Category Archives: Newsfeed

MN Beer Activists feed of news, events, education, legislation related to beer, wine, and spirits in Minnesota.

Newsfeed

Schell’s Apparent Horizon

What do you do with a brewery that is over a century and a half old that does not want to deviate from its German heritage, but looks to stay relevant in a market saturated with craft breweries creating new styles every day? August Schell Brewing Company’s answer is to innovate one of the lesser-known beer styles with historic German roots, the Berliner Weisse, and they do a fantastic job with it.

With the Noble Star Series, Schell’s has brought a rare style to the forefront with grand slam successes such as Black Forest Cherry, Star of the North, and the first runner up in the Heavy Table taste off (beat out only by another Schell’s beer), the Starkeller Peach.

With the latest Noble Star release, Jace Marti, master brewer and sixth generation member of the August Schell family, brings rye to the mix in an interesting malt versus sour battle for your taste buds.

“With Apparent Horizon, we wanted to put a twist on the fruity acidity normally found in a Berliner Weisse. The Substantial addition of rye to the base of the beer creates a spicy dryness and an interesting aroma of sourdough, rye, and pumpernickel.” – Jace Marti

Apparent Horizon

The beer is a very-hazy, amber gold ale with high carbonation and a light, effervescent head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is surprisingly subtle with hints of over-ripened lemon and lime peel. There is a slightly sour and tart aroma with just a faint suggestion of a dusty, woodsy cellar flavor.

The flavor throws you a bright lemon and lemon peel tartness faster than you can see coming. This tart and sour flavor subsides almost as quickly as it came and leaves room for some sweeter, malty flavors. There is a good, lightly toasted bread flavor with a faint flavor of baking spices. The brew rounds the experience out with an off-dry, yogurt-like lactic finish and has lingering flavors of honey and graham cracker. Soft chamomile and floral notes compliment the lactic finish beautifully.

Overall, this is a very approachable sour with a great subtle complexity enough for even the most experienced of palates.

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Newsfeed

Dangerous Man Brewing Limited Bottle Release & Growler Shop Soft Opening

Dangerous Man Brewing will open up their new Growler Shop to the public this Sunday October 25th, from 11am-6pm, with a barrel-aged bottle release. They will be selling 750ml bottles of Imperial Kristallweizen aged in Tequila Barrels for $20. Limit 2 per customer.

Dangerous Man Brewing Imperial Kristallweizen

Dangerous Man will also be offering on-site fills for growlers, pre-filled growlers, 750ml bombers and 750ml Crowlers® of their many varieties of craft beer.

“We are beyond excited to offer a sneak peak of our Growler Shop this Sunday. It has been a labor of love for the last 6 months and we finally get to share it with our amazing community of patrons, neighbors, volunteers and friends. It is like reaching the peak after scaling K2.” –Sarah Bonvallet

Dangerous Man’s expansion into the 1600 square foot space adjacent to the current taproom, has allowed the brewery to add 6 additional fermenters. This will allow the brewery 300% more production to grow into. They will still brew on the same 10-barrel brewhouse, maintaining the small-batch beers that Rob and his brewer’s find so rewarding to create.

Dangerous Man Brewing Growler Shop

“This allows us to have unlimited growlers of our fan-favorites like Peanut Butter Porter and Chocolate Milk Stout, as well as opportunities to experiment with new styles and recipes. We just tapped our first sour and next we will be brewing some lagers.” –Rob Miller

Without distributing, Dangerous Man’s Growler Shop will enable customers to purchase beer to go. Operating within the confines of strict Minnesota law, Dangerous Man is figuring out ways to offer their customers a variety of packaging. From cans to glass, from refillable to recyclable, customers can choose what beer container is right for them.

