Category: breweries

Insight Dedicates a Day to the Saison

By on July 26, 2016in Beer Ingredients, breweries, cask beer, general beer, history, misc. mn beer, MN, new beer, tap rooms

Insight co-founder and head brewer llan Klages-Mundt is a very interesting guy. Spend five minutes with him and you’ll gather that he’s big on doing things the right way. In fact, he’s spent plenty of time over in Europe seeing how they do things in countries such as England, Denmark, France, and Belgium. So it’s no surprise that he’s a fan of making beers rooted in those regions. “Every time you go somewhere, you know you’re going to take something back with you. You don’t always know what that is” says Ilan.

It’s no coincidence that he’s a fan of the Saison which was originally a farmhouse style beer brewed during the winter months in the Belgian countryside. “I like that guidelines for the style are so wide. It’s like the Sauvignon Blanc of beer. You can sour them, or add fruit and spices” he says.

This year Insight is dedicating an entire day to it. The date is Saturday, July 30th from noon until 10 pm at the brewery. The plan is to release and showcase their stellar iteration of the Saison style they call Doe Eyes. This ruby red colored beer is packed with cherries and is refreshingly tart with a dry finish. This is always one of their most popular beers at festivals and with good reason — it’s one of the best made fruit beers in town. He tells us that there are about 1 lb of cherries in a pint. In fact they sourced about 15,000 lbs for the entire batch.

Also being featured at the event will be a Blackberry Saison (Lost Satyr) and Raspberry Saison (Frugivorous) to go along with a list of cask releases. Bottles (750 ml) of Doe Eyes, Lost Satyr, and Frugivorous will be on sale for $15 each with a limit of 6 total. Casks will be released as listed below:

2:00 – Cucumber Saison
4:00 – Pineapple Saison
6:00 – Juniper Citrus Saison

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You can also expect a list of local 90s tribute bands:

1pm Lithium (Nirvana)
3pm Trompe le Monde (Pixies)
5pm Muzzle – A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins
7pm Pleezer (Weezer)
9pm Alive-Tribute to Pearl Jam

Food trucks on site include:

El Taco Riendo, Peeps Hot Box, and O’Neil’s Cheese Curds.
Basically if you’re a fan of beer, you should swing in and find out what Ilan has learned since his trip to Belgium. For as Ilan says “You can never learn enough.”

Cheers!

Places and Events to Check out Over All Pints North Weekend

By on July 21, 2016in 612 Brew, August Schell Brewing Co., Bauhaus Brewlabs, beer events, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, Dangerous Man Brewing Co., Fair State Brewing, Fitger's Brewhouse, Fulton Brewing Co., general beer, Indeed Brewing Co., misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, Surly Brewing Co., Tycoons

All Pints North is one of the best beer fests held here in Minnesota for a few reasons. The first reason is that Duluth is one of the most picturesque cities in all of Minnesota, and there isn’t a better city to host such an event. The second reason is that Duluth is home to my favorite bar scene, partially due to all of the music that takes place on stages big and small across town. The third reason is that the beers that breweries bring to this event are some of the best being made here locally.

While the main event is always going to be the beer festival, you owe it to yourself to make a weekend out of it and check out the town on Friday. If you see me around, be sure to say hello. I’ve highlighted some of the events going on the night before the big event.
All Pints Eve Hootenanny at Bent Paddle – This event starts at 2 pm on Friday and will feature some rare beers which will of course include Double Shot Double Black. There will be a happy hour (3-5 pm) with 90.9 The Current which will be followed by bands from 7-11 pm.

Fulton Beer Presents This is a Cool Party at Pizza Lucé Duluth – Admission to this event (9:30 pm until midnight) is free and it will feature the bands Reflectivore and Dem Atlas. Grab a few beers and some pizza and prepare to party.

All Pints Eve at Sir Ben’s Tavern on the Lake – Live music, a restaurant pop up, and special tapping highlight this event on Friday from 4 – 9 pm. Beers from NorthGate, Bauhaus, Surly, Indeed, Castle Danger, Schell’s, Fair State, Dangerous Man, 612Brew, Beaver Island, and Bent Paddle will all be available for purchase. There will also be games and a kombucha station.

The Rathskeller at Tycoon’s – It’s no secret that this basement hangout is the place to be over the weekend. The Rathskeller is where people in the beer community hang and with good reason. The beer selection is top notch, and the whiskey is some of the best you’ll find around town. One thing to note is that the fire code dictates that only a certain number of people can be down there (it’s in the basement of Tycoon’s) so you may have to wait in a line to get in.

