MN Beer Activists feed of news, events, education, legislation related to beer, wine, and spirits in Minnesota.
I stopped into Lucid Brewing this week to catch up with Jon Messier to see how things are going and what’s in store for the future of the Minnetonka-based brewery. I’ll be at the birthday party in November, so join me there. Follow me on Twitter at @TCBeerDude to stay up to date on current event in the metro.
Saturday, November 15th. 12pm-6pm
Lucid Brewing, 6020 Culligan Way, Minnetonka
RSVP on the Facebook Event
Just over 1 year old, Lake Monster Brewing has made a nice splash 
on the local beer scene with an IPA and Czech-style Pils. Yesterday, Lake Monster tapped their first keg of Loonatick, a wet-hopped ale brewed with fresh cascade hops grown on Lake Monster owner Matt Zanetti’s family farm. Here’s the scoop on it!
I must say that I have a personal investment in this beer and am glad to finally see and taste the final product. Last month, I went with the Lake Monster team to help pick the fresh Cascade and Mount Hood Hops that went into Loonatick. Pictured to the right are Matt Zanetti and Matt Lange, the owners of Lake Monster Brewing taking down a vine of fresh cascade hops that are to be picked by hand and brought directly to the brewery.
The beer is a light to medium gold hue with a frothy white head that quickly dissipates, releasing a light pine and grapefruit aroma with zesty notes of ripe lemon peel. The flavor is very hop-forward but with just enough malt to keep it in balance. Pine and citrus notes from the aroma continue into the taste along with light green herbal notes. The finish is more citrus with a bitter grapefruit pith and light green peppercorn spice. The malt makes more of a presence at the end and is reminiscent of the flavors of the golden-brown crust on fresh-baked bread. As the beer warms, acute hints of fresh candied orange peel come through. The aftertaste leaves you with a lingering fruity bitterness. Overall, the beer is very sessionable if you’re a fan of hops.
The beer is currently on tap at McCoy’s Public House in St Louis Park and will soon be dis
tributed in select bars across the metro.
Follow me on twitter: @TCBeerDude
After months of construction, Lynlake Brewery is set to open in south Minneapolis this Friday on Lyndale Avenue, just north of Lake Street. The new brewery now occupies the freshly renovated Theater Antiques Building.
LynLake brewing operations is helmed by brewer Joel Carlson. Joel will lead Justin Skyberg and Lee Ankrum, his band of bearded brewing brethren. Together, they will use of the 10-barrel DME brewhouse to fill their 6 10-barrel fermentors and 3 bright tanks with Minnesota craft beer. Their plan is to brew twice a week during the first year, pushing out about 1,000 barrels to the 88-seat taproom and surrounding venues.
“We’re going to keep this neighborhood supplied and happy,” said Joel Carlson, LynLake Head Brewer.
Joel has been brewing for about 7 years, he isn’t just some geek off the street. He has spend time at the famed Great Waters Brewpub in beautiful downtown Saint Paul, as well as the Boathouse in Ely, MN. Most recently he spent time at Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery.
As Head Brewer Joel is taking the experience gained at these breweries and putting it use, giving LynLake Brewery an identity all its own. He is looking forward to brewing a variety of beer styles. Brewery patrons can look forward to enjoying a big bold IPA, Sottish Amber, Stout, Single-Hop Pale Ales, and one-off seasonal releases. Once brewery operations normalize and capacity increases, Joel says he will begin a barrel-aging program and begin producing lagers.
The taproom will be a place for neighbors to gather and enjoy a beer without the noise or distraction of overhead TV’s. It features a wraparound bar with a bicycle rim sculpture hanging from ceiling. LynLake Brewery won’t be bringing foodrucks in. Rather, they will partner with neighboring brick-and-mortar restaurants to provide Minnesota craft beer lovers with some edible options.
