News & Updates

St. Patrick’s Day Rally for Sunday Sales

By on March 13, 2014in bars/restaurants
St. Patrick's Day Rally for Sunday Sales

Blue Laws are old, outdated and really don’t reflect today’s consumers. As a kid growing up in west-central Minnesota, I was always surprised by the number of North Dakota plates we’d see at our puny mall on Sunday afternoons. Though I didn’t really understand it at the time, our neighbors to the west were strapped by Blue Laws that kept them from buying a lot of things on Sundays. That’s always struck me as silly.

You know what else is silly? The fact that you can’t buy a nice six-pack of beer or a growler on a Sunday in Minnesota. As a life-long Minnesotan, I’ve learned to deal with the law as it stands, but I’ve never found it to make much sense. I can buy 3.2 beer at gas stations and grocery stores on Sunday. I can go to a bar or restaurant and have a beer on Sunday, too. Hell, I can buy wine at a farm winery in Minnesota on a Sunday. So why, oh why can’t I buy a growler or a six pack on a Sunday?

Minnesota Beer Activists are working to change things. On Monday, they’re putting on a concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis to help raise money for their efforts to legalize Sunday Sales. The event will feature the music of Romantica, White Iron Band, Silverback Colony and Mark Andrew. We’re pretty sure no green beer will be present and no one will ask you if you’re Irish. C’mon down, rock out and support a good cause.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

Finnegans Reverse Food Truck

By on March 7, 2014in breweries

FINNEGANS-RFT-Mock-UpMarch is Minnesota FoodShare Month, and our friends at Finnegans are celebrating this with their new “reverse food truck” with a kick-off at Kieran’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 15th. Irish and wanna-be Irish celebrators will be able to donate food and cash to help fight hunger. Finnegans has a goal of raising $5000 throughout March. How about having one less beer and donating some cash (and food) to a good cause?

Summit Unchained #15 Fest Bier Next Week

By on March 5, 2014in bars/restaurants, breweries

The short version? Look for Summit Brewing Co.’s 15th Unchained beer, Fest Bier starting next week with a kickoff at Black Forest Inn on Monday the 10th at 5pm. Fest Bier is the first lager of the Unchained and draws inspiration from  Brewer Nate Siats love of German beer.“This beer is modeled after a cross between an Oktoberfest bier and a Wiesn bier,” says Brewer Nate Siats. “After making more robust brews for my first two Unchained beers, I wanted to make a light, clean, crisp, refreshing beer that still had plenty of flavor and a good aroma.”

Summit Unchained Fest BierFull press release below:

Arminius and Goosetown Cans from Schell’s

By on February 26, 2014in breweries

arminius

More fun news from our friends at August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm. Last week you heard about new cans of their summer seasonal, Zommerfest, co-branded with 89.3 the current. This week, we’re excited to share a couple of other new canned releases from Schell’s.

Jace Marti tells us that there’s a lot of construction going on at the brewery, and one of their big projects includes building a new filling room and replacing their old can filler, which they hope to have in production by April. One of the first new canned beers you’ll see is a 16 oz. can of Schell’s extended summer seasonal, Goosetown.
The next beer will be their newest release, Schell’s Arminius. Arminius is the legendary Germanic chieftain better known around these parts as “Herman the German.” Jace says that the beer will be a hoppy pale lager that combines the hop profile of a west-coast IPA with traditional lager brewing techniques. Malts will included Pilsner and Munich which should help to showcase a blend of German, French and American hops. Marti says that the hop varieties were chosen for their fruit and citrus flavor and aroma. You’ll also notice a delicate floral, noble hop characteristic that we’ve come to expect with lagers. Jace says that they’ll be adding massive amounds of hops late in the boil and whirlpool for smooth hop flavor and aroma. And in case that isn’t enough hops for you, they’ll double dry hop the beer for even more aroma. Look for this one year round on draft and in 4 packs of 16 oz. cans.
Schell’s Arminius
Style: Hoppy Pale Lager
Malts: Pilsner, Munich, Carapils
Kettle Hops: Saphir, Strisselspalt, Cascade, Emerald
Dry Hops: Mandarina Bavaria, Saphir, Cascade
Stats: 16.4˚ Plato, 6.5% ABV, 70 IBU

Indeed Let it Ride IPA Release Tuesday

By on February 19, 2014in bars/restaurants, breweries

indeedLIRMarch is almost here, and despite the waist-high snow in my front yard, I have hope for spring as spring seasonal beer releases start to take place. Indeed Brewing Company is helping to bring at least a small smile to my face with the release of their Let it Ride I.P.A. at Blue Door Longfellow on Tuesday, February 25.

In addition to draft availability, this year Let it Ride will be available for your imbibing pleasures in 12 oz. cans over the next couple of weeks as well.

At 90 IBUs and 6.8% ABV, Let it Ride packs a nice hop punch that’s offset by a malt presence that includes both American and English Crystal malts as well as German dark Munich malt. The beer features some newer aroma hop varieties in the form of Mosaic, El Dorado and Calypso. Brewer Josh Bischoff says “There’s a bunch of aroma in these new varieties of hops that we weren’t getting from hops, even a few years ago. Expect big fruity aromas containing, but not limited to, dank citrus, pineapple, blueberry and tropical fruits.”

Let it Ride Details:
American I.P.A.
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 90
Hops: Mosaic, Calypso, El Dorado
Malt: Pale, Medium Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Caramel 80

Release Event:
Tuesday, February 25th, 5pm
Blue Door Pub Longfellow, Minneapolis