Tag: surly brewing

Ten Iconic Minnesota Beers

Minnesota has a rich brewing history dating back to the mid 1800s. Breweries such as Wolf Brewing in Stillwater, Minneapolis Brewing Company, Schell’s Brewing, and Hamm’s in St. Paul paved the way for the many breweries we enjoy here today.

 

It’s really pretty incredible to think how large the brewing scene has become once again, especially amid a society so hell bent on counting every calorie they put in their bodies. But here we are in the middle of a pandemic—with nothing but time to reflect on what got us here.

 

Here are ten beers that have helped define what local brewers are capable of. Some have been around for over 50 years, and some were formulated and brewed within the last ten years.

 

Schell’s Pils – A classic version of what a German Pilsner should be. One could argue that this recipe was one of the better American-made versions in production the past 30 years. Clean, crisp, and refreshing—this beer could be found in most brewer’s refrigerators across Minnesota. The brewery has since dropped this from their lineup, but here’s to hoping it makes a comeback.

 

Summit EPA – This is the first craft beer that many Minnesotans were introduced to. Anything outside of a standard American Lager was hard to come by around here, even in the 90s when many across the country were drinking beer from Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, Deschutes and many others. Mark Stutrud brought this recipe to life back in 1986 and it’s still every bit as good today.

 

Surly Furious – Many were skeptical when they saw this beer in 16 oz. cans (thanks Linda Haug) on the shelves of liquor stores. A hoppy red ale in cans? This revolutionized the way people thought about packaging beer here in Minnesota. Oskar Blues had been doing this since 2002, but Surly had the foresight to put their boldest beer in larger cans for sale in four packs.

 

Dangerous Man Peanut Butter Porter – Often imitated, but never duplicated, this beer has converted plenty of “non-beer drinkers” to craft beer fanatics. This is literally Minnesota’s “dessert beer” and rightfully so. It tastes like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in liquid form, a gem amongst many imposters. Their recipe for success in Northeast is simple. Brew unique beers that people will love, and they will come and spend their money.

 

Minneapolis Town Hall Masala Mama – Ask any homebrewer, brewer, or beer nerd around town what their favorite IPA was 15 years ago, and they’d say it was Masala Mama. This was the best IPA recipe in the Midwest and was the brainchild of Mike Hoops who still runs the show over at their Seven Corners location. This is easily the most influential IPA ever to be born here in Minnesota.

 

Fulton Lonely Blonde – The craft beer for your dad, uncle, or cheap beer crushing friend. This beer is full of flavor but is approachable to all who try it. Minnesota patios sell a ton of this from April through October and year-round for that matter. This is your perfect boating beer, and one that I keep in my fridge on the regular.

 

Fair State Roselle – This is a perfectly executed Kettle Sour that is an ideal choice for any wine drinker or sour beer fan. Roselle is tart, fruity, and floral and it set the standard for what local brewers are doing within the sour beer category.

 

Steel Toe Size 7 – Before the “haze craze” people actually used to appreciate a good West Coast IPA. There is no better example of the style than the one made in St. Louis Park. This beer is far from balanced with big citrus notes and a clean finish. There’s a reason why this is their number one seller.

 

Grain Belt Premium – This was once brewed by the Minneapolis Brewing Company right after Prohibition ended. Now this clean, Minnesota classic adjunct lager is made by Schell’s Brewing Company who bought the recipe back in 2002. Corn and blueberry notes come through in this legendary beer which can be found at any dive bar across the Twin Cities.

 

Barley John’s Wild Brunette Wild Rice Brown Ale – A classic Brown Ale from one of the original brewpubs in town. Roasty malts and subtle chocolate and vanilla satisfy the palate in this classic Minnesota beer. Homebrewers in the Twin Cities have long admired this underappreciated offering, and it’s still being made some 20 years after being introduced. Find this one on tap at the brewpub located in New Brighton.

 

Cheers!

Surly and Dangerous Man Make a Pakt as Minnesota Collaborations Continue

blutpakt“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s the motto that Co-Owner Rob Miller at Dangerous Man lives and bleeds day in and day out at his brewery in Northeast Minneapolis. Miller and the crew over at Surly are the latest members of the local brewing scene to team up on a collaboration beer that they are calling Blutpakt which translates to “blood pact.” The beer itself is based on an old recipe that piqued the interest of Dangerous Man brewer John Leingang who was doing extensive research on historic beers. “I was at home doing some research and found some old recipes. I found the old German Porter recipe and I thought it looked awesome” John says.

 

Dangerous Man and Surly are two of the most popular breweries in the state so this one makes total sense. Collaborations often seem like a good idea, but they don’t always work out. Sarah Bonvallet, the other Co-Owner at Dangerous Man and current Secretary of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild Board, says that they’ve reached out to a number of breweries in hopes of collaborating—but that doesn’t always work out. “We’ve attempted a bunch, but they sometimes get stuck in the brainstorming phase.” This German Porter’s malt base is primarily Münich and the recipe was brewed at each location with the main difference being that the Surly version used brettanomyces. The Dangerous Man version is nice and toasty, almost marshmallow like. The Surly rendition is less toasty, but it has a nice little funk to it from the addition of brett.

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You will be able to find both varieties within a couple of blocks of each other when they are released during Art-A-Whirl at noon on Saturday, May 21st. The Dangerous Man version will be released at their taproom while Surly’s version will tap at the 331 Club right down the street.

