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.
Republic, the West Bank pub and eatery, is celebrating 4 wonderful years. To commemorate the occasion, Matty, Sarah, and rest of the Republic crew are hosting a musical celebration just down the street at The Cedar. The concert lineup will feature four bands with Republic employees. What a talented bunch! OF course you should stop into Republic before and after the show for special anniversary goings-on.
Restaurateur Matty O’Reilly of Republic, Red River Kitchen, 318 Cafe, and Dan Kelly’s visits The Minnesota BeerCast to talk about how craft beer figures into his businesses. Star Tribune Ryan Tuenge beer blogger sits in on the show and joins in as the gang goes over the week in beer news.
Consumer rights advocacy group MN Beer Activists are proud to announce its inaugural St. Patrick’s Day Rally for Sunday liquor sales at the First Avenue mainroom at 7 pm on March 17, 2014. Featuring music from Romantica, White Iron Band, Silverback Colony and Mark Andrew, the event will raise money for the Minnesota Beer Activists’ efforts to legalize Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages in Minnesota.
“The mission of the MN Beer Activists is to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues that are outdated or harmful to consumers,” said MN Beer Activists director Andrew Schmitt. “The biggest of these is the prohibition on Sunday Sales, which literally sends money over our borders every single week. This concert is the highest-profile event we’ve ever done, and it should also be the most fun!”
The St. Patrick’s Day concert event will feature performances by NBC’s The Voice contestant Mark Andrew, Silverback Colony, White Iron Band and Romantica and be hosted by Ian Rans of Drinking With Ian. The event will also feature opportunities to sign the MN Beer Activists’ Sunday Sales petition at SundaySalesMN.org, purchase MN Beer Activists merchandise and several other surprises.
Tickets for Rally for Sunday Sales are available now for $10 and will be $15 at the door.
Schell’s The Current Beer, available in May, features downloadable tracks from local artists
The Current has announced that it is partnering with Schell’s, the oldest family-owned brewery in Minnesota and maker of German Craft beer, to introduce a co-labeled Schell’s The Current beer, available in May.
A cold summer brew that pairs deliciously with hot summer tunes, Schell’s The Current beer is a limited edition of Schell’s seasonal Zommerfest®, a smooth, light Kölsch-style ale. It will be available in 16 ounce cans at bars and liquor stores throughout Minnesota wherever Schell’s products can be found.
(MPR Graphic / Tracy Kompelien)
“We know that many of our fans love craft beer, and we look at any partnership or promotion through the lens of our audience,” said Jim McGuinn, program director for The Current. “We know our listeners and this is a natural fit.”
In addition to increasing brand awareness of The Current, the station also hopes to introduce listeners to local bands, whose songs will be available in May at thecurrent.org/beer. A list of participating bands and songs will be announced closer to the launch of the beer.
“Local bands and local beer are a great match,” McGuinn said. “We love that we can bring the two together. Through the downloads available at thecurrent.org and upcoming shows featuring these artists, we hope to continue to support our local music scene.”
“Beer drinkers are looking to quench their thirst with a brew that has a good story behind it,” said Ted Marti, President of Schell’s, and a fifth generation member of the brewing family. “We’ve got that covered with 154 years of German heritage, and The Current has that covered with the fantastic local music it supports. It’s a win-win.”
Any revenue generated from the sales of Schell’s The Current beer will go back to The Current and the work it does to support local music.
Some might say that there is no better combination for a good time than craft beer and music. Unfortunately it seems that you either get one or the other here in the Twin Cities—but there are a handful of places that seem to have done something right when it comes to pairing the two.
Legendary Folk & Blues Guitar artist Peter Lang at Nomad World Pub
In St. Paul, Amsterdam Bar and Hall has a great lineup of brews featuring Summit, Deschutes, Surly, Bell’s, Fulton, Founders and of course a nice selection of Belgians. They have music just about every night, which includes local bands such as The Red Daughters, Exiles, Hot Pants and more. One nice thing about the location is that Downtown St. Paul meters are only enforced until 5 PM; meaning that you can usually find some free parking within walking distance.
