Tag Archives: Surly Brewing

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Todd Haug Separates from Surly Brewing

Surly Brewing Company’s longtime Head of Brewing Operations, Todd Haug, has resigned his position at the iconic Minnesota brewery.

“I’d like to thank our family, friends, and fans – Surly Nation – for always believing in our vision. It never gets old to hear people tell you how much they enjoy your beer. Omar and I set out with the modest goal to build a brewery so we could create a different kind of craft beer – the kind we wanted to drink – and I think we achieved that.”

 

todd-haug

Todd has a great reputation in the brewing industry. During his time at Surly he collaborated on beers with several other brewers, won numerous awards, kept true to his style-bending way of brewing. Not to mention the fact that he scaled up Surly’s brewing operations from a small facility in Brooklyn Center to the behemoth “Destination Brewery” that now exists in Minneapolis.

Omar Ansari, Founder and President of Surly Brewing says, “Todd has been an incredibly influential part of Surly since the beginning and was instrumental in building the brewery from the ground up, often with his own two hands; brewing, welding, making connections and forming collaborations to establish the irreverent brand it is today. His talent is undeniable, and he will always be a huge part of who we are. He will be missed.”

According to a release from Surly Brewery, Todd is stepping down from his role to pursue other opportunities in the brewing industry. However, he feels the brewery is very capable hands.

“I leave my brewhouses in the extremely capable hands of our co-lead brewers and the innovative brewing team we’ve mentored together. I eagerly look forward to seeing what the next generation of Surly brewers will create,” says Haug. “This is an opportunity for them to take the torch and continue the legacy we’ve been building for 10 years now.”

Related: Surly Brewing on the Minnesota BeerCast

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Minnesota Breweries Win Medals at 2016 Great American Beer Festival

Five Minnesota Craft Breweries Earn Medals at Great American Beer Festival

Five Minnesota craft breweries were recently honored at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival in Denver — the nation’s premier beer festival and competition. These hometown heavy hitters held their own against 7,227 beer entries from 1,752 breweries nationwide.

Fan favorites and cornerstones of Minnesota beer culture, Summit Brewing and Surly Brewing brought home gold medals this year. Bemidji Brewing, Jack Pine Brewery, and first-year entrant Roundhouse Brewery took home bronze medals for their yeoman’s efforts.

Minnesota breweries earning gold medals

• Summit Brewing Co. (St. Paul), “Extra Pale Ale” — Classic English-Style Pale Ale (38 entries)

summit-brewing-2016-gabf
Photo © 2016 Jason E. Kaplan

• Surly Brewing Co. (Brooklyn Center / Mpls), “Barrel-Aged Darkness” — Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout (131 entries)

surly-brewing-2016-gabf
Photo © 2016 Jason E. Kaplan

Minnesota breweries earning bronze medals

• Bemidji Brewing Co. (Bemidji), “German Blonde Ale” — Golden or Blonde Ale (115 Entries)
• Jack Pine Brewery (Baxter), “Vengeance! Jalapeno Cream Ale” — Chili Beer (112 entries)
• Roundhouse Brewery (Brainerd), “Runaround Rye Ale” — Rye Beer (81 entries)

“It has become a tradition for Minnesota breweries to be honored at this prestigious competition,” says Tom Whisenand, President of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. “This recognition reinforces that Minnesota is a great state for beer. Minnesotans can be proud of these local businesses that are representing their communities.”

Other Recent Minnesota GABF winners

Minnesota 2015 GABF Medalists:
August Schell Brewing Co. (New Ulm), Bemidji Bewing Company (Bemidji), Bent Paddle Brewing Co. (Duluth), Fitger’s Brewhouse (Duluth), Fulton Brewng (Minneapolis), Mankato Brewery (Mankato), Steel Toe Brewing (St. Louis Park).

Minnesota 2014 GABF Medalists:
Badger Hill Brewing (Shakopee), Bent Paddle Brewing Co. (Duluth), Indeed Brewing (Minneapolis), Steel Toe Brewing (St. Louis Park), Summit Brewing Co. (St. Paul) and Town Hall Brewery (Minneapolis).

A full list of Great American Beer Festival winners can be found here: https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/

Related: Minnesota BeerCast talks with Pete Rifakes from Town Hall Brewery and Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild.

http://minnesotabeercast.com/episodes/live-minnesota-state-fair/

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Surly Brewing Paints the Town Black

surly-paint-the-town-black

In an effort to create even more buzz and knowledge around one of the hottest beers in the country this year Surly is hosting Paint the Town Black. The rolling release event will build up to the release of Surly Darkness in bars all across Surly’s 7 state distribution area. Leading up to the release of Darkness are two other Surly beers; Furious Black, and Damien. Yes, if you hadn’t already guessed, they are black. The beers will come to market as a rolling release during the month of October. Appearances of some other dark favorites including Four, Nein, Ten, and Pentagram have been promised as well. Find your nearest location here.

