Category: brewpubs

All Pints North Saturday in Duluth

By on July 23, 2015in beer events, breweries, brewpubs
all pints north

all pints north

STOP! RIGHT NOW.

Drop everything. Tickets for All Pints North are still available as I write this (Wednesday night, to be published Thursday) [Edit: still available at 11am Thursday]. So drop what you’re doing, grab a ticket and head to Duluth for the weekend. (Click here to buy tickets.)

Now in its 4th year, All Pints North returns to Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth with a huge array of craft beer, samples, education, live music and other fun.

Quite frankly, this is one of my very favorite festivals. Many years ago the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild created beer festivals that set the bar high for all other local festivals and All Pints North is no exception. You really can’t go wrong – the self-professed “Beer Capital of Minnesota” is indeed a great place to sip a beer sample or thirty while gazing at Lake Superior and watching as freighters pass.

I suggest you make a weekend of it. Duluth is beautiful… and ready for you. Hotels aren’t exactly cheap this time of the year, but I promise you’ll have a good time. Sadly I can’t make it this year.

Tickets are $40 in advanced and $50 day-of assuming they’re still available.

 

 

Town Hall Growler Spring Cleaning Program Continues

By on May 13, 2015in brewpubs, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

Town-Hall-growlers

How many empty growlers are squirreled away in your basement, in the back of your cupboard or in your garage? And of those growlers, how many do you actually use?

If you’re up to your neck in old growlers, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery can help. Through Sunday, May 17th, you can bring your growlers to Town Hall’s flagship 7 Corners location and exchange those growlers for either a $4 gift card or a $4 discount on a fresh growler of beer from Town Hall.

Earlier this week we were told that Town Hall had accepted more than 1700 growlers. Most of the returns have come from Minnesota breweries and brewpubs, but returns have also come from places such as Wisconsin and California.

After Sunday, through the rest of the month, Town Hall Brewery will continue to accept empty growlers from other breweries. Fans that return growlers will receive a $4 discount on refills.

Sunday Beer Baby Steps: Sunday Growler Sales

By on May 2, 2015in beer laws, breweries, brewpubs

DangerousMan---GrowlerExciting news for craft beer in Minnesota – on Friday, Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill that allows Sunday growler sales at breweries and brewpubs. While it’s not a full-on repeal of bans on Sunday sales, it’s a positive step toward changes to old laws that have been on the books for years – laws that we would never pass today if they didn’t already exist.

Sunday sales of growlers at breweries, brewpubs and taprooms evens out an oddity in Minnesota’s liquor regulations. For quite some time, farm wineries have been able to sell bottles to go on Sundays in Minnesota. I’ve had the pleasure of buying wine at small wineries on Sundays for several years – I think it’s great, but I’ve always thought beer should have been part of that. Now it is! Breweries will still have to obtain municipal licensing, but this is definitely a move in the right direction.

Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival Saturday

By on March 26, 2015in August Schell Brewing Co., beer events, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., breweries, brewpubs, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Steel Toe Brewing

nlrbf-2015_slide-1As of last night, tickets were still available for the Northern Lights Rare Beer Festival. And though the ticket price is decidedly steep, this is a festival that should make every beer nerd get a little giddy. For the uninitiated, this festival features rare, vintage and special one-off beers from 30 select craft breweries from across the country, including 10 form Minnesota. Suffice to say that this event includes food, entertainment and more.

Five beers I’ll really f&#@ing miss because I’m working Saturday:

  • Schell’s 2013 Barrel Aged Snowstorm With Brett
  • Bent Paddle Double Shot Double Black
  • Fitger’s Brewhouse Woodford 1100 Wheatwine
  • Town Hall Nitro Tennessee Dessert
  • Steel Toe Brewing Barrel of the Blood

Download the program here.

Buy your tickets here.

Town Hall Barrel Aged Week

By on February 16, 2015in Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Mike Hoops

Mike Hoops, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery’s Barrel-Aged Week begins today with the release of one of my personal favorites, Manhattan Reserve. Last year brewer Mike Hoops described this beer as an homage to a homemade dirty Manhattan. The beer is a Belgian Grand Cru aged on cherries in a Woodford reserve barrel… a little bourbon, a little extra cherry… you get the picture. That being said, I’ll take a Town Hall Grand Cru over sweet vermouth any day.

This year’s offerings include perennial favorites like Czar Jack and Twisted Trace as well as new offerings ranging from an Imperial Wie aged in French oak red wine barrels, to a Belgian Bruin with maple syrup aged in Woodford Reserve barrels. Town Hall will be releasing a beers each day at 5pm – be sure to be prompt as these will go fast! See below for a full schedule.

Mon, Feb 16 at 5pm: Manhattan Reserve
Belgian Grand Cru aged on tart cherries in a Woodford Reserve barrel.Tue, Feb 17 at 5pm: Foolish Angel (New this year!)
Belgian Quad in an Angel’s Envy barrel.

Wed, Feb 18 at 5pm: Buffalo Bock (GABF Bronze 2014)
Weizenbock in a Buffalo Trace barrel.

Thu, Feb 19 at 5pm: Twisted Trace
Twisted Reality Barleywine in a Buffalo Trace barrel.

Fri, Feb 20 at 5pm: Project 3106
Double American Brown Ale with kumquats and chocolate in a Buffalo Trace barrel.

Sat, Feb 21 at 11am: Czar Jack (GABF Gold 2001)
Ol’ Jack Frost Imperial Stout in a Jack Daniels barrel.Sat, Feb 21 at 3pm: THREE NEW BEERS!
Brown Label — A Belgian Bruin with maple syrup in a Woodford Reserve barrel.
The Duke of Wallonia — An Imperial Belgian Wit in a French oak red wine barrel.
Le Baltique — A Baltic Porter in a French oak red wine barrel.