Tried and loved from Wis.

[tavernjef]

Anyone get to try the Lienenkuegels 125th Anniversary Dark Lager that was back in 1992, if you didn't, sorry, but you missed a good one. It was a nice hazelnut, smokey, dark that reminds my alot of Kostriker's dark lager from Germany.
How about Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout or Whitetail Cream ale from Black River Falls, Wis. I find those every now and then and highy recommend both.
Anyone know of anything desent in Minnesota besides the Lake Superior brews?
Here's a toast:
Most people like to say,"here's mud in your eye."
But I say , "here's to filling your glass and drinking it dry."

[davesarman]

Hey Tavernjef,

Thought I'd give you my $0.02 worth on Minnesota beers. There's been quite a bit of a shake up in the last few months, both in commercial beers and brewpubs. Let me give you my picks on current commercial (i.e. bottled) beers.

IMHO, it begins and ends with Summit. They've been at it for quite a few years now (started in mid to late '80's, I believe) and have done things right. They have quality beers, have not gotten too trendy, concentrated on the right markets, and have seen steady growth resulting in a brand new brewery built a few years ago. They have sevearal varieties, all good, but my favorites are the flagship Pale Ale, Great Northern Porter and IPA. They have several great seasonals, the bests being the Winter Ale, Oktoberfest and Maibock. Give any of their beers a try and I'm sure you will be impressed.

After Summit, I would recommend Schell's. They are the second oldest continuously run brewery in the country. (After Youngling, did I state that right?) Their flagship brand, Schell's Deer Brand, is nothing to write home about, but it has a huge local following that is admirable. They make several fantastic specialty beers, the best among them being Pils, Oktoberfest, and Dopplebock. One of the prettiest brewery settings I've ever seen. If you can ever get there and take a tour, I highly recommend it. They've recently purchased the rights to the Grain Belt brands, which increases their market share considerably.

Hats off to Lake Superior as you mentioned. Only 3 or 4 varieties, but all good, especially their Winter Warmer. Went there for a tour over Labor Day weekend and it lasted 6 hours! What a great group of guys! There are other commercialy bottled brands in MN, but I'm rambling, so I will cut to the chase on brewpubs.

A couple of good ones have recently closed: Sherlock's Home in Minnetonka and Watertower in Eden Prairie (still open, but no longer brewing beer). The best remaining ones, in my opinion are:
Town Hall - Minneapolis
Fitgers - Duluth
Great Waters - St. Paul

There are others that are good as well, but I've been rambling and these are my top 3, so I will leave it at that.

Hope this has been helpful and not too long winded....

Cheers!

[tavernjef]

I've known about Summit for some time, although I don't like many of them due to the after effects of all their brews. I don't know what it is, but every time I have two or more, the next morning is a long one in the privy, plus my whole body seems achey. Very strange, but I know this happens cuz some good friends have expressed the same demise after a night with a Summit brew. This years Winter I did try and liked. But I stay away from Summit pretty much.

As for the brew pubs, I do go to Great Waters from time to time cuz I live right down the street and in the little Artist Mercantile store next door to it I have my work showing. So when I'm dropping off new work or shooting the breeze with Anthony( he's the owner of the store and a good friend) I stop in at G.W. for a pint. Just had the Pothole Porter a few weeks ago, it was incredibley smooth and yummy, with just the right hint of chocolate. Try it if you get the chance. Last summer they had a belgian that rivaled some of the Belgium greats, friuty and potent.
Thanks for the feedback.
Cheers.

[brodude]

I will be traveling to Duluth this Saturday, March 14. Can anyone tell me about the Fitgers Brewpub and their beers?
I am reletively new to MInnesota and looking very forward to sampling their brews.
I'm in the Willmar area of MInn/ N.Central. NOt too much in the way of brewpubs here. Closest is St. Cloud.
I moved out here from Portland Ore, a brewing HEAVEN. I miss it!!
Well, enough rambling.. was curious about Fitgers is all..

THanks in advance

[davesarman]

I have been to the Fitgers brewpub a couple of times and love it! It is in the old Fitgers brewing complex which has been restored and has a museum to the old Fitgers brewery which is very interesting, lots of cool old memoriabilia there. The brewpub makes some of the best beer in Minnesota and also some of the most adventurous. Last time I was there over Labor Day, they had just tapped a wheat wine, which was superb and strong! (10% alcohol, I believe) If you are in the area, Fitger's is a must stop! Good food as well, they frequently have brewers dinners, matching the food and beer. Unfortunately, I've never been up there when one of those is taking place. I highly recommend going to Fitgers! They also have a 4 star hotel with awesome views of Lake Superior. My wife and I have stayed there twice (once on our honemoon) and love it!