Furious Black

This is the first time to catch Furious Black, first introduced at Darkness Day last year, and Damien outside of going to Darkness Day which will behold as the Brooklyn Center brewery on October 15th. Although in the same place as all previous Darkness Days this one is a week earlier on the calendar.

Furious Black’s name came by way of Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black, the misunderstood wizard always on the run. There’s nothing to be confused with this brew. Brewer Jerrod Johnson states that this is 95% Furious. The only addition being the roasted malts to add the black color and roasted, slightly chocolate quality.

Surly brewing Darkness damien bottles
Photo Credit: Aaron Konigsmark

Damien – Child of Darkness

Following Furious Black is the release of Damien. Always a crowd favorite at Darkness Day consumers will not only be able to find it on draft but bottles are hitting all markets starting on October 3rd in 750 ML bottles. This child of Darkness is a “small beer” created in the Parti-Gyle style of brewing. Damien comes to life as the second runnings all the rich malts that made Darkness. The addition of dry hopping makes this American Black Ale a refreshing palette cleanser when compared to its parentage.

Surly brewers
Photo Credit: Aaron Konigsmark
Pictured: Ben Smith, Jerrod Johnson, Todd Haug

Surly Darkness

The star of the rolling release is, of course, Darkness. This Russian Imperial Stout has all its usual characteristic notes, raisins, chocolate, slightly boozy rum taste all finished off with some hop heat to bring warmth to us all. The folks that chase rare beers (aka whales, or white whales) might be happy to know that 2016’s version of Surly’s wet hopped IPA beauty Wet was sacrificed on the altar of Darkness to make space on the brewing schedule and bring more Darkness to us all. 750 ML bottles will start hitting distribution starting Oct 17th. But you should be able to find it on draft at bars hosting the Paint the Town Black event after the 17th.

Surly-barrel-aged-darkness-2016

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Father’s Day Gift Ideas for the Dad that Loves Craft Beer

Father’s Day is nearly here. Dad isn’t always easy to buy for. And let’s face it, he only needs so many ties. Luckily your father likes beer. We have some great gift ideas for the dad that loves craft beer.

1. Get Dad a Growler from NorthGate Brewing

Growler fills at NorthGate Brewing are just $10 Father’s Day weekend. We recommend the Twice Told IIPA. It’s the biggest bang for your beer buying buck, just make sure to watch Pops around the BBQ.

2. Hayes’ Public House Indiegogo Rewards

Hayes’ Public House is expanding and using Indiegogo to raise some of the funds. There are lots of packages to choose from. The rewards range from posters to bottles, to brewer for a day, and beyond.

3. Father’S Day All-You-Can-Eat BBQ Buffet in the Surly Brewing Beer Garden


Full Details: http://surlybrewing.com/events/fathers-day-all-you-can-eat-bbq-buffet/
You don’t need a reservation or a table, just come right on through and get down to it, we even recommend bringing a picnic blanket to enjoy the garden. The first 200 Dads get a Surly Dad Can Koozie. It’s $28 per adult, $14 for under 12’s, and under 5’s eat FREE.
WHAT: Father’s Day All-You-Can-Eat BBQ Buffet in The Surly Beer Garden
WHEN: Sunday, 6/19, 11am – 4pm
WHERE: Surly Beer Garden, 520 Malcolm Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
MENU:
Beer Can Smoked Chicken
Porchetta Sausage Links
Potato Salad
Elote (Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob)
Sides
Desserts
BONUS:
Surly Executive Chef Jorge Guzman talks all things beer and BBQ on the Minnesota BeerCast.

4. Book Dad a Brewery Tour


Dad deserves an afternoon touring taprooms and the tours at Bitter Minnesota are great way to put someone else in the driver’s seat. Get him a gift certificate he can use later, or surprise Dad with a group package join him!
http://bitterminnesotabrewerytours.com/join-in-tour/

5. Get Dad tickets to the Summit Brewing Backyard Bash 30th Anniversary Celebration

Summit Brewing Backyard Bash
Summit Brewing has been kicking ass and taking names for a long time (kind of like dear old Dad). They are celebrating all year long with special events, special anniversary brews, and of course, the Annual Backyard Bash. The celebration is bigger than ever this year.
When: Saturday, September 10, 2016 Noon-8pm
Where: Behind the brewery at 910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul
Cost: $30 in advance/$40 day of (cash only at gate)
Menu:
Anchor Fish & Chips
World Street Kitchen
Black Forest
Pizza Lucé
Bennett’s
Signature on Wheels
21+ (Children 12 & under are permitted with 21+ adult, no cover for kids)
Rain or Shine (no refunds)

A portion of ticket sales go directly to the Minnesota Music Coalition (MMC), a nonprofit service organization dedicated to supporting Minnesota’s independent music community.

