Category: breweries

Minnesota State Beer… er Fair

By on August 23, 2013in bars/restaurants, breweries
gopherIn case you live under a rock, the Minnesota State Fair started Thursday. St. Paul, can I get a collective “Oh shit!”? I used to work on Energy Park Drive and always cringed in the days leading up to the Fair. My company usually had a flood of last minute creative and print work for one of the broadcasting companies AND traffic absolutely sucked. I still can’t figure out why some people choose to go to (or leave) the State Fair during rush hour. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Hungry? Look no further than HeavyTable (Twitter) for State Fair food information. You really don’t need to go anywhere else. Seriously. Stop typing.
Thirsty? Here are a few of our suggestions. Do you have your own? Leave them in the comments.

Fair Exclusives:

lift-bridge-mini-donut-beer-smLift Bridge’s Mini Donut Beer
Our friends at Lift Bridge have produced what is said to be the first-ever mini donut flavored beer. The fruits of the brewery’s labors will be available exclusively at the Ball Park Café.  Expect a malty sweet sipper that weighs in at about 5% abv. Mini-Donut will be served in a glass rimmed with cinnamon and sugar. Suggest pairing: Mini-donuts. Duh. And while it’s been suggested that perhaps Lift Bridge “jumped the shark” with this one, we tend to think that it sounds tasty enough to try before passing judgement.

Summit State Fair IPA
This beer was brewed by our good friend Jeff Williamson. This beer is full of great Minnesota ingredients like wild rice, honey, pronto pups corn and Cascade hops from Hippity Hops Farms. Look for it daily at the International Bazaar. 95 IBUs and 5.5% ABV.

Great Beer Destinations:

Ball Park Café
The Ball Park Cafe is essentially the Minnesota State Fair’s very own craft beer bar with a strong focus on local beers. It’s the only place that you’ll find the aforementioned Lift Bridge Mini Donut Beer and this year they’re making onion rings with a beer batter made with Indeed’s Day Tripper Pale Ale. Other craft beers at the Ball Park Café include Surly Furious, Bitter Brewer and Hell, Lift Bridge Mini Donut, Hop Dish and Farm Girl, Bent Paddle Black Ale, Third Street Jacked Up, Steel Toe Size 7, Mankato Original, Excelsior Bitterschaple, Badger Hill White IPA, Lucid Dyno, Indeed Day Tripper & Midnight Rider and one out-of-towner, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale.

10kbeersThe Land of 10,000 Beers
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild returns to the Agriculture/Horticulture building with an expanded “Land of 10,000 Beers,” featuring beers from 26 Minnesota breweries. Once again the exhibit will showcase craft brewing in Minnesota with brewers, displays and presentations throughout the duration of the Fair.

This week’s presentation schedule:

Thursday, August 22

  • 3pm – Getting to Know the Guild: Clint Roberts, Guild Executive Director
  • 6pm – Beer Tourism: Dan Justesen, Guild President, Vine Park Brewing Co.

Friday, August 23

  • 3pm – Member Showcase: 612Brew, Indeed Brewing Co.
  • 6pm – The Art of the Cask: Tony Digatono of Great Waters Brewing Co.

Saturday, August 24

  • Noon – Homebrewer Award Program
  • 3pm – Primary Fermenter Showcase
  • 6pm – Member Showcase: Surly Brewing Co., Fulton Beer

Sunday, August 25

  • Noon – A Historian’s Perspective: Craft Beer with Doug Hoverson
  • 3pm – Minnesota Hop Star: The U of M’s Charlie Rohwer, Ph.D.
  • 6pm – Member Showcase: Third Street Brewhouse, Boom Island Brewing Co., Flat Earth Brewing Co.

Tracking Down Your Favorite Beers:

Summit Brewing Company’s State Fair Guide

Fulton Brewing Company’s State Fair Guide

August Schell State Fair Beer Guide

Ten State Fair Beers You’ll Never See…

By on August 22, 2013in breweries, brewpubs

Years ago, I used to be a part of a couple of well-received music-related print ‘zines. At the time, the zines’ focus was on punk & indie rock (or whatever they were calling it in the 90s… alternative?), the writers’ own lives and idiosyncrasies and the fact that our cozy little scene was blowing up thanks to acts like Nirvana and Green Day becoming household names. Does that sound vaguely familiar? In any case, one of the things that we liked to do to inject a little humor into a scene that, on occasion, took itself a little too seriously.

Inspired by the past and looking for a break in the mold of craft beer coverage, let’s spin the Ferris wheel and see what we can see.

Ten State Fair Beers You’ll Never See:

1. Indeed Brewing Co. Carnie. A deceivingly strong brew with notes of sulfur, tobacco and bourbon.

2. Pour Decisions Écurie. Brewed with wild yeasts cultured from actual horse blankets.

3. Bad Weather Heat Lightning. Banned from the Fair due to safety concerns.

4. Surly Yardstick Belgian Pale Ale. Aged on genuine State Fair yardsticks and dry-hopped with tiny leather straps.

5. Badger Hill Grandstand. Market research found that this particular recipe would only taste good on Friday, August 30th. Nixed. Side note, Sugar Ray is still a band? Oh, and #RothNotHagar.

