Author: Kris

Town Hall in St. Paul

You may have heard the rumors and while it seems nothing is carved in stone just yet, the Pioneer Press reports on the progress Town Hall is making toward a location in St. Paul.

President Obama has his town halls. Now, St. Paul may get a Town Hall, too, and ours comes with lots of great beer.

It has been a long process, but Peter Rifakes says he’s thisclose to opening a Town Hall Brewery in Minnesota’s capital city. He won’t give the exact location, but says he’s negotiating for a space in downtown St. Paul and that it’s not in Lowertown. Rifakes, who has wanted to open in St. Paul for some time, once considered the Lowertown space now occupied by Barrio.

Just like his Town Hall Brewery on Washington Avenue near the University of Minne-sota, the St. Paul location would feature a large selection of house-made beers and a menu of burgers, fish and chips, pasta and steak.

Rifakes says it will be a couple of weeks before details are final. “Nothing,” he says, “is 100 percent certain in this world.”

Battle of the Belg: Belgian Beer Taste-off at the Blue Nile

Leave it to Al to bring us another special beer drinking session at the Blue Nile! Here’s the 411 straight from the horse’s mouth (no offense, Al, I like horses).

Here’s the quick and dirty facts, folks:

Next weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all Belgian and Belgian-style taps at the Blue Nile, with tasting sets to include samples from our bottles as well. 2 representatives of 6 styles, one Belgian and one American.
Here’s what we’ll have:
Belgian hoppy ale/IPA: Poperings Hommel Bier, Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor (no American contestant in this one.)
Sour Ale: Ommegang Rouge & Two Brothers/Urthel Mouten
Tripel: Flat Earth Bermuda Triangle vs. Val-Dieu
Dubbel: North Coast Brother Thelonious vs. Witkap Dubbel
Saison: Boulevard Tank 7 vs. St. Feullien
Witbier: Avery White Rascal vs. Blance des Bruxelles

Also, looking to add some cask to this, for fun, Surly Cynic, for sure, maybe something else.

More details to come.

And…this is only part one! Part two comes the first weekend in October

And, yes, I know it’s Labor Day Weekend, but I haven’t done a beer fest in 3 months, not counting my birthday, and all the other weekends in Sept are conflicted by something else. If you can’t make it due to LD plans, stop in and see what’s left…part two will be new beers, and some new styles, as well!

New Town Hall Glasses

Town Hall has gotten some new logo pint glasses in, ready to be filled for your drinking pleasure.

The 20 oz “bubble glasses” (aka British Imperial Pint) can be yours for $6 (empty) or $9 (filled).

If you’re wondering what you might put in your glass besides their year round beers, Apricot Wheat has departed but as of last night Coconut Milk Stout and IPA were both available on cask. In addition they had a German style pale, going by the name of Tradition Pale Ale.

Flat Earth Growlers & Ren Fest Reminder

Good morrow Lords & Ladies seeth below yon tasty ales & lagers available for your fancy this eve.

Forget not that ye Olde Flat Earth Brewery will be offering FREE tastings of its wares this Saturday & Sunday at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival as part of the Highland Fling. So don thou best kilt & head out to the fair town of Shakopee for a good time.

Belgian Pale Ale
Bermuda Triangle Tripel
Cygnus X-1 Porter
Element 115
Unfiltered Element 115
Northwest Passage IPA
Raspberry Belgian Pale Ale
Sunburst

Sodas: Rootbeer, Watermelon, Blueberry

Huzzah!

Ngon Feature Beer

Ngon Vietnamese Bistro’s current feature beer is Flat Earth’s Northwest Passage IPA.

Our current feature beer is Flat Earth Northwest Passage IPA: Once a virtually impassable route through Northern Canada it has become the “secret” submarine route. Made with Canadian malts and four American hops, Northwest Passage goes well with Pho.