Word on the street is that Granite City is building a new brewpub in my backyard. Well sort of, anyway. They’re building/re-building on the site of an old Timber Lodge Steakhouse on the corner of Excelsior Boulevard and Highway 100 in St. Louis Park. And though it it’s not within walking distance, I do live in SLP.

Okay, so this may only appeal to the beer geeks who are also web geeks, but Fitger’s Brewhouse has an RSS feed of their current beers on tap. If you don’t know what that means, don’t sweat it.

This makes me especially happy as despite our best efforts, MNBeer never got on the Fitger’s mailing list. This beer geek grins widely after seeing a full listing of Fitger’s beers, RSS or no RSS.

[Edited because I’m a doorknob and don’t know how to use Fitger’s scrollbars.]

I’m still playing catch-up after a busy weekend and an even busier week. The short version is that MNBeer.com has a new niece, the Twins (who played poorly as well) whooped the Brewers on Saturday and work is crazy. Somewhere in there I found some time to have a few beers…

The long story (minus work and a new niece) is as follows… Saturday, Dawn and I went to the Twins/Brewers game in Milwaukee with my in-laws. Despite the fact that Miller Park has no shortage of Miller Lite and MGD, I was able to find a number of craft brew stands, which, quite frankly, put their peers our Metrodome to shame. While enjoying watching the Twins beat the Brewers, I was able to enjoy a New Glarus Spotted Cow (probably their least adventurous brew, but still light years beyond MGD), a bourbon-barrel aged brown ale (from a brewery whose name escapes me) and another fairly refreshing brew that Dawn simply referred to as “Autumn Wheat.” Hopefully, when the new Twins ballpark is built, Minnesota will follow suit and devote a little more space to local and craft brews and not just Miller, Coors and Budweiser.

The in-laws wanted to stay somewhere west of Milwaukee, and since I was in charge of reservations, we ended up in Delafield, WI, about a mile from Delafield Brewhaus. Dawn and I made the short trip to the bar and tasted some nicely-crafted beers in the form of an IPA and an ESB and later a porter and an amber as thanks for entertaining the local drunks. Delafield Brewhaus sits on a hill above I-94 and looks absolutely massive at night. The brewhouse sits in the middle of the building and rises up two floors. I can only imagine that it would be a joy to watch them brew sometime, and judging by the design, any seat in the house would give you a good vantage point.

After a short night at Delafield Brewhaus, we retired to our hotel for some sleep as we were to head back to Minneapolis early in the morning. On the trip home, the in-laws even made a special stop for me in Hudson so that I could pick up a few “necessities” at Chicone’s.

All-in-all, despite the fact that it was anything but a “beer-trip” and we missed some major destinations, it was a productive little beer adventure, if I do say so myself…

—

Of course if that weren’t enough, friends “coaxed” us into meeting them at Barley John’s on Tuesday for dinner. Yeah, twist my arm… OH ALRIGHT, I guess I could go to Barley John’s, eat some “Pizza H” and be wowed by their maibock and our exceptional server. FINE. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!

(Their triple oat stout was tasty as well. I decided to avoid the Dark Knight as I had plans of operating a motor vehicle later that evening and judgement got the better of me. Damn conscience.)

From The Craftsman…

Join us Wednesday June 7th for a Beer & Cheese pairing and tasting hosted by Executive Chef Mike Phillips, and owner/brewers Dan Chang & Nick Anderson. They will be guiding guests through a sampling of Rush Rivers line of American Craft beers and a selection of Artisan cheeses.

The event goes from 5:00 to 7:00pm. There is a $15 prefix at the door.

Call 612-722-0175 for reservations.
Or visit our website for more details about this ongoing monthly event
www.craftsmanrestaurant.com

Hope to see you there,
Adam McClary
Bar Mgr.

From Surdyk’s…

Microbrew Tasting

Free Tasting
This Weekend
Friday and Saturday
May 26 – 27
11am – 7:30pm

Sample over 50 beers.

Such as Sam Adams, Summit, Big Sky, Red Hook, Schells, Boulder Brewery, Bell’s, Lefthand, Boulevard, Great Divide, Rogue, Lakefront, Shiner, Sierra Nevada and more..

Microbrew Sale – Starts Today

Take advantage of this annual sale of over 100 different domestically produced artisan beers all at the best prices of the season. Sale ends Saturday, June 3.
View our on-line selection of beers.

Here’s just a few Microbrews on-sale:

Page Amber 12pk Bottles Reg. $12.29 Sale $9.99
A smooth Vienna style beer – a well balanced representation.

Boulevard Wheat 6pk Bottles Reg. 7.29 Sale $5.49
Lively, refreshing ale with natural citrusy flavor.

Summit India Pale Ale 12pk Bottles Reg. $10.99 Sale $9.99
Distinctive hoppy flavor and taste. Good example of the style.

Bridgeport Stout 6pk Bottles Reg. $7.29 Sale $5.69
Malty, caramel flavor up front; distinctive dry-roasted bitterness in finish.

Leinenkugel Creamy Dark 12pk Bottles Reg. 11.49 Sale $9.29
Full, deep blackish-brown color of stout without its bitterness; smooth, nutty, crisp.

Don’t forget, the Micobrew sale ends Saturday, June 3rd!