Chop & Brew is joined once again by Wyeast brand manager Michael Dawson for a backyard brew session. The goal: a high-gravity Belgian Dark Strong Ale. We discuss what it takes to create a successful “big beer” while sampling a high-octane brew from Dawson’s homebrew cellar. Brewers, we’d love to hear your tips and techniques to high-gravity brewing. Leave a comment below this video.
News & Updates
SurlyFest is Next Weekend
…and I’m working. I only work a few weekends a year and inevitably, said weekends conflict with fun beer events. What’s more, Dillinger 4 is making one of their rare appearances at the event and they play some of the best beer-fueled, knee-your-friend-in-the-balls sing-along punk rock in all of Minnie-apple. But wait, there’s beer… and artwork.
At right, the latest from Jawsh, this year’s SurlyFest design. Check it out, broken horns and all. We promise there’s no deer blood in the SurlyFest, though I suspect that this fine bearded gentleman would be just fine with a dose plasma in his stein.
Back to details. Surly Brewing Company’s 6th Annual SurlyFest takes place on Saturday, September 21st from 2pm – 6:17pm (yeah, I don’t get it either) and will feature live music, food trucks, and, get this… beer. Your ticket price gets you a half-liter SurlyFest stein and four beer tickets.
For the moment, some tickets are still available. ($45) Click away if you want them… http://bit.ly/SurlyFest or hit up the brewery Taproom (Wednesday-Friday: 3:00-9:00 p.m., Saturday: Noon- 9 p.m.).
Bands:
2-3pm: Alpensterne a.k.a.The Bratwurst Bros.
3-3:30pm: DJ Shannon Blowtorch
3:30-4:30pm: Crankshaft and The Gear Grinders
4:30-5:15pm: DJ Shannon Blowtorch
5:15-6:15pm: Dillinger Four
…that pirate looks familiar… If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Dillinger 4 play, check them out. I first saw them (yikes!) in 1995 when a friend (having never heard the band) booked them in our hometown of Fergus Falls and they tore the place down. Beware SurlyFesters, beware.
Schell’s Stag Series #8, August’s Bock
Here’s another one to watch for from August Schell Brewing Co. For the 8th beer in their Stag Series, they’ve teamed up with Gold Ochsen Brauerei in New Ulm’s sister city, Ulm German. Both cities are also host to 5th generation family-owned breweries and both breweries were founded by men named August. Working in collaboration, they decided to brew a Blonde Doppel Bock. Both breweries used specialty malts from Weyerman with each brewery using their own base Pilsner malt – Rahr for Schell’s and Schwabenmalz for Gold Ochsen. Both breweries used Emerald, Tattnanger and Saphir hops during the boil and then each brewery used a different newer German hop variety in the whirlpool and as a dry hop. Schell’s used Polaris hops and Gold Ochsen used Mandarina Bavaria. Both beer were then fermented with the respective brewries’ house lager yeast and will mature for a couple of months before packaging. August Bock should appear in both breweries’ markets in November.
Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival & Surly Dampfbier
Here’s another cool event to throw into this weekend’s rotation – Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival. “Meat Us In Nordeast.” The Kramarczuk’s parking lot will be tented and they’ll have live music and family entertainment as well as Kramarczuk’s always awesome food as well as local & European beers on tap for your drinking pleasure. Also, this year Kramarczuk’s will receive a proclamation from the City of Minneapolis proclaiming the day, “Kielbasa Day,” in Minneapolis.
Bonus: Surly Brewing Company brewed a beer for this event, Dampfbier, a German style beer that’s was once popular n southeastern Bavaria near the Czech border. According to a BYO profile, Dampfbier is “an all-barley ale, brewed mostly in the summer. It is medium-bodied, very gently hopped, low in effervescence and, by German standards, warm-fermented at slightly above 70 °F. It is made with a standard Bavarian Weissbier yeast, which gives the beer a slightly phenolic aftertaste.” Dampfbiers aren’t entirely common, but if you were lucky, you may have tried Schell’s take on it when they released their 150th Anniversary Series of beers.
Kielbasa Fest runs from 5-10pm Friday and 11am-10pm Saturday. Check it out!
215 East Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.kramarczuk.com
Hackers Breach Midwest Supplies Website
I really hate covering the negative side beer news, but I think this one’s too important not to share.
According to Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal (with a hat tip to SC Magazine), Twin Cities homebrew supplier Midwest Supplies was hit by hackers who compromised the website earlier this summer. According to the articles, hackers had access to names, addresses and credit card information. Potentially affected customers were sent a letter and offered a coupon for $25. According to the letter (copy here), Midwest Brewing President David Kidd says that the company “conducted a full investigation and have taken extensive steps to prevent it from happening again.”
A quick Google search finds that there’s some understandably angry customers out there (Reddit, HomebrewTalk). Suffice to say that if you shopped online with them this summer, it’s probably a good idea to keep an eye on your credit card statements. Hell, no matter where you shop, online or otherwise, I think it’s a good idea to keep your eyes peeled.