Surly, namesake of the “Surly Bill” which set the current taproom scene in motion back in 2012 has wanted to work with Dangerous Man on a collaboration for a while. Jerrod Johnson, who represented Surly in this project thinks that it would be nice to see more of these collaborations, but for the right reasons. “The interesting part is seeing the small process differences. It really brings to the forefront the character of the different breweries” says Johnson.

DM collab uno

When asked why the two breweries wanted to collaborate, Miller mentioned that Surly was the right fit for them. “They are good brewing friends, and we have similar interests.” Sarah chimed in and mentioned that both breweries have solid reputations which means that it benefited them both equally. “What I loved about this collaboration is that we both stand on our own. It was fun and I really enjoyed seeing that” she said. The right fit indeed.

Meanwhile, down Broadway, Bauhaus and Fair State have been dreaming up a Münich Helles for well over a year. Both Matt Schwandt of Bauhaus and Niko Tonks of Fair State are very particular about their brewing methods which makes this a fitting collaboration. “This is how people should find common ground” says Tonks.

Bauhaus collab

This is the first Helles that either brewery has done and according to Schwandt, It was Niko’s idea. Helles Lager is the “holy grail” of lagers according Tonks and the ingredients that each brewery used were a little different. For one, Bauhaus used a German Bock yeast whereas Fair State used a yeast called Augustiner.

This “no frills” Helles lager is called Das Homeguys Helles and they are both very clean, crisp, and refreshing beers—perfect for patio season. Lagers are notorious for being tricky to brew because it’s much harder to mask flaws in delicately balanced beers such as these.

Both versions will debut at Republic Seven Corners today (5 pm) just in time for Lagerfest. Both taprooms will also be releasing their versions of the beer today and they hope it will make through Art-A-Whirl which is happening next weekend.

Collaborations such as these, come at a time when large breweries such as AB InBev are buying up smaller craft breweries to keep their foothold on the market. “For the past decade, craft brewers have charged into the market, seeing double digit growth for eight of those years,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association in a press release regarding craft breweries. While “big brewers” are losing market share to the ever-growing craft market (up 16% nationwide in retail dollar value for 2015), craft breweries are popping up all over the country and the camaraderie is stronger than ever.

“It’s starting to happen more and more, and I think it’s a good thing” said Schwandt about local brewing collaborations. This is most likely a product of a close community of breweries who are operating under the assumption that a rising tide lifts all boats. Bonvallet pointed to the fact that Denver hosts Collaboration Fest (149 breweries participated this year) as proof that collaborations are here to stay. Trend or otherwise, we’re likely to see plenty more of these here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

“It’s a sign of a more mature scene” says Tonks.

A scene that is growing together, instead of apart.

Cheers!

Friday 5ive: Winter’s Coming

The cold is settling in. Winterblot is at the Triple Rock on Saturday and Surly’s new facility opens today, so it would feel out of place today to feature anything but heavy metal from northern climates. Conveniently, Scandinavia is full of metal bands past and present, as illustrated by this map that made the internet rounds a couple years ago. With so many bands spread across many nuanced styles of metal, choosing just five was a tall task. I realize I’m only scratching the surface. Here are some of my faves:

Candlemass (Sweden) – Bewitched
My favorite unintentionally hilarious video. Ridiculous by today’s standards, but about what you’d expect from a limited budget in 1987.

Highlight: guitar “solo” while wearing a cast

 

Bathory (Sweden) – Home of Once Brave
From the album “Hammerheart” which, if you weren’t already aware, is the namesake of Lino Lakes’ own HammerHeart Brewing. Pretty much epitomizes epic, poetic viking metal.

 

At The Gates (Sweden) – Slaughter of the Soul
Man, this sound was 90’s metal. Listening to stuff like this I’m instantly whisked away to age twelve in my friend’s basement, playing Sega Genesis and acting like I knew what all three buttons did.

 

Amon Amarth (Sweden) – Twilight of the God of Thunder
Crisp, calculated shredding with a savvy frontman who seamlessly jumps between self-aware banter and a menacing death growl; it’s easy to understand why these guys are so popular.

 

Finintroll (Finland) – Under Bergets Rot
Self-described “trollish hoedown metal”? Sold.

Surlyfest Saturday

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If I have any computer skills whatsoever, it would appear that tickets to Surlyfest on Saturday are still available. The event runs from 2pm – 6:17pm. A $40 ticket gets you a commemorative half-liter SurlyFest stein and 4 beer tickets. The event also includes live music, food vendors. Designated driver tickets are also available.

Where:
Surly Brewing Co.
4811 Dusharme Dr.
Brooklyn Center, MN

Tickets: TempoTickets.com/surlyfest

Hey Art Nerds, How ‘Bout a Beer Gig?

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Our friends at Surly Brewing Company are looking for their next featured artist. Said artist will create art for Surly’s next anniversary beer (∞ight?), SurlyFest & Darkness. You’ll no doubt see the artwork on bottles posters, shirts and other fun things.  Surly has worked with a variety of artists over the past number of years (tattoo artists, graphic designers, illustrators, painting elephants) , so the medium & style is wide open with the caveat that the work needs to be unique and “Surly.”

And while recognition and free beer is nice, this is a paid gig as well. “The chosen one” will be working from concept to design to finished piece with the merry men and women of Surly on a timeline.

Care to join the likes of artists such as  Josh “Jawsh” Lemke, Brent Schoonover, Michael Berglund, Aesthetic Apparatus, DWITT, Nic Skrade, and Adam Turman?  Send some info about yourself, your connection with Surly and examples of your previous work (links to your portfolio, etc.) to michael@surlybrewing.com by Friday, March 7.

Good luck!