Anybody There?

This stubborn cold is still hanging on. Although, it didn't keep me from visiting the Beer Dabbler this past weekend. It was a fun event, but I think I would have enjoyed the beer so much more if I could have smelled it...

Last Friday, I made a post asking for any beer requests that you, the readers, might have. I got myself all excited and was eagerly awaiting responses in the comment section. I monitored the web traffic visiting the site and saw that I had a good number of visitors checking out the post. However, I discovered that I must have the most shy readers in the world! All those hits, and only one comment.

Let's give this another try. Don't be afraid to leave a comment, because I really, truly, honestly want to hear from all of you. Can you think of any beers you'd like me to taste in one of my beer briefs?

Let me hear your thoughts. Ready? Go!

Beer Requests

For this post, I was considering another Beer Brief. However, I finally got my first cold of the season. I like to make sure I don't taste any new brews while I have a stuffy nose. That ruled out a Beer Brief, in my mind.

While I was thinking about my options, something new popped into my head! What could this wonderful idea be? Well, it involves reader participation. Here it is:

I'd love to know if any of you, my readers, have any specific beers you'd like me to taste for future Beer Briefs. I have plenty of my own lined up, but maybe you've been waiting for me to try one that you're curious about. Want to know about a new beer you've seen on a shelf recently? Or, you might know of a rare, unique brew and would like to more about it. Whatever the reason, join into the discussion.

What Beer Brief requests do you have? Let me know in the comments.

This should be fun...

Best Craft Beer Store in Cottage Grove

In continuing with the second post for my "Best Craft Beer Store" series, I just traveled a little bit north of Hastings, to the city of Cottage Grove. I have friends that live there, so I was already familiar with a few of the local liquor stores. However, I decided to be thorough and visited a few of the main contenders in one evening, to refresh my memory. I had also heard great things about a store that I had not yet visited, so I needed to stop there. Good thing I did, because that store turned out to be the winner: Dennis Brothers Liquor.

Dennis Brothers is located on the back side (or east side) of Cottage Grove, in a strip mall just off the intersection of 70th Street and Keats Avenue. I call that the back side because it's far away from most of the other retail businesses, I rarely drive back there, and you can see open fields where the housing ends. In the strip mall, the store is situated towards the corner of the L-shaped building, right next to Subway. I'm going through all the trouble of describing where it's located for 2 reasons: 1) It's hard to find unless you're looking specifically for it, and 2) You need to make the trip there if you're a fan of quality beer!

The second I walked into the store, I couldn't believe my eyes. Why had I not been here before? There were shelves and shelves of spectacular imports and tasty American craft brews. It's not very often that I walk into a liquor store and see many beers I haven't tried before, but at Dennis Brothers, I hadn't tasted 75% of the beers on the first section of shelving! They definitely have a great selection.

As far as customer service is concerned, Dennis Brothers nailed that as well. In my awe of the number and variety of brews, I was looking over every bottle carefully. From the front counter, I heard man ask, "How are you doing over there, sir? You've been awfully quiet since you came in." It turned out to be Steve Dennis, one of the brothers that owns the store. He came over and started talking to me about beer and supporting local breweries and was even good enough to recommend a bottle to me. He told me they have over 700 varieties of beer and have been in business for 9 years. We must have chatted for an hour (it was a slow night because of crappy weather). All this from the brother who handles the wine and liquor. He said his brother would be the better one to talk to about beer...

It was getting close to closing time, so I finished making my selections and said goodbye to Steve and Dennis Brothers Liquor. After visiting some other stores that night, it was the perfect way to end the evening. I will definitely be going back for future visits.

If you're ever in the area of Cottage Grove and you're a big fan of delicious, quality beer, you owe it to yourself to visit Dennis Brothers Liquor, the Best Craft Beer Store in Cottage Grove.

Coborn's Tasting Tomorrow

We finally had our first truly Minnesota winter temperatures this past week. (It's amazing that it didn't hit us until this far into January.) After those low temps, wouldn't you feel warm and fuzzy inside if you had a tasty brew to drink this weekend?

