breweries – Page 49 – MNBeer – Craft beer information from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond

Summit’s State Fair Beer for 2014, The Villain

By ryan on July 3, 2014in breweries

This year’s limited edition State Fair beer is called The Villain, a black lager brewed by brewer Gabe Smoley. Early notes on the beer from Smoley’s notepad: “The working concept for this year will be a hybrid Schwarzbier brewed with a Kolsch yeast. The beer will be jet black, weighing in around 4-4.5% ABV. It will be lightly hopped and have a mild, slightly roasty flavor – but will drink very clean. A traditional Schwarzbier lager recipe will be followed, but the hybrid ale/lager yeast strain will give the flavor profile a little more character — possibly tart and fruity. Special brewing malt will be utilized to make this beer uniquely dark, but it will drink like a lager, which should be perfect for the typically-balmy State Fair weather.”

Schell’s Weizen Series

By ryan on June 25, 2014in breweries

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Schell’s Hefeweizen hitting the market. To celebrate, they’ll have 4 different variations of hefeweizen in a limited edition 12 pack and on draft. I asked Schell’s Jace Marti for a bit of insight on the series and got some good information as well as a cool story:

I was at the Craft Brewers Conference 2 years ago, and met Bob Brewer from Anchor Brewing Company (what a perfect name for the brewing industry) who has worked there I believe since the beginning. He said that Anchor had always claimed to have brewed the first wheat beer in America, but he wanted me to double check because of when ours came out. I went back and check our records, and on July 17th, 1984, we brewed our first batch of “Weiss Beer.” And by an unbelievable coincidence, and completely unknown to each other, Anchor Brewing brewed theirs on the exact same day! The first two wheat beers brewed in America since prohibition were both brewed on the same day and neither one of us knew it till recently. I will say though, that we mashed in the night before and knocked out the next morning, when the brew sheet would have been filled out, so technically….

Beer details? Yessir… The first beer is the original 1984 Kristal Weizen recipe. Back in 1984, this was a huge departure for Schell’s. So different, in fact that they had to have Briess custom malt the wheat! They also worked with Briess to bring in an authentic Hefeweizen yeast strain from Germany. At the time, the yeast wasn’t available in the US and there were no yeast banks to use as a source, either. The beer was “krystal” clear, deep golden in color, 4.6% abv and 6 IBUs.. Suffice to say that this was a radical departure from Schell’s Deer Brand and anything else available in the US. Who you callin’ crafty?!

The second beer is Schell’s current Hefeweizen recipe. This beer is a traditional, unfiltered Hefeweizen made from Wheat and Pilsner malt and features the classic banana, clove and nutmeg yeast characteristics. 4.75% abv, 15 IBUs.

The third beer was one of my personal favorites from the 150th Anniversary Draft Series, Dampf Bier. This is an all-barley beer, made with a Hefeweizen yeast strain. This beer is brewed with 2-Row, Vienna, Caraviena and a touch of Midnight Wheat. This beer is 4.9% abv, 18 IBUs, and is filtered to show off the deep amber color.

Lastly we have a Weizen Bock. This beer is brewed with just wheat and Pilsner malt, and features a new French variety of hops called Triskel. This beer is heavily hopped late in the kettle and dry hopped with Triskel to bring out the fruity, floral, pineapple notes of the Triskel hops for a hoppy wheat beer experience. 6.5% ABV, and 35 IBUs.

Schell’s just bottled and kegged these beers last week, so look for them on the market in the next week or so.

Endion Station Public House to Open in July

By ryan on June 24, 2014in bars/restaurants, breweries

Back in October of 2012, we reported that the parent company of Fitger’s Brewhouse had won a bid to purchase the historic Endion Station train depot in Canal Park. Today we’re excited to share that the Endion Station Public House will open in July!

Endion Station Public House will feature Duluth-Packed pulled meat sandwiches and kebabs. Endion Station will be the first Duluth cider house with multiple cider tap lines as well as a few signature Fitger’s Brewhouse beers and a full bar.

The building (its name means my, your or his home in Ojibwe) was built as a train station in 1899 and moved to the Lakewalk in the 80s. Tony Dierckins, the publisher of local history site Zenith City Online, says the station is unique.

“We used to have dozens of railroad depots all over town,” Dierckins says. “It’s one of only two that are left.”

Like Tycoons Alehouse and the Fitger’s building, the Endion Station is built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It’s made of Kettle River sandstone and even though it was a humble passenger depot, it was carefully designed to look its best.

I for one, can’t wait to check it out. Congrats gang!

Summit Union Series: Southern Cape Sparkling Ale

By ryan on June 19, 2014in breweries

Tonight! Head over to The Park Tavern in St. Louis Park for the release of the third beer in Summit’s Union Series, Southern Cape Sparkling Ale. Come meet the brewer and sample the latest in the Union Series – perfect for a rainy evening. 5-8pm.

Union #3 Southern Cape Sparkling Ale Details:

“Presenting Southern Cape Sparkling Ale, the latest in the limited-release Summit Union Series. Inspired by sparkling ales popular in the Southern hemisphere. Named after the Southern Cape hop farms in South Africa. With ingredients from Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa for a refreshingly balanced ale that’s perfect for summer.”

Flavor Notes:

Hints of pineapple and mango hop aroma. Biscuity malts lend a soft, toasted note and rounded finish. Lively carbonation pairs well with a warm summer afternoon.

Specs:

Original Gravity: 10.5° Plato
Alcohol by Volume: 4.4%
Color, (deg. L.): Pale Straw
IBUs: 47
Malts Utilized: Gaidner Pale (Australia) and Sebastian Caramel (Chile)
Hops Utilized: Waimea (New Zealand) and Southern Passion (South Africa)
Yeast: Australian Ale

Off the Rails with Summit

By ryan on June 10, 2014in bars/restaurants, breweries

In celebration of the new Green Line, our friends at Summit are throwing down with a pub crawl of mass (transit) proportions. From 4-10pm on Saturday, hop a on board and join them in celebration of the first day of the new Green Line light rail route connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis. You can ride for free on opening day and stop into some of the great bars and restaurants that dealt with the woes of light-rail constuction over the course of the past few years.

The open format crawl runs from 4-10pm. Start in St. Paul or Minneapolis and meet in the middle at The Dubliner at 10pm. Every pub stop along the way will feature $4 Summits, with a diverse selection of locations. Participants can join in at any pub, at any point in the evening. All light rail stops are within walking distance of the pubs. The light rail stations include:

St. Paul

Union Depot Station – Barrio, Bulldog, Kelly’s Depot, Bedlam, Golden’s Deli, Tanpopo, Black Dog, Minnesota Saloon

Western Ave Station – Mai Village

Victoria St Station – Ngon Vietnamese Bistro

Raymond Ave Station – The Dubliner Pub

Minneapolis

Warehouse District Station – Gluek’s, The Loon, Kieran’s Irish Pub

Nicollet Mall Station – Lyon’s Pub

Government Plaza Station – Di’Noko’s Bar Zia

Downtown East/Metrodome Station – Grumpy’s, Crooked Pint

West Bank Station – Corner Bar

East Bank Station – Big 10, Applebee’s, Stub & Herb’s

Stadium Village Station – The Hole Sports Lounge

Participants are encouraged to tweet a picture of themselves on the crawl with a Summit in hand to be entered to win Summit gear or beer. #OffTheRails