Look for PonyBoy Gold Ale (Stay gold, Pony Boy!) and Rubbish Oat Amber Ale to be on this weekend when they open the brewery doors for the first time at 4pm on Friday, Oct 10th. It isn’t clear if the cask engines or the nitro taps are up and running yet, but those are going to be there at some point. The rooftop patio and serving station isn’t ready for “prime time” either, but who cares with all the chilly weather we have been having.
Wednesday — Thursday
4pm — 11pm
Friday — Saturday
2pm — 12am
LynLake Brewery
2934 Lyndale Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN — 55408
(612) 326-1999
Fall is a wonderful season for beer drinkers. 
Breweries switch over from the light summer ales and pull out the big guns. Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Spice, and Fresh Hops. Oh My!
Indeed’s new beers proved to be nothing short of excellent, as can be expected from the Northeast Minneapolis brewery recently awarded a silver medal at GABF 2014. This season’s releases, Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA and Rum King Imperial Stout could not be more different, but are each spectacular in their own regards.
Let’s start with the hoppier of the selections. Autumn’s promise of fresh-hopped ales is always a treat to look forward to. Indeed’s Mosaic features, no surprise, Mosaic hops, which bring an unusual mix of fruit and earth flavors to the party. The beer arrives to the bar with a deep rich golden hue and a frothy full white head, which clings to the glass and leaves a nice lacing. The aroma teases the senses with robust hop notes of wet wood and grass and a hint of light citrus peel. The flavor mirrors the aroma note-for-note delivering big grassy, dank hop flavors and mellowing to reveal honeydew melon and blueberry flavors from the hop and a slight graham cracker sweetness from the malt. The beer finishes clean with a touch of residual bitterness as if to remind you that you are drinking an American IPA. As the beer warms, notes of over-ripened herbs, cotton candy, and young grapefruit peek through the hop-forward pale ale. I would highly recommend this to all the hop heads out there. This beer is already on tap at a few places around town and should be in stores soon.
If you happen to be Jack Sparrow, sorry…Captain Jack Sparrow, and find yourself with a distinct and ongoing shortage of rum, I do have a solution for you. Bring your barrels to Indeed and have them make you something like Rum King.
If malt-forward beers with big, bold flavors if more up your alley, then this is going to be the beer for you. Weighing in at 10.5% ABV, this is a heavy hitter of a beer and has the flavors to back it up. This beer arrives to the table with a body black as night and a light brown head that foreshadows the bold adventure upon which you are about to embark. The aroma gives away the high alcohol content and features flavors such as spiced rum, vanilla, caramel, sweet raisin, and tobacco. The flavor itself is packed full of the same rum and raisin flavors, supplemented with a caramel and chocolate backbone. Notes of brown sugar and espresso bitterness round out this beer for a robust, but balanced flavor. As you finish your sip, the high ABV warms your body and finishes dryer than expected. This is a perfect beer for those first chilly nights leading up to the winter.
Your first chance to get Rum King bottles will be at the 3rd Annual Indeed Brewing Hullabaloo. The party is taking place at the brewery this Saturday, October 11th, from 12:00-10:00pm. Festivities include special beer tappings, music, and food.
For more adventures, follow me on twitter: @TCBeerDude
This weekend, brewers from around the country gathered for the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Put on by the Brewers Association, the GABF is among the largest in the world. More than 700 breweries poured 1oz samples of 3,500 beers from all over the America to about 49,000 attendees. One of the highlights of the weekend long madness is the beer competition. The competition is comprised of brewing industry professionals evaluating approximately 5,700 entries from over 1,300 breweries, in 90 unique beer categories.
