Bartley Blume and the folks behind Bent Brewstillery are busy finalizing plans to get their operation off the ground. They signed an agreement with Pour Decisions Brewing Company in Roseville, MN to produce Bent beer while they continue to look for a more permanent home in the Arden Hills area.
The agreement with PDBC has Bent beer being contract brewed, but this it is not your typical, hands-off, contract brewing arrangement. While PDBC will brew, Bent Brewing Founder and Brewmaster Bartley Blume, will assist and be an integral part of the brewing process. Bartley will also be responsible for ordering his own ingredients, packaging, etc.
Blume also hopes to have the distilled liquor side of his operation up and running soon. He plans to bring locally made whiskey, bourbon, and gin to the thirsty masses.
“I have a separate agreement with PDBC for me to set up my distillery in their brewery,” says Blume. It will be a stand-alone, self-sufficient distillery complete with 1.5 bbl brewhouse, 3 bbl fermenters, and stills.
It is worth mentioning that Bent Brewstillery is hoping to gather support for the micro-distillery bills (SF623-625 and HF940-942) that would allow samples and sales at Bent Brewstillery, and every other MN distillery.
Señor Wong & MN Beer Activists are proud to bring the next event in our Flight with Bites pairing series. This time around we are tasting American IPA and English-Style IPA paired with hand crafted small plates from Chef Cody Monson.
Featured Beer Style: American IPA vs English-Style IPA
Stone IPA (CA) – American IPA
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Look up “hops” in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of Stone IPA! “Dry-hopped” for an extra two weeks, this unique process gives our IPA its bountiful hop aroma and rich hop flavor. A full 70+ IBUs (International Bitterness Units) creates this beer’s crisp and refreshing bitter character.
Founders All Day IPA (MI) – American IPA
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
The beer you’ve been waiting for. Keeps your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp. An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatic and a clean finish. The perfect reward for an honest day’s work and the ultimate companion to celebrate life’s simple pleasures.
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (NY) – English IPA
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, originally a summer seasonal, has been getting raves since becoming a year round offering in 1996. Garrett Oliver, a student of English brewing and beer history, uses English malts and hops to brew his EIPA in the classic, heavily-hopped style of the 19th century beers created for British soldiers serving in India.
Goose Island IPA (IL) – English IPA
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Our IPA recalls a time when ales shipped from England to India were highly hopped to preserve their distinct taste during the long journey. The result, quite simply a hop lover’s dream. And this classic ale adds a fruity aroma, set off by a dry malt middle, to ensure that the long hop finish is one you’ll remember.
Flight with Bites – Friday, Feb. 22nd.
$25 Per Person (includes, tax, tip and donation to MN Beer Activists)
Date: Friday, Apr. 5th
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Space is limited to the first 50 guests, so please call for reservation!
Señor Wong Bar & Restaurant
111 East Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul
P. 651.224.2019
Parking: Discount Parking available in the Kellogg Square parking ramp.
Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewery and Wisconsin’s Lucette Brewing have some problems to work out. They have girl problems, farm girls or daughters depending on your brand of choice.
Lift Bridge has called shenanigans on Lucette, asking Minnesota Courts to the make Lucette drop the Farmer’s Daughter name.
Customers are mixing up the two brands now that they’re going head-to-head in some Twin Cities bars, Lift Bridge CEO Dan Schwarz said. The two breweries have gone back-and-forth over the problem for about six months, he said.
“We asked several times very nicely, and unfortunately we’ve just seen more efforts from them to confuse and dilute the brand,” Schwarz said.
What beer is this advertising?
The Minnesota beer community and the brewing community at large often view lawsuits as something that doesn’t benefit the micro brewing industry. Some think time would be better spent fighting the large macro brewers than fighting amongst themselves. Avery & russian River even created collaboration beer in an effort to avoid litigation. And, let’s not forget the Northgate vs Northbound issue that seems to has resolved itself.
Brewing beer is most definitely a business, and one that risks that costs time and money. When local, or nearly local (Lucette), companies are competing for tap lines and shelf space with similar beers that have similar names and similar packaging, it is easy to see how confusion arises.
How many times should a brewer have to ask and how long should they wait for changes if they think their beer brand is under attack? It seems Lift bridge is either tired of waiting, or asking, or both. And with images like the one above being posted around town, who can blame them? Promotional posters are usually provided by distributors. So, where does the responsibility lie?
Hopefully some meaningful resolution will come from the litigation, but don’t look for a collaboration anytime soon.
The Craft Brewers Conference is the industry’s largest gathering. The conference and Expo brings together 6,000 brewing professionals from both brewpubs and packaging breweries for seminars, lobbying, networking, and BrewExpo, a massive trade show. Put on by the Brewers Association (BA), CBC is an opportunity for the craft (micro) brewing community to gather for conversation, collaboration and education to further America’s beer culture.
Wednesday, at 6:30pm CDT, Patrick, Niles, and Ben will take a few minutes out of their schedule to talk about their experience at the Craft Brewers Conference.
Bad Weather is part of a brewing collective called an alternating proprietorship. This sort of arrangement is new to the Twin Cities craft brewing community. This means Bad Weather brews alongside the folks from Lucid Brewing and Badger Hill Brewing, on the brewhouse that Lucid owns in Minnetonka. This is not contract brewing. This is a cooperative of like-minded brewers bringing new and exciting beers to the Twin Cities market while each controlling the quality of their individual product.
