Category: Junkyard Brewery

MNBeer Holiday Gift Guide

ba-dmThe holidays are right around the corner and we’ve got some gift ideas for you over here at MNBeer. With so many choices it can seem a bit overwhelming at times. That’s why we’ve got you covered.

Surly Brewer’s Table Gift Card – The accolades keep piling up for the Jorge Guzman run fine dining restaurant located upstairs at the Surly destination brewery. The food is phenomenal and the way they pair it with the beer is unlike any other experience in town. This is why Food and Wine Magazine named it one of the top 10 Restaurants of the Year and they were not alone. Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl also gave it high praise in her piece for Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine last spring. The gift card is available from $25 -$150.

Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild Ticket Pack – With over 100 brewery members, the guild is stronger than ever and the brewers often bring their best beers to these events. Winterfest is going to be at a new location this year (Target Field Legends Club) while the picturesque Bayfront Park in Duluth plays host to All Pints North in the summer. Autumn Brew Review serves as the finale and is held at the Grain Belt Brewery Complex in Northeast Minneapolis. If you have someone who loves local beer, this is the perfect gift pack ($300 includes 2 tickets to each event) for them.

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest Tickets – What sets this beer fest apart from the others is that it features 30 breweries from here and around the country, and they bring beers that you may never see on local store shelves or on tap at the local breweries. The focus is on rare beers in an intimate setting with fantastic food included in the ticket price of $100. The Minnesota History Center is the perfect fit for this upscale event.

Hoodie and a Hat from Sociable Cider Werks – For $45 this is a great stocking stuffer. You choose a hat and a hooded sweatshirt, perfect for the cold Minnesota winter. Sociable Cider Werks specializes in apple graffes and their taproom is great place to check out music on the weekend and the fire pit is a great hangout on cold nights in the Twin Cities.

Crowlers from Dangerous Man, Bauhuas, Junkyard, Sisyphus, Sociable Cider Werks, and Modist – Let’s face it, beer is an affordable luxury and it makes the perfect gift. Stop in at any of these breweries and pick up a few crowlers. These 750 ml (size of a bottle of wine) cans of beer are perfect for the holiday dinner table or out back by the fire pit. They usually run anywhere from $7 – $10 each and are a great way to try beers from multiple breweries around town.

Dangerous Man Barrel-Aged Bombers – You know that delicious Peanut Butter Porter made by Dangerous Man in the Sheridan neighborhood? Yeah, they put that in Port wine barrels and aged it for months—and they’ll be releasing it on Saturday at the taproom. It’s gonna go very fast along with the Dopplebock (one of the best beers crafted by them) they aged in cedar rye whiskey barrels. The sale kicks off at noon and the bottles are priced at $20 each. Be sure to get there early if you want to pick these up. There will certainly be a line.

Five Beers to Try at Winterfest

Winterfest2016

If you are fortunate enough to attend the 15th annual Winterfest on either Friday or Saturday, you are sure to get a taste of some of the best locally made brews. Here are some of the highlights for both nights.

Friday:

Apricot Vista from August Schell Brewing Company – The latest in the Noble Star collection was aged for a year before Jace dropped 4,800 pounds of apricots in the tank. That tank by the way is from 1936 and will be on display at Star Keller when it opens in May.

Cherry Double Shot Double Black from Bent Paddle Brewing – This Bourbon barrel-aged version of their Black Ale received an infusion of cherries along with double shots of Madagascar Vanilla and Cold-Press. Have we mentioned that the Cold-Press comes from Duluth Coffee Company? Enough said.

Cabernet Barrel-Aged Belgian Dark Strong Ale from Dangerous Man – This is one of my favorite beers that they’ve made over at their Northeast brewery. Stone fruits and sweet caramel are prominent in this complex brew that was aged for almost a year in an oak Cabernet barrel. Let this one warm up a bit in your hand a little while and you’ll be rewarded.

300 from Fulton Brewing – All that really needs to be said about this brew is that it’s one of the best locally made IPAs. Expect blueberry and tropical fruits on top of a clean Pilsner malt base. Somehow the folks at Fulton are making this happen year-round and you won’t hear me complain.

