Have you heard of August Schell Brewing? They are the new kids on the block. August Schell started making beer at home in his garage and all his friends loved the beer they tried… I’m kidding. Anyone that is a beer fan in Minnesota should be familiar with Schell’s and their long history of brewing tradition. Owned and operated by the Marti family, they are six generations deep into the brewing boom. They were crafting beer before term “craft beer” was a thing. The second-oldest family owned brewery in America, August Schell Brewing, is celebrating their heritage the best way they know how, releasing a new beer.
One Five Five is Red Lager with full caramel flavor, medium body, and a very crisp hoppy finish. If you like a full malt profile, and fancy yourself a fan of hops, this beer is for you. According to Schell’s Brewer Dave Berg, the beer is dry hopped with equal amounts of American Cascade and German Mandarina Bavaria hops, giving it a pleasant little kick of hop-btterness at the end.
Minneapolis artist Erica Williams has returned to with pen and ink to create label art for Surly Brewing’s 9th Anniversary Beer, NEIN. Williams has experience with bottle label art. She crafted the 2014 Surly Darkess artwork, and she worked with Indeed Brewing on their Derailed Series.
Erica’s inspiration for Surly’s Nein Anniversary Ale artwork mirrors that of the ale itself. “Todd visited Germany and knew he wanted the beauty of traditional German aesthetic reflected in the label so I used heraldry as my main source of inspiration. Lions, black eagles, billowing scrolls, and symbolically powerful imagery are commonly found in their shields, architecture, and art so we went with that,” said Williams. “I also used three lions, each with three eyes, because Todd and I are both cat people and I wanted to infuse the label with 3s and 9s. The oak leaves play to the process of making the beer and the spades are a symbol of good luck.”
“I put a lot of time into planning my drawings but I always leave room to allow them to develop organically in the moment.”
– Erica Williams
The label was drawn with pen and ink incorporating lots of small details and flowing lines. Like all her drawings, Erica used Rotring Rapidograph pens. She says they are “amazing” and the different sizes allow her to achieve the desired level of detail.
From the bottle:
Who Would have thought, when we sold our first keg in 2006, that we would raise our 9th Anniversary glasses in a new brewery, restaurant, and beer hall? So much has changed in such a short time, both at Surly and across Minnesota. The state’s beer scene is exploding and we are proud to have been part of the boom. Two things, however, haven’t changes a bit – Todd’s distinctive take on beer styles and our local artists’ amazing talent. Erica Williams’ meticulous design for NEIN is the perfect match for Todd’s approach to his craft.
Cheers to nine years!
Omar Ansari
Inspired by a recent trip to Bamberg, Germany, NEIN is brewed with oak-smoked wheat malt, fermented with German Hefeweizen yeast, and aged on charred oak. It is a huge, complex, dark beer, delivering the flavors of smoked banana, vanilla, and clove.
Todd Haug
Surly Nein Anniverary Ale – Artist: Erica Williams
Surly Brewing is debuting a new beer at the D4’th of July birthday bash show with Dillinger Four this Saturday at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. Surly thought a new summer beer was the perfect way to toast both birthdays at one great event. More Surly beers will also be on tap.
#MERICA! is a true ‘Merican beer – a pre–Prohibition American Lager with soft hops aromatics (probably Cluster) that is brewed with flaked corn, giving it a light–bodied subtle fresh corn flavor, 6% ABV. A summer beer perfect for celebrating ‘Merica and 21 years of D4.
It is unknown if #Merica! will be one-off, draft only, or appear in cans at some point. Let’s hope they drop the cheeky hashtag from the name and put it in cans. Personally, I would have gone with the traditional ‘Murica! spelling. But you know those Surly guys, always breaking from tradition.
The news of the closing of the Four Firkins stores in St. Louis Park and Oakdale has come as saddening news to craft beer lovers in the Twin Cities. The store served for eight years as a destination for craft beer lovers to make a pilgrimage to find beers that may have otherwise been unavailable at local liquor stores. Friday will be the last day of operation for the St. Louis Park store and the Oakdale store has already closed.
Owner and founder Jason Alvey cites many factors into the sudden closure. Many liquor stores have popped up in the area around the original store. Alvey claims the “nail in the coffin” was the recent construction on highway 100, which made access to the St. Louis Park store very inconvenient. Four Firkins in the Oakdale/Woodbury proved to be successful and popular, but is closing as well.