6. Jack Pine Home Depot Bucket Small Batch Cream Ale. This nano brewery just got nano-ier.

7. Lucid Seed Art IPA. Gluten-free and earth-friendly – brewed with germinated seeds left over from a seed art project depicting former Minnesota governor Wendell Anderson.

7. HammerHeart Deep Fried Habanero Imperial Coffee Stout. Yow.

8. August Schell Roasted Corn “Crafty” Altbier. Scrapped after a tussle with the Brewer’s Association. Texas’ Spoetzl Brewery rumored to be working on a similar recipe.

9. Olvalde Purple Prince Heirloom Belgian Strong Golden. Absolutely delicious. Concept scrapped due to trademark concerns.

10. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery State Fair Mama. Shelved until brewpubs in Minnesota are allowed to sell their beer to distributors. Wouldn’t you like to know what this one tastes like! We would!

Summit Union Series: Rebellion Stout

By on August 20, 2013in breweries
Summit Rebellion Stout

Summit Rebellion Stout

Rebellion Stout is the moniker for the next beer in Summit Brewing Company’s Union Series. It’s an Export Double Stout weighing in at 8.5% ABV and 70 IBUs. Look for it in November – it looks like a serious stout that will be a great fit for Fall/Winter.

If you recall, the Union Series will focus on new and up-and-coming materials and ingredients, exploring the latest malts and hops in the industry. This one will feature Bodicea hops and Stout Malt from Ireland. According to The British Hopgrowers Association, “Boadicea is mild, light floral and spicy, with a grassy scented aroma.  It has a touch of floral flavour notes and reminds you of orchard blossom.” Fun fact: Bodicea is the world’s first aphid-resistant hop.

If I were a betting man, I’d guess that they’d be using Stout Malt from Malting Company of Ireland, distributed locally by Brewers Supply Group. Local homebrew supply company, Northern Brewer, had this to say about Irish Stout Malt:

Irish Stout Malt is characterized by plump, round kernels with very low protein and high extract. Low kilning temperatures mean a very pale wort with high enzyme levels. While usually used in Irish stouts, it is at home in any style calling for an English-type pale malt. This malt’s tendency to be very pale and very high in enzymes means it is well suited to adjunct-laden worts, such as the classic dry Irish stout grist.

More details as we get them!

Tom Thumb Would be Proud – Lift Bridge Mini-Donut Beer

By on August 15, 2013in breweries

lift-bridge-mini-donut-beer-smIf it didn’t sound delicious, I’d call it a gimmick. Our friends at Lift Bridge have produced what is said to be the first-ever mini donut flavored beer. Armed with a stack of Motley Crue albums, some ripped jeans and a sleeveless Iron Maiden t-shirt, brewer Matt Hall toured the country with carnies for months as he honed his recipe and devised a tiny automatic brewhouse to produce this sweet little beer, one pint at a time.

True story. The fruits of the brewery’s labors will be available exclusively at the Ball Park Café.  And though you won’t have to bitch should you throw this beer into your mouth too quickly, drinking a dozen in a sitting will probably kick your ass. Expect a malty sweet sipper that weighs in at about 5% abv. Mini-Donut will be served in a glass rimmed with cinnamon and sugar. Suggest pairing: Mini-donuts. Duh.

Many thanks to the guys at Lift Bridge for not making a corn dog or blooming onion beer. Gah.

Summit State Fair IPA

By on August 14, 2013in bars/restaurants, breweries

Here’s a cool little video featuring Summit Brewing Company brewery and all-around good guy, Jeff Williamson. Jeff and his amazing mustache explain his State Fair-inspired brew. Look for it daily at the International Bazaar and bask in the glory that includes Minnesota ingredients like wild rice, honey, pronto pups corn and Cascade hops from Hippity Hops Farms. And just so it’s hoppy enough for you, they’ve thrown in Magnum, Amarillo, Chinook and Centennial hops, creating a beer that rounds out at 95 IBU and 5.5% abv.

You know what would be awesome? State Fair vendors, are you listening? State Fair IPA beer-battered something on a stick. DO IT! Incidentally, if you’d like to catch Summit at the fair, here are a few dates for your consideration.

• August 22 – Jeff Williamson, brewer of State Fair IPA – Summit Booth at International Bazaar – 1-2:30pm
• August 26 – Meet Founder Mark Stutrud – Summit Booth at International Bazaar – 12-1:30pm
• August 28 – Meet Head Brewer Damian McConn – Summit Booth at International Bazaar – 1:00-2:30pm
• August 30 – Mike Lundell, brewer of Another IPA – Summit Booth at International Bazaar – 11:30-1:00pm
• August 30 – Mark Stutrud (with Ted Marti from Schell’s) – Craft Brewer’s Guild Area in Agriculture Building – 3pm