta. “We got call saying Prince would like you to come to his show in Atlanta. It was an opportunity you can’t pass up.”

An opportunity he’s sure to remember for the rest of his days.

Here’s the schedule for Saturday:

Music schedule:
10:00 a.m. – DJ Jake Rudh of Transmission
Noon – Marah in the Mainsail
1:30 p.m. – Sims
3:00 p.m. – Flipp
4:30 p.m. – Monica LaPlante

Peace Coffee will be on hand outside the store before we open.
Heggies Pizza will have breakfast pizza for those in line, starting at 7 a.m.
Glam Doll Donuts will have tasty treats inside at 9 a.m.
Natedogs and Chef Shack Ranch Minneapolis food trucks will be on site behind the store starting at 10 a.m.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Relax in the Red Bull Sound Select lounge behind the store and check out the rockin’ kids’ craft area in the lounge…
DJ FunSize spins tunes
Cool activities for kids including projects recycling old vinyl, design your own album cover and more!
Warner Music Group will be here with posters and other free goodies behind the store.

Pick up your coupon for the special Electric Fetus Record Store Day beer at Dangerous Man Brewing Co all day Saturday.

Thanks to these additional sponsors:
Twin Town Guitars, Audioengine

Check out the list of Record Store Day exclusives here in PDF or web form:
https://electricfetus.tuneportals.com/NewsItem/4134
We can’t guarantee what we’ll have, but we’ve tried to get in as many as possible.

Cheers!

Inbound and Modist Celebrating One Year in the North Loop

By on April 12, 2017in breweries, general beer, MN, Modist Brewing, new beer, tap rooms

Two of the breweries that make up the new brewery hot spot in town are celebrating one year anniversaries. Both events are free to the public but you’ll wanna get there early because the parking can be cumbersome in the North Loop.
Modist will celebrate on Saturday with a bash that will include live music, live painting, a beer release, and fundraiser supporting Free Arts MN. The Curious Goat is the food truck in residence and will be there selling food all day. Their anniversary beer will be a bright pink kettle sour fruited milkshake IPA called Turbulent Juice.

Details:
We’re having a Music Concert, Live Painting, Beer Release, Free Arts MN Fundraiser Party!

Our first year in almost in the books, and it’s already been a crazy ride. Now it’s time to celebrate. On April 15th, 2017, we’re going have 4 live music acts, and have 8 artists create live art on large canvases, and release a crazy beer – all while raising funds for Free Arts Minnesota. There will also be a dunk tank.

The music lineup will feature 4 MN artists, including:

– The 4onthefloor (9 PM)
– Greg Grease (8 PM)
– Sarah White (7 PM)
– Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band (4 PM)

and DJ sets by:
– Sophia Eris (5 PM)
– Mike 2600 (also the designer of our First Call cans 🙂 (10 PM)

And it’s all hosted by Go953MN’s Auggie 5000!

Alongside the musicians, 8 LOCAL ARTISTS will each be creating a piece on 4′ x 4′ canvas that will be auctioned off to the benefit of Free Arts MN, an organization that supports the artistic and personal development of youths in challenging circumstances.

Some of the artists involved, include:

– Wes Winship of Burlesque of North America(also the designer of our DREAMYARD cans)
– DWITT
– Artists from Rogue Citizen, including Lizardman, Dalsen, and Blaster
– Erin Sayer
– Joy Spika
-Meduza

We’re also helping out Free Arts MN by having an Art Supplies Drive. If you’re in the giving spirit, here is a list of supplies they’re in need of. Please bring something from the list along with you on the 15th:

-glue sticks
-scotch/masking/duct tape
-canvas paper/multi-media paper
-t-shirts
-drawing pencils
-kneaded erasers
-sharpies
-cardstock paper

We’ll also be releasing another one-of-a-kind beer. It’s still a secret. More details soon!

We’re going to have custom birthday donuts from Sssdude-Nutz!

We’re going to have a make your own button station from SiK PiN!

We’re going to have a dunk tank!

Inbound will celebrate next Saturday (April 22nd) with live music, a Berliner Weisse release, one-off beer infusions, and games. Mighty Axe Hops will also be on-site to talk about locally grown hops. The Outlaw Grill will also be there serving food at the event.
Details:
Thanks for joining us on our journey into beer. This celebration is all for you. You’ve been through the seasons with us, drank all 55 beers we’ve released, and you continue to impress us with your ability to pack our taproom each and every day.

It’s been a wild ride, but we’re excited celebrate 1 Year of Beer together.

Let’s Party:

11am: Taproom Opens
12pm: Live Jams by Alex Rossi Music
12pm: The Outlaw Grill-Food Truck
1pm: Free Brewery Tours [Every hour, on the hour. 20 slots per tour. Sign up in the Merch Shop. Must have close-toed shoes.]
2pm: Local Vendors – Mighty Axe Hops & Brewing a Better Forest
7pm: Live Jams by DJ Adatrak
12am: The party ends, but come back tomorrow for Sunday Funday!

