In addition to the Stub and Herb's release, here are a few more from MNBeer:
Bell’s Oberon release parties… Monday, March 30 8-11pm, Bryant Lake Bowl. Best fake tan will some prizes. Tuesday, March 31st, Bulldog Lowertown in St. Paul 7-10 pm.Not sure if these are "official" release parties, with reps in attendance, swag, etc., but should be fun times anyhow.
According a post on beeradvocate the Oberon release will be April 1 at Stub and Herb's.
Unfortunately, it's the same night as Lost, so I'll try to make it out, but it won't be as raucous of an evening as the last two years.
But the beer that got its start quenching the thirst of 19th-century lumberjacks will shed whatever's left of its regional image Monday with the national launch of a new brew, Classic Amber. The beer, a potential flagship for the Chippewa Falls, Wis, brewery, is meant to compete with the nation's bestselling craft beer, Samuel Adams.With the Classic Amber, this is the third new beer Leine's has launched within the last three months. While I didn't enjoy the Fireside Nut Brown, I thought the 1888 Bock was a refreshing, accurate take on the style, and I'm excited to try their newest, the Classic Amber. Here is the description from the brewery:
Leinenkugel's Classic Amber LagerCheck out the full description here, and look for it in stores early March.
Our signature all-malt lager is a celebration of genuine ingredients, time-honored brewing traditions and authentic craft beer flavor. With its brilliant amber color, premium blend of Pale, Caramel and Munich malts, and subtle, yet complex citric hoppiness, you simply can't go wrong with a Classic.
Made my way over to the Cellar's at Lexington/Larpenteur to hit up the 50% off sale (they are closing the store soon). Slim pickings, but I managed to pick up the following:
Also: Steamin' Wife Lager. Funny name; nice photo.
Finally. It took much longer than it should have, but both Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Extra IPA and Bigfoot Barleywine have hit the Twin Cities market. I picked up a six-pack of each at Thomas Liquors.
The Torpedo is nice enough. At a modest price and 7.2% alcohol, it's an economical, tasty choice. It won't replace my IPA standards (Two Hearted, HopDevil, Titan, and more-so lately, Crooked Tree), but it's always nice to have more options year-round.
The Bigfoot is as I remember and all that I love in a barleywine: big malt, big hops, and big alcohol. I am disappointed that it hit so late in the season; but, it's snowing outside right now and that gives me justification enough to plow through a few more six-packs before it's gone until next year.
Update: despite the lack of care for the brewing process or the nomenclature, I stumbled upon this review that does a nice job of describing the flavor of the Torpedo Extra IPA.
Head on over to the Muddy Pig! Starting tonight (Thursday) and going through Sunday, they will be putting on the first annual Festival of Hops.
We will have 40+ hopped up beers (pale ales and up) on tap throughout the weekend and we hope to rotate through 55 or more different beers in four days.I'll be there briefly tomorrow and again on Saturday night. Huzzah!
Straight from Surly's Brewer's Blog:
Ok! now that 16Grit is gone what's next?Thought Mild was great last year; thinking it'll be great this year. Also...the Three...so excited. I've loved both the One and the Two and have been waiting for the Three quite anxiously. I'm sure this won't disappoint. I mean, really...honey, dark Munich malt, white ash, 10%...sounds nothing if not fun.
Surly Mild will be released Jan 19th,look for it at your local.Expect a light bodied,low alcohol brown ale with flavors of lightly sweetened biscuits,tobacco and a dry finish.
26IBU
4%abv
Surly Three is our anniversary beer.Try it first at Winterfest!(Feb 6).Look for it DRAFT only the week of Feb 9.Brewed with 50%Honey and 50%German Dark Munich malt,fermented with a Belgian yeast strain and aged on toasted White Ash.
Lots of honey aroma intertwined with rich caramel-cracker flavors,the Ash adds a cinnamon,nutmeg and vanilla aroma and a dry finish.Smells like bourbon to me.
16IBU
10%abv
According to a post on Beeradvocate (that seems quite reliable), Magic Hat Brewing Company will begin distribution in MN in February. Why, you ask, should you care? Because it's awesome, that's why.
I had the chance to try both the #9 and Circus Boy when we were in Boston last May, and I thoroughly enjoyed the beers and couldn't wait until we could get some love here in Minnesota. Also, it's the only brewery I know of where you can buy both a 12-pack of branded condoms as well as a baby bib. Mixed signals, to be sure, but they still make great beer.
