News & Updates

Summit’s Latest Unchained Beer Will be Available in Squans™

By on April 1, 2016in breweries

squan

Today we gleaned some fun information regarding the latest beer in Summit’s Unchained series, Dark Infusion. The beer will be canned in a new shareable and shelf-friendly 1 gallon rectangular can, the Summit Squan™. In addition to the gallon size offering, Summit will also offer this beer in a more modest 16 oz. can.

Squans™ are lighter than comparable glass containers, stack nicely when palletized and don’t roll around in the trunk of your car during transport. Summit has been rather tight-lipped about the new packaging, though Chap Wilton tells us that Summit and their Squan™ manufacturer are already in talks with other breweries.

Squans™ of other flagship Summit beers are expected to roll out by June first, just in time for picnics, summer outings and other outdoor fun. Note that due to Minnesota law, Squans™ will only be available at retail outlets and not at the brewery.

Watch this space for more details!

MN Beer Notebook: Early April 2016

By on March 30, 2016in general beer

Xtra Citra

Surly just released Xtra-Citra Pale Ale into the market in 4 packs of 16 oz. cans. The beer itself is bright and beautiful with big citrus notes and a very crisp, clean finish to go along with a very low ABV of 4.5%. Perfect for all that grilling you’ll be doing when the weather cooperates. The best part though may be that you can find this for $6.99 a four pack which is a very approachable price point.

Firkin Fest is happening at The Happy Gnome this weekend. This is always a really fun event and it takes place from noon until 4 PM on Saturday, April 2nd with tickets going for $60. Expect some fun brews that you can only find at this event. Grab your tickets here.

Modist Brewing is set to open in mid-April in the North Loop. Stay tuned to the blog for a sneak peek most likely happening next week. I have high expectations for them given their pedigree and passion for making beer.

I’m hearing rumors of the return of Sticker Fight at Steel Toe Brewing. This tropical hop bomb of a Double IPA is one of my favorite seasonal releases and it usually sells out pretty quickly. Stay tuned for more details….

Indeed Brewing is collaborating with New Belgium on a couple of beers they are calling Come Together Honey Wheat Wine, and Strawberry Fields Sour. Come Together will hit shelves first (this was brewed in Fort Collins recently) in very limited quantities (expect an April release) and the sour will be brewed at the end of April here in Minneapolis. I will be there on the brew day and will be sure to post some photos and such.

That’s it for now.

Cheers!

Wild Mind Ales Brewing Up Something Different

By on March 22, 2016in breweries, general beer, hops, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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It all started back in college when Mat Waddell tried a Saison for the first time. “That got me into fermenting with fruit” he says. Next were a series of internships at breweries like Summit and Badger Hill where he says he learned the importance of quality when it comes to making beer. Now Mat finds himself taking the ultimate risk in opening his own sour brewery in south Minneapolis.

This isn’t just any brewery though. His beers are going to fall under the category of “coolship” which by definition are fermented in open vessels—meaning that they utilize wild yeast to munch on the sugars instead of those cultivated and sold to the masses. There are a number of breweries out there currently practicing this including Allagash Brewing and Jester King. This of course involves a lot of risk in that one beer won’t taste the same as the last. “I love the wild, uncontrolled risk” says Waddell. “You get a nice reward.”

There are two ways of making coolship beers. The traditional way with open fermenters sitting out doors which would ideally happen in late winter and spring, and what is called wood cellaring (Jester King does it this way) which is where the wort is inoculated with wild yeast after it has been transferred into wooden barrels.

The space currently is not much to look at with all of the construction going on. Eventually though, there will be windows throughout the brewery where you can peek inside the production area, and picnic tables to sit at while you sip your brew. There will also be an indoor projector and screen where you will be able to watch the Olympics all summer long.

The outdoor beer garden will need plenty of work (currently a barren slab of busted concrete) but in the end will be home to some fire pits and a nice plot of grass complete with trees and hopefully hops. Mat also plans to screen some outdoor movies on the wall out in the beer garden where he hopes people will gather and enjoy the beer and weather. In fact, the goal is to keep the glass garage doors open all summer so the entire space will feel open. “We’re going for light and bright open space” according to Mat.

coolship5coolship3coolship2

Upon opening he plans to have his House beer (and a Spanish cedar version), a Pale Ale using Conan yeast, and a House Stout that showcases bourbon sugar. After a couple of months you can expect to see some of the Barrel Fermented Saisons come out followed by their sours in about 6 months. Mat is hoping for an early summer opening.

Wherever there is risk, there are often rewards.

Wild Mind Ales

6031 Pillsbury Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55419

Cheers!

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!

Lawyers, Refrigerators and Money

By on March 4, 2016in beer laws

The Minnesota Legislative session is nigh, and with that, constituents will surely again take up the call to pass a bill for Sunday Sales of alcohol in Minnesota.  Supporters (and I’m one) have been taking up the cause for several years now and progress continues to be made, but passage seems just beyond reach. I do believe it will pass, eventually, but faith only goes so far, so do contact your legislators to voice your support for Sunday Sales in Minnesota.  

We are fortunate, though, that is our only fight. Our state rules, as they pertain to beer, are not as vulnerable to influence from industry heavyweights like they are in other states. In Missouri, for example Senate Bill 919 has been introduced and within you’ll see the political gamesmanship that occurs in rulemaking; one likeable item paired with a non-likeable item in hopes that they’ll pass together or fail together (and then why not throw in a third piece permitting use of a specific device, the language of which was likely put forth by the manufacturer of said device).

Let’s look at the three subparts from the end of the bill to the beginning.  

331.205 – the one where patrons use a self-dispensing machine at a licensed establishment.  Ok, fine, I can see some utility in that. Have you tried the self-serve beer machine at Target Field?  Me neither. 

331.201 – the one where you can get a growler filled just about anywhere that sells packaged beer. Great! Well, the language about labeling seems a bit onerous for the retail establishment, but it’s nice to be able to fill growlers at a liquor store (looking at you, Hudson, WI).

And the coup de grace:

331.198 – the one where the Missouri Small Brewer’s Guild (MSBG) gets riled-up. It allows for brewers and wholesalers to lease fridge space in a retail establishment through a portable unit (as “portable” as a seven-foot by four-foot fridge can be).  

The MSBG asserts this language comes from AB/InBev which I cannot confirm nor deny, but seems likely, because this is Missouri and this bill was introduced by a Senator from suburban St. Louis. Regardless of where it came from – is this grab for retail space by actually paying for it an assault on smaller craft brewers that can’t afford a “pay-to-play” approach? Perhaps. It’s my suspicion few brewers would be able to bear the cost of a unit like this. Anheuser Busch, though…    

But how gullible are we? The end product could also be nothing more than an eyesore to consumers and a headache for retailers who need to find space for a 66 cubic-foot branded refrigerator. Is this an ill-fated marketing attempt by larger producers or is this an indicator of the fight to come within the beer industry? Time will tell.  Perhaps this is a bill that is designed to die in committee so the senator can claim victory for putting it forth, but not shoulder the ire of having it passed.  

And hey, that’s not even in Minnesota!  Why worry? That type of stuff would NEVER happen here. Right?