Category: breweries

North Shore Brewery Tour

By on April 15, 2013in beer travels, breweries, brewpubs

duluthThis is cool. GetKnit Events is hosting several brewery tours to Duluth this spring and summer. $109 gives you access to six different Duluth breweries and brewpubs, private tours, coffee pastries, pub fare for lunch and a gourmet dinner, not to mention round trip transportation. Interesting, eh?

Our GetKnit Gurus will help you get a jump start on the day with a sunrise breakfast of pastries and our first “brew” of the day – coffee.  A deluxe motor-coach will then whisk us away to the North Shore.  Upon arriving in Duluth, we will make our first stop at Bent Paddle Brewing Company – a brand new, state of the art brewery, where we will get a taste of the day to come with signature beer tastings and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour.

From there, we’ll travel to Canal Park Brewing Company, where we will fill up with several more tastings and a hearty beer-inspired lunch.  Options including a brewski (WI-made bratwurst), classic cheddar cheese burger with fixings, chicken and cheese sandwich, Pub Wing Dings or a plantain burger.

After re-fueling, Lake Superior Brewing Company will welcome us with another round of tastings to be complemented by a brief lesson on the history of brewing in the North Shore region.

Next, our crew will make our way to Castle Danger Brewery, a one-of-a-kind brewery who makes their mark on the local brewery scene by serving up “dangerously” good ales.

From there, we’ll continue on to Carmody Irish Pub, located in the historic Port-Town District of downtown Duluth to taste some of their superb dark stouts and seasonal brews.

Before making the journey home, we’ll stop by Tycoons Alehouse and Eatery to savor our last few tastes of the day along with a delectable dinner.  Options including hand-trimmed pork loin, artichoke-stuffed chicken florentine, stuffed poblano peppers, and classic fish ‘n’ chips are sure to satisfy even the largest appetite.

Between the thirst quenching beer tastings from the six North Shore breweries and the mouth-watering meals at some of Duluth’s finest eateries, you will have countless opportunities to purchase pints, growlers, and souvenirs to help remind you of this day that left you feeling good and “hoppy.”

Trips leave from Roseville, depart at 8:30am and return around 9:30pm. Thirteen hours of beer-fueled fun.

If you’d like to read more or sign up, follow the link here.Tour dates: April 20th, May 11th, June 1st.

All Pints North Tickets on Sale Monday

By on April 12, 2013in breweries, brewpubs
all pints north, duluth
all pints north
Tickets to The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild’s Duluth beer festival, All Pints North, go on sale on Monday, April 15th. If you missed out last year (and I suspect many of you did), don’t hesitate to join us this year. The event was a blast and Bayfront Festival Park is a great venue for such an event.
On Monday you’ll also have a chance to buy ticket two-packs for All Pints North and Autumn Brew Review (ticket link). It’s an early pre-sale that starts at 10am. ABR sells out quickly, so these tickets are your guarantee that you’ll get to a.) throw down in Duluth and b.) get to go to Autumn Brew Review and c.) be the envy of all of your fugly friends. For what it’s worth, ABR tickets won’t be on sale until July.

So arm your double-clicking machine with this URL  tempotickets.com/apn and prepare to meet us in Duluth on July 13th. We promise to throw another fun party on Friday night if you promise to join us!

*And by “throw a fun party” we mean let the venue do all the hard work… thank you to the fine folks at Fitger’s Brewhouse for putting up with us last year.

  • Saturday, July 13, 2013
  • 3-7 p.m.
  • Bayfront Festival Park, Duluth, MN
  • Approx. 2,500 attendees
  • $30 in Advance (Limit 6) | $40 at the door (if available) | $10 Sober Driver Ticket

Hey Duluth friends, anyone want to babysit my girls on Saturday? 🙂

Steel Toe Douglas Cascadian Dark Ale

By on April 10, 2013in breweries
Steel Toe Brewing Douglas CDA

Steel Toe Brewing Douglas CDASteel Toe Brewing in St. Louis Park now has their new beer, Douglas Cascadian Dark Ale on tap in their tap room. This is a 7.5% abv hoppy dark ale that spotlights Meridian hops. This is a limited release beer, so you may just want to think about drinking some today!

Badger Hill Takes the “High Road” with a New Session Ale

By on April 10, 2013in breweries
badger hill high road

badger hill high roadIs the session beer the new sour beer which was the new IPA? If that makes no sense to you, fear not, I sometimes just make sh…tuff up. In any case, our friends at Badger Hill have launched their fourth beer, High Road Everyday Ale! which is their take on a sessionable ale. Brewed with Galaxy and Wakatu hops, High Road “swirls with the aromas of tropical fruit and notes of citrus.” Badger Hill says it’s not a blonde ale or a pale ale per se, though they say you’ll find a clean, dry flavor with just a hint of sweetness.

High Road Everyday ale is available on draught across the metro area. Make sure to ask for it the next time your are out! 12oz bottles will be available at the end of April/Early May.

Summit Meridian Session Ale Details

By on April 9, 2013in breweries
Summit Brewing Meridian Session Ale

Summit Brewing Meridian Session AleSummit Brewing Company launches the first in their Union Series, Meridian Session Ale the week of April 15th. We offered some hints as to the details of this beer back in February (read it here), but The Union Series will focus on brewing with new raw materials and ingredients, exploring the latest malts and hops in the industry. Meridian Session Ale will also the first beer to feature Summit’s new packaging and logo.

“To create Meridian, we used Concerto malt, a new rising star in the UK, and Meridian hops, which was discovered by accident by a grower in Oregon,” said Damian McConn, Head Brewer at Summit. “Both of these new ingredients combine nicely to create a very drinkable beer – simple in design and complex in character.”

Meridian Session Ale is Belgian-style session ale, roughly in the Enkel (single) tradition. The combination of Concerto malt and Meridian hops results in a distinctive ale with a spicy, floral lemon aroma and clean bitterness.

Meridian Session Ale Specs:

AVB: 4.5%
IBU: 32
Color: Hazy sunset gold
Malt: Concerto Pale Malt
Hop: Meridian Hops

There will be a series of special events featuring the new Meridian Session Ale:

  • April 22: Earth Day Beer Dinner hosted by brewer Gabe Smoley – Barrio, Edina, 6pm.
  • April 23: Meet the brewer and sample the new Meridian Ale – Bunny’s Bar and Grill, St Louis Park, 7-9pm.
  • Month of June:  Summit Tap Invasion, taking over 4 taps (including Meridian Ale) – Lyndale Taphouse.
  • May 1-11: Summit Tap Invasion, taking over 6 taps (including Meridian Ale) – Salut, Grand Ave. Join us on the patio on Thursday, May 2 from 4-6pm.
  • May 7: Summit Tap Invasion, taking over 7 taps (including Meridian Ale)– Old Chicago, Apple Valley. Meet the Brewer that day from 5-7pm.
  • May 15: Summit Tap Invasion – Old Chicago, Roseville. Meet the Brewer that dayfrom 5-7pm.
  • May 17:Patio Kickoff Event with Brewer Gabe and live music – Tally’s, White Bear Lake, 5pm.
  • May 21: Beer Dinner with Summit Brewers Mike and Nate –Wooley’s, Bloomington. 6 Summits also on tap including Meridian.

The Union Series will be limited in scale and will rely heavily on the availability of new ingredients. As a result, there will not be a set schedule for Union Series releases.