Two Bothers - Hop Juice.In my opinion, Southern Tier is amazing at flavor matching and somehow still making it palatable. The Crème Brûlée Stout tastes like crème brûlée, the Pumpking tastes like pumpkin pie, and I've heard fantastic things about their coffee beer, (Jah-va Stout). So, I feel like if I'm going to enjoy a chocolate beer, it's probably going to be this one.
Double IPA - 9.9% and 100 IBU
Those Brothers from Chicago have brewed up a monster of a beer sure to sate even the most insatiable hop-heads amongst you.
Southern Tier Choklat
At Southern Tier, we're not surprised that hieroglyphs of the ancient Maya depict chocolate being poured for rulers and gods. Moving through centuries, the circular journey of cacao has been realized in our brewing house, encompassing the complexity of the darkest, bitter-sweet candy together with the original frothy cold beverage of the ancient Maya to bring to you our Blackwater Series Choklat Stout. 11% Abv
I finally did it; I went to an event I posted about. I know! And I have to say, it was quite successful. Not only were the beers $2, they were ridiculous. Here's the rundown that our group of five was served:
I love Maredsous. I mean, I really love Maredsous. The dubbel? My all-time favorite dubbel. And their tripel? Different, dark, and delicious. Seems unlikely that I'll be able to swing over there at the start time, but I'll see what I can do later in the evening. And they can run out of the glassware. Seriously...I have way too much glassware as it is.Beer Lovers,
We have a few events planned at The Muddy Pig:
Abbey of Maredsous Event. Wednesday, December 17 @ 5:00. We will have all three of their ales on tap; the Blonde 6, Dubbel 8 and Triple 10. Buy a Maredsous and keep the glass (limit one glass per customer).
Flat Earth Event. Monday, December 29 @ 5:00. We will be tapping up kegs of Flat Earth’s Black Helicopter coffee stout and their Winter Warlock English barley wine. Jeff Williamson, Mr. Flat Earth himself, will be here to answer all your questions about St. Paul’s newest brewery.
The 1st Annual Festival of Hops. Thursday, January 22 through Sunday, January 25. Our Belgian Beer Festival in September was so successful we decided to organize another beer event, this one devoted to hop forward beers. We will have 40+ hopped up beers (pale ales and up) on tap throughout the weekend and we hope to rotate through 55 or more different beers in four days.
Yes, this really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Mark
Great news about The Groveland Tap from MNBeer:
So many good things from this post. The first, of course, being the 13 new taps, upping their total taps to 27. They already have a fantastic selection of Summit, Surly, and other local favorites. It'll be interesting to see which beers they choose to fill in the rest.I just got a note from Craig over at Groveland Tap. He wanted me to share that they’ll be redoing their bar today and will be adding 13 more taps! Thirteen! He also mentioned that Miller Lite will be removed around Jan. 1 for something better.
Also, on Friday the 12th they will be start The 12 Nights of Christmas:
Dec 12: Grab Bag night - till we run out! $2 bottles. They choose, you drink.
Dec 13: Delerium Night. Tis the season to see pink elephants. $6 Taps
Dec 14: St. Pauli Girl Christmas $5 Bomber bottles
Dec 15: Schell’s 150th Anniversary taps $3
Dec 16: Christmas from Across the Border, Wisconsin that is, Rush River $3 taps
Dec 17: Summit Flight Night $6
Dec 18: Meet me in Kansas, Boulevard night $3 taps.
Dec 19: Drop Top Night $3 taps
Dec 20: Double wide night $10 6-pack PBR tall boys
Dec 21: Get your Christmas Goose. Goose Island Matilda $5.
Dec 22: It’s Firkin Christmas! Casks from Summit, Surly, Rush River, Flat Earth and Schell’s
Dec 23: Christmas Parade? Have a float Root Beer or Oatmeal Stout you choose. $4
Straight from Al of The Blue Nile on the BeerAdvocate forums:
Yup.I, personally, have never had a mulled beer, nor have I had Old Man Winter Warmer...but, I have had mulled wine, and it was tasty. Seems fun regardless.
Gonna Do it.
Have a keg of Lake Superior's Old Man Winter Warmer I've been saving for a year.
Gonna tap on Saturday the 20th of December, the day before the Winter Solstice...first day of winter, officially...and I'm gonna Wassail it. Gonna mull it, gonna spice it. At least cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, and possibly some fruit.
