News & Updates

A (Short) Tale of Two Taprooms – Pryes and Unmapped

By on June 15, 2017in Bad Weather Brewing Co., Badger Hill Brewing, general beer, Pryes Brewing Co., Unmapped Brewing Co.

Two new taprooms Saturday?

Pryes Brewing Co. made their debut in the Twin Cities nearly three years ago. Brewer/owner Jeremy Pryes started with just one beer, Miraculum, which he first brewed professionally at the old Lucid (North Loop BrewCo) facility in Minnetonka under an alternating proprietorship model. You nerds playing along at home may recall that both Badger Hill and Bad Weather Brewing got their start there as well. This Saturday, you’ll be able to enjoy Pryes Brewing beers at their Near-North neighborhood brewery at 1401 West. River Road in Minneapolis. As others have espoused, they have “plenty of parking,” but if you ask this bike dork, it just seems right to bike to the brewery. Bonus (big bonus, really), there should be some excellent food coming out of the kitchen at Pryes Brewing as well… according to our friend Dara, they’ve built a full-on commercial kitchen with Red Wagon at the helm for the first three months. Things are looking good. Congrats Pryes!

Pryes Brewing Taproom Grand Opening
Saturday, June 17th, 11am – midnight
Regular taproom hours: Thursdays 4-11pm,  Fridays 3-midnight, Saturdays 11-midnight
1401 West River Road N, Minneapolis, MN 55411

 

 

Unmapped Brewing Company will also have a soft opening on Saturday. Unmapped has quietly been building out a brewery in place of the century-old Kraemer’s TrueValue Hardware in Minnetonka. Minnetonka’s first taproom is located near the intersection of Excelsior Blvd. and Eden Prairie Road, not far from Gold Nugget. Husband and wife team JD and Megan Park are Minnetonka natives and aim to offer a “year-round lineup of flagship ‘Belgian & Stateside Ales'” as well as a variety of other special and limited-release beers.

At the helm of the brewery is our old friend Derek Allmendinger (@lutherhaus) who was an old-school Minnesota beer blogger and homebrewer.  Derek went to brewing school and then jumped into professional brewing, cutting his teeth at Summit Brewing, Schell’s, Surly and Excelsior Brewing. Derek brings a wealth of experience to this new brewery and we’re excited to see what he cranks out at Unmapped!

Unmapped Brewing Company
Opens Saturday, June 17th, noon-11pm, Sunday noon-8pm.
Regular taproom hours starting June 20th: 3-10pm Monday-Thursday, noon-11pm Friday and Saturday, noon-8pm Sunday
14625 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka 55345

St. Paul Summer Beer Festival

By on May 23, 2017in general beer
Dave Hoops, St. Paul Summer Beer Fest... I think....

Meet fine folks… like these guys!

Friends. I can call you that, right? One of my favorite festivals of the summer is coming up very quickly, the 9th Annual St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. This is your friendly reminder to buy tickets today as I would assume that this event will sell out.

I’m not quite sure how this festival got to be 9, but Juno and Mark’s baby is growing up to be quite the little kiddo’. You probably already know the drill, but in case you don’t, this festival plays host to more than 100 local, regional and national breweries on June 10th at the Int’l Bazaar at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Music, education, beer, food trucks, beer, beer. You should go.

Hours: 2-5 (or 1-5 w/ early admission tickets)
Tickets: $45-60 ($55-70 if available at the gates)
Buy tickets: Here
More info: stpaulsummerbeerfest.com

Video: Damon Bay

Castro’s Reserve to Debut at Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub on Friday

By on May 10, 2017in brewpubs, cooking & food, general beer, misc. mn beer, new beer, Northbound Smokehouse

A cigar smoked beer? Yes, it works. The crew at Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub has a way with smoke, and their latest creation is an Imperial Brown Ale smoked with cigars. Ten of them to be exact. They smoked 20% (100 lbs) of the malt base for five hours and aged the beer in rum barrels. The result is a complex beer with flavors of vanilla, dark cherries, chocolate, and some subtle leather notes. The ABV on this is 8.4% and the IBUs clock in at 32.

Joel Scott is the head brewer at Northbound and the idea came about while he was getting his brewing education at Siebel Institute in Chicago. He had a couple of questions before giving this a go. The first was that he was wondering if he could get the tobacco flavor to come through in the beer. The second was if the beer would taste like an ashtray. The answer to the first question was yes, and no to the second.

The beer will be released on Friday, May 12th at the brewpub. They will use the wood from the barrel to create a Cuban pork special for the release. You’ll wanna get there early though because this beer probably won’t last long. On a side note, they will be making this again at a later date and will be submitting this beer at the Great American Beer Festival this year.

Cheers!

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!

Bent Paddle Celebrating 4 Years

By on May 4, 2017in Bent Paddle Brewing Co.

One of Minnesota’s best breweries is celebrating 4 years and they’re hosting Festiversary on Saturday, May 13th at their taproom in Duluth. The brewery has been through a lot in those 4 years. They revitalized a neighborhood, redefined what a coffee beer can be, took a stance in favor of the environment—and have since managed to increase their footprint into the Dakotas and Wisconsin.

