To celebrate Minnesota’s nationally recognized craft beer community, from May 5-11, the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild presents 10,000 Minutes of Minnesota Craft Beer, a week packed with more than 80 member events, from Minnesota tap takeovers on the North Shore to special firkin tappings in Southern Minnesota.
10,000 Minutes events include: tap takeovers, special releases, firkin tappings, cask tappings, block parties, beer art, and all-day happy hours. It’s the most Minnesota-specific craft beer events in one week ever. Events are being added every day, so for the latest, visit Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaCraftBrewersGuild
Insight Brewing Maestro Ilan Klages-Mundt took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer our questions about his background, brewing, and the forthcoming Insight Brewing Company.
When did you start brewing? In 2007, I traveled to Denmark with a list of the top 50 beers in the world. I walked into a bottle shop and asked the owner if they had #7 on the list, which was a Danish beer. The owner replied, “no,” but did mention that they had the #1 on the list, which was the Westvleteren 12, a Belgian Monastic brew. Having tried nothing like this in my life, before, I purchased two bottles and left. Later that day, I opened one of the bottles and had a true epiphany moment. The beer was out-of-this-world good, with complex, yet amazingly balanced characteristics! The sun seemed to start shining and my lip began to quiver. The beer really was that good!
From that moment onward, I knew that my calling was beer. I thought to myself, “Ilan, you MUST learn how beer is made, who makes it, where it came from, and what the history of this magical drink is!” Upon my return to the States, I hunkered down and began reading every brewing book I could get my hands on, while also joining a local brewing club, where I was by far the youngest member. This was the beginning of my brewing adventure, and the more learned, the deeper in love I became with the significance of beer and its cultures from around the world.
What is your “go to” commercially available beer?
It all depends on the situation, but I will readily grab Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout, Rodenbach Grand Cru, and Summit’s Saga IPA. I could list another several hundred more, but so could everyone else. There are a lot of great beers out there!
You pretty much traveled the globe brewing, biking, and documenting it on bikeforbeer.org. How big a role did it play in your decision to open a brewery?
My brewing began in college, where I was studying classical music and preparing to be a teacher. My professors saw the passion that I had for beer, and nearly forced me to apply for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a program that pays for recent graduates to travel around the world for a year studying what they are passionate about; the only rules were that you had to be passionate, as well as out of the country for a full year on your own. Continue reading Getting to know Insight Brewing with Ilan Klages-Mundt→
Maibock, the spring time seasonal beer that heralds the arrival of warmer weather and easier days for beer fans. Town Hall Brewery will embrace that annual tradition on Saturday, May 3, when they tap a Maibock to help Minnesota FINALLY put the winter of 2014 behind us.
Father Aron Kramer, Vicar at St. Andrew’s By the Lake, will perform a short blessing over the Maibock at each Town Hall location. In years past this tradition has at times been a bit crowded and sometimes hard to hear. With the new sound system and remodeling at Town Hall Brewery it should be more enjoyable at that particular location. Going all in on tradition, and in a nod to Maibock’s country of origin, the restaurants will be adding German food items to their menus for the celebration.
Join the celebration at the Town Hall Tap at 3 PM or Town Hall Lanes at 4 PM. Attendees will get one free Maibock and happy hour pricing. (FREE BEER!) The festivities at the Brewery start at 5 PM and include a blessing of the brewery and free Maibock until 6 PM.
Town Hall will also celebrate that other rite of spring, The Kentucky Derby, on May 3rd, as the Maibock ceremonies will be over before the 5:24 post time and the televisions will be tuned in.
Details are starting to come out about the latest edition in the Summit Brewing Union Series. Union #3 will be a Southern Cape Sparkling Ale. A what? The name comes from the Southern Cape hop farms in South Africa.
Like all the beers in the Summit Brewing Union Series Southern Cape Sparkling Ale will be a cutting edge brew, made with new raw materials and ingredients. As the name would indicate the ingredients are coming from the southern hemisphere. Malts will come from Australia and Chili. Hops will come from New Zealand and South Africa.
#2ndBrunch is a restaurant, food, and lifestyle show that focuses on having one brunch, some cocktails, then another brunch. Lindsay Abraham and Kelli Beaudry will host and guide viewers on a journey to different restaurants that provide brunch every Sunday. They will interview chefs, bartenders, local celebrities and personalities, and of course, enjoy the delicious food and fine libations.
Indeed Brewing Company has partnered with beer distributor J.J. Taylor to make its craft beer available to hte thirsty masses in southern Minnesota. The distribution agreement will help Indeed Brewing Co. meet the growing demand for their beer in markets such as Rochester and throughout southeast Minnesota.
Thomas Whisenand, Co-Founder, Rachel Anderson, Co-Founder, Josh Bischoff, Head Brewery, and Nathan Berndt, Co-Founder. (Photo: Scott Cohen)
Indeed Brewing will continue to self-distribute its beer in the Twin Cities metro area. Additionally, the company is now self-distributing to the Duluth/Superior market, making the brewery’s product available in all of Minnesota’s largest markets, including the Twin Cities Metro area, St. Cloud, Rochester, Duluth and Mankato, as well as Brainerd Lakes and Bemidji.
“We’re thrilled to be working with great partners like J.J. Taylor,” said Indeed Brewing Co-Founder Nathan Berndt. “Not only are we happy to come to new markets like Rochester, but these partnerships allow us to focus on improving our own self-distribution efforts, leading to a better experience for craft beer fans all across the state.”
The distribution agreement with J.J. Taylor is scheduled to go into effect on May 1. Indeed beers should begin appearing on store shelves and in bars shortly after.
The Brewers Association (BA) has announced the results of one of the largest commercial beer competitions, the 2014 World Beer Cup Awards. The awards were presented at the conclusion of Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America® in Denver, Colorado this past weekend.
Several Minnesota craft brewers attended the Expo and took part in the massive competition. Over 4,700 total beers were entered. Each category had an average of 50 entries. Not surprisingly American IPA was the most popular category, followed by American-Pale Ale, then Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer.
Minnesota brewers took home some impressive hardware from the World Beer Cup competition. Steel Toe Brewing snagged a Gold for their Scotch Ale. August Schell took top spot for Vienna-Style Lager with Firebrick. Schell’s was one of only 26 breweries to bring home two awards, they also won Bronze for Framboise du Nord. Silver awards went to Summit Brewing for Extra Pale Ale, and Canal Park Brewing for Nut Hatchet Nut Brown Ale, and Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub for Snownami Chocolate/Raspberry Imperial Stout.
Details are starting to come out about the latest edition in the Summit Brewing Union Series. Union #3 will be a Southern Cape Sparkling Ale. A what? The name comes from the Southern Cape hop farms in South Africa.
