News & Updates

Wild Game and Brewer’s Feast at Grand Superior Lodge

By on October 20, 2014in beer dinners

lildgameDrop everything. The colorful palette of the north is calling your name… and your belly. Jump in the car (make a reservation first!) and head north to Grand Superior Lodge for some fine imbibing and delicious wild game. Oh, and the colors aren’t bad this time of year, either.

Whether you choose to stay the entire weekend and take part in the special Friday-night reception with chef-driven appetizers and wonderful Castle Danger beers or whether opt for the Saturday only wild game dinner and South SHore Brewery beers, you’re going to have a good time. Promise.  Weekend long packages start at at $127.25/person for the weekend, which strikes me as really reasonable given everything you get out of it.  More details below…

Reservations required: 800-627-9565

Friday 5ive: MNBeer Musicians

By on October 17, 2014in general beer

I’m coming off of a looooong Thursday and Friday setting up an event for my day gig, so we’ll keep this brief. My original intention was to throw together a craft beer supergroup, but I just wasn’t happy with how it was coming together, so instead, I give you music (past and present) from 5ive folks involved in the Minnesota craft beer world. There are quite a few options… here are a few… see what you think…

When Something Fails – Garth Blomberg. He played a graphic designer at Northern Brewer on TV.


Kruddler – Tony Zaccardi. Your favorite bartender from Grumpy’s NE.


Dillinger 4. Erik owns the Triple Rock Social Club, and there’s a good chance that Paddy and/or Billy has poured you a drink at Grumpy’s or the Triple Rock or Muddy Waters… or…

Powermad – Todd Haug. Have you ever seen the Surly brewmaster without a beard? Here’s your chance.


The Gleam – Ben Smith. Another Surly fellow, another music genre. Ben played drums with The Gleam.

Summit Union Series: 3x Mild Ale

By on October 13, 2014in breweries, Summit Brewing Co.

3XM_Label_700pxThe latest beer in Summit’s Union Series will be called 3X Mild. This is brewer Damian McConn’s take on the Mild ales of 19th century England, brewed with a new American base malt, an experimental hop variety and a traditional English yeast. Summit refers to this beer as “a rich, malt-driven and full-bodied beer with notes of stone fruit, molasses, toffee, toast and a hint of chocolate. And if you can believe it, the chocolate notes come from the hops. Great Fermentations refers to the hop with this description: “Cocoa, tropical, stone fruit, Jolly Rancher (oh yeah), passion fruit, and carmel.” Expect this beer sometime in mid-to-late November.

UNION #4: 3X MILD Specs
ABV: 7.2%
OG: 1.5 Plato
IBU: 38
Malts: Expedition base malt (U.S.), with Mild Ale and Amber malt (U.K.)
Hops: Experimental 06300 (U.S.)
Yeast: Yorkshire Ale

New Brewery Friday LynLake Brewery & NorthGate’s New Location

By on October 10, 2014in breweries, Gull Dam Brewing, Junkyard Brewery, LynLake Brewery, NorthGate Brewing

I’m seeing a trend here! In truth, there are actually three breweries celebrating this weekend – as earlier reported, Gull Dam is having a grand opening on Saturday at their brewery in Nisswa.

lynlakeToday at 4pm LynLake Brewery opens their taproom to the public. They’ve been working their asses off at their brewery on Lyndale Avenue  in the former Theater Antiques building. They’ll be open from 4-11pm tonight and Saturday 12pm-11pm. Normal taproom hours are Thursday 6-11pm, Friday 4-11pm and Saturdays 12pm – 11pm.

LynLake Brewery
2934 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis

NorthGate Brewing also opens their new taproom today at 4pm. They’ll feature live music from 8-11pm, on-site screen printing, foosball league sign-up and Tiki Tim’s food truck. They’ll be open til midnight for your imbibing pleasures. Normal taproom hours will be Thursdays 4-10pm, Fridays 4-midnight, Saturdays 12pm-midnight and Sundays 12-8pm.

northgate

NorthGate Brewing
783 Harding St NE, Minneapolis

…and since we missed it last week, it’s worth noting that Junkyard Brewery opened their taproom to the public as well!

Friday 5ive – 5ive Minnesota Musicians We Wish Were Still Around

By on October 10, 2014in Friday 5ive

Friday is here! How about some music? Today’s 5ive was inspired by the news that Wilco, The Black Keys, Spoon and a bunch of others have donated to an auction as well as a sale to benefit the family of Minneapolis musician Andy Richardson, who died last month. Andy’s death resonated with me – he was close to my age, I’d seen a few of his bands live and he was a parent of a little kid. So if you’re feeling charitable and want to help out a family of a Twin Cities’ musician who everyone seemed to love, please follow those links above.


Let’s start with The Crush, shall we? Fitting as Andy was in the band. Early 00s catchy-as-shit pop-punk.

The Replacements – Bastards of Young. This is from the album “Tim” – Bob Stinson’s last studio album with the Replacements. Stinson was booted from the band and later died at the age of 35 in 1995. As a kid, my uncle (six years my elder) introduced me to a lot of Minneapolis music thanks to dozens of Maxxell cassette tapes. The Replacements, Soul Asylum and Husker Du were all required listening.


Soul Asylum – P9… a song supporting striking Hormel workers. Soul Asylum’s Karl Mueller died in 2005 after being diagnosed with throat cancer. A 2004 benefit for Mueller saw Husker Du’s Grant Hart and Bob Mould awkwardly reunite on stage for the first time in forever. I’m sorry I missed that one.

Eyedea & Abilities – Spin Cycle. Mike (Eyedea) Larsen’s death was yet another one that came far too soon. The St. Paul rapper/freestler’s delivery was said to be ahead of its time and I’m apt to agree with that.

Janitor Joe – Boys in Blue. Though Janitor Joe is hardly a household name, former bassist Kristin Pfaff later joined Courtney Love’s band, Hole, and played on “Live through This.” Pfaff died of a heroin overdose in 1994 – only a couple of months after the death of Love’s husband, Curt Cobain.