Tag: surly brewing co.

Top Local Barrel-Aged Beer Programs

By on February 5, 2026in beer dinners, beer events, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., general beer, Lift Bridge, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Steel Toe Brewing, Surly Brewing Co.

Quality Barrel-Aged beers are not always easy to find. The entire brewing process is lengthy and can lead to unexpected results in the final product. These beers require patience and the quality is hard to predict. Results often vary and they don’t always turn out the way the brewer intends them to. That being said, there are a handful of programs here locally that do a solid job at delivering on their experiments. Here are some of the top programs here in Minnesota.


Town Hall Brewery hosts Barrel Age Week every February with this year’s iteration taking place from Thursday, February 13th thru Sunday, February 24th. That’s a whole 10 days featuring over 20 special beers and a ticketed beer dinner event. Some of which include:

Manhattan Reserve: A Gran Cru aged in the barrels of two different Kentucky distilleries with tart Michigan cherries. This is must try.

Cold Runnings: The ever popular Scottish Wee Heavy aged in Jamaican Rum barrels contributing flavors of vanilla, chocolate, nougat, maple, and black strap molasses.

Jalisco Highlands: A Strong Belgian Blonde aged in an oak tequila barrel with notes of honey, lemon, watermelon, cherry and lime. A very unique addition worthy of sipping.

Iced Old Vine Curve: A blend of Town Hall beers aged in Cali Red Zinfandel barrels and briefly frozen to which left H20 crystals that were later removed with the concentrate saved for your enjoyment. What charcuterie boards are to Lunchables, Iced Old Vine Curve is to Icehouse. Plus, Icehouse is so mid-nineties.

Surly Brewing is notorious for their annual Darkness release every fall and their barrel-aged version is collected by many from all over the region. They are currently pushing their Barrel Goblins Project headed up by the talented Ben Smith. This collection includes:

Boris, a Parker’s Heritage 14 year Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine.

Lizzie, the French Oak Aged Dopplehelles Bock.

Viktor, a daring Bourbon Barrel-Aged Strong Ale with Vanilla.

Vlad, the mega Belgian Golden Strong Ale aged in Bourbon barrels and fermented with Brettanomyces.

Also around the bend is a collab project with Chicago’s Revolution Brewing which released in January. This concoction happens to be a Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout finished on wine lees. Also of note, Barrel-Aged Darkness is heading our way coming up in March in bottles and on tap. I’m drooling…

Steel Toe Brewing produces a couple of barrel aged beauties, Lunker and Before the Dawn. These releases are typically every other meaning that one year it will be Lunker, and the next is Before the Dawn. These usually drop late fall and they move fast so you’ll want to get in soon after the release if you want it on tap.

Bent Paddle Brewing brews up a Russian Imperial Stout version of Cold Press Black called Double Shot Double Black which typically releases in late November. This beer is a beast in terms of ABV, and especially compared to the standard version of Cold Press Black which is extremely crushable and the perfect companion to a campfire.

Lift Bridge Brewing produces one of the most overlooked barrel-aged options around called Silhouette. This Russian Imperial Stout is often available in different versions. For example, last year they released the traditional Bourbon Barrel Silhouette, French Toast, and Espresso Martini versions.

Cheers!

Opens Friday 5/22 – The Brewer’s Table at Surly Brewing Co.

By on May 20, 2015in bars/restaurants, breweries, general beer, Surly Brewing Co.
Tea Egg

Tea Egg at The Brewer’s Table (Photo: DD)

Located in the upper level of the brewery, The Brewer’s Table, Surly’s fine-dining sibling to the Beer Hall & Restaurant, opens this Friday and offers patrons a more ambitious menu and more intimate setting than what is found downstairs.

Creating the fine dining experience at a brewery has been a welcome challenge for both Executive Chef Jorge Guzman and Head Brewer Todd Haug; each of them masters of their craft, now tasked with innovating while also keeping the pairing of food and beer in the back of their minds.

The results of that collaboration are outstanding and belie the modest price point.  Entrees on the menu will be changed regularly and range in price from $10 to $25.  The most intriguing option, in my opinion is the $15 Beer and  Bump, where the diner has no clue what they’re getting other than is is a food paired with a beer.  I’m a sucker for a surprise.

