News & Updates

Don’t Be a Dick

If you’re going to be a dick to brewery staff, stay home.

If you’re going to argue about the rules, stay home.
These things are entirely out of the hands of brewery staff and attempting to give them any sort of shit about it just makes you look like an asshole.
 
Sadly this behavior isn’t unique to Urban Growler Brewing Company. We’ve heard of similar situations at other great breweries as well. Knock it the hell off.

Updates and Random Thoughts

Hey all. It’s been a crazy year, has it not? Covid. The murder of George Floyd. An upcoming election. Closures. etc. It all sucks, albeit some things are obviously worse.

As always, we’re quietly churning along, attempting to keep the brewery directory up-to-date, and sharing the occasional blog post. We will continue to do so! And we appreciate the kind words, beer samples, and friendships.

Like everything beer-related, our “revenue” has taken a hit. It’s tough out there for hundredaires like ourselves. We’ve also realized that the Google ads, which once provided some extra beer money aren’t really worth the hassle. They look ugly and their payout isn’t that great. So we’ll slowly be dumping the Google ads and maintaining our square sidebar ads for a cleaner look.

We’re also looking at using Patreon to generate a few $$ to help cover the cost of hosting. This summer I took on the massive project of moving the entire site (15 years of posts, images, pages, etc.) to a new host. We’re not losing money, but we’re really not making it either.

Industry friends – we’re thinking about you. We don’t envy anyone who owns, runs, or works in our local taprooms. These are tough times and we hope you all look out for each other.

Cheers-

Ryan, Ryan, and David

Drink Minnesota Beer Posters

I’ve decided to do a limited run of my take on a “Keep Minnesota Brewing” poster. Let me know if you’re interested. The print will be 18″ x 24″ on a heavy matte paper. I’ll plan to have them drop-shipped from the printer and go directly to you.

This fine piece of swag featured a gigantic “Hopisota” surrounded by bottle caps featuring cities that are home to Minnesota breweries. $30 shipped.

ryan@mnbeer.com

Breweries: feel free to drop me a line with custom requests. (i.e. your logo “starred or capped” on its place in Hopisota.

 

Beer Magic with Dan from Utepils

An excellent illustration of the crisis that breweries in Minnesota are dealing with right now. Call your state representatives today and ask them to help support Minnesota breweries!

https://www.gis.leg.mn/iMaps/districts

Breweries in Minnesota have been near and dear to my heart for the past 15+ years. If the Minnesota legislature doesn’t lend a hand, it’s very realistic to think that we’ll lose some great breweries. Let’s do this!

 

Hygge Hoopla Virtual Beer Fest

This is a very strange time to be alive. We are asking everyone to isolate to stop the spread of COVID-19 which has been sweeping across the country at an alarming rate. While we’d love to be enjoying a beverage with our pals, we know that it’s not smart to be hanging in groups. The best part about uncertain times is the fact that we as humans find creative ways to navigate our current situation. Apps like FaceTime and Skype have been around for a while and were probably ahead of their time, but now more than ever we need to embrace such technology and be thankful for our ability to adapt to change.

Beer festivals are usually about gathering with people in person and sharing beverages but that is not possible during this time. The crew over at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild has come up with an idea to bring people together virtually and they’re calling it Hygge Hoopla Beer Fest. This event will take place on Saturday, April 18th from 3 pm until 5 pm.

The cost will be $10 and will feature a whole lineup of speakers that will cover a variety of topics such as beer history, tasting notes, and food pairings. Your purchase will support the Silver Linings Fund which benefits industry workers in need. Below you will find the list of speakers for this event.

Featuring:

Jacob Schnabel, Spilled Grain Brewhouse
Linda Rae Holcomb, GLUEK BEER
Eric Harper, Utepils Brewing Co
Ryan Pitman, Eastlake Craft Brewery
Craig Richardson, Day Block Brewing Company
Derek Allmendinger, Unmapped Brewing Co
Ryan Mihm, FINNEGANS
Matt Schwandt, Bauhaus Brew Labs
Ryan Petz, Fulton Beer
Gabe Smoley, Pryes Brewing Company
Jen Fox, Spiral Brewery
Matthew Lange, Lake Monster Brewing
Mike Willaford, Tin Whiskers Brewing Co.
Andy Klockow, Klockow Brewing Company
Dave Hoops, Hoops Brewing
Jeff Zierdt, Lupulin Brewing Company
Brian Schanzenbach, Blacklist Brewing Co.
Tim Wilson, Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Jace Marti, Schell’s Brewery

To purchase tickets to the event, please visit this link. Be safe, take care of yourselves, and support your local Minnesota breweries. We hope to see you at the event, but if not we’ll have to grab a pint when this is all over.

Cheers!