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.

McCann’s New Seasonal Beers

By on June 22, 2010in brewpubs

Chris from McCann’s in St. Cloud sent me message about two of McCann’s new seasonal’s, Wee Willy Scottish Export Ale and Batch 100.

British Pale Ale, Dark crystal and roasted barley malts make up the soul of this ale. Hops are kept to a minimum to highlight the deep toasted/roast flavors of the malt. Your local “groundskeeper” will love it.

This German Kotbusser style ale is a bit of a outlaw, as it is brewed with the addition of honey, oats and molassas. This goes against the German purity law of 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, which states that beer may only be brewed with water, malt and hops (they didn’t know about yeast yet). This old world golden German ale is fermented in cooler temperatures with a hybrid ale strain that has lager characteristics. Hops from St. Cloud’s sister city, Spalt, Germany are added to the brew kettle for medium bitterness. The oats add texture to the body and the honey and molassas give this beer a soft underlying complexity with a crisp, refreshing finish. A perfect match for our hot Minnesota summers.

Thank You

By on June 17, 2010in general beer

Three years ago, I put out a request for more writers. We had 2-3 writers at that time and I took on the bulk of the work. I was trying to maintain a taplist for local craft beer bars (which would be an absolute nightmare today), grow the site’s readership and introduce Minnesotans to the diversity of craft beer in their state. Lofty goals. In any case, Mag and Kris were amongst the very first to volunteer.

I caught their passion for local craft beer immediately. Like myself, they love great beer, love sharing great beer and don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re fun, dynamic and totally plugged into the craft beer world. For MNBeer, they worked tirelessly to gather local beer news & events while still finding time to drink beer with unmatched fervor!

Seriously, Mag and Kris, I thank you, MNBeer thanks you and the local craft beer community heartily thanks you!

We wish you well!

Prosit!
A votre sante!
Cheers!
Skaal!
Salud!