We’ve begun planning for version 2.0 of MNBeer. We have a few ideas and tricks up our sleeves as well as plans for making use of a more robust CMS. We’ve had a few requests for a forum/bb as well as expansion of the MNTaps section to include at least some of the bars serving great beers in Minnesota. What do you think? What would you like to see added to MNBeer?

Wednesday, Minneapolis Town Hall will release yet another beer. You can go get your beer on at 5:00 (or any time, really…)

Tomorrow (5/31) marks another release.

Look for our Saison to be released at 5:00pm.

This is a Belgian style “Farmhouse Ale” brewed in the French speaking region of Belgium called Wallonia. These refreshing Belgian pale ales are light, crisp, and dry with a pronounced hop bitterness and just a bit of traditional spice.

Word on the street is that Granite City is building a new brewpub in my backyard. Well sort of, anyway. They’re building/re-building on the site of an old Timber Lodge Steakhouse on the corner of Excelsior Boulevard and Highway 100 in St. Louis Park. And though it it’s not within walking distance, I do live in SLP.

Okay, so this may only appeal to the beer geeks who are also web geeks, but Fitger’s Brewhouse has an RSS feed of their current beers on tap. If you don’t know what that means, don’t sweat it.

This makes me especially happy as despite our best efforts, MNBeer never got on the Fitger’s mailing list. This beer geek grins widely after seeing a full listing of Fitger’s beers, RSS or no RSS.

[Edited because I’m a doorknob and don’t know how to use Fitger’s scrollbars.]

I’m still playing catch-up after a busy weekend and an even busier week. The short version is that MNBeer.com has a new niece, the Twins (who played poorly as well) whooped the Brewers on Saturday and work is crazy. Somewhere in there I found some time to have a few beers…

The long story (minus work and a new niece) is as follows… Saturday, Dawn and I went to the Twins/Brewers game in Milwaukee with my in-laws. Despite the fact that Miller Park has no shortage of Miller Lite and MGD, I was able to find a number of craft brew stands, which, quite frankly, put their peers our Metrodome to shame. While enjoying watching the Twins beat the Brewers, I was able to enjoy a New Glarus Spotted Cow (probably their least adventurous brew, but still light years beyond MGD), a bourbon-barrel aged brown ale (from a brewery whose name escapes me) and another fairly refreshing brew that Dawn simply referred to as “Autumn Wheat.” Hopefully, when the new Twins ballpark is built, Minnesota will follow suit and devote a little more space to local and craft brews and not just Miller, Coors and Budweiser.

The in-laws wanted to stay somewhere west of Milwaukee, and since I was in charge of reservations, we ended up in Delafield, WI, about a mile from Delafield Brewhaus. Dawn and I made the short trip to the bar and tasted some nicely-crafted beers in the form of an IPA and an ESB and later a porter and an amber as thanks for entertaining the local drunks. Delafield Brewhaus sits on a hill above I-94 and looks absolutely massive at night. The brewhouse sits in the middle of the building and rises up two floors. I can only imagine that it would be a joy to watch them brew sometime, and judging by the design, any seat in the house would give you a good vantage point.

After a short night at Delafield Brewhaus, we retired to our hotel for some sleep as we were to head back to Minneapolis early in the morning. On the trip home, the in-laws even made a special stop for me in Hudson so that I could pick up a few “necessities” at Chicone’s.

All-in-all, despite the fact that it was anything but a “beer-trip” and we missed some major destinations, it was a productive little beer adventure, if I do say so myself…

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Of course if that weren’t enough, friends “coaxed” us into meeting them at Barley John’s on Tuesday for dinner. Yeah, twist my arm… OH ALRIGHT, I guess I could go to Barley John’s, eat some “Pizza H” and be wowed by their maibock and our exceptional server. FINE. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!

(Their triple oat stout was tasty as well. I decided to avoid the Dark Knight as I had plans of operating a motor vehicle later that evening and judgement got the better of me. Damn conscience.)