March is Minnesota FoodShare Month, and our friends at Finnegans are celebrating this with their new “reverse food truck” with a kick-off at Kieran’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 15th. Irish and wanna-be Irish celebrators will be able to donate food and cash to help fight hunger. Finnegans has a goal of raising $5000 throughout March. How about having one less beer and donating some cash (and food) to a good cause?
The short version? Look for Summit Brewing Co.’s 15th Unchained beer, Fest Bier starting next week with a kickoff at Black Forest Inn on Monday the 10th at 5pm. Fest Bier is the first lager of the Unchained and draws inspiration from Brewer Nate Siats love of German beer.“This beer is modeled after a cross between an Oktoberfest bier and a Wiesn bier,” says Brewer Nate Siats. “After making more robust brews for my first two Unchained beers, I wanted to make a light, clean, crisp, refreshing beer that still had plenty of flavor and a good aroma.”
Full press release below:
More fun news from our friends at August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm. Last week you heard about new cans of their summer seasonal, Zommerfest, co-branded with 89.3 the current. This week, we’re excited to share a couple of other new canned releases from Schell’s.
March is almost here, and despite the waist-high snow in my front yard, I have hope for spring as spring seasonal beer releases start to take place. Indeed Brewing Company is helping to bring at least a small smile to my face with the release of their Let it Ride I.P.A. at Blue Door Longfellow on Tuesday, February 25.
In addition to draft availability, this year Let it Ride will be available for your imbibing pleasures in 12 oz. cans over the next couple of weeks as well.
At 90 IBUs and 6.8% ABV, Let it Ride packs a nice hop punch that’s offset by a malt presence that includes both American and English Crystal malts as well as German dark Munich malt. The beer features some newer aroma hop varieties in the form of Mosaic, El Dorado and Calypso. Brewer Josh Bischoff says “There’s a bunch of aroma in these new varieties of hops that we weren’t getting from hops, even a few years ago. Expect big fruity aromas containing, but not limited to, dank citrus, pineapple, blueberry and tropical fruits.”
Let it Ride Details:
American I.P.A.
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 90
Hops: Mosaic, Calypso, El Dorado
Malt: Pale, Medium Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Caramel 80
Release Event:
Tuesday, February 25th, 5pm
Blue Door Pub Longfellow, Minneapolis
BLAKKR. New album out in February. Michael Berglund – Surly artist-in-residence, Erik Ogershok – Head Brewer at Real Ale Brewing Co., Todd Haug – Head Brewer of Surly Brewing and Barnaby Struve – VP of Three Floyds.
What do you get when you throw three brewers known for their affinity for metal into a brewery, crank the stereo to eleven and let them do their thing? According to Surly Brewing Co.’s Todd Haug, the group was compelled to create “The most metal beer ever.” describing BLAKKR as being “Black as the sky on a moonless night,” with “flavors of black licorice and bitter sweet hops with strong hop aromas of pineapple.” And so begins the tale of BLAKKR, an imperial black ale brewed collaboratively by Surly, Real Ale and Three Floyds.
BLAKKR’s North American tour hit all three breweries and the end product is set to launch in each brewery’s respective markets soon. Real Ale will offer up BLAKKR in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans, Three Floyds will be packaging the beer in bombers and Surly will be releasing BLAKKR in 16oz cans.
Minnesota gets BLAKKR Monday:
Surly Brewing will be hosting a BLAKKR release party at Grumpy’s Downtown in Minneapolis on Monday, February 24 at 6pm. Look for BLAKKR on tap, as well as various other Surly specials on tap and live music.
BLAKKR Details:
Imperial Black Ale
Malts: Pale Malt, Carafa Special, Oats
Sugar: Brewers Crystals
Hops: Bittering – Warrior, Aroma- Simcoe, Centennial
Yeast: English Ale
OG: 22 P
FG: 4.5 P
ABV: 9.99 %
IBU: 85
The Art:
BLAKKR’s album cover artwork was created by Surly’s Michael Berglund and was inspired by Medieval engravings of monsters and chimeras. He said: “The idea came from having to please three metal brewers—a three headed beast.” He said the symbols are from Medieval alchemy, and are, in order from left to right: water, alcohol, eternal darkness, fermentation, fire, flavor, pint, grain, trinity, boil, union (collab), carbon dioxide, metal, and wizard. Berglund added: “It’s up to the viewer to decide if the souls in the fire are burning, worshiping, partying, or just asking for a beer.”