Blackberry Gose from Junkyard Brewing – This Blackberry Sour Ale looks interesting and will be a nice change of pace from all of the really big beers being poured at the festival. Gose is an ancient German style of beer that goes back 1,000 years, and is unique in that it was traditionally brewed with salty water. Junkyard is based up in Moorhead so this also serves as a grand opportunity to get an introduction to their brews without the drive.

Saturday:

Imperial Cocoa Hefe from Blacklist Brewing – Chocolate and bananas will be the theme with this German-style Hefeweizen. Blacklist has always made interesting beers and they will now be able to better showcase them in their new space located in downtown Duluth.

Imperial Raspberry Truffle from Lupulin Brewing – I was able to try this version of their Porter at an event recently and I was impressed. The name of this one sums it up, big time chocolate with loads of raspberries. Who needs dessert?

2016 Fiddle Smasher from NorthGate Brewing – NorthGate is now 3 years old and they celebrated by releasing this Scottish Wee Heavy Ale. This version will be served from a cask and it tips the scale at over 8% ABV.

Saaz Pils from Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery – Sometimes there is nothing better than a clean Bohemian style Pilsner, especially when it’s made by someone who loves them as much as Mike Hoops does. Saaz hops are known for their spicy and earthy characteristics and they are what define this style of beer. This is one of my favorite styles of beer hands down.

Gin Botanical Freewheeler from Sociable Cider Werks – This cider looks interesting on many levels. For one, this sat in Wander North Distillery’s botanical basket and also on top of a bed of fresh spruce needles. Nothing says Minnesota like evergreens and apples.

Cheers!

Junkyard Brewing Taproom Grand Opening Today

Our friends from Junkyard Brewing in Moorhead are celebrating tonight from 4pm to midnight. Over the course of about a year, they’ve moved from a tiny brewery in the corner of a woodshop to a brand new brewery and taproom.

Should you find yourself in Moorhead, be sure to stop by. They’ll hold a ribbon-cutting at 5:30 and tap a dry-hopped cask of Hop Habbit. Public tours will follow at 6:30 and 8pm. Later that night they’ll have music from Diane Miller and Mark Reitan.

Check it out!

Photo: Junkyard Brewing

Photo: Junkyard Brewing

New Brewery Friday LynLake Brewery & NorthGate’s New Location

I’m seeing a trend here! In truth, there are actually three breweries celebrating this weekend – as earlier reported, Gull Dam is having a grand opening on Saturday at their brewery in Nisswa.

lynlakeToday at 4pm LynLake Brewery opens their taproom to the public. They’ve been working their asses off at their brewery on Lyndale Avenue  in the former Theater Antiques building. They’ll be open from 4-11pm tonight and Saturday 12pm-11pm. Normal taproom hours are Thursday 6-11pm, Friday 4-11pm and Saturdays 12pm – 11pm.

LynLake Brewery
2934 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis

NorthGate Brewing also opens their new taproom today at 4pm. They’ll feature live music from 8-11pm, on-site screen printing, foosball league sign-up and Tiki Tim’s food truck. They’ll be open til midnight for your imbibing pleasures. Normal taproom hours will be Thursdays 4-10pm, Fridays 4-midnight, Saturdays 12pm-midnight and Sundays 12-8pm.

northgate

NorthGate Brewing
783 Harding St NE, Minneapolis

…and since we missed it last week, it’s worth noting that Junkyard Brewery opened their taproom to the public as well!

Junkyard Brewery Taproom Kickstarter – Final Days

Confession: I have a soft spot in my heart for the Fargo-Moorhead area in my heart. As a kid, my parents transplanted us to lakes country – Fergus Falls, more specifically. The FM area was “the big city” in our area, and I cut my teeth in those two cities… checking out bands, girls, college and my first sips of craft beer. So when I saw the the fine fellas’ from Junkyard Brewery were running a Kickstarter project to help with their new brewery, I thought I’d pitch in. If you’re someone who’s willing to throw some cash at a Kickstarter project and someone who supports Minnesota-made beer, check this out.

As I write this, they have 6 days left to raise about $1700. If it’s your sort of thing, how about extending a little “Minnesota Nice” to Moorhead?