If you have ever looked at a beer bottle and wondered what all those mysterious signs, numbers, and symbols meant, then my latest piece in the Star Tribune is for you. Check it out.
Category Archives: Announcements
Fall Beer Classes at Cooks of Crocus Hill
Join me for more great beer classes at Cooks of Crocus Hill this fall. I’m teaming up once again with Chef Mike Shannon and Sommelier Leslee Miller to compare and contrast come harvest seasonal beers, wines, and cuisine. Belgian and Bavarian beers are on tap, as well as a beer tour of the Land-o-Lakes.
Here’s the descriptions:
Belgian Beer and Snacks
With Chef Maggie Lyon
Friday, September 24th, 6-9 PM
Cost: $70
Chuck your preconceived notions about beer out the window. From the sassy sours to tempting Trappists, no one else does beer like the Belgians. Join Cicerone Michael Agnew and sample your way through the uniquely complex beers of Belgium, while Chef Maggie prepares some traditional Belgian bar snacks to enjoy with them.
Menu: A Selection of Belgian Craft Beers; Mussels; Frites; Several Aïolis.
Fall Harvest Dinner: Beer and Wine Pairing
With Chef Mike Shannon and Sommelier Leslee Miller
Tuesday, September 28th, 6-9 PM
Cost: $75
With an abundance of late-summer vegetables comes time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Join Chef Mike as he creates a menu from a fabulous array of fall finds, while Sommelier Leslee and Cicerone Michael provide perfect wine and beer pairings for a harvest feast.
Menu: Grilled Shrimp Salad with Goat Cheese Fritters; Beef Carpaccio Crostini with Caramelized Onions and Bleu Cheese; Sausage-Stuffed Portobellos; Pork Loin with Mango Chutney; Baked Stuffed Apples.
Bavarian Beer Experience
Saturday, October 9th, 2-4 PM
Cost: $55
Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa! When Crown Prince Ludwig organized a horse race to celebrate his wedding in 1810, little did he know he’d given rise to the greatest beer fest on the planet. Every fall, the streets of Munich flow with beer as tens of thousands converge on the Theresienwiese for Oktoberfest. Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew will give you a taste of the ‘fest with a tour of the famous beer styles of Bavaria.
Menu: An assortment of German Lager and Ale-Style Beers from Brewers in Bavaria as well as Craft-Brewed Versions from the U.S.; Brats; Pretzels.
Minnesota Suds: A Beer Tour of the Land o’ Lakes
Tuesday, November 2nd, 6-9 PM
Cost: $65
Does Minnesota make great beer? Oh ya, you betcha! Our state’s burgeoning brew scene now boasts nearly 20 breweries producing great year-round and seasonal suds. Your guide, certified Cicerone Michael Agnew, takes you on a tantalizing tour of the best brews the land o’ lakes has to offer.
Menu: A Selection of Beers from Minnesota Breweries and Brewpubs; Cheese; Snacks.
Go to Cooks of Crocus Hill to find out more or to register for a class.
New-ish Beer Entries to the MN Market
For most beer fans this old news is. However, as I am constantly reminded by those who comment on my Minneapolis Star Tribune columns, not everyone who reads the Strib is a beer geek, and not everyone lives in the Twin Cities Metro. This one’s for you.
A Perfect Pint & MN Craft Beer Week on Fox 9 News
I did two short segments on Fox 9 news this morning talking about craft beer and MN Craft Beer Week. Check it out.
Star Tribune Beer Column
A short while back I signed a freelancers contract to write a new monthly beer column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I’m very excited about this. The first one went up today.
Minnesota Craft Beer Week
American Craft Beer Week, a week-long celebration of all things craft beer sponsored by the Brewers Association, takes place May 17 – 23. Not to be left out of the national celebration, several breweries, beer bars, and beer stores are joining forces to bring you Minnesota Craft Beer Week. The main events are focused in the 7-Corners and Dinkytown neighborhoods of Minneapolis at Stub & Herbs, Preston’s Urban Pub, and Town Hall Brewery. On Monday, Town Hall will tap American Beer Wheat to kick things off and will have draft specials all week long. Stub & Herbs is having a variety of guest bartenders from local breweries, including Fulton, Lift Bridge, and Flat Earth, with Flat Earth putting over thirty beers on tap on Wednesday. Preston’s will be featuring specials on West Coast and Mountain Region beers. You can see the whole schedule of events here.
I will be doing a special tasting at Preston’s from 6 – 7 PM on Wednesday. Come on in and say “Hi.”
More on the Anchor Brewery Sale
More from Jay Brooks on the Anchor Brewery sale. Sounds like Anchor is in good hands.
Iconic Anchor Brewing Sold
It appears as thought Fritz Maytag has sold the iconic Anchor Brewing Company to Griffin Group, an investment and consulting firm focused on alcoholic beverages. More here on the Brookston Beer Bulletin.
Lift Bridge Brewery Buys a Brewery
When Lift Bridge Brewery started making beer almost two years ago, they were brewing at Flat Earth Brewing in St. Paul. I interviewed them at that time and they stated their intention to build their own brewery in Stillwater. Having outgrown Flat Earth, they moved their brewing to the Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. When I spoke with Lift Bridge partner Steven Michael Rinker about this at Firkin Fest a couple months ago, he indicated that they were already outgrowing the available capacity at Point and were closing in on finally buying their own space. Today they announced an agreement to purchase a building with the purchase of a brewery coming soon. Here’s what the press release says.
Best of luck guys.
Category 23: Specialty Beers
The May Meeting of the Twin Cities Perfect Pint Beer Club
When: Friday, May 21, 2010
Cost: $25
You must be a member of the club to attend. Go to the Twin Cities Perfect Pint Beer Club to join and RSVP.
In the Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) there is a place called Category 23. Like the infamous Area 51 deep in the Nevada desert, Category 23 is a place of mystery and myth. It is a category that only the most intrepid individuals dare to judge. Category 23 is a realm of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas; a wondrous category whose boundaries are that of imagination. You enter this realm by unlocking the door of experimentation and crossing over into…specialty beers.
For this meeting we’ll taste beers that don’t fit anywhere else. We’ll try beers that utilize unusual techniques and abnormal ingredients; beers that mimic traditional or historical styles. In short, Category 23 is the place for any experimental beer that the brewer creates. This is where we will go. Are you up to it?