One, and potentially the biggest factor is a bittersweet realization of the progress of the craft beer scene within Minnesota. Eight years ago, there was no craft beer store, no “build-your-own-6-pack” shelves, and no craft beer aisle. Eight years ago, there were 17 breweries in the state (compared to over 100 currently). The Four Firkins helped to create a marketplace for new breweries to get into the hands of beer enthusiasts.
Ace Spirits opened in 2013 and has a huge bottle selection
Fortunately for the Twin Cities beer drinkers, it worked. Often, however, a pioneer is the one who ends up making sacrifices for their cause. The store has done such a successful job of creating their own niche that other retail liquor stores have created their own mini versions. It’s rare to come across a liquor store at this point that does not have a craft beer selection larger than their domestics or does not have a selection of individually-sold bottles. This convenience of availability of craft beer has taken over as the preferred method of shopping for many.
“Part of the reason that the Four Firkins [is closing] is that brands that were once carried almost exclusively by them can now be found in almost any liquor store. Even the rare whales that were once reserved as rewards for loyalty and sales of breweries main-line brands are now routinely given instead to big box stores who sell them at deeply discounted prices. What the Four Firkins offers today’s market isn’t access to more brands, but knowledge, service, freshness, and respect for the product. If consumers care more about price than service, then a place like the Firkins can’t compete.” -Michael Agnew, A Perfect Pint
Again, it is a bittersweet realization that our growing demand for quality beverages has created this situation, but we must thank the tiresome, pioneering efforts of Jason Alvey and the crew at Four Firkins for being the tip of the sword for building the beer scene that we have come to grow and love. Cheers and best wishes!
Friday, June 26th at exactly 4pm, Wander North Distillery (NE Minneapolis), Du Nord Craft Spirits (South Minneapolis), and Vikre Distillery (Duluth) will become the first distilleries since prohibition to sell craft spirits directly to Minnesota consumers. The coordinated sale by Minnesota craft distilleries comes in the wake of state legislative changes, and actions taken by their respective municipalities, to allow Minnesota micro distilleries to sell bottles of their spirits directly to consumers.
Vikre Distillery
Progress made during the 2015 legislative session resulted in Governor Dayton signing a law allowing micro distilleries to sell one 375ml bottle per person per day directly to the public. The law removed a prohibition on direct sales that had been on the books since the mid-1930s. The Minnesota Distillers Guild sent members to St. Paul to explain the need for the law change.
“People were shocked when they came to our distilleries and learned that they couldn’t buy what we made,” said Shanelle Montana, co-owner of Du Nord and president of the Distillers Guild, “thankfully, state leaders agreed that this outdated law needed to change.”
The law change will move Minnesota craft distillers closer to parity with small breweries and farm wineries in the state. Larger bottle sizes and expanded days of sale are a few of the inequities that will need to be addressed in coming legislative sessions.
The idea for the coordinated sale was the brain-child of Wander North’s owner, Brian Winter, and Du Nord’s co-owner, Chris Montana. “This is a big step for micro-distilleries,” said Winter “this will allow the small craft guys to grow, create jobs, and give the people what they want.”
Some Minnesota craft breweries have started selling growlers on Sundays since the Minnesota legislature passed the 2015 liquor omnibus bill and Governor Dayton signed the bill into law. Several Minnesota cities such as Mongomery, Buffalo, Shakopee, and Goodview all moved swiftly to give their local small brewers and brewpubs the option to sell growlers on Sundays. Today, Minneapolis and Duluth will join the ranks of municipalities that will give qualifying brewers the option to sell, and consumers the choice to buy, growlers of local craft beer on Sundays in Minnesota.
Sadly, several Minnesota craft brewers are now further isolated from brewing brethren. Even before the change brewers like Schell’s, Summit, and Surly couldn’t sell growlers Mon-Sat. The law change clearly illustrates Minnesota laws purposely dividing the Minnesota brewing industry, much like the needless production and distribution restrictions on our award winning brewpubs. A full repeal would have given all Minnesota liquor retailers an equal opportunity while maintaining a (mostly) level playing field.