“I believe that Minnesota is one of the most exciting places to be a beer lover right now,” says Bad Weather’s co-founder Zac Carpenter. “Not because we currently have the best beers or the most beers, but because we get to witness the birth of a great beer culture that will someday very soon rival those in Portland and Denver. It is an honor to be part of that growth and Bad Weather Brewing Company is ready to become a pillar in this market.”
Bad Weather Brewing Co-Founders, Joe Giambruno & Zac Carpenter
They are building the brewery on the excitement of seasonal brews, while offering one year-round beer, WINDVANE, to keep them anchored. This gives Bad Weather the opportunity to play with interesting beer concepts that will evolve right alongside the Minnesota seasons. They want to be un-tethered with their beer choices. Like most bad weather, the beers will be unexpected.
“Style guidelines have never been our thing. While styles are important for understanding beer and very helpful in the development of recipes, you won’t find a beer list that reads; Bad Weather Kolsch, Bad Weather Stout, Bad Weather Brown ale.” Says Co-Founder Joe Giambruno “There is nothing wrong with brewing to style, but that’s not who we are. We want our beers to tell the drinker a story, to set the mood. We want our finished beers to be justified by the experience, and not necessarily if it meets the criteria of a particular style. This is a craft we love, we want our drinkers to enjoy it as much as we do.”
The brewery’s year-round flagship, WINDVANE, is a malt-sturdy and highly hopped Minnesota red ale. Their first seasonal, OMINOUS, is a dark storm of a beer: large, intense and one to watch out for. Their description of the their first two beers are as follows…
WINDVANE
Minnesota Red Ale
Our one flagship release WINDVANE stands strong through all types of weather and is a great fit for all seasons. Pouring a deep brilliant red, this beer has everything you want in a flagship. American hops give WINDVANE a swift bitterness with piney, citrus and resinous flavors. Caramel and rye malts, as well as a touch of roasted barley add layers to this brew, giving it a strong malt shoulder to back up the hops.
OMINOUS
Midwest Warmer
Clouds grow darker, the wind kicks up whitecaps on the lake, birds seek shelter — the weather is not looking good. Thankfully OMINOUS is the perfect beer for this situation. Warming from the inside out, it’s a good reason to stay indoors. At 7.5% abv, this Midwest Warmer has the layers to stand up to the most frigid of winter nights or rain-soaked spring days. American, English and Belgian malts come together to satisfy the soul with rich, nutty, roasted flavors. Dark candi sugar brings out hints of dates, raisins, plum and chocolate. OMINOUS is a dark storm of a beer – big, intense and something to keep your eye on.
Keep on the lookout for future releases from Bad Weather. Expect to see something refreshing and unique for their spring/early summer release. A summer beer favorite that will be great for both the hot summer days and the cool nights around the fire. A fall harvest beer will be released before OMINOUS makes a return this fall. They also are hoping for some fun one-offs in 750 mL’s when possible. Look for the beer in the twin cities area initially on draft with plans to bottle sometime in the summer.
Be a part of Bad Weather Brewing Company’s launch events. The Uptown Republic will host their launch party March 21st from 4-7pm. Drinks will be $3 from 4-6 and they will showcase both WINDVANE and OMINOUS as well as special casks of both beers. Also, The Happy Gnome in St. Paul is hosting their annual Firkin Fest on March 30th. Bad Weather Brewing will be there pouring a special firkin of dry hopped WINDVANE.
The 5th annual St. Paul Summer Beer Fest will take place Saturday, June 15th, 2013 from 2-6pm at the MN State Fairgrounds – International Bazaar in beautiful St. Paul. This outdoor festival will feature sampling from 85+ breweries in a commemorative tasting glass, live music, food, educational seminars, a silent auction benefiting the YMCA of St. Paul, and the fun atmosphere of MN State Fairgrounds.
Tickets are $50 for VIP, $40 for General Admission, and $10 for Designated Driver
Saint Paul City council members Russ Stark and Amy Brendmoen have introduced a resolution that will modify zoning to allow smaller breweries to have taprooms in traditional neighborhood and commercial zoning districts, as opposed to only industrial districts.
The council is having a public hearing on this issue and others at 5:30 on Wednesday, March 20, in the Council Chambers on the third floor of St. Paul City Hall. Join members of your community in speaking up about the advantages that taprooms bring to your neighborhood!
CURRENT ORDINANCE
Sec. 65.774. – Malt liquor production.
Standards and conditions in traditional neighborhood and business districts.
(a)
In traditional neighborhood and B2 business districts, a conditional use permit is required for such uses with more than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet of floor area to ensure size and design compatibility with the particular location.
(b)
Fewer than five thousand (5,000) barrels of malt liquor shall be produced in a year.
(c)
The malt liquor shall not be sold to customers for consumption on the site where manufactured.
The resolution would completely eliminate section (c), allowing St. Paul to enter the taproom scene, joining cities like Stillwater, Rochester, Minneapolis, and more.
It would be great to see Saint Paul catch up to other leading cities, but does the resolution go far enough? The 5,000 barrel limit may be the next hurdle to overcome. Without the ability grow brewers will still put Saint Paul near the bottom of the list for potential brewery locations.
Bartley Blume and the folks behind Bent Brewstillery are busy finalizing plans to get their operation off the ground. They signed an agreement with Pour Decisions Brewing Company in Roseville, MN to produce Bent beer while they continue to look for a more permanent home in the Arden Hills area.