This will be available on tap as well, but I'm just gonna take some back to the stove, toss on the goodies, and mull it up.
These will be available in hot drink glasses, for a reasonable price.
One of my bartenders cussed me out for messing up a great beer, but you will have a choice that day, messd-up or non-messed up. But, I guarantee a good mess!
cheers,
al
P.S. It'll start right at 4pm, when we open, so hopefully Town Hall pint club members and Sterb's BA gathering goers an make it after or before.
So, lets get to it. Announcing the second annual win a bottle of Darkness and Surly jacket competition! Upload your favorite Surly photo to the Flickr site. The brewing crew will pick their favorite photo after the new year.Photo above? The winning picture of last year. So, yes, that's what you have to compete with...cute dogs. Good effing luck.
Date: Friday, February 6, 2009
Time: 7-10pm
Where: Minnesota History Center / 345 W. Kellog Blvd. - St. Paul, MN
Ticket Price: $45 - purchase tickets online via www.uptowntix.com or by calling (651) 209-6799
Tickets go on sale Monday, December 15th promptly at 12pm (noon). We only have one price level and we are only selling 700 tickets (limit of 6 per purchaser). This has been a sell out event for the last couple of years so purchase early! Thank you for your support and please plan ahead for transportation.Breweries: Current members of the MN Craft Brewers Guild - TBA -
More information on what the brewers are bringing will be displayed closer to the festivalCatering: Bon Appetit at the MN History Center
Live Music: The Jaztronauts
Surly Brewing got label approval this week for Coffee Bender, a spin-off of its popular brown ale that introduces a coffee kick. This looks like it could be a winter seasonal though an email has been sent to Founder/Owner, Omar Ansari, for more info. While the year-round brands are available in some parts of Illinois, the other seasonal, Bitter Brewer, appears to only be available in Minnesota at the moment (when canned).Read more at beernews.org.
Reading about Leinenkugel's newest beer, Big Eddy Imperial IPA, gives me mixed feelings. First, I'm excited, because Lenie has yet to tap into the "hoppy" beers, preferring to make drinkable, session-type beers. This seems to mark a new venture for them, and it's fantastic to see such a long-standing brewery take a chance with something so different. It's called a "high-octane ale" and this description doesn't disappoint:"Big Eddy Imperial IPA is one hundred percent malt based with special hops added at every stage of brewing. Each batch is treated to a highly refined filtering process, resulting in a brilliant beer with a breathtaking tawny red, coppery glow. Its assured bitterness is punctuated by an 8.9 percent alcohol content, while the clean lingering finish manages to not overpower. It's expensive to brew, but it's worth it."
If that isn't good enough for you, here's the one provided by Roman's Pub's website (one of the locations carrying it): "Bright golden orange color, big citrus hop nose, immediate hop bitter upfront that leads to a nice malt balance and finishes long and dry, made with Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe and Amarillo hops backed by Munich Caramel and Pale Ale malts."
A Leinie brew at 8.9% abv and bitter? This sounds awesome. Almost all of Leinie's other beers top out at 4.9%, with the Oktoberfest at 5.1% and the Big Butt at 5.8%. Unfortunately, they don't list the IBUs to compare the bitterness to.
The only reason why I'm not thrilled about this right now is because it's "being test-marketed on tap only in some select bars in the Milwaukee area." Hopefully people embrace this new beer and it soon finds itself in my direction and my stomach.
For information on where to drink it, go here
Being from Wisconsin, I'm a fairly loyal Leine fan. I love the Red, Sunset Wheat, Oktoberfest, and I've got a few of their newest, the Summer Shandy, in my fridge. It has potential to be a great time, but I don't think I'm going to make it. Apparently, they've been doing an annual celebration since 2003; so, there's always next year.
Go here for more information
"CynicAle Cans now available at: Zipps, Cellars Roseville & Eagan, Surdyks, Robbinsdale Muni, Dennis Brothers, Sharrets, Big Top - St. Paul, 1st Grand, Thomas Liquors, Lowry Hill, Hennepin Lake, Liquor Barrel - Golden Vallely, South Lyndale Liquors, Richfield Muni, France 44, Blue Max. More to come tomorrow."
So, by the time you read this, pretty much anywhere that sells Surly.
The team here at TMDB drove out to Papa's Pizza and Pasta last week and tried some of the newest ale. Fantastic stuff. More detailed impressions will be forthcoming once I manage to buy a 4-pack.
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