News & Updates

Winterfest 2020 Preview

By on January 7, 2020in breweries, brewpubs

Winterfest will take place inside the confines of U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time in the long history of the event. The Polaris Club will play host, and the lineup of beers looks to be fantastic as usual. More than 100 Minnesota breweries will be featured at the event and there will also be some small plate pairings to enjoy along with all of the beers. Here are some beers you should add to your list as you prepare for Winterfest.

American Tuxedo Sour from Bent Paddle Brewing – This Berliner weiss is brewed with real blackberries, pineapple, and Jarrylo hops. The ABV is around 8.3% which is rare for a sour, and perfect for a special occasion such as Winterfest.

Lunker Barleywine from Steel Toe Brewing – French oak barrels lend some dark chocolate notes to this fine ale that showcases flavors of toffee and caramel with a subtle burn of alcohol on the tail end of every sip. It’s very hard to find good examples of this style, and Steel Toe nails this year after year.

Snuggle Situation Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout from Ursa Minor Brewing – This rendition of a cherry cordial brings flavors of chocolate malt, cherries, and vanilla to the palate. Duluth has a reputation for being the home of fine local breweries, and Ursa Minor confirms this. Dessert anyone?

Blueberry Cobbler Ale from Dangerous Man Brewing – Ok, most of us are tired of all of these trendy pastry beers. But Dangerous Man brings all of these trendy styles to life, and does it so flawlessly. Flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, and blueberries shine in this slightly tart ale that will change the way you think of pastry-style beers. This may be a contender for Best Beer at Winterfest.

Quadriga (2018) from Utepils – Classic styles seem to be out in the beer world. But don’t tell that to the folks at Utepils. They are making some of the best beer here in the Twin Cities, none of which are hazy IPAs. This Belgian Quad will remind you of why you got into homebrewing and craft beer. Toffee and caramel stand out in this fantastic version of a Quad that doesn’t typically exist the U.S. market. 

For those that don’t already have tickets, you can grab them here:

https://www.mncraftbrew.org/event/winterfest/

Cheers!

Ski-U-Mah! Finnegan’s Brews One (in time) for the Gophers (game)

By on November 27, 2019in general beer, new beer
Finnegan's Running With Axes cans.

Finnegan’s limited seasonal release Running with Axes is out just in time for this Saturday’s defense of Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

From the brewery:

“This weekend, the Minnesota Gophers will take on the Wisconsin Badgers in a fight to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe right where it belongs. Football fans are certainly going to need a beer to calm the nerves and *fingers crossed* celebrate the win. That’s where FINNEGANS can help, with their “Running with Axes” beer, displaying the champion’s trophy in the hands of a Paul Bunyan-esque lumberjack. The IPA is brewed exclusively with Minnesota-grown Mighty Axe Hops, Maltwerks Malts grown in Detroit Lakes, MN, and is M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A strong with 6.8% ABV.”

The fetching plaid cans are available in stores now and will be available at TCF Bank Stadium for the game.

 

ONE Fermentery Grand Opening Saturday

By on November 12, 2019in ONE Fermentery and Taproom

Days after I fully revamped the Minnesota Brewery list, the announcement came that ONE Fermentery and Taproom would be celebrating their Grand Opening this Saturday, November 16th from noon-10pm at their new brewpub in the North Loop located at 618 North 5th Street in Minneapolis. Expect a variety of house-brewed beers as well as a curated cocktail, wine, and guest-beer menu.

ONE Fermentery and Taproom is a project borne of a couple of recognizable faces in the Minnesota beer scene, Ramsay Louder (Dangerous Man, New Holland Brewing) and Joe Alton (The Growler) as well as partner Sally Schmidt. No doubt Dangerous Man fans will be excited to see what Lauder and Alton have up their sleeves! If you didn’t find your way into their soft opening Monday evening, be sure to check them out this weekend or sometime soon!

Three Beers to Seek Out at Autumn Brew Review

By on October 14, 2019in breweries

This year the folks at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild decided to hold their annual Autumn Brew Review at the end of October to give festival attendees a better fall experience. In past years, the weather has been extremely warm and didn’t accurately represent fall in Minnesota. This year there will be fire pits, a goat petting zoo, food trucks, s’mores station, wiffle ball batting cages, and a nice lineup of beers to go with fall colors instead of the summer heat. Autumn Brew Review is one of the longest running beer festivals in the country, and a fall backdrop promises to enhance the experience. Here are three beers worth seeking out if you are attending the festival.

Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Dangerous Man – This is a wonderfully balanced beer that doesn’t assault your palate the way a pumpkin spiced latte does. Warming alcohol with a nice balance of malt, hops, and spices will make this a festival favorite.

Pudding Dribbles from Forager Brewing – Maple sap, vanilla, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and toasted coconut are just some of the ingredients used to make this addition to the ABR lineup. Surprisingly this beer is not too sweet and will be your go to beer next to one of those fire pits.

Wild Rice Porter from Inbound Brew Co. – Wild Rice Porters have long been a go-to fall beer, and Inbound captures the spirit of this style. Flavors of baker’s chocolate and nutty wild rice will win over the hearts of festival attendees.

If you would like to attend this event, you can grab your tickets here:

https://www.tempotickets.com/AutumnBrewReview2019

Cheers!