Colin and Laura Mullen teamed up with Bryon and Karen Tonnis with the hopes of showcasing what the water of Lake Superior can contribute to beer. The beer now speaks for itself. Brewing everything from an IPA to a Black Coffee Ale—Bent Paddle is now the premiere brewery up on the North Shore.

The Festiversary event runs from 2-8 pm and will feature bands, rare beers, food trucks, and more. Tickets will cost you $15.

Cheers to the folks at Bent Paddle and those who enjoy their fantastic beers!

Here are the full details on the event:

Saturday, May 13, 2017 | 2 – 8 pm
Avoid the lines! Tix available in the Taproom 4/19 – $15

Bent Paddle is turning 4! Join us at the brewery on Saturday, May 13, 2017 from 2 – 8 pm to help us celebrate! We will be taking over our West Michigan Street block + neighborhood parking lots and throwing a “Festiversary” party – an outdoor brewery festival celebrating Bent Paddle Brewing Co.‘s anniversary & you – the Partners & Paddlers that have helped us make it this far! There will be 3 stages of live music, curated food trucks, games & family friendly activities, community connections galore, and of course a whole lot of Bent Paddle beer!
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FEATURING
Live Music & Entertainment with the Take It With You Crew, The Big Wu, Big Wave Dave and the Ripples, Jillian Rae, Black River Revue, Noble Sound System, Ben Weaver & more

Flagship & Specialty Beer on Draft + Multiple Types of Nitro, Infusion & Cask Beers + INTRODUCING A BRAND NEW FLAGSHIP!

BEER BRANDED HUTS

Venture Pils Hut
Venture Pils on Draft & in a Can
Blueberry Venure Pils Infusion

Bent Hop Hut
Bent Hop on Draft & in a Can
Citra Mango Bent Hop Infusion
Idaho 7 Bumped Bent Hop Firkin

14º ESB Hut
14º ESB on Draft & in a Can
Cherry 14º ESB Infusion
Cedar 14º ESB Firkin

Black Hut
Black on Draft & in a Can
Chai Black Infusion
Hot Hot Heat Black Firkin

Cold Press Black Hut
Cold Press Black on Draft & in a Can
Mocha Cold Press Black Infusion
Vanilla Cold Press Black Firkin

Paddle Break Blonde Hut
Paddle Break Blonde on Draft & in a Can
Botanical Paddle Break Blonde Infusion
Lemon Drop Bumped Paddle Break Blonde Firkin

Kanū Hut – indroducing a NEW year-round flagship beer @ Festiversary!
Kanū on Draft & in a Can
Citrus Party Kanū Infusion
Double Dry Hopped Kanū Firkin

BOATS & BLUEGRASS CAN TENT
Venture Pils
Bent Hop
14º ESB
Black
Cold Press Black
Paddle Break Blonde
Kanū

HOP OUTSIDE
+ NITRO POURS in the TAPROOM
Hop Outside Infusion – The Sharpest End – Ventue Pils infused with Juniper & Sage
Nitro Bent Hop
Nitro 14º ESB
Nitro Black
Nitro Cold Press Black
Nitro Kanū
Regular Draft Flagship Pours
Lake Superior Brewing Co. Root Beer

Food Trucks + Treats from OMC Smokehouse, The Duluth Grill, Lake Superior Bakehouse, Chow Haul Mobile Restaurant, All American Club, Log Home Wood Fired Pizza, Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar & more!

Family Activities Area presented by Frost River Trading Co. & The Duluth Art Institute

Community Partnership Booths

Festival Merch for Sale & On-Site T-Shirt Printing with Duluth Screen Printing – Think “Festimals”…
General Revelry!
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COST + INFORMATION
Tickets Available at the Gate + Pre-Sale Tickets Available from the Bent Paddle taproom starting April 19th

$15 Day-of admission gets you a 16oz Festiversary pint glass (while supplies last) & your first beer is free!

$5 Under 21 / $10 Designated Driver (no pint glass) / Kids 12 & under are free

Beer Tokens are $2 (1 for a 5oz sample, 2 for a can (& certain specialty pours), 3 for a full 16oz pint)

21+ to Enjoy Beer / Valid ID Required

Children with Accompanying Adults Allowed

We Love Fido & Socks but No Pets Allowed at Festiversary

Cash Only Festival | ATMs available onsite and at nearby bank/gas stations

Rain or Shine (or Snow!) – Outdoor Event – Please Dress / Layer Accordingly
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LOCATION
Bent Paddle Brewing Co. | 1912 West Michigan Street | Duluth, MN 55806

View full directions to the brewery on the Contact page of our website

Free nearby vehicle parking lots (including the TBI lot located on the corner of West Michigan & 20th Avenue West and the gravel lot located on the corner West Michigan & 18th Avenue West) and street parking available throughout Lincoln Park. Please plan ahead for a sober ride home – paddlers paddling responsibly
Complimentary bicycle parking provided by Continental Ski & Bike

Cheers!