[mrwaz]

o.k. this is for all of you Minnesotians out there. No doubt there are fine brew pubs in the twin cities area. My wife and I visit her brother and he is always taking us to new places. I haven't found one worth going back to yet.

In my opinion, a good brew pub is determined by the quality of its Pale Ale. Here in Green Bay we have Titletown Brewing whose Pale puts most other Pales in the area to shame.

We're heading out that way for memorial day weekend and would like to take my brother-in-law and his wife someplace that we all will enjoy.

thanks for any suggestions

[steveh]

Originally posted by mrwaz
In my opinion, a good brew pub is determined by the quality of its Pale Ale. Here in Green Bay we have Titletown Brewing whose Pale puts most other Pales in the area to shame.

In my opinion the American Pale Ale craze has taken on a life of its own. I used to belong to Beers Across America, the micro-brew of the month club - was even a charter member from when they first started. Somewhere around the 7th or 8th year every selection I received had a pale ale - sometimes two (they'd send two six-packs from 2 different breweries a month).

When I received nearly nothing but pale ales one year, I'd had enough and quit the club. They were dumbfounded as to why I was quitting and I was honest, I'd had enough pale ales to last a lifetime - they all started tasting the same. To this day I won't look twice at a pale, micro or brew-pub brew. Maybe a Sierra Nevada once in a while to pay homage.

I would never determine the worth of a brew-pub on its pale ale. In fact, I'd be more impressed if they didn't follow a trend and brewed something different and unique. Titletown brews a pale and a red ale, two beers to bring in the uninitiated beer drinkers, but they also brew some nice specialties - and their stout is pretty good. Oh, and their food is good too.

How is Hinterland faring? I was surprised that they had taken on such a high-brow atmosphere to their pub. They were pretty unpretentious when they were down in Denmark - fun tour and tasting in their little brewery.

S.

[davesarman]

Dear mrwaz,
Where have you been that you didn't like? Perhaps I can suggest somewhere else that is more to your liking? While I love pale ales, I don't think that I would judge a brewpub soley on that variety alone, just as a bakery shouldn't be judged on their rye bread alone.

[mrwaz]

thank you all for humbling me. you are right that by Pale Ale only does not a good brew pub make. However I am a "The hoppier the better" beer fan.

Titletown does have some speciality brews that have caught my attention on occasion. A couple of weeks ago I tried my first ever Kolesch from there and I have to addmit, it had me asking for seconds. However they also had an English bitter that had me asking for the recipe. As I tell all of my "non-microbrew friends" the beer brings the people into Titletown, but the food keeps them there the rest of the night. We go there even when we're in the mood for good pizza.

As for Hinterland, we took my "out-laws" there for their 25th anniversary about a year ago. The beer was still as good as before however, they are now serving more top-shelf mixers and have a large selection of wine. If you plan on going to a high-class brew pub, Hinterland is now the place. All meals are prepared from ingredients flown in daily. All entrees are made in limited quantities and when they are gone, they are gone. Also expect to drop some major green. For my wife and I alone with drinks the bill came to around $150. Would I go again? You Bet. I just wish Hinterland would go back to bottling and selling their brew retail.

I'll get back to you on the names of some of the places I went to in MN. It has been almost six months since my last visit and I honestly didn't pay a whole lot of attention to where we were going.

[steveh]

Originally posted by mrwaz
I just wish Hinterland would go back to bottling and selling their brew retail.

Oh NO! I didn't know they'd stopped! That's too bad, I always liked to bring back a six pack or two.

S.

[fretlessman71]

Hinterland is once again selling 12 packs of the pale ale! Can anyone find these where they are? :)

http://www.hinterlandbeer.com/brewery.shtml

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Can anyone find these where they are?

Where else would we find them? Hah! Sorry. :rolleyes:

On my next trip north, I'll see what I can find...

S.

[fretlessman71]

WELL, I suppose if I could find them where *I* am, I wouldn't be asking if anyone could find them where they are. And if someone COULD find them where they are, and they sent them to ME, then I'd be able to find them where *I* am, in a box on my stoop. This would mean that I was, in effect, able to find these beers where I WASN'T, because someone else was able to find them WHERE THEY ARE.

This has been a service of the Emergency Redundant Pleonasms Rescue Commision. Have a nice day. :)

[steveh]

Stick to the guitar Fret, your grammar sucks! ;)

S.

[fretlessman71]

Stick to the beer drinking, steveh - your memory stinks!

...says the bass player. ;)

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71


...says the bass player.

Technically, it's a "bass guitar," isn't it? Or are you strictly stand-up? :cool:

S.

[fretlessman71]

I play bass guitar, string bass, fretless 6 and 8 string basses, and keyboard bass. Add to that the fact that I sing now and I'm a QUINTUPLE THREAT. :cool: