Month: April 2006

Arborfest Update

By on April 28, 2006in general beer

Arborfest Regional Craft Beer Festival Update

Tickets are still available for Arborfest 2006! A few more great breweries have signed on – Bandana Brewery, Lake Superior Brewing and Rush River are now going to be in attendance. This is the time of year the Maibocks start rolling out – expect to see a couple of them there. There will be great live entertainment including a bagpipe opening, and local bands the Mamas and Hip Replacement.

Arborfest is Thursday, May 4th from 5:30-9pm.

Purchase tickets online at: www.ticketworks.com

Or purchase in person at Barley John’s Brew Pub, Great Waters Brewing Co., and Town Hall Brewery.

Where: Arborfest will be held on the campus of Macalaster College in the Kagin Commons building. Kagin commons is located between Snelling and Grand right on the Macalaster campus.

Ticket Info: Tickets are $40 and include a commemorative tasting glass, a substantial food spread, music throughout the event, and of course all of your local breweries and brew pubs.

Participating Breweries: Bandana Brewery Barley Johns Brew Pub, Bell’s, Fitgers Brewhouse, Finnegans, Great Waters Brewing Co., Lake Superior Brewing, Rock Bottom Brewery, Rush River Brewing, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewering Co., Town Hall Brewery

Arborfest is a fundraiser to help the Family Tree Clinic of St. Paul with its yearly operating costs. $30 of the ticket price is tax deductible as a charitable donation.

For more information visit the official website:

www.familytreeclinic.org/arborfest/

A question about old (really old!) Twin Cities bars…

By on April 27, 2006in general beer

A reader, Mozena wants some information, and we don’t have the answer, perhaps you do?

Fill me in…I am trying to find out of there is a bar in the Twin Cities (still, and continously) operational that precedes prohibition!? I know Palmer’s Bar on Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis is celebrating a 100 year anniversary this year and I was just wondering how it ranks among the other old bars in the region. Thanks.

Best of the Twin Cities

By on April 27, 2006in general beer

City Pages has released their “Best of the Twin Cities” and much to our surprise, MNBeer.com made the cut as best blog (specialty), most likely beating out local blogs about dogs, cats, gardening and the likes. Seriously, though, we’re honored and plan on celebrating with some local brews this weekend.

If your tastes have matured beyond the King of Beers, and you’ve grown bored with even the finer European imports, MN Beer will be your guide to finding local breweries, microbreweries, beer-related events in Minnesota and Wisconsin, homebrew information and pubs that serve unique and tasty microbrews from all over the country. Launched last September, the site also tracks which bars are serving new and interesting selections, and steers the reader to local press features on the pub scene. MN Beer pays homage to our state’s brewing history with short pieces on Shell’s, Finnegan’s, and other breweries with touring schedules and current product lines. There are also fastidious updates on the beer menus of Twin Cities microbreweries. Whether you can tell a Maibock from an oatmeal stout or not, thanks to MN Beer you need never drink a lousy beer again.

Other picks that we like to enjoy with a local brew include Mikenastics (enjoyed with something strong like Summit’s Oktoberfest), The Turf Club (Hamm’s, Bell’s Summit… you choose…), P.O.S., Atmosphere, The Midnight Evils (enjoyed with no less than two gallons of local beer in your belly, be it Pig’s Eye or Schell’s Pale Ale), Al’s in St. Louis Park (we suggest Summit EPA or Amber, as that’s what they have on tap. Bring cash or check as Al’s doesn’t take credit/cash cards. And if we smoked, hell, we’d smoke at Al’s. And for what it’s worth, my uncle refers to Al’s as SLP’s Stand Up Franks), Blue Max Liquors (The BEST reason to visit Burnsville), The Riverview Theater (which we often enjoy before or after a beer or three) and The Muddy Pig (uh… DUH!).