Tomorrow, January 21st, I will be pouring samples at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor. I'm not quite sure which beers to select yet, so I don't have a list. I think I'll have to make the decision right before the tasting by feeling inspired when I look at the shelves.

Here's what I can tell you about the beers: I know they'll be good, and I know there will be 6 of them, but you'll have to stop by the store between 2-6pm if you want to satisfy your curiosity. Hope to see you there!

Beer Brief #13 - Forgotten Flem

Brewery - Brau Brothers Brewing Company, Lucan, Minnesota

Beer - Forgotten Flem

Style - Belgian Farmhouse Ale

ABV - 5.3%

Color - Light copper with an off-white head

Aroma - Hint of sour fruit, crackers, earthy, herbal

Flavor - Biscuity malt, touch of tartness, rye spice, light metallic bitterness with dry finish

Verdict - Spice and dry; two words that definitely belong in the description for a farmhouse ale. This brew has those characteristics and is a light, crisp, easy-drinking brew.

Tough job, but somebody's got to do it...

After putting my kids to bed last night (or at least attempting to - thank you to my lovely wife for assisting), I headed over to Coborn's Liquor to taste some new beer samples with Keith, the store manager. One of our distributors dropped off 5 varieties from 2 different breweries last week. We sat down to sip on said brews and pondered whether they would be worth bringing into the store. Difficult, tough, hard work, right?

The first 3 we tried were from Big Bay Brewing out of Shorewood, WI:

• Wavehopper Kolsch Style Ale - 4.8% ABV, 21 IBU - Bready aroma, bready malt, and a doughy finish. This beer is all about bread with a little lemon crispness and a slightly bitter twang.
• Boatilla Amber Ale - 4.8% ABV, 26 IBU - Keith loved the color on this one. He said, "This is the perfect color of a good bourbon whisky." That it was. Flavors? Caramel malt with a quick sharp finish and bright, crisp mouthfeel. I did detect a very slight plastic off-flavor, but it was minimal.
• Long Weekend IPA - 5.5% ABV, 45 IBU - Citrus honey aromas are mirrored in the flavor, multiplied by grapefruit. It has a seemingly mild bitter finish because the sweet malt balances everything out.

The final 2 brews came from Atwater Brewing in Detroit, MI:

• Vanilla Java Porter - 5.5% ABV, 12 IBU - Coffee is there, but plays second fiddle to vanilla in the aroma. Taking a sip starts you at vanilla and tries to go to coffee, but ends up at milk chocolate instead. Sweet, but not overly so, with a flat, even finish.
• Voodoo Vator Doppelbock - 9% ABV, 26 IBU - Definitely the darkest doppelbock I've seen, the dark brown color borders on black. The nose is caramel and a maybe a touch of figs. Full, sweet caramel flavor combines with a touch of roastiness and transitions to a quick window of bitterness before the clean finish.

None of these beers were bad, by any means. They are all enjoyable in their own right. Decision time.

Talking it over with Keith, we decided the Big Bay brews are good, but a dime a dozen. They are so similar to many other varieties we stock that they probably aren't worth bringing into the limited space in our store.

On the other hand, the 2 Atwater brews are definitely unique (and tasty) enough to merit some shelf space. We may have some new beers on the shelves in the near future...

Beer Brief #12 - Surly Five

Brewery - Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Beer - Five

Style - American Wild Ale aged in red wine barrels

ABV - 7-8% range (can't find consistent info online)

Color - Dark brown, hints of ruby when held to light, tan head

Aroma - Caramel, tart cherries, earthy spice, touch of vanilla

Flavor - Subtle cidery sweetness, lemon, crabapple, leathery soft finish

Verdict - A nice, drinkable sour wild ale. Tart, but not overly so. Finishes surprisingly light, which makes it easy to reach for the next sip.

Possible New Local Brews on the Horizon

Recently, I found myself in some very good