Twin Cities News Talk am talk hosts Jack Thomczak and Ben Kruse tackle the issue of Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota on their show this morning. You can get download the audio directly here. The good part starts at about 7:15.
Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas for Beer Lovers
You should probably have all your holiday season shopping done already. It’s cool, nobody here is judging. Life is busy, you’re busy. The important thing is that you finally have your act together and you’re on the ball now. We are here to help you on your quest with some last minute holiday gift ideas for beer lovers in your life.
For the Local Craftbeer Lover
Some beer nerds swear by only local brew. Good. Drinking local helps grow our Minnesota beer culture, and keeps Minnesota brewing. After all, the further away a beer is brewed, the longer it takes to get to your lips. 612Brew is currently offering a Living Social deal. The NE Mpls Brewery gives you a flight of beer to share, 2 pints of beer of your choice and 2 signature pint glasses for $16.
If holiday beer is more your target’s taste you can opt for the Indeed Brewing Old Friend gift box. Available only in the taproom, you’ll get 1 bottle of Old Friend, 2 Indeed Pint glasses and 1 Indeed decal for $9.99! That is steal any time of year.
For the Home Brewer
Homebrewing is like any other hobby. You can always expand your setup to include the latest and greatest gizmo or doohickey. This is ALWAYS the case with homebrewing. Basic entry into the hobby is pretty easy with a deluxe kit that includes everything needed to make great beer at home.
If the brewer in your life already has everything they need you can give them the gift that gives back, a recipe kit. Give them a recipe kit for a beer YOU want to drink, they’ll pretty much be honor-bound to give you some when it is ready. Win-win.
Liquor is Quicker
OK, I concede, not everyone wants beer. Some people are more into liquor and spirits. I’ve actually been exploring the world of Rye Whiskey myself lately.
Red Envelope has a whole section dedicated to keeping your bar functional and stylish. A personalized leather wrapped flask, or a set of crystal glasses designed to let the spirits “breath” should do the trick.
If your liquor lover is into bourbon, you can stop into Liquor Boy Wine & Spirits in St. Louis Park, and get them a personalized bottle of Knob Creek. They will be engraving bottles Knob Creek on Friday, Dec 19th, from 4pm-7pm. Have it engraved with a personal message. But keep it clean, will you? Santa is watching.
Steel Toe Brewing’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale Returns
It is that time of year. No, not the holidays, big beer season. That time of year when Minnesotans look for a beer with a little extra warming factor to help us fight the cold weather. Just in time to get you through the next cold snap Steel Toe Brewing’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale returns next week.
This copper colored beer showcases the the maltier, sweeter side beer. The side of beer that often gets ignored in favor the latest IPA with experimental hops from Yakima, New Zealand, or Parts Unknown.
The Scotch Ale will be tapped in the Steel Toe Brewing taproom on Friday, Dec 20th, for $5/10oz pour. There will be a bottle release at noon the following day on Saturday, Dec 21st. At $10/750 you can afford to grab a couple and stash some in the cellar for a vertical tasting sometime down the line. I know am.
Badger Hill Brewing’s Cherry Poppin’ Daddy
Wandering with a Minnesota Brewery
wan·der·lust: a strong desire to travel; an impulse to wander
I’m a beer lover that lives in the Twin Cities and I’m a husband and a father to a 4 month old. Wanderlust is not in my vocabulary. Hell, it’s not in most people’s vocabulary. One Saturday night I found myself at the local liquor store with the vicarious notion that I was 25 again and looking for something tall, blonde, and sweet. Well, I found it in a lonely 750 ml bottle of Badger Hill Brewing Company’s Cherry Double Dunkel sitting in the cooler and decided that would be perfect.
Badger Hill’s Cherry Double Dunkel is #2 in their Wanderlust series of limited, small batch brews. If
you’re into the whole style thing, you might categorize the base beer as a Weizenbock. The Beer Judge Certification Program (bjcp.org) lists a Weizenbock as style 15c and describes it as “A dunkel-weizen beer brewed to bock or doppelbock strength”. Now, let’s forget style categories. After all, this is Wanderlust.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: I thought about the right glass to pour this beer into and a pilsner or hefe glass was the obvious choice, but instead I grabbed my favorite $1 Ikea snifter. (We don’t get too fancy at my house). It poured a murky, orange color with a nice finger of off-white head. There is something mesmerizing about watching an unfiltered beer swirling around in your glass.
Nose / Smell: I immediately picked up banana and a very slight smokiness. A bit of honey and vanilla were hidden in there, as well. After a few sips, I started to smell the tartness from the cherries.
Flavor: This beer starts out bright and crisp, followed by a pleasant, natural tart fruit-flavor. The cherries kick in with a sour note towards the end along with the ever-present wheat flavor.
Mouthfeel: The Cherry Double Dunkel has an interesting mix of feeling creamy and, at the same time, refreshing. It’s 8% ABV produces a warm, but not overwhelming alcohol feel.
Questions for the Brewer
After tasting this beer, I had the opportunity to ask Brock Krekelberg, Co-Founder of Badger Hill, a few questions:
Tell us a little bit about the beer and the brewing process.
“The beer started out as a request from our partner Brent to create a beer that utilized Cherries from his wife’s family orchard in Door County, WI. We experimented over the years with a number of recipes, some better than others. We have a love of German wheat beers, and thought to take one of our favorite dunkel recipes, upped to weizenbock levels, as a base. We loved the result. The fruity, spice and caramel tones of the weizenbock are a perfect complement to the tartness that comes from the cherries. Each component adds/changes the character of the other in a great way. It’s unfiltered and unfined, so it pours a very opaque. It tricks you into thinking you will be tasting a thick, caramel sweet beer, but it is actually quite crisp and tart.”
How do you feel about the outcome?
“We are very happy with the outcome! We wanted to bring something out to craft beer lovers that is new, something they have never tried before. We were looking to create a special brew that tastes fantastic, and we hope people agree. It’s different from the type of beers we have come out with so far, and that is something we also wanted.”
What would you say about local beer to someone out-of-state who plans to visit MN?
“Minnesota craft breweries are creating fantastic and ever greater craft beers. It is truly a destination state for craft brews. Almost every style fan be found, and some that you have never heard of. The craft brewers here in Minnesota are extremely passionate about what they are doing, and it shows. Long standing breweries like Schell and Summit continue to make outstanding beers and are launching amazing new ones. And new breweries are crafting wonderful styles as well as pushing innovation. It is a great time to be a beer fan in Minnesota.”
What is next in the Wanderlust series?
“We plan on Cherry Double Dunkel to be our annual special release. Wanderlust series will always offer up something new, and the next in the series should come out in late spring. It is still a secret, so stay tuned. Our first in the Wanderlust Series was a White IPA, the second was this Cherry Double Dunkel, and so the next beer in the series could be anything!”
Afterthought
Cherry Double Dunkel is a dynamic, refreshing beer that I could drink all year round. This is a beer that I would be proud to bring to a party and enjoy with friends and family. In fact, I brought a bottle with me to Iowa for Thanksgiving at my mother- in-law’s house and it was a hit! I’m so glad to hear that they have plans to release this beer annually.
Surly Brewing and Three Floyds to Release Blakkr
Surly Brewing Company has brewed another collaboration beer with Three Floyd’s in Indiana. However, this time they are bringing Real Ale Brewing from TX, in the mix.
The new brew is an Imperial Cascadian Dark Ale, or an an Imperial Black IPA, whichever you prefer. The jury is still out on how this “style” of beer will be known to future beer historians.
No word on when the beer will be released. The shortest day of the year is Dec 21st, and would be a cool day to launch a beer named Blakkr.
The beer will be available in 16oz cans in Minnesota, 22oz bottles in IN. No word yet on how this three headed monster will be packaged in TX.
Minnesota Beer Activists Bash at Dangerous Man Brewing Co. Dec 14th
Join MN Beer Activists Saturday, December 14th, from 12p-6pm, at Dangerous Man Brewing Company for a fundraiser of epic proportions. Minnesota’s consumer beer organization is raising capital to help pay for some the group’s operational expenses the only way they know how: with a party.
The event, sponsored by Zoss Media and Loop Commercial Advisors, will feature a Belgian Blonde Ale named “Achaic” as nod to some of Minnesota’s antiquated liquor laws.
A number of Minnesota brewers, liquor stores, and supporters have donated items for a silent auction. The silent auction items range from autographed Minnesota Vikings memorabilia, to art, a private brewer’s reception, and an opportunity to brew a commercial beer with Dangerous Man Brewing.
Local food vendor Potter’s Pasties & Pies are catering the event with traditional savory English pastries filled with meat and/or vegetables. A perfect fit for a chilly afternoon in Minneapolis.
In addition to the food, beer, and silent auction items, Shameless Inc. Screen Printing will be live screen printing t-shirts on site featuring original artwork from Enoch Peterson from 12pm-4pm
Fulton Worthy Adversary Returns
No, Worthy Adversary isn’t the winter weather, it is Fulton Brewing’s winter seasonal, a Russian Imperial Stout.
This big boy comes in at 10% ABV and is perfect for drinking this time of year, or perhaps a few winters from now. Worthy Adversary ages well, and would be a welcomed addition to any cellar or Brewbicle.
You can get your first taste of this year’s Worthy Adversary starting on Saturday at the Fulton Brewery Taproom. Begining at noon, growlers will be for sale ($18/fill) and the beer will be on tap ($5/12 oz pour).
Infographic: Prohibition Yesterday and Today
It has been 80 years since the repeal of prohibition. Several states, including Minnesota, still suffer from the fallout with archaic laws like 3.2 ABW beer, and the prohibition of liquor sales on Sunday. Minnesota doesn’t have it as bad as some in the bible belt, but we aren’t that far off.
Check out the latest exhibit at the Minnesota History to see how prohibition didn’t decrease alcohol abuse but increased it, didn’t eliminate crime but created it, didn’t increase prosperity but robbed the treasury of taxes.
Maybe someday soon Minnesota will get its act together and finish repealing prohibition. After all, if repealing prohibition makes sense 6 days a week, why doesn’t it make sense everyday?