The option to sell growlers is surely a victory for some small brewers and consumers alike. However, the baby step of allowing growlers is bittersweet for many Minnesota consumers. The vast majority of Minnesotans support repealing the ban on Sunday liquor sales, not just some brewpubs and breweries. Sunday growlers was the smallest step that could have been taken down the road toward full repeal. Sunday growlers sales do not benefit liquor stores that want to be open, or consumers of wine or spirits, or Minnesota Craft Distillers. And, Sunday growler sales certainly do not help consumers that don’t live near a qualifying brewery or would rather not pay growler prices.
Many legislators offered excuses for not supporting an amendment. One legislator was afraid of lawsuit, some legislators cited competition concerns for municipal owned and operated liquor stores, and some legislators wanted statewide repeal instead of the municipal option that Rep. Jenifer Loon’s amendment would have provided.
Strangely enough, Sunday growler sales is now legal in Minnesota, but via the municipal option many cited for avoiding full repeal. Minnesota cities, or governing bodies with jurisdiction, may choose not to allow the Sunday growlers if their leaders don’t like the change. In Saint Paul, retiring longtime City Council member Dave Thune voted against Sunday growler sales.
@MNBeerActivists Thune talks about small businesses, but aren’t the breweries small businesses too?
The change to allow Sunday growlers in Minnesota, if a municipality approves, is certainly a positive step toward full repeal. But, Sunday growler sales is the smallest of steps that the Minnesota Legislature could have taken toward full repeal of the Sunday prohibition on off-sale liquor sales. There is much further to go before Minnesota liquor laws reach a level of parity with most of America and every surrounding state. Maybe by next session a year of consumers driving past liquor stores on Sundays to go breweries will soften the opposition from special interest groups like Teamsters Joint Council 32, Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association, The Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Assoc, and Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association.
The Best way to move legislators to full repeal is with action.
Minnesotans supporting full repeal need to do several things:
Sign the petition to allow Sunday liquor sales at SundaySalesMN.org, share it with friends and family.
Vote out legislators that refuse to listen to their constituents.
Support legislators that are listening to Minnesota consumers. Volunteer, donate, and take advantage of the Political Contribution Refund. The Political Contribution Refund program gives eligible Minnesota voters a tax refund for contributions to parties and state-level candidates. The maximum annual refund is $50 for an individual or $100 for a married couple (if you file a joint Political Contribution Refund application). Full details and instructions on Political Contribution Refunds here.
Sparkling Rum Cocktail featured at Eat Street Social
There’s no question that in this new renaissance age of craft beer and craft cocktails there is an unyielding desire to do everything yourself…at least once. I decided that I would try my hand at making bitters. Bitters are to cocktails as spices are to cooking. They may be very minimal as far as the amount used by volume, but their impact is profound.
With food, you can take a simple dish like Chicken Fettucine Alfredo and change the flavor completely by adding a few shakes of Cajun seasoning. You’ve essentially made a brand-new dish using the same components just by adding seasoning.
Bitters can do the same. Lately, my cocktail of choice has been a whiskey sour with egg white and a ginger syrup. I always throw a few dashes of bitters into the cocktail and different bitters have yielded wildly-different results. I’ve used Angostura, Bittercube Cherry Bark, and Bittercube Blackstrap and each has given me a new experience.
As a bartender and homebrewer, I was inspired and decided to try my hand at making my own, so like any reasonable person would do — I Googled it!
The process is fairly simple — simply steep an ingredient in high-proof alcohol and wait a while. One site recommended creating individual extracts from each ingredients called “tinctures” and then blending them together to create recipes. Then once you’ve gotten used to the process, you can begin creating the bitters in one big batch with everything together. I figured that sounded pretty reasonable, so that’s what I did.
Before I get into it, remember to follow me on Twitter: @TCBeerDude
Step 1: Pick Your Ingredients
Go Wild! This is your chance to really experiment with very little risk. You might include some bittering agents such as Cherry Bark or Gentian root (available online). I didn’t think those were entirely necessary with the use of the dark rum as a base, but neutral spirits might need it. I recommend lots of earthy and flavorful spices, citrus peel, dried fruit, herbs, and nuts. Here are some examples:
For dried spices like peppercorns, coriander, or all spice berries, crack them open by pressing on them with the side of a knife. I peeled the skin off the ginger root first and then shaved the raw ginger into strips using a peeler e for optimal surface area through which to extract the most flavor.
