News & Updates

Review – Surly Frost Pack Newcomers

By on December 9, 2018in general beer, new beer, Surly Brewing Co.

Mention Brut around this time of year and visions of iconic (and I use that term loosely) commercials and thoughts of endcaps full of personal care products bubble up in the brain. Apparently, the holidays are the one time a year people need to be reminded they might smell bad and should probably do something about that.

However, Brut – the green, long-necked bottle of seventh grade – is not what’s on topic here. Nor is Stetson, Preferred Stock or White Diamonds. I’m talking about Brut the style descriptor – usually of champagne/sparkling wine, but more recently used to describe a style of very dry, effervescent IPA. Surly has brewed their own version of this style, as well as (for the very first time) a genuine porter and put them in their winter variety twelve-pack. Please enjoy these tasting notes of warmth and celebration for your holiday season.

 

Surly Mortal Sun

American Porter

ABV – 5.5%

Aroma: Crisp and chocolatey with bitter coffee notes. You can tell it’s going to be dry right from the first whiff.

Appearance: Dark brown to black.   

Flavor: Dark chocolate and coffee. Very toasty body with sustained bitterness from start to finish.

Mouthfeel: Light on the palate and drinkable. This is not Darkness (i.e., heavy and sippable).

Overall Impression: If you don’t know what you’re getting from Surly by now, you haven’t been paying attention; a great representation of the style that is turned up to 11. 

 

Surly Liquid Stardust

Sparkling/Brut IPA

ABV – 7.0%

Aroma: Bitter and citrusy. Complex. 

Appearance: Between yellow and dark yellow. 

Flavor: There’s a lot to unpack here. Lemon peel slaps you in the face right away and the other fruity hop notes play underneath that banner – melon, mango and pineapple all popped out, but that lemon bitterness carried throughout. 

Mouthfeel: Not an understatement when they say incredibly crisp and dry. Very refreshing, but the bitterness makes you pace yourself. 

Overall Impression: I had to do a couple rounds of tasting to get a good impression of this one. This included stopping in the taproom and comparing it to the Brut IPA on tap there. There was a distinct difference between the two and I see why they chose to can this version. The multiple fruit undertones along with the bitterness make it a more interesting and tasty. 

Rum King!

By on December 4, 2018in Indeed Brewing Co.

Just in time to cut a chill from the air, Indeed’s Rum King is back, now available in 12 oz. cans and on draft. For those of you not familiar, Rum King is an Imperial stout aged in Jamaican rum barrels and I think it’s as good as it sounds. (And if you think the descriptions sucks, then perhaps you should take a pass…)

For those of you lucky souls living in the Twin Cities, Indeed will also have five-year flights of Rum King in the taproom. Please try the ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17 and 18 and report back.

 

Pryes Cans… and Imperial Pumpkin Ale

By on October 26, 2018in Pryes Brewing Co.

It’s always fun to see a huge smile on a brewer’s face. And rightfully so… Jeremy is holding cans of Miraculum and Royal Raspberry Sour. Look for these starting on  Monday, November 5th.


And if gourds and spices are your thing, they’ll also be tapping their Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  
This one has been cellaring since last fall. If you’d like to check it out, drop into their taproom this Saturday starting at 2pm.

’I’ve often loved brewing beers that remind me of the seasons. One thing that always reminds me of the fall time is my grandma’s pumpkin pie. Instead of high-lighting the clove pumpkin spice flavors, I wanted to highlight the beautiful flavors from the combination of the whip cream and pumpkin and finally to the crust. We brewed this with natural pumpkin puree, belgium candi sugar and other spices to make this happen. We ended up with a 10% medium bodied beer that has tasting notes that remind us of Pie Crust, Nutmeg, Molasses and cinnamon. – Jeremy Pryes

Best of the Wurst Sunday!

By on September 20, 2018in August Schell Brewing Co., Sociable Cider Werks

We’d be remiss (or just lazy as per usual) if we didn’t mention that Sunday The Best of the Wurst takes place at Sociable Cider Werks. We’ll hold off on sharing our wurst jokes and get right down to the details. If you’re into sausage parties, then this is the shindig for you! Tickets range from $25 to $75 and feature a plethora of sausage samples as well as craft beer and cider from Sociable and August Schell Brewing Company. Schell’s will be serving their seasonal favorite, Oktoberfest as well as their 1905 VT and Witbier. They may also be sharing some of the collaboration beer they created with Sociable this past summer.

Church of Cash and Alex Rossi round out the event with some fine pluckin’ and a’strumin’ and the event wraps up with the crowning of the Sausage King/Queen of Minnesota (I just made that up, feel free to use it) – the “Best of the Wurst” determined through ranked choice voting.

Sunday, Sept. 23rd, 2-6pm.

Get tickets right here. 

A Wave of Flavor from Indeed Brewing

By on September 17, 2018in general beer, Indeed Brewing Co., new beer

Indeed Brewing has never apologized for their love of hops and for the first time ever they are releasing a year-round IPA called Flavorwave. The can looks straight out of an 80s surfer movie and the contents beg for a day at the beach with palm trees underneath blue skies.

First there was Day Tripper, an IPA disguised as an American Pale Ale and one of two flagship beers (Midnight Ryder being the other) released by the brewery back in 2012. Then came their first IPA (a spring seasonal) called Let it Ride which was a big hit among local beer enthusiasts. Let it Roll followed as a fall seasonal (discontinued) and last year Peach Bum IPA debuted as the summer seasonal.

Flavorwave is a rather aromatic IPA with a moderate bitterness that smells of pineapple, guava, and mandarin oranges. Tropical fruits and citrus peel come through in the flavor and the finish is very crisp and clean compared to many IPAs on the market. This would pair well with spicy coconut shrimp over rice and should be a regular offering in your refrigerator.

Overall it’s a fantastic option, especially in the modern age of Milkshake and NE Style IPAs—which are frankly exhausting at this point.

Cheers!