Category: general beer

“Strong Beer” at the Minnesota State Fair

By on June 10, 2007in general beer

Woo! Yay! Rah! Now the plastic glass of overpriced Miller Lite at the Fair can jump from 3.2 to 4% (or whatever it is…)!!! Seriously, though, this could potentially open the doors for our craft brew friends who don’t make 3.2 beers. I’ve never really paid attention to the state of beer at the State Fair (other than the homebrew contest, but that’s another thing entirely), but this can’t be a bad thing:

Fair officials announced Friday they will ditch the long tradition of wimpy 3.2-percent-alcohol beer and allow vendors to sell stronger beer to thirsty fairgoers when the event opens in August.

New at the Fair: Strong beer

Twin Cities Imbiber

By on June 5, 2007in general beer

I’d like to give a big, big welcome to a cool new project from MNBeer contributor, Truthbrew… Twin Cities Imbiber!

it is a FREE bi-monthly print and web magazine that is written for enthusiasts by enthusiasts. Our goal is to raise awareness on the amazing commercial beverage scene we have in the Twin Cities, to educate, portray the truth behind these drinks, and to disseminate news and events.

The magazine will soon be found on racks in quality retailers, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and more.  As we eagerly await the first issue (June/July 2007) to return from the printer, I invite you all to go to our website ( www.twincitiesimbiber.com) to download a full PDF (Acrobat) version of this issue.   Please share this link with any and everyone you feel would have interest in this publication. We openly welcome your feedback.

This project is 100% funded by advertising; I encourage you to support those who have advertised, as they have stepped up and supported a grass-roots effort to promote our favorite drinks.

While this magazine is about commercial beer and not homebrewing, I hope that many of you find value in it and hope to see contributions from those of you who are fanatics and aspiring writers.

Cheers and beers,

Jeffrey Halvorson
Twin Cities Imbiber magazine

O’Hara’s Has Closed

By on May 14, 2007in brewpubs, general beer

Man, this sucks… O’Hara’s was the first brewpub I spent any real time at, back in the late 1990s while I was attending SCSU. I’ve always thought they had solid, tasty beer. According to Chris (Laumb), their barrelage went up every year, but the brewpub biz relies on the restaurant side of the operation, and I guess the competition is tough in St. Cloud.

Here’s a link to the article from St. Cloud Times:

http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.d … /105140073

I hope the best for Chris Laumb (the brewer) and everyone else that worked at O’Hara’s. Sorry to see another one go.