The Beer Dabbler Store celebrated its 2nd Anniversary in September, and now they’re hosting a tent sale to celebrate! Coinciding with the St. Paul Art Crawl, and held at our store just down the road from the Schmidt Brewery, the Tent Sale is sure to have something for every craft beer lover. Discounts start at 30%, and sale items include:
This year Minnesota breweries took home six medals from the Great American Beer Festival. The GABF, organized by the Brewers Association, is the largest commercial beer competition in the world. Winning at GABF is a tremendous honor and our local brewers should be proud of their accomplishments. This years’ results honor several first-time winners from our beer scene, which is really awesome. Congrats to all!
Gold:
Badger Hill Brewing White IPA – American-Belgo-Style Ale
Steel Toe Brewing Wee Heavy – Scotch Ale
Silver
Indeed Brewing Co. Mexican Honey – Honey Beer
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Buffalo Bock – Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Bronze
Bent Paddle Brewing Co. 18° ESB – Extra Special Bitter
Summit Brewing Co. Extra Pale Ale – Classic English Style Pale Ale
Check out the complete list of winners here
Let’s give this a whirl… Long before I was a fan of great local beer, I loved music. From the very first item in my collection (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” cassette) to the last, I’ve had a deep connection with music. Throughout the 90s I found myself at various venues in Fargo, ND and the Twin Cities catching live acts, typically of the punk/indie persuasion. From my very first show in Fargo, ND (probably godheadSilo) to some of the more memorable ones (Propagandhi at The Whole, Fugazi & Green Day ($4 tickets!) at First Avenue, Trail of Dead at the Triple Rock) I’ve always had a blast. Long before I was writing about beer releases and my favorite sour beer, I was a zine publisher – first print and later online.
In a lot of ways, the beer scene (right now, anyway) is a lot like the independent music scene. So why not take a little time each week and share some of my new and old favorites. I’m not quite sure how this will shape up, but let’s give it a tray, shall we? This week I’m going to curate some random favorites from Minnesota. Check it out!
Class of 86. These guys originally hail from my hometown of Fergus Falls. Punk rock with nice chops. I happen to know that none of these guys graduated in 86.
Hammerhead, Tuffskins… from their first album, “Ethereal Killer.” In the early 90s I caught this band no less than a million times, so it was refreshing to see them pop back onto the scene as of late. Crank it & lock your doors.
Sean Na Na, Princess and Pony. (Live version here.) Shall we slow it down a bit? Previous to playing as Har Mar Superstar, Sean Tillman played as Sean Na Na. Suffice to say the dude can pen a song. I interviewed him for Yahtzeen back in the day. At the time, the Har Mar act was just getting started, and Tillman lovingly referred to Har Mar as his brother (cousin?), Harold.
Cleveland Bound Death Sentence – Mpls. Transit Song #2. Three Minnesota and a long-time traveling zinester, Aaron Cometbus. If it sounds a bit like Dillinger 4, it’s because your favorite bartender grabbed the microphone. Enjoy!
Husker Du, Something I Learned Today. Do I even need to say anything?
The title of “newest brewery in Minnesota” is once again in another breweries’ happly little hands. We’re happy to see that not one, but two new breweries (maybe more?) open or have scheduled grand openings.
First, Stillwater’s Maple Island Brewing Co. opened the other day. They’ll be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-10pm and Friday through Sunday from noon to 10pm. See below for a list of draft offerings.
Maple Island Brewing Co.
225 Main Street North
Stillwater MN 55082 (map)
Secondly, Nisswa’s Gull Dam Brewery has announced a grand opening for October 11th from noon to 11pm. They’ll launch with four beers, music from Lamont Cranston and Jolly Zuk Brothers and other fun.
Gull Dam Brewing, Inc.
23826 Smiley Road
Nisswa, MN 56468 (map)
Maple Island Brewing (Facebook)
Photo: Gull Dam Brewing
Maple Island Brewing Draft Offerings:
Mosaic Wheat – IBU 29
This cloudy piece of art is made with an ample amount of white wheat giving it that great dirty blonde look. It is also given a nice size dose of those mosaic hops everybody loves.
Burlesque Kolsch – IBU 19
This super easy drinking Kolsch has a bit of Canadian honey malt and low bitterness to it so have another my brother from another mother and my sister from another mister.
Bearded Lady IPA – IBU 56
This crazy IPA has it all with pale and crystal malts, flaked maize and Belgian Candi sugar. It is nicely hopped with Simcoe hops giving it unique passionfruit, pine, earth, and citrus characteristics.
Dragons Breath Kolsch – IBU 30
Yes we love our Kolsch beer! This one has a special blend of 3 German hops. It is also has extra flavor from the addition of Munich malt and Caramel Wheat malts. Fire it up Dragon Slayer.
Cup of Joe Freak Show – IBU 12
Invented by the Head Brewer Nic Brau and his son Joe Brau (9 years old at the time) also named by his son Joe. This coffee oatmeal stout has it all! Chug it anytime of day or night with its creaminess of oats, smooth cold pressed coffee and a hint of vanilla.
Peel Me Wit – IBU 12
Ahhhhhh, time to bring back summer with this super fresh wheat beer that collided with crazy flavors of orange, lemon, and coriander.
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Gull Dam Opening Info:
Join Us – Doors open at Noon til 11pm.
Tours: Tour our 4,800 square foot Gull Dam brewery and taproom that spills out back.
Gull Dam Beer: Taste our 4 Inagural Gull Dam Beers that Brewmaster Luke Steadman “Brew Man Luke” has crafted.
-Honey wheat; an American amber ale; a Scotch ale with maple syrup; and an IPA with freshly harvested hops from Brainerd. For now, you can only taste them in our taproom.
Gull Dam Music:
1-5pm Jolly Zuk – Rip Roaring Polka
7-10:30pm Lamont Cranston – Great Classic 70’s-80’s R&B.
Get your Groove on!
Gull Dam More: Food Trucks, Great Gull Dam Merchandise, Great Friends, Great Times and Exceptional Craft Beer