A five-course food and beer pairing can be had for $75. You could combine your own, but you’ll be well-served to leave it to the experts. The pairing of Pentagram with beets & foie gras was an exercise in perfectly contrasting flavors. The tea egg paired with Cynic was a piece of art – a soft-boiled egg, steeped in black tea and a charcoal mixture to give a marbled appearance – and showed just how versatile that stalwart of Surly’s lineup is.

Octopus

Octopus & Chorizo @ The Brewer’s Table (Photo: DD)

While the butter-soft pork jowl is a must-have, I will go out of my way to have the octopus and chorizo again.  Spicy and smoky with a perfect texture one would not expect from a cephalopod, it was perfectly complemented by an Overrated West Coast IPA.

A different experience in different parts of the building – to paraphrase Surly Hospitality Director Linda Haug – is what Surly is offering patrons with their tours, Event Center, Beer Hall & Restaurant, and The Brewer’s Table. With the opening of the latter, the Surly vision is complete and ready to be had.

 

 

 

The Brewer's Table at Surly Brewing

(Photo: DD)

 

The Brewer’s Table

520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

Reservations via OpenTable can be made here.

Hours:

Wednesday & Thursday: 5-10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 5-11 p.m.

Phone: 763-999-6526
Email: brewers.table@surlybrewing.com

 

 

Surly Pentagram Release Party Sunday

By on February 13, 2013in beer events, breweries, MN
Surly Pentagram
Surly PentagramJust in time for the first Sunday in Lent, Surly Brewing Co. is launching its newest seasonal beer this weekend, PENTAGRAM!
The beer will be released at Butcher & The Boar this Sunday, February 17 from 5pm – close. To celebrate the launch, Butcher & The Boar will also serve a special Surly Hell beer brat and a smoked Surly Pentagram sausage for $7 each.
The bar will also be pouring Abrasive, Darkness, Mild, Furious, Hell and Coffee Bender.
Bottles of PENTAGRAM will begin being shipped to stores on Monday, February 18.
Pentagram is a 100% Brettanomyces dark beer fermented in stainless and aged in used red wine barrels. Brettanomyces is a unique yeast strain that produces flavors that would be considered offensive if they were not intentional. Flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, oak and classic Brett barnyard funk balanced by Dark Munich malt chewiness. Enjoy immediately or age at cellar temperature for a couple of years.

Surly Darkness Day Details

By on October 11, 2012in beer events, breweries
Surly Brewing Co.

This year’s Surly Darkness Day is  Saturday, October 27, from 11am–6pm. Obviously if you’d like to get your hands on a bottle (or six) of Darkness, it’s advised that you get in line early. What time? It’s difficult to say, and as this event gets more popular. How about early o’clock? Not to rub it in, but for the first Darkness Day, we showed up around 9am and were near the front of the line. Don’t count on that this round!

Surly Darkness Day no. 1. Shitty cell phone shot. I’d apologize, but some of you were still drinking Miller Lite at this point! 🙂

…and of course there will be beer… and food, and music.

Beer:
Expect some of the usual suspects as well as limited-release beers and casks. You can buy beer tokens for $4. Pours of cask beers & Darkness will be 8 oz. and everything else is 12 0z.

Food trucks:
You will not go hungry unless you are broke… or stupid. Plan ahead. Chef Shack, Natedogs, Barrio, Groveland Confections, Caribou Coffee, and others will be serving throughout.

Live Music:
As always, at Darkness Day the rock will be accompanied by the roll. Bands include God Came From Space, We Are Legion, Wolvhammer, and Powermad.

Powermad – Surly Darkness Day No. 2

So you wanna buy a bottle (or six) of Darkness?
The Surly crew will hand out 1200 wristbands for bottle sales prior to the gates opening. If you get a wristband, you’ll be allowed to buy up to 6 bottles of Darkness. Bottles of Darkness are $18 each, (cash only). Extra bottles will be available for purchase later in the afternoon. Not everyone buys their allotted 6 bottles, so stick around if you want a bottle but weren’t one of the first 100 people in line… you may just get one…

Some Rules:
[Aside from the golden rule in the beer world… don’t be a jerk. Oh, and for the love of all that is good in the world, don’t ]

  • Must be 21+ to enter unless accompanied by parent. No tickets needed.
  • DON’T SHOW UP BEFORE 3:30 on Friday! Surly has neighbors. Respect their employees and their space.
  • Any tents/structures that are up during daylight hours will not be allowed.
  • Volunteers will be helping with the line overnight. Please follow their direction as they can blackball you from the event if you don’t.
  • As always, be safe and arrange a ride or take a taxi home.