Tag: the current

Schell’s “The Current” Beer

currentbeer

Today the fine folks at The Current have announced that the station is hooking up with our friends at Schell’s to introduce a co-labeled Schell’s The Current beer, available in May. The beer will be a limited edition run of Schell’s Seasonal Zommerfest, a Kölsch-style ale. Look for it in 16 ounce cans at bars and liquors.

Surprised? Perhaps a little, though with the station’s attention to craft beer in recent years, this seems like a fun fit. And to be perfectly honest, aside from the “Frozen” cd that my four-year-old requests daily, The Current is a staple in my car. I’d suspect that many of our craft beer loving friends are also fans of The Current.

“We know that many of our fans love craft beer, and we look at any partnership or promotion through the lens of our audience,” said Jim McGuinn, program director for The Current. “We know our listeners and this is a natural fit.”

In addition to increasing brand awareness of The Current, the station also hopes to introduce listeners to local bands, whose songs will be available in May at thecurrent.org/beer. A list of participating bands and songs will be announced closer to the launch of the beer.

“Local bands and local beer are a great match,” McGuinn said. “We love that we can bring the two together. Through the downloads available at thecurrent.org and upcoming shows featuring these artists, we hope to continue to support our local music scene.”

“Beer drinkers are looking to quench their thirst with a brew that has a good story behind it,” said Ted Marti, President of Schell’s, and a fifth generation member of the brewing family. “We’ve got that covered with 154 years of German heritage, and The Current has that covered with the fantastic local music it supports. It’s a win-win.”

Any revenue generated from the sales of Schell’s The Current beer will go back to The Current and the work it does to support local music.

Summit Backyard Bash Sept. 7th

Summit Backyard Bash. Photo © Summit Brewing Company

Summit Backyard Bash. Photo © Summit Brewing Company

Occasionally we like to promote items from the events pages to the homepage, and Summit’s Backyard Bash is just such a thing. Our 27-year-old friends in St. Paul are celebrating their collective birthday in a big way on Saturday, September 7th from noon-8pm. $18 gets you a whole lotta’ music, and half of the proceeds from your ticket go straight to the Minnesota Music Coalition, a nonprofit service organization dedicated to supporting Minnesota’s independent music community. Very cool. In a previous life (let’s call it the 90s), I was an indie zinester and independent music is still very near and dear to me.

But I digress… sort of, anyway. The Backyard Bash will include performances by local bands including  Secret Stash Soul Review (The Valdons, Sonny Knight, Jackie Harris and Wanda Davis), Haley Bonar, The New Standards, Lizzo (featuring Lazerbeak), Night Moves, Charlie Parr and friends, and Hotpants DJs. The Current’s David Campbell will emcee with help from Ellen Stanley from the MMC.

Needless to say, you’ll find some good munchies at the event from places like Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse, Barrio, Pizza Luce, Blue Plate and Black Forest Inn and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to wash down all that Minnesota music and food with a little beer from Summit Brewing Co.

Expect a variety of beers from the brewery as well as a cask beer area in their brand new cellar. They’ll also feature some kellerbier straight from the tanks and served in Fass kegs (think casks, but German…)  Casks will be tapped continuously throughout the day. Good times!

Hey Mom or Dad, wanna’ come down to the Twin Cities and watch my kids for the day?

For more information about the Backyard Bash, including directions and FAQs, please visit: http://www.summitbrewing.com/Summit-Backyard-Bash