“This business represents so much to Rob and I. It is about what we can create together and separately all at the same time. We have dealt with our production woes for almost three years and this expansion allows us to address those issues for ourselves and our customers. Our fans have been so patient and I feel this space is as much a testament to them.” –Sarah Bonvallet

Sunday will be a soft opening and celebration with the bottle release. The Growler Shop will officially open in early November and starting Nov 1st, the taproom will be open on Sundays at noon.

Related

Listen to Rob & Sarah talk about the growler shop expansion on the Minnesota BeerCast.

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Newsfeed

Summit Unchained #20: Sticke Alt

Summit has recently announce the next in their Unchained series. For the twentieth in the series, brewer Mike Lundell has decided to brew us a Düsseldorf style Alt.

Summit Sticke Alt label
Summit likes to show appropriate glassware on their label

An Alt is a fun style. It’s a traditional German beer that’s brewed with an ale yeast strain, rather than a lager strain. After fermentation, Alts are conditioned cold, which gives a clean, lager-like flavor profile to the beer, making this style a unique hybrid. Lundell has gone one further and made this a Sticke Alt. Traditionally, twice a year, German brewers in the Westphalia region would make a special version of their Alt, and hold it aside for their best customers. What it means for the beer drinker is a beer that’s a bit stronger, and a bit hoppier.

I was lucky enough to drink this beer, and I think it’s a fantastic representation of the style.

You can see the color here. Deep red and lovely.
You can see the color here. Deep red and lovely.

Talk about nailing the timing on this. With all the Oktoberfests on the market during the fall, this is a fine alternative that’s brawny enough to drink into the beginning of Winter. It comes off as a little roasty, but overall very clean and smooth. It puts me right into the mood for the Fall season. Look for this beer on your local store shelves starting the second week of October.

By the numbers:

  • ABV: 6.3%
  • IBUs: 55
  • Malts:  Pilsner, Vienna, Light Munich, Dark Munich, Caramel, and Black
  • Hops: Hallertau, Mittelfruh
  • Yeast: German Ale

Summit’s info on Unchained #20

Upcoming release events for this beer

Newsfeed

Minnesota Craft Brewers Win Medals at Great American Beer Festival

Photo © Brewers Association

Several Minnesota Craft Brewers took part in the largest American craft beer competition last weekend in Denver, CO. Local brewers did well with 6 medals coming home to Minnesota. Great American Beer Festival awards are coveted by beer makers across the country. There was more than 1,500 breweries competing for prizes. Over 6,500 beers were judges across 92 distinct categories.

“These honors reinforce that Minnesota brewers create exceptional craft beers,” says Dan Schwarz, President of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. “We are proud of our Guild members for representing the strong state of craft beer in Minnesota at this prestigious competition.”

 

Medal Beer Name Brewery City State Category Year
Silver Double Porter Bemidji Brewing Co. Bemidji MN Baltic-Style Porter 2015
Bronze Lonely Blonde Fulton Beer Minneapolis MN English-Style Summer Ale 2015
Silver 14° ESB Bent Paddle Brewing Co. Duluth MN Extra Special Bitter 2015
Silver Procrastinator Doppelbock Fitger’s Brewhouse Duluth MN German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock 2015
Silver Pumpkin Grinder Mankato Brewery Mankato MN Pumpkin Beer 2015
Silver Size 4 Steel Toe Brewing St. Louis Park MN Session India Pale Ale 2015
Bronze Firebrick August Schell Brewing Co. New Ulm MN Vienna-Style Lager 2015

A photo posted by Brian Hoffman (@bmhoffman14) on

Newsfeed

Surly Brewing Barrel-Aged Darkness

The crew at Surly Brewing is in for a busy few weeks. SurlyFest is on shelves and their annual Oktoberfest party is happening this weekend for the first time at the Mpls brewery. Wet with Simcoe is in the tanks and should appear sometime soon. Nein will debut September 28th, at Black Forest Inn. But, there is only beer that Surly fans camp out overnight to get their hands on. That’s right, Surly Darkness. And, an interesting new Darkness label just made an appearance.