Step 2: Measure Into Jars
Measure out each ingredient into mason jars while keeping track of the amount of the ingredients by weight. The actual amount doesn’t matter all that much, but will be useful later for developing recipes for the blends. You should put just enough liquor to cover the ingredients and cram as much of the ingredients into the liquor as possible. On my first run, each tincture tasted great individually, but the flavors weren’t strong enough when blended, so make sure to get a lot of your ingredients in there.
Add your liquor. I used Bacardi 151 for the sake of consistency. I know that 151 is always available at almost any liquor store. The rum itself will add some flavor and I’m okay with that. You can use any alcohol above 50% liquor (100 proof). Alcohol is a solvent, so it extracts and absorbs flavors from your ingredients. For a cleaner flavor, use a clear liquor instead of brown liquors.
Be sure to write down the amount of liquor you put into each jar as well. That will help to make the ratios correct when we do blends later. Label your jars, seal them and then wait.
Step 3: Wait 2 Weeks
Some sites recommended checking each ingredient every day to see when it had finished. Knowing that I was going to be making blends of these ingredients, I wanted to see how they would perform after all hanging out for the same duration. They all did fine hanging out for 2 weeks. Give them a shake every couple of days as well just to be sure to get maximum yield of flavors.
Step 4: Strain
After 7 days, strain your bitters, clean out the jars, and fill hem back up into their properly-labeled jars. For the dried fruit or any other ingredients that may have absorbed the rum, use a spatula to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. At this point, you can taste your bitters. The best way is to put a drop on the back of your hand and then lick that off. This should allow for the high alcohol to dissipate and let the ingredients shine through. If you don’t want to waste the ingredients, save the herbs to make a bread. The herbs should still have significant flavor and are now infused with rum.
Step 5: Develop Your Recipes
This is the fun part where you get to taste and experiment with your final product. To come up with a recipe, you’re going to be mixing drops of these into an 8oz glass of water. Add drops and keep track of how much you’ve used. Once you have a good mix of flavors, you will be able to create a larger batch using the ratios you come up with.
That’s It!
Experiment and have fun. Bitters usually use a lot of different ingredients, so experiment all across the board. You can also use infused syrups to sweeten the mixture if you like your bitters to add some sweetness too. You only need an eyedropper or two in a cocktail, so these bitters should last you a good, long while.
Cider is a growing section of the beverage market in Minnesota and across the nation. You don’t need to look far to see the growth. Locally crafted and sourced cider is being produced all over the Minnesota, at places like Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis and Wyndfall Cyder out of La Crescent, MN. To celebrate the growing Minneapolis cider market and consumer demand, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery has partnered with several other cider purveyors in a week-long series of events.
MINNEAPOLIS CIDER WEEK EVENTS:
$2 Off Cider Sampler Platters
Tuesday, June 2
$2 off cider sampler platters at Town Hall Brewery, Town Hall Tap, Town Hall Lanes and Republic 7 Corners.
Event includes two games of bowling (with shoes) and $2 off all tap ciders. Appetizers will also be provided. Tickets are $25 and limited — call (612) 767-3354.
Bicyclists can visit five of the six participating locations to secure a punch-card, which is to be dropped off at their last stop to enter into a drawing for five gift baskets filled with cider, gift cards, glasses and swag. Participating locations are: Town Hall Brewery, Town Hall Tap, Town Hall Lanes, Republic 7 Corners, Sociable Cider Werks and South Lyndale Liquor Store.
news to craft beer lovers in the Twin Cities. The store served for eight years as a destination for craft beer lovers to make a pilgrimage to find beers that may have otherwise been unavailable at local liquor stores. Friday will be the last day of operation for the St. Louis Park store and the Oakdale store has already closed.
keeping track of the amount of the ingredients by weight. The actual amount doesn’t matter all that much, but will be useful later for developing recipes for the blends. You should put just enough liquor to cover the ingredients and cram as much of the ingredients into the liquor as possible. On my first run, each tincture tasted great individually, but the flavors weren’t strong enough when blended, so make sure to get a lot of your ingredients in there.
