A number of years ago, I predicted that Dave Berg would be using Belgian Ardennes yeast in a beer. As it turns out, if you’re patient, your dreams can come true as this year’s Snowstorm is Belgian Strong Golden Ale brewed with Belgian Ardennes yeast as well as Chamomile and Coriander, Smaragd hops, 2-row, rye and sugar. At 7% abv, it’ll be a bit of a sipper, but no doubt a delight. Look for this beer in November!
It’s live! Check it out in all of it’s splendid glory. Dammit I’m thirsty now..
I’d be lying if I said that my first visit to Autumn Brew Review seemed like yesterday. I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to hit most of the Autumn Brew Review events over the years and have had the pleasure of watching it grow from an event that was popular to an event that sells out in seconds flat.
My first visit to Autumn Brew Review, and to any beer festival, for that matter, was at one of the festivals at Peavy Plaza. I remember being overwhelmed with all of the beers to try and truly excited to spend a nice fall day out in the sun, negotiating the various levels at Peavy Plaza to sample different beers. The festivals were busy back in those days, but most of the lines weren’t ridiculous. In fact, I can recall a few occasions when Guild president Dave Berg would ask me to post about ABR again, in hopes of selling a few more tickets. We’ve come a long way!
MNBeer.com had a couple of rather exciting years at ABR as well. One year Jeff (Where the Wild Beers Are) brought a keg of Cantillion to share at the MNBeer tent. Another year, we decided to play “Name that Minnesota Beer” while sampling pale ales for prizes. We also offered up bottle openers in exchange for a cash donation to the Guild.
Now in it’s 13th year, Autumn Brew Review has graduated into being one of the longest-running and most well-regarded beer festival in the upper midwest. It sells out immediately every year and showcases tons of great local beers as well as great beers from out-of-state brewers. Tons of work goes into making this festival happen every year and the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild deserves a great big hug and a sloppy-hoppy kiss for all of their hard work. Early ABR pioneers such as Dave Berg, Paul Norton, Laura and Colin Mullen and others really shaped the festival into what it is today. Personally, I’m excited as this year the event doesn’t conflict with a yearly work event. I hope to see you there! Stop by the MNBeer tent or find me out sampling! Cheers! Continue on for some old photos!
…and you don’t need tickets to celebrate. Hohenstein’s has come up with a huge list of specials and events. Check it out. ABR Week with Hohenstein’s (PDF)
The second release in Schell’s Noble Star Collection will be their Framboise du Nord. The beer takes a twist on the Berliner Weisse tradition of adding a shot of sweet syrup to he beer when drinking, but instead of using syrup, Schell’s added raspberries during secondary fermentation. Schell’s Jace Marti says it the beer should be “a refreshingly sour beer full of raspberry flavor.” The first batch of the Noble Star Collection ended up being split between to batches since the cypress lagering tank they used was so large. The first half was released as Star of the North, and the second half was transferred back into a stainless steel tank along with 5000 pounds of raspberries, where it fermented for an additional four months. Right now they’re looking at a November release. Expect this beer to pour a bright, neon red color with a pink foam head. If you’re lucky enough to have Autumn Brew Review tickets, they’ll be pouring a single keg of this beer at the event as a sneak preview. Save some for me!