 
Surly works with a local artist to create a terrifying label for each release of the Russian Imperial Stout. Label art for the 2015 version of Darkness comes courtesy of Brandon Holt. The new golden version of the 2015 Surly Darkness label pictured below confirms that there will indeed be two versions of the beer. There will be a classic version and a rye whiskey barrel-aged version. No word on the amount produced of either variety or any difference in pricing.

Surly Brewing Darkness 2015
Our 2015 vintage bottling of Darkness features a screeching bat-nightmare by local artist Brandon Holt.

No creature is more adept at navigating in the Darkness than a bat. Emerging from a deep and ancient cave, this year’s twisted nocturnal creature has evolved a set of adaptations well suited to detecting and devouring uncommon nourishment.

Notes of chocolate, coffee, dried tart cherries, and raisins emanate from his lair. If you can evade the talons and teeth, the thick body of this Russian Imperial Stout finishes sweet, with a piney resinous hop character.

Newsfeed

Bad Weather Brewing Announces St. Paul Grand Opening

Bad Weather Brewing Company is announcing the Grand Opening of their St. Paul taproom and production facility at 414 7th St. W., St. Paul, MN. A welcome addition to Little Bohemia neighborhood, the 1200 sqft. brewing operation is just a few blocks away from the Xcel Energy Center.

The newest addition to the growing St. Paul beer scene is scheduled to open October 9th, at 3pm.


Bad Weather Brewing Company was launched by co-founders Zac Carpenter and Joe Giambruno in March 2013 as an alternating proprietorship with Lucid Brewing. Lucid’s alternating proprietorship arrangement allowed Bad Weather Brewing, and several other brewers, to enter the Minnesota beer market. Two years and many beers later, Bad Weather is expanding their brand and opening their own brewery and taproom.

Bad Weather Brewing Tank InstallBad Weather Brewing Company had some shiny goods delivered and installed in their new St. Paul space yesterday.

Posted by MNBeerActivists on Thursday, June 25, 2015

Making the transition from Lucid Brewing to the new facility is Andy Ruhland. After years of earning his stripes in the brewing industry, Andy will take on the title of Head Brewer at Bad Weather Brewing. Andy is an award winning brewer and has a degree in Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering from the American Brewers Guild.

“A lot of talk is going on right now on the booming brewery growth in Minneapolis,” says Ruhland. “I think St. Paul is an untouched gem. A relaxed, easy going city that is yearning for more breweries/taprooms. The overall reception here has been fantastic. So many people stopping by, I can’t wait for us to open our doors. Not to mention the fantastic water quality!”

The new St. Paul facility will allow Bad Weather to expand production capabilities to meet increasing demand. The taproom will provide an exciting place for craft beer lovers to enjoy a rotating list of unique offerings, in addition to Bad Weather flagship WINDVANE and seasonal favorites OMINOUS, FIREFLY RYE and MIGRATION. Four new beers will be available on opening day to compliment the current lineup.

“Our new space gives us the opportunity to really introduce drinkers to our brewery in a way that has not been possible to this point.” says Carpenter. “Increased flexibility in brewing out of our own space, and serving directly to the taproom will allow us to play with many more varieties of beer while keeping complete control of the process. We look forward to sharing our creativity with the community”

Bad Weather Brewing Grand Opening

Legislative Events, Newsfeed

Rochester to Expand Off-sale Hours for Liquor Stores and Craft Brewers

Rochester liquor stores and brewers will soon have the option to offer off-sale services until 10pm, Monday through Saturday. Of course, Sundays are still off limits for liquor store owners. But, several Minnesota municipalities, including Rochester, have passed local ordinances to allow brewers to sell growlers on Sundays (if they are small enough to qualify).