Six Minnesota brewers were awarded medals during the brewing competition award ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Minnesota was well represented, bringing home two more awards than in 2013, and 3 three more than in 2012. Gold medals went to Badger Hill Brewing for White IPA in the American-Belgo category, and Steel Toe Brewing for Wee Heavy in the Scotch Ale Category. Indeed Brewing took home a silver for Mexican Honey in the Specialty Honey Beer Category. Summit Brewing won Bronze for Extra Pale Ale (EPA) in the Classic English-Style Pale Ale. Arguably the king of barrel aging beer in Minnesota, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery was awarded Bronze for Buffalo Bock, a Weizenbock aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels, among the the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer. Rounding out the Minnesota winners list is relative newcomers, Bent Paddle Brewing. The Duluth brewery captured a Bronze with 14° ESB in the Extra Special Bitter category.
| Award Criteria | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance. | |
 |
An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance. | |
 |
A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance. | |
Gold – White IPA – Badger Hill Brewing – American-Belgo-Style Ale 2014
Gold – Wee Heavy – Steel Toe Brewing – Scotch Ale 2014
Silver – Mexican Honey – Indeed Brewing Co. – Specialty Honey Beer 2014
Bronze – Extra Pale Ale – Summit Brewing Co. – Classic English-Style Pale Ale 2014
Bronze – Buffalo Bock – Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery – Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer 2014
Bronze – 14° ESB – Bent Paddle Brewing Co. – Extra Special Bitter 2014
Congratulations to all the winners!
Full list of Great American Beer Festival winners can be found here.
Midway through the debate Minnesota DFL Governor Mark Dayton, Republican Jeff Johnson, and Independence Party candidate Hannah Nicollet all expressed support for allowing Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota. Dayton and and Nicollet cited religious diversity and convenience. Johnson, frustrated, blamed the DFL controlled legislature for not passing a Sunday alcohol sales provision during the last biennium, a sentiment that was echoed by Sen. Michelle Bensen on twitter.
.@tomscheck if Dayton was a YES on #SundaySales why didn’t he call the Senate when the omni liquor bill was pulled?
— Sen. Michelle Benson (@SenatorBenson) October 2, 2014
The comments on religious diversity made by Dayton and Nicollet might have addressed the reasons Minnesota instituted the Blue Laws, but in recent years the most vocal opposition to repealing our Sunday off-sale prohibition has come from special interest groups.
My most frequently retweeted comments during debate were on Sunday liquor sales. Drink up Minnesota! I must’ve missed a great Happy Hour! — Tom Hauser (@5hauser) October 2, 2014
One thing is certain, the issue of repealing Sunday liquor sales is more popular with Minnesota voters than ever before. Governor Dayton seemed to take a stronger stance than last session when Dayton said he would sign a Sunday sales bill if one made it to his desk. With four more debates left to go his position on Sunday liquor sales could use a bit more definition.
A governor pushing for Sunday liquor sales will help move the issue forward, but a Sunday liquor sales bill doesn’t just materialize on a desk. If an effort to modernize the liquor code is to be successful the bill will likely need to travel through committees in both Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate.
@SundaySalesMN @MNBeerActivists @bbierschbach Advocate for passage in 15? Or sign a bill should it make their desk? #bigdifference
— Roger Reinert (@RogerForDuluth) October 2, 2014
Minnesota welcomes another small brewer to the metro area in the form Maple Island Brewing. The brewery doors are open in Stillwater, MN near the St. Croix River, just off the nearly constructed Brown’s Creek State Trail.
The 3,700 square foot brewery runs a 7-barrel brewhouse. Maple Island projects they’ll produce approximately 350 barrels in their first year. Owners and operators Frank Fabio and Nick Brau will feature an Oatmeal Stout, Kolsch, and American IPA. Filling in the gaps will be a variety of other brews including a coffee, wheat, and a wit.
No Minnesota brewery is complete without a taproom, right? The taproom will follow the typical Minnesota model of working with foodtrucks and local restaurants to satisfy any hungry patrons. Very, very conveniently situated next to Northern Vineyards Winery, Maple Island Brewing taproom hours are: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays from 5-10 p.m., and Friday, Saturday and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.
Currently on tap:
Mosaic Wheat – IBU 29
This cloudy piece of art is made with an ample amount of white wheat giving it that great dirty blonde look. It is also given a nice size dose of those mosaic hops everybody loves.
