Tag: tycoons alehouse

Wit Wedding at Fitger’s Brewhouse & Tycoons

witweddingThis is pretty rad. The brewers at Fitger’s Brewhouse devised a special edition beer for owner Tim Nelson’s wedding. The beer is a white IPA, aptly called “Wit Wedding.” It clocks in at 5.7% abv and is said to be a medium-bodies spicy, citrusy, hoppy beast with notes of wheat and Belgian yeast esters.

Cartoonist Chris Monroe created a take on American Gothic as the artwork for the beer. Check it out. The beer is on tap right now at the Brewhouse and Tycoons and should be on tap at Burrito Union as well in short order.

Congrats Tim!

Duluth Beer Week & Bent Paddle Launch

bent paddle brewery

Photo: Bent Paddle Brewing Company

This week, Bent Paddle Brewing Company is releasing their beer to the public for the first time ever. Fifteen breweries from around the state (including several in or near Duluth) are teaming up to bring an all-Minnesota tap lineup to the Rathskeller in Tycoons. And of course, Fitger’s master brewer Dave Hoops is serving up his own contribution to the party. May 13–19 is American Craft Beer Week—and Duluth is rising to the occasion.

“It’s the nation-wide celebration of American craft beer,” Hoops says. “We wanted to really take the opportunitiy to really highlight local craft breweries.”

Ground zero for the week’s activities is the Rathskeller, the speakeasy-style bar in the sub-basement of Tycoons Alehouse (132 E Superior St, Duluth). They’ve turned all 14 of their taps over to Minnesota breweries (and one cidery) to celebrate local beers, and are serving bottles from two further breweries as well. And some of those breweries are from Duluth.

Beer at the Rathskeller. Photo: Maxwell McGruder.

Beer at the Rathskeller. Photo: Maxwell McGruder.

For Bent Paddle’s first-ever release, they’re offering up two flagship brews: the Bent Hop and the Black. The Bent Hop is a smooth, chocolaty, semi-roasted ale somewhere between a porter and a stout, and the Bent Hop is a non-traditional IPA with a big floral/citrus hop flavor. Both will be on tap at the Rathskeller in the starting tonight at 5pm.

Duluth beer fans will also want to try Blacklist, a “nomadic” brewery based out of Duluth and with limited distribution. Their contribution is the Or De Belgique, which honors traditional Belgian processes and boasts tropical fruit flavors and rich aromas. Dubrue is participating too (Brown), along with Knife River’s Borealis Fermentery and the Castle Danger Brewery.

“It’s always been us alone,” Hoops says. “We now have quite a few breweries in Duluth.”

But the brewers aren’t just sending along beer. Several are coming in person to celebrate this Wednesday night from 7–9pm. Brewers who have confirmed that they are coming come from Blacklist, Borealis, Castle Danger, Bent Paddle, Big Wood, and the Brewhouse. They’ll be available to answer questions about their process and otherwise talk good beer.

With new breweries popping up seemingly overnight, Hoops says that it’s a good time for craft beer in Minnesota. He thinks that this week’s celebration shows a deep field both locally and statewide, and that the movement’s only getting started.

“I feel like we’re on the trajectory to get to maybe double where we’re at as far as brewery numbers,” Hoops says. “The sky’s the limit on selling craft beer.”

North Shore Brewery Tour

duluthThis is cool. GetKnit Events is hosting several brewery tours to Duluth this spring and summer. $109 gives you access to six different Duluth breweries and brewpubs, private tours, coffee pastries, pub fare for lunch and a gourmet dinner, not to mention round trip transportation. Interesting, eh?

Our GetKnit Gurus will help you get a jump start on the day with a sunrise breakfast of pastries and our first “brew” of the day – coffee.  A deluxe motor-coach will then whisk us away to the North Shore.  Upon arriving in Duluth, we will make our first stop at Bent Paddle Brewing Company – a brand new, state of the art brewery, where we will get a taste of the day to come with signature beer tastings and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour.

From there, we’ll travel to Canal Park Brewing Company, where we will fill up with several more tastings and a hearty beer-inspired lunch.  Options including a brewski (WI-made bratwurst), classic cheddar cheese burger with fixings, chicken and cheese sandwich, Pub Wing Dings or a plantain burger.

After re-fueling, Lake Superior Brewing Company will welcome us with another round of tastings to be complemented by a brief lesson on the history of brewing in the North Shore region.

Next, our crew will make our way to Castle Danger Brewery, a one-of-a-kind brewery who makes their mark on the local brewery scene by serving up “dangerously” good ales.

From there, we’ll continue on to Carmody Irish Pub, located in the historic Port-Town District of downtown Duluth to taste some of their superb dark stouts and seasonal brews.

Before making the journey home, we’ll stop by Tycoons Alehouse and Eatery to savor our last few tastes of the day along with a delectable dinner.  Options including hand-trimmed pork loin, artichoke-stuffed chicken florentine, stuffed poblano peppers, and classic fish ‘n’ chips are sure to satisfy even the largest appetite.

Between the thirst quenching beer tastings from the six North Shore breweries and the mouth-watering meals at some of Duluth’s finest eateries, you will have countless opportunities to purchase pints, growlers, and souvenirs to help remind you of this day that left you feeling good and “hoppy.”

Trips leave from Roseville, depart at 8:30am and return around 9:30pm. Thirteen hours of beer-fueled fun.

If you’d like to read more or sign up, follow the link here.Tour dates: April 20th, May 11th, June 1st.