Live music by:
Bob Mould
Bully
deM atlaS
Bad Bad Hats
Apollo Cobra
Nooky Jones
Hotpants DJs

Full details and tickets at http://www.summitbrewing.com/backyard-bash

6. We Want Beer On Sundays! T-shirt

Father’s Day falls on Sunday. Coincidence? We think not. The folks at MPLS / STP Clothing Co. have made a shirt that Dad will be proud to wear any day of the week.
Order it here.

Have a great Father’s Day gift idea that we missed? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Your First Peek At 2016 Surly Darkness Art

Darkness Falls Early

Like a beer geek guarding his cellar, so to did the legendary Cerberus guard the gates of the Underworld. The artwork for the annual Surly Darkness release has become quite legendary as well. Mummies, vampires, zombies and other such macabre creatures have graced the cover of this sought after stout. This year? Make way for the hounds of hell.

Minnesota-based artist, Adam Martin of BlueApple Studio fame has tapped into Greek mythology for inspiration in the latest edition of this sinister bottle art. When asked about how he felt being given the honor to cement his reputation among beer geeks far and wide, Mr. Martin said,

“I experienced equal parts excitement and fear after finding out I got the Darkness project. My hope is that what I made is well received by the community, and that it feels at home with the amazing Darkness illustrations from previous years.”

I think it’s a perfect addition to the Darkness artwork anthology. Mean as hell? Check. Would look great on a poster? Check. Just a touch of metal befitting a brewery that is lead by a headbanging guitarist (check out the skull inside the middle hound’s mouth). Check.

Some would say it’s what’s on the outside that counts, and with beer they may be right. Don’t over look this one however. Grab a bottle and really take in the hellish brilliance of the new bottle. You’ve only got 5 months to wait…

Surly Darkness 2016

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Fair State, Surly highlight Minnesota beer rankings

To what should be no surprise to anyone who enjoys beer around the Twin Cities, a few local breweries were recently acknowledged by RateBeer.com’s annual rankings.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis was named the 10th best new brewery in the world – quite the feat considering more than 5,400 new operations were eligible. Fair State was also named the best new brewery in Minnesota.

Ratebeer.com highlighted Fair State’s creation of some of the best new craft beer, as well as its cooperative business model, allowing members to get happy hour discounts, collaborate on beer recipes and exclusive access to special releases.

Ratebeer-Medals

Founded in 2014, Fair State is spearheaded by president and CEO Evan Sallee, head brewer Niko Tonks and director of operations Matt Hauck.

“This award belongs to the entire Fair State community, including our more than 700 member-owners who have a stake in our beer and our business,” Sallee said. “We’re humbled to be recognized among this amazing group of breweries, and we’re especially excited to play a role in putting Minnesota craft beer on the world stage.”

Don’t get Surly – well, yes, please do

Surly Brewing wasn’t shut out.

It was named the best brewery in Minnesota, according to the beer website, as well as offering the best taproom. Surly also was honored with the best Minnesota-made beer – its Abrasive Ale.

Abrasive, as well as Surly Darkness, are also ranked in the top 100 beers in the world.

For styles, Surly was recognized for its SurlyFest (No. 1 in the dark lager category), Todd the Axe Man (No. 6 in the IPA category) and Abrasive (No. 11 in the imperial IPA category)

Surly, as well as Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, are considered in the top 100 breweries in the world based on RateBeer.com’s users’ rankings.

Other Minnesota businesses recognized:

  • Best Minnesota brewpub: Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
  • Best Minnesota restaurant: Town Hall Tap
  • Best Minnesota bottle shop: Heritage Liquor
  • Best Minnesota bar: The Happy Gnome
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Surly Brewing Barrel-Aged Darkness

The crew at Surly Brewing is in for a busy few weeks. SurlyFest is on shelves and their annual Oktoberfest party is happening this weekend for the first time at the Mpls brewery. Wet with Simcoe is in the tanks and should appear sometime soon. Nein will debut September 28th, at Black Forest Inn. But, there is only beer that Surly fans camp out overnight to get their hands on. That’s right, Surly Darkness. And, an interesting new Darkness label just made an appearance.


 
Surly works with a local artist to create a terrifying label for each release of the Russian Imperial Stout. Label art for the 2015 version of Darkness comes courtesy of Brandon Holt. The new golden version of the 2015 Surly Darkness label pictured below confirms that there will indeed be two versions of the beer. There will be a classic version and a rye whiskey barrel-aged version. No word on the amount produced of either variety or any difference in pricing.

Surly Brewing Darkness 2015
Our 2015 vintage bottling of Darkness features a screeching bat-nightmare by local artist Brandon Holt.

No creature is more adept at navigating in the Darkness than a bat. Emerging from a deep and ancient cave, this year’s twisted nocturnal creature has evolved a set of adaptations well suited to detecting and devouring uncommon nourishment.

Notes of chocolate, coffee, dried tart cherries, and raisins emanate from his lair. If you can evade the talons and teeth, the thick body of this Russian Imperial Stout finishes sweet, with a piney resinous hop character.

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Surly Brewing – NEIN Label Art

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 Nein Anniverary Ale – Artist: Erica Williams