Burlesque Kolsch – IBU 19
This super easy drinking Kolsch has a bit of Canadian honey malt and low bitterness to it so have another my brother from another mother and my sister from another mister.
Bearded Lady IPA – IBU 56
This crazy IPA has it all with pale and crystal malts, flaked maize and Belgian Candi sugar. It is nicely hopped with Simcoe hops giving it unique passionfruit, pine, earth, and citrus characteristics.
Dragons Breath Kolsch – IBU 30
Yes we love our Kolsch beer! This one has a special blend of 3 German hops. It is also has extra flavor from the addition of Munich malt and Caramel Wheat malts. Fire it up Dragon Slayer.
Cup of Joe Freak Show – IBU 12
Invented by the Head Brewer Nic Brau and his son Joe Brau (9 years old at the time) also named by his son Joe. This coffee oatmeal stout has it all! Chug it anytime of day or night with its creaminess of oats, smooth cold pressed coffee and a hint of vanilla.
Peel Me Wit – IBU 12
Ahhhhhh, time to bring back summer with this super fresh wheat beer that collided with crazy flavors of orange, lemon, and coriander.
Follow Maple Island Brewing on Facebook for more details.
The world wants a hero. We thrive on hope and dependence on h
eroes. We live in the age of the superlative. Basketball is not the same without Michael Jordan. Hockey without Gretzky, Golf without Tiger. We live in an age where second best is the first worst and the supporting cast may as well be a part of the set. Jordan is not a champion without Pippen and Rodman. And a beer is not a great beer without over 4000 years of development, research and history all leading up to the scene that exists today.
Why do I bring this up? I heard the most heartbreaking analysis of a beer recently and I must address this. It’s all too common in a society with a growing interest in craft beer. The quote was “I don’t like that beer. It’s too balanced.” The idea that moderation can be superlative is beyond my comprehension. Moreover, the notion that a beer cannot have balance in order to be well-crafted makes me cry a little on the inside. What’s wrong with balance? I thought that was the goal!
Let me say this: I like IPA’s. I love a good hop-forward juicy Midwest-style IPA with a big citrus presence and pleasant, if not slightly abrasive IBU’s backed up with a good malt brackround. It pains me, however, to see that the metric for measuring bitterness has become a foot race for the highest IBU’s in a beer. It’s not just the IPA’s either. It’s sours, dark beers and high-alcohol beers changing their focus to match the search for the biggest beer in order to follow the trend rather than focusing on a well-made product. That’s not art. That’s not craft.
So why does this superlative exist in beer and not in wine? Because these styles are new. Post-prohibition United States was focused on production and modernization, which allowed for mega breweries to step in and redefine beer in America for almost a century now. Our food stayed the same and our wine stayed the same, but beer went almost exclusively to the American Light Lager style, usually made with adjunct grains. The modern cultural revolution is both re-creating classic American and Euro styles, whilst simultaneously creating new ones like the White IPA and Cascadian Dark Ale. Our palates are now freed to explore the styles which were once very prevalent across the country, but new to our generations, and like kids in a candy store, we are excited to try them all. But while exploring bigger and more extreme beers, we must not forget moderation. There is a reason you don’t walk into a restaurant and ask a 5-star chef for their saltiest of dishes.
Why wait for Superman when we can all lend a helping 
hand? Why wait for the next Jordan to emerge from the masses when there are plenty of great players like the 2004 Pistons. And why search for the highest IBU’s when Pilsners and Amber Lagers have been pleasing the masses for generations of great brewing tradition. By all means, explore and have fun. Find the superlative beers and expand your palate, but please don’t forget how we’ve arrived at these new creations. Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen farther, it is only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” New Breweries with big new flavors only exist because of the groundwork that older breweries have set up with classic styles and growing a beer culture to begin with. So leave competition out of it. Have a little taste of history and enjoy a nicely-balanced session beer. Cheers!
follow me on twitter @tcbeerdude
