Author: ryan

Ryan Anderson (that's me!) is the editor & founder of MNBeer. Much has changed since the fall of 2005 and I'm proud to have been a part of it all. Sometime I'll tell you about my grand theory that links craft brewing to punk rock. Just ask.

Movember Mid-Movember Rendezvous at Happy Gnome Tonight

By on November 14, 2012in bars/restaurants, beer events
Join the Minneapolis Movember crew tonight at the Happy Gnome from 6:30-8 for their Movember Mid-Month Bash!  They’ll be raffling off $5 and $10 tickets for the raffle items below and will be partaking in follicular fellowship with our St. Paul brethren.  Great brews, great tunes (Cadillac Kolstad and the Flats), great community, fugly and beautiful staches alike!
Raffle items include a $25 gift certificate to the Four Firkins, a Northern Brewer Essential Brewing Starter Kit, a variety of Steel Toe bombers, special Flat Earth Brewing Co. mystery “Prize Packs,” Free cut/style from Salon Ori, swag, Movember coozies, and more!
Also, check out our Movember MN donation page and throw some love to your Mo-Bros!!! (http://us.movember.com/team/421177)

11 Big Dark Beers for Bell’s “Darkened Glass” Event Tonight at 3 Squares

By on November 14, 2012in bars/restaurants, beer events

Tonight from 6pm until the kegs run dry (or close…), 3 Squares in Maple Grove will a selection of big dark Bell’s beers for your imbibing pleasure. Beers include Expedition Stout, Black Note Stout, Rye Stout, Java Stout, Kalamazoo Stout, Special Cream Stout, Cherry Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch 9000, Oatmeal Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout and Hell Hath No Fury.

Schell’s Chimney Sweep Arrives

By on November 14, 2012in breweries, Features

Back in August, we told you a little bit about a couple of Schell’s beers set to hit the market in fall. No doubt you’ve seen their Citra Pils fresh-hop pilsner around by this point. Today marks the release of Chimney Sweep, a black lager “with a roasty maltiness, sturdy hop bitterness and an underlying subtle smokiness.”

This beer will be the first part of a duo of beers that will replace Stout in Schell’s year-round line-up of specialty beers. It will be available November through March and then from April to September, another yet-unnamed beer will take its place. (Nope! Not the Radler.)

The inspiration for Chimney Sweep comes from the rich dark lagers of Franconia. The idea for the beer is a full-bodied, yet sessionable black lager with a wisp of smokiness. Look for rich roasty malt body with notes of bittersweet chocolate and coffee. It has a sturdy hop bitterness and a subtle smokiness for balance and depth. From what I gather it’s not a a beer to be pinned down with a style, featuring the rich malty body of a Franconian dunkel, the roastiness and color of a Schwarzbier and a subtle smokiness, though it’d decidedly not a rauchbier, either.

Fulton Oyster Stout Tonight at The Lowry

By on November 13, 2012in bars/restaurants, beer events, breweries
Fulton Brewing Co.

Like oysters? Head over to The Lowry tonight! From 5-9, they’ll be serving two special kinds of oysters they’ve flown in just for this event: Shoregasm, described as “tiny but mighty” and Belong, enormous 3-4″ diamater oysters. To top it off, Fulton brewed a one-of-a-kind oyster stout to go with them! Oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac, but we also know the idea of an oyster stout doesn’t turn everyone on. We’ve been told it’s really good, and the oyster flavor is extremely subtle. Get there early, because there’s only one keg–so when it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Lift Bridge Commander Barleywine Release

By on November 13, 2012in beer events, breweries

Lift Bridge Brewery will be hosting the 2nd Annual Commander Barleywine Release Party on November 17th, from 3-8 pm.  This year’s event will feature an Old Timey Circus Theme.  There will be a circus costume contest, a Commander mustache competition, classic carnival games, live music by Thrift Store Sonata, great food and of course, Lift Bridge Beer.  You can purchase tickets to the event and pre-order the 2012 Commander by stopping into the brewery taproom during open hours (Tuesday – Thursday – 5-8 pm, Friday 12-8 , Saturday 12-5) or online at www.liftbridgebrewery.com/events.aspx

Beer description from the brewery: Lift Bridge Brewery’s English-Style Barleywine ale is brewed with excessive malt and subtle, sweet cardamom. The beer is aged at the brewery in bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distillery in Kentucky for a number of months. The beer’s bold, complex flavor reaches heights measured only by the building of its namesake. This 12.5% ABV treat is best enjoyed in smaller portions when you have some time to savor it, between now and 2021.