Category: breweries

Beer Smarts with Paige Didora at Modist

By on November 16, 2016in education, Modist Brewing

modist-lalaModist Brewing is all about changing the way people think about beer, and it starts with education. Their plan is coming to fruition with a six part series taught by Paige Didora. After years of working in the industry and her writing experience, Paige is the perfect person to teach such a class. Beginning on Monday, November 21st when she will be discussing malts and how they are used in the brewing process.

Head brewer Keigan Knee is excited about the program. “Craft beer nationally – even globally – is evolving at a rapid pace and it’s no longer just one-tone, macro light lager. It’s an incredibly nuanced thing that benefits greatly from a passion for flavor and quality. At Modist, we feel that an informed consumer that knows more, can appreciate more, can enjoy more. That’s why we’re doing this.”

Some of the other topics being discussed over the duration of the course will be water, the process of making beer, yeast, off flavors and pairing beer with food. Tickets will be $50 and will cover all sessions including a possible bonus session. Seats are limited to 50. Check the schedule below:

CURRICULUM:

Session 1 – Monday 11/21: A Malty History

  • A focus on malts

Session 2 – Monday 11/28: Just Add Water

  • A focus on water and water quality

Session 3 – Monday 12/5: Boil it, Hop it, Spin it, Cool it

  • From mash to boil to whirlpool
  • A conversation about hops and other additives

Session 4 – Monday 12/12: Magic!

  • Yeast – the impact on beer flavors, aromas

Session 5 – Monday 12/19: Good Beer Gone Bad

  • Off-flavors: their sources and causes
  • The importance of proper packaging and storage

Session 6 – Monday 1/2/2017: Evaluating Beer and Pairing it with Food (the basics)

  • How to evaluate beer and the basics of food and beer pairing

Harriet Brewing to Close in Early 2017

By on November 1, 2016in Harriet Brewing
Harriet Brewing

harriet logoSad news from Harriet Brewing – they’ll be closing after January 31st, 2017. From their Facebook page:

Fellow Harriet Brewing Supporters,

Harriet Brewing will close after Jan 31, 2017. After 6 crazy years, it’s time to move on. Development plans for our property do not align with Harriet; thus, we’ve been forced to relocate. After much contemplation, it has become apparent that Harriet can only exist in it’s current location. Attempting to relocate and repeat would be lame. Relocating would require a new brand and business plan, and, frankly, starting another brewery now seems unoriginal and risky in this saturated market. Please join us in supporting the final chapter of Harriet Brewing during these next 3 moths! Let’s celebrate the short life of this fantastic MN craft brewery! The music will rock and the beer will flow till the end!

Yours in the love of beer!

Launched in 2011, Harriet Brewing was one of the new guard of craft breweries in Minnesota. 2011 was the first “boom” year for breweries in Minnesota in recent times with the launch of seven breweries and brewpubs Steel Toe Brewing, Olvalde, Castle Danger, Boom Island, North Loop (Lucid), Dubh Linn Brew Pub and Harriet.

Todd and Linda Haug Set to Join Forces with 3 Floyds Brewing

By on October 31, 2016in Surly Brewing Co.

Surly Brewing Company5796130634716784210

Todd and Linda Haug have been bombarded with questions since they stepped down (Linda in February, Todd less than 2 weeks ago) at Surly Brewing. Most of their friends and family assumed they would start a brewery here in the Twin Cities, but that’s false. The former Café 28 owners are moving six and half hours southeast to Chicago, Illinois where they will be joining forces with 3 Floyds Brewing—a craft beer powerhouse just across the border in Indiana.

Todd will be helping the brewery out with their expansion, distillery and all sorts of things—but the main focus will be new products and engineering. “They need help with a lot of things down there. We respect the hell out of them” Todd says. He won’t be the head brewer, but he’ll have a crack at creating some new beers there at some point in the future. “It’s exciting for us” he says. The biggest thing for me is I get to work with Chris Boggess [the head brewer] down there. It’s a very wide scope of work, and he won’t have to worry about everything.”

Todd plans to continue making music down there as well. The longtime Powermad guitarist sees the band sticking together for the most part, and he’s excited about playing in a city with a great music scene. He also has some musician friends down there that may end of creating some music with down the road.

Linda will be in on the restaurant and will also be helping with some design stuff. The couple sounded very happy on their way back here from Chicago over the weekend. In fact, the house is sold and they are adamantly searching for a house down in The Windy City where they’ll bring their talents along with their family of 5 cats. She says they’ll miss their friends up here in Minnesota, but they have plenty of friends down in Chicago already. “We have lots of friends down there. It’s heartwarming. I’ve always loved the energy down there” said Linda.

The move is expected to happen within the first couple weeks of December and work should start for them sometime in January or shortly after. There will also be other opportunities down the road for the couple which includes traveling the world. Don’t rule out a move to Europe down the road either. 3 Floyds and Mikkeller have a brewpub called WarPigs over in Copenhagen and Todd seemed intrigued as he spoke about it. In other words, this is not the end of their journey.

So what about Surly? Todd was the brand, the attitude, and the culture there. “Omar is going in a different direction. I see it getting worse. But no blame. I poured my heart and soul into that place” he stated. It sounds like he’ll really miss the brewing staff though that he helped build over his 10 years at the brewery. “Surly is left in very capable hands. I won’t be there to help them out. That’s the shitty part.”

“When the door closes, a window opens. We’re going in a different direction” said Linda.

Minnesota wishes you well.

—

Dara grabbed the story last night as well. Read her take here.

 

Hoops Brewing Set to Open Brewery in Canal Park Next Spring

By on October 28, 2016in Hoops Brewing
Dave Hoops at Fitger's Brewhouse

hoops-brewingIt’s happening….The longtime head brewer at Fitger’s Brewhouse is realizing a dream, a vision he’s had for a while will come to fruition in the form of a new brewery located in Canal Park. Hoops Brewing is aiming for a March/April 2017 opening date for their 9,000 square foot brewery and beer hall. The model? Something similar to what Dangerous Man did in Northeast back in 2013. “I have all this admiration for Dangerous Man. I give a lot of credit to Rob and Sarah over there” he says. Crowlers were chosen as the preferred package that will go out in limited distribution because Dave doesn’t like growlers.

Some breweries choose to have a wide distribution such as Surly, Bauhaus, Indeed and Bent Paddle. Hoops respects that model but points out that he wants to do things his way. “It’s the best model for me. I don’t need to sell my beer in a five state area. I just want to brew beer the way I’ve done it for 20 years” he said. Much of that time was spent running Fitger’s Brewhouse where he churned out award winning beers. Everything from lagers to wheatwines, using a wide variety of hops and malts.

Dave Hoops at Fitger's Brewhouse

Look at that baby face!

He pegged Melissa Rainville as his head brewer, someone he was very familiar with working at the Duluth brewpub. “She has a very similar philosophy to me, and I’m fortunate to have her” according to Hoops. He explains that she’ll have a lot of say with the types of beers they will create which will include everything from lagers to barrel-aged beers. He hopes to attract everyone, from the local community to tourists, and especially the hockey community—a community he proudly belongs to.

There won’t be a kitchen on-site, but he plans to have menus available from local establishments and he even expects to have a runner system where they will make sure that food ordered to the beer hall is delivered to his customers.

Hoops learned about the space (formerly Timber Lodge Steak House) being available last February and he insists that BevCraft (a consulting firm he’s a part of) was a big reason he secured the space. “They were huge in every aspect of this project” he proclaims. The space itself will seat around 250 people and with areas where one can watch a hockey game on the big screen, or areas with no televisions where people can socialize.

Photo: Tim Nelson

Photo: Tim Nelson

If one thing is certain, he’s proud to be local and he wants the place to be a big part of the community of Duluth. “This is my dream, and I’m going all in.”

That three-hour drive is looking better than ever.

The Axeman Leaveth: Todd Haug Steps Down at Surly Brewing

By on October 19, 2016in Surly Brewing Co.
Surly Brewing Company5796130634716784210

Where’s the beard? Todd Haug on Surly Brewing Co.’s first public tour.

Here’s the official and final word from Surly Brewing Co. TL:DR, Head of Brewing Operations at Surly Brewing Co., Todd Haug has resigned his position with the brewery to pursue new challenges. First and foremost, we wish him well – Surly Brewing got its start not long after I launched MNBeer.com and Todd and Omar have been huge supporters of the site for as long as I can remember.

It’s a sad day. Todd & Linda, Surly Brewing folks… we’re thinking about all y’all today. Cheers!

 

After more than 10 years setting the pace of the craft beer revolution in Minnesota, Surly Brewing Co., Head of Brewing Operations Todd Haug has resigned his position at the Twin Cities brewery.

“I’d like to thank our family, friends and fans – Surly Nation – for always believing in our vision. It never gets old to hear people tell you how much they enjoy your beer.  Omar and I set out with the modest goal to build a brewery so we could create a different kind of craft beer – the kind we wanted to drink – and I think we achieved that.”

Todd earned a reputation for refusing to brew-to-style. He defined the undefinable and brewed beer his way, which was rarely the easy way, earning the brewery gold medals in the process.

Omar Ansari, Founder and President of Surly Brewing says, “Todd has been an incredibly influential part of Surly since the beginning and was instrumental in building the brewery from the ground-up, often with his own two hands; brewing, welding, making connections and forming collaborations to establish the irreverent brand it is today. His talent is undeniable, and he will always be a huge part of who we are. He will be missed.”

Todd is stepping down from his role to pursue other opportunities and challenges in the industry that he has worked in for 25 years. The future is bright, and adventure awaits.

“I leave my brewhouses in the extremely capable hands of our co-lead brewers and the innovative brewing team we’ve mentored together. I eagerly look forward to seeing what the next generation of Surly brewers will create,” says Haug. “This is an opportunity for them to take the torch and continue the legacy we’ve been building for 10 years now.”

It’s been a hell of a ride with Todd in the front seat, keeping the music loud and the speed fast. He’s the wizard, the bitter brewer and the creative genius.

Surly Nation thanks you.