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.

2007 beer in review

By on December 31, 2007in bars/restaurants, beer laws, breweries, brewpubs, general beer, mnbeer.com

As I sit here with a tulip of tasty local brew on my left, a small dog curled into a ball on my right and a Powerbook in front of me, I can’t help but ponder snow… er… 2007 and the great beer, great people and great times. For your pleasure, a quick rundown…

January:
I made some predictions for 2007. Some of them came true. 400 or more people enjoyed great beer at Winterfest. Flat Earth Brewing Co. debuted their first beer, a Belgian Pale Ale at the event. I think it’s only fair to say that a good time was had by all. The Upper Mississippi Mash-Out homebrew contest was huge. I volunteered and somehow took home a second place medal as well. Later in the month, we were all a bit surprised by some beer legislation that just didn’t sound quite right… Mpls. St. Paul chose Summit as the best brewery in the Twin Cities. And finally, local craft beer fans What Ales Thee took to the digital airwaves with their first podcast.

MNBeer in Mpls. St. Paul magazine

By on December 27, 2007in mnbeer.com

I just received a copy of the January issue of Mpls. St. Paul magazine at work and was pleasantly surprised to see MNBeer listed in their article, “wild weird wacky @ www” by Matt Smith.

For people who are very serious about their beer, this is pretty much a one-stop local microbrew shop for news, events and a great list of local brew bars and their beers.

…as long as no one thinks we take ourselves too seriously…

St. Cloud is calling… McCann’s has beer on tap!

By on December 27, 2007in brewpubs

I’m very happy to report that our friends over at McCann’s finally have their own beer on tap! As of today, Chris has his Little Abbey Ale, High Bank Amber and McCann’s Golden Ale on tap with the Deep Seven IPA and Prairie Porter on their heels (next week maybe?). St. Cloud is calling!

News from New Ulm

By on December 24, 2007in breweries

Merry Christmas from MNBeer and Schell’s.  Here’s your present beer lovers…

On the first of Christmas, Schell’s gave to me… Schmaltz Alt. Look for it in stores now. As always, once it’s gone, it’s gone.

On the second day of Christmas, Schell’s let me know… that Snowstorm will still be around for a couple of months. They’re packaging the final batch next week.

On the third day of Christmas, Schell’s let me know… that Maifest will make it’s annual appearance around March.  All the batches are in, and are quietly aging in the cellars.

On the fourth day of Christ, Schell’s said to me… that Feb. 15th (August Schell’s birthday) will mark the beginning of their limited edition, draft only series leading up to their 150th anniversary.  The first batch is Einbecker, a doppelbock based on a recipe from 1878.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Schell’s said to me… that they’ll be debuting a new year-round beer in March. You may have tasted this one before… you’ll remember it as Snowstorm 2006.  They brewed the first batch last week, and the yeast is busy turning the sugar from the six British malts into what was their most popular Snowstorm ever. The name? Schell’s Stout.

On the 6th – 12th day of Christmas… we just drank a little beer.

Thanks Dave!