Drive over the river to Minneapolis and you will find some good music and beer at Nomad World Pub. They also have Bocce Ball, which tends to pair well with a local tap brew. Although too many beers is sure to bring out the worst in your game. You’ve been warned…
Icehouse, which is also located in Minneapolis, can be described as a musician’s hang out. They tend to book some pretty great bands and this is certainly complimented by their tap beer menu. You can often find local selections, but beware of long lines at the bar. Also be sure to check out their reasonably priced late night snack menu, which features both sweet and savory items.
Harriet Brewing is passionate about two things: beer and art. Thus, there is no shortage of music here on the weekend. When paired with one or two of their brews you are in for a fine night.
Pilsner and Bluegrass at the Harriet Brewing Taproom
Duluth undoubtedly has the best music and craft beer scene in Minnesota. The people of Duluth tend to support their local breweries and musicians as evidenced by the many venues that offer music along with a great beer selection. Here are just a few of them.
Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth has a back mountain ski lodge feel and is always brewing up something special. They tend to book more low-key singer-songwriter types or jazz musicians like the talented Sam Miltich. Make sure to get there before the music starts as the small space tends to fill up rather quickly.
Just a couple blocks down Superior Street sits a little gem called Tycoon’s Ale House. The music here is typically very good, but it’s the prohibition-style craft beer bar in the basement that makes this place really special. Expect to find the best beers in town and an excellent whiskey list to boot. Look for special tap takeover events hosted in the basement where you can try hard-to-find brews specially selected by Fitger’s Brew Master Dave Hoops.
Another spot to catch some good music is Carmody Irish Pub and Brewery, which is also on Superior Street. With 32 taps to choose from, you are bound to find something you like. They even brew some of their own beer. Avoid the Mint Stout (unless you really like Girl Scout Cookies) but most of the others were pretty good.
Just across the bridge in Superior, Wisconsin you’ll find Thirsty Pagan Brewing (Formerly Twin Ports Brewing), which brews its beers on site and makes fantastic pizzas. If you like loud music and craft beer this is the spot for you.
Hopefully, with the craft beer scene growing in the Twin Cities, bars will continue to improve their tap selections and choose to showcase local musician’s talents as well. Because the melding of music and craft beer is always a big hit.
Cheers!
Did we miss your favorite spot for tunes & brew? Leave suggestions in the comments section.
We all know that music and beer go hand in hand. From traditional German biergartens with oompah bands, to punk rock shows with PBR, there is just something natural about music and beer. Maybe it is the social lubricant aspect of beer that makes it perfect for concerts and the like. Perhaps music and beer are just both key parts immersing yourself in an enjoyable experience. Whatever the answer is, Tuned Beer is combining music and beer in a way never seen before.
Image courtesy of Jeff North
The Tuned Beer brand is the brainchild of mobile canning guru Nate Smith. Smith operates Lagersmith, a mobile bottling business that brings bottling hardware to breweries that don’t want to invest time and space into a bottling line of their own. The Tuned brand is nomadic. So, like Smith himself, the beer will move from brewery to brewery. This is exactly the way is supposed to be. The brand will travel to a new brewery each season, creating a new recipe each time it moves.
So, what is this about music? Each new limited release brew is “paired” with a local band or musician. After you purchase of a bottle of Tuned Beer you scrape the wax off your bottle to reveal code that entitles you to a free song download of the featured artist.
The first Tuned Beer is an American Brown Ale from Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewery. To compliment the beer (or does the beer compliment the music?) it is paired with Reckless Ones, a Minneapolis based Rockabilly band. The beer / music combo is a nice fit. Reckless Ones are good, playing songs that sound a little like a Reverend Horton Heat and Green Day decided to get together and merge their sounds. The beer is exactly what you would expect from an American Brown, a hop forward ale with rich toasted malt flavor and hint of nuttiness.
The inaugural release is on store shelves now. To celebrate the launch Lift Bridge is hosting a special Reckless Ones concert at the brewery Friday and pouring the rockabilly inspired beer.