Places to eat over the weekend include Duluth Grill (fantastic breakfast), Northern Waters Smokehaus, Fitger’s Brewhouse, New Scenic Café, Tycoon’s, and Taste of Saigon.

And finally some pro advice: Don’t overdo it on Friday night or Saturday might be daunting. I’ve done this a few times. Perhaps I’ll never learn…

Cheers!

Beer and Food Options at US Bank Stadium

By on July 12, 2016in 612 Brew, Bauhaus Brewlabs, breweries, Fair State Brewing, food pairing, Fulton Brewing Co., general beer, hops, Insight Brewing, Lake Monster, Lift Bridge, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, NorthGate Brewing, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co.

Gone are the days of the humble Dome Dog and a Budweiser, after all it is 2016. The inaugural lineup of food options at US Bank Stadium are gonna be a hit, especially the local options. The beer….well that wasn’t available today. This is most likely due to the MillerCoors sponsorship which I’m guessing doesn’t allow for them to showcase the wonderful craft beer we have here in Minnesota.

But we were given a list of the local beer options that will be available. Summit, Surly, Fulton, Lift Bridge, Bauhaus, Castle Danger, Fair State, NorthGate, 612 Brew, Lake Monster, Sociable Cider Werks, Insight, and Finnegans will all be sold at the stadium in its first year of operation.

Local food partners featured at the stadium will be AZ Canteen, Be Graceful Bakery and Catering, Cinnie Smith’s, Curds and Cakes, Ike’s Food and Cocktails, Kramrczuk’s Sausage Company, Lola’s Cafe, Prairie Dogs, R Taco, and the much anticipated Revival Restaurant.

So how was the food? Well let’s dive in to some of today’s winners:

First up were the Lemongrass Meatballs from Rainbow Restaurant. These were tasty and will be a welcomed treat for those trying to avoid typical stadium fare.

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Next were the Smokey Nachos from Icehouse Minneapolis. A nice take on a stadium staple that would pair well with a Lonely Blonde from Fulton. Smokey meat paired with real cheese sauce. If the price is right, this might the item to get if you’re planning to share.

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The Jerk Bacon Sammie from Smalley’s Caribbean might go overlooked with all of the options. Our advice, don’t sleep on this slaw topped, thick-cut bacon sandwich. One of the best items on the menu today. Pair this spicy treat with a either an EPA or Saga from Summit.

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Prairie Dogs is offering a Chicago Dog and a Skol Dog. The Chicago Dog (pictured below) was pretty standard while the Skol Dog (topped with purple potato chips and bacon jam) impressed with its presentation and the smoke infused jam. Go with the Skol Dog and pair it with a Farm Girl from Lift Bridge.

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Kramarczuk’s makes amazing sausage so these (Andouille, Cheddar Wurst, Bratwurst) are a no brainer if you’re looking for standard stadium food. Get the standard brat topped with kraut and pair it with a Wonderstuff from Bauhaus. This is guaranteed to make any Packer fan jealous.

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The Italian Porchetta Sandwich from AZ Canteen is something you don’t wanna miss. A top 3 menu item today. Perfectly seasoned and topped with enough greens to make up for the saturated fat. This would pair up nicely with a Parapet ESB from NorthGate.

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The much anticipated Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich from Revival is the real winner today. This juicy chicken sammie is delightfully crunchy, and is plenty spicy for those who have a palate for that sort of thing. Pair this up with a Surly Furious which will stand up tall to the heat. Be sure to order the mild if you are sensitive to spicy foods.

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Now for the not so great:

The Murray’s Short Rib Sandwich was a bit disappointing. This was tasty but was fairly dry. Dry enough where the coleslaw it was topped with couldn’t save it. The cost is probably also going to be a factor with this one.

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The R Taco is a good option if you are looking for something a bit lighter, but this thing is messy. The last thing you want to deal with while rubbing elbows with drunk strangers is pulling shredded pork and diced onions out of your beard. If you do go with this, wash it down with a Hell Chicken from Insight. The citrus from the yuzu fruit will play well with the shredded pork and accompaniments.

The Gramsky’s Italian Grinder Sandwich was served at room temperature and was very heavy on the bread. By the time we got to this it was rather soggy and aside from the meat, was fairly bland.

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All in all, these were the best offerings of a stadium in town. Pricing will also be a determining factor when purchasing these menu items so you’ll want to keep that in mind, especially if you’re bringing a family of four. So what was missing? I think there are a few vendors out there that would be nice little additions to the lineup. All of them would be a great branding fit as well.