Beer:

20+ craft beers will be on tap
New Beer Release – Berliner Weisse
Tons of new infusions

Games:

Life size jenga
Bean Bags
Tons of board games

Outdoor patio will be open (pending weather)
Minnesota Twins game is at 1:10pm
It’s Earth Day, so learn a little about locally grown hops from Mighty Axe Hops or donate to Brewing a Better Forest and help water local trees.

Happy birthday to both breweries!

Cheers!

Early Summer Beer Preview

By on March 31, 2017in Fair State Brewing, general beer, mnbeer.com, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co.

Warm weather is just around the corner and there are plenty of new local beer options hitting store shelves soon. Summit is releasing a Boundary Waters twelve pack while Surly is going year-round with their Xtra Citra release. Steel Toe will be releasing Sommer Vice and Fair State just released their Du Pounde and Pilsner. We tried these out with our thoughts below.

Summit Wit – This is going to be a hit on those 90 degree days. It’s got all the things you look for in the style. Spices, citrus, and those nice bubblegum notes from the Belgian yeast drive this beer. A perfect replacement for that Blue Moon sitting in the back of your fridge. This is part of the Boundary Waters twelve pack.

Summit Hefeweizen – It’s back! This is a well-balanced Hefe with some nice banana and clove notes that aren’t as overpowering as some of the other options out there. Not my favorite example of a Hefeweizen but it’s certainly tasty. This can also be found in the Boundary Waters pack.

Steel Toe Sommer Vice – This is one of my favorite local examples of a Hefeweizen. Big clove and bubblegum flavors in this hazy beer set it apart from some of the others. This will hit the taproom and store shelves in May. My only issue is that I want this in cans. One 22 oz. bomber won’t do the trick. (Notes for this were taken from last year. The recipe will be the same I’m told)

Fair State Du Pounde – Centennial hops give this a nice floral character in the nose and contributes a nice dose of citrus in every sip. This wheat based beer also utilizes a French Saison yeast which provides a slight funk to this one. Fill your cooler with this at your picnic or graduation party and you’ll be the most popular person there.

Surly Xtra Citra – Session beers are still growing in popularity, here and around the country. Xtra Citra is Surly’s version of the style and it doesn’t dissapoint. In fact, this is my favorite local session beer along with Size 4 from Steel Toe. Huge citrus flavor with a light body, and for the low price of $6.99 a four pack this should be in your fridge all summer long. I’m told this will also be available in twelve packs of 12 oz. cans around Memorial Day.

Summit Keller Pils – They say the best way to judge the quality of a brewery is by trying their Pilsner. This is because it’s near impossible to mask any off flavors in this style of beer. Well Summit hit a home run with this offering and I dare you to find a better local option outside of Schell’s. This is easily the best new recipe (debuted last year) from the 30-year-old brewery in St. Paul. Be sure to soak your brats in that cheap domestic stuff and save this for sipping out by the grill. This is available in twelve packs and can also be found in the Boundary Waters pack.

Fair State Pils – A nice, dry Pilsner with earthy aromas and a heavy addition of Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Not quite on the same level as the Schell’s Pils, but certainly worth a spot in your cooler on a fishing trip. Drink this one as cold as possible.

 

Cheers!

Starkeller Now Open in New Ulm

By on March 5, 2017in August Schell Brewing Co., general beer, grand opening, new beer, tap rooms

It’s finally here. The all sour taproom headed up by Jace Marti (of Schell’s) was given the go ahead from the TTB recently and they’ve opened the doors and are ready to serve (check their social media for hours) their popular Berliner Weiss beers. “This story began in 1919. Prohibition happened, so for 13 years we were making soda” according to Jace. He is of course referring to those beautiful cypress tanks they purchased (and repurposed for the Starkeller) back in 1936 which were much cheaper than their steel counterparts. “We couldn’t afford new equipment after prohibition so we installed wooden tanks instead of steel ones.” The vessels were used at Schell’s from 1936 until 1991, mostly for Deer Brand Lager.

One might ask why they decided to use these cypress tanks from 1936 at the new space. Well there are a couple of reasons. For one, they’re gorgeous, rare, and they add a ton of character to the space. “These are the last 10 tanks like this in the world” says Marti.  Another reason is that the bacteria and brettanomyces being used at the brewery like a tiny bit of oxygen which steel tanks can’t provide on their own. The cypress tanks breathe a little which allows a very small amount of oxygen in without ruining the beer.

Why Berliner Weiss? Schell’s has always made traditional German style lagers but Jace wanted to do something a little bit different. So he went to Berlin to learn about a style of beer they were brewing over there that had roots in other parts of Europe. “The French brought the sour technique that they learned in Belgium over to Berlin” he says.

The second oldest family run brewery in the country is once again changing the way we think about beer. From Belgium to Berlin, and now to New Ulm. Welcome to Sour Country.

 

Cheers!