The saga to help Rochester catch up with much of the larger cities in Minnesota began a few weeks ago when the City Council tried to appease all off-sale operators, brewers and store alike. The idea was to allow brewers to stay open later while still mandating an earlier closing time for stores. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they are different types of businesses, Minnesota law requires that permitted brewer off-sale hours must be the same as local liquor stores.

“Things have been working for very many years,” said Ari Kolas, owner of Apollo Liquor, which has six locations in Rochester. “Why change it now? There’s no benefit to any of the liquor stores …”
Valley News Live – Sep 19, 2015

City leaders took steps to correct the oversight at the September 21, meeting of the Rochester City Council. The council voted 6-1 to expand off-sale retail hours. The action should be finalized next week after the change jumps through a few more procedural hoops.

Council President Randy Staver was the only dissenting vote on the issue of expanding off-sale hours. Staver seem to have changed his mind on the issue in the last few days. Staver was talking about consumer rights and overwhelming support for the change last week.

Council President Randy Staver said that so far, the feedback he’s gotten through social media is “overwhelmingly in support of extending the hours” and is rooted in the idea of not restricting consumer rights. “I find that kind of an interesting argument,” Staver said. “I’m not asking this for me; it’s for the rights.”
Valley News Live – Sep 19, 2015

But, by the time the issue was back before the council Staver decided consumer rights are no longer a compelling argument.

“Largely I just didn’t feel that folks made a compelling argument to change the hours. I hadn’t heard that anyone had been truly adversely affected by the hours that we had in place,” Staver explains.
KIMT – September 21, 2015

Staver is the lone voice of dissent on the council. Other Rochester City Council members think the change is good.

I respect our new Rochester brewing businesses and don’t want to see them hurt by unnecessary regulation,” said Council Member Michael Wojcik. “Today’s vote represents a win for Rochester’s people and brewers who wanted the same rights as nearly every other community in the state.”

Much like the most of the city council, Rochester brewers are happy the city is updating the code.

“[We are] Excited to be on par with the other cities in Minnesota,” Grand Rounds brewer Steve Finnie tells MN Beer Activists. “Rochester is a great town!! It’s my home, and I’m excited to continue to make craft beer for the craft beer lovers out there. This change helps a lot!”

Not everyone is so excited, liquor stores least of all.

“At the Legislature, craft breweries “manipulated the political system … under the guise of being small businesses,” said Kolas, the owner of Apollo Liquor, a family-owned company that’s 50 years old. “We’re all small business.”
Valley News Live – Sep 19, 2015

However, just as when it comes to Sunday sales arguments, liquor stores could remain closed when they choose not to operate. This is how most businesses operate.

Perhaps it is time to quit pinning the off-sale together. Minnesota brewers are not asking to be able to sell wine or spirits to go. If everything really needs to be equal under the law, perhaps they they should start making that push. Instead of pitting mismatched license holders against each other, Minnesota lawmakers could start looking at what states like North Carolina are doing to attract craft brewers and start taking consumer rights seriously. That is, if consumer rights are a compelling argument.

Newsfeed

AB InBev Looks to Buy SABMiller

Are you a Bud drinker or a Miller drinker? Soon there may be no difference. Rumors have swirled for years about a merger of the two macro brewers. It looks like the merger rumors may soon become a reality. AB InBev (Budweiser) has announced their intention to purchase SABMiller (Miller/Coors).

No proposal has been made yet, but some estimates put a combined value of the two firms near $230B based on Tuesday’s share price. SABMiller stock prices jumped 23% on news of the offer.

SABMiller Stock

If the buyout happens it will likely mean the changes for the companies, at least in the U.S. When AB IbBev purchased Grupo Modelo (Corona) the beer giant was sued by U.S. Justice Department amid concerns of anti-competitive pricing manipulation.

If the merger actually takes place, and who knows if it will, the change won’t likely be a good deal for consumers, wholesalers, or craft brewers. Removing a huge competitive force in the beer industry will lead to a consolidation of power and resources. Look for objections to the merger from every corner of the beer world.