Vikre Distillery out of Duluth. Aquavit cocktails showcasing flavors of cardamom and caraway seed would be a welcomed addition to the nordic themed stadium shaped like a viking ship.

HammerHeart Brewing out of Lino Lakes makes bold, smoky beers that would take fans out of their comfort zone and introduce them to an old-world method of beer crafting. A crowd people head banging to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song with a Hammerheart beer in hand would be a sight to behold.

Northern Waters Smokehaus from Duluth. Imagine being able to order smoked fish and charcuterie made right here in the north country. It seems silly that we always go back to the standard stadium fare when these ingredients are sourced and readily available on the local level.

Whatever your tastes are, you’re sure to find plenty of delicious heart stopping food on the menu at US Bank Stadium. But just know that nothing will stop your heart faster than a field goal that goes wide left.

Thanks Gary…

Cheers!

Rare Beer Picnic (and me) in Moorhead

By on July 11, 2016in beer events, breweries

*Note. I promise that this isn’t just about me. Read on…

Heya… Ryan (Anderson) here with a quick little not about changes in my world as well as an awesome event you should definitely consider checking out.

After 16 years in the Twin Cities (and 10 of those years spent holding the reigns of MNBeer.com), I’ve relocated to Moorhead, Minnesota. And with that, I’ve moved MNBeer World Headquarters (a.k.a. a Macbook Pro and a small collection of boxes) into the great plains. My wife and I wanted to be closer to our parents as they age and as some of them deal with health issues. It was one of the toughest decisions we’ve ever made, but we’re here… to drink beer.. and kill war and live life so well that death will tremble to take us… (apologies to Bukowski.)

So this Saturday I’ll get my first real taste of the of a Fargo/Moorhead Beer festival in the shape of the Rare Beer Picnic. I’m looking forward to it… I actually think I need it, at this point, and this is coming from someone who’s been at a festival or two or three hundred…

The ‘Rare Beer Picnic’ is a beer festival that is focused on aged, soured and infused beer made by local/regional brewers and homebrewers. The fine folks at Junkyard Brewing Company, Usher’s House and Bottle Barn Moorhead have assembled an event filled with great beer, food, outdoor fun and more.RareBeerPicnic  Sample beers from Junkyard Brewing , Fargo Brewing, Surly Brewing, Summit Brewing, Bent Paddle Brewing, Brau Brothers, and Hammerheart Brewing… and hang out with me!

Prairie Homebrewing Companions will also be there with samples of their homebrewed beer and will also be doing a brewing demonstration during the event.

Get your tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rare-beer-picnic-tickets-17265631970?aff=es2

Included in the $28 ticket price…

  • Admission
  • Beer sampling
  • Ticket for either a brat/burger
  • Souvenir Pint Glass

Date/Time
Date(s) – 07/18/15
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Location
W.H. Davy Park
1st Ave N & 8th St N
Moorhead, MN

*I’ll be rocking an MNBeer.com shirt. Please say hello!

 

Steel Toe Brewing Moving to Cans

By on June 30, 2016in general beer, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, Steel Toe Brewing, tap rooms

Back when Oskar Blues first starting canning their beers in 2002 many people wondered why they went that route. Now just about everyone is going to cans for many reasons, one of them being that you can take them anywhere. Just ask Steel Toe Brewing owner Jason Schoneman who tells me that they are going to start canning their suds—which are expected to hit a limited number of stores on July 13th. “The big reason we are going to cans is that we want our beer to be everywhere” he says. “We like going to the lake too, and bombers (22 oz. bottles) are a pain in the ass” he says laughing.

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Steel Toe will be canning their popular flagships Size 7 IPA and Provider Golden Ale to start with other varieties to follow. The regal design of these cans will showcase the signature boot logo in a black on silver look that features the color associated with each brand. Green for Size 7 and yellow for Provider. They will be sold in 6 packs of 12 oz. cans and as stated above will start out at select retail locations across the metro beginning on July 13th. The plan then is to roll them out to all of their retail locations by the end of the year. You’ll still be able to find their other varieties in bomber bottles around town for now.

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They had been talking about this change for a while but tank space was always the concern. So why the switch now? Two words: The customer. “We’ve had so many requests for this format. It’s what the customer wants” says Shoneman. Here’s to hoping Sommer Vice and Size 4 follow suit.

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So grab your camping gear and don’t forget a six pack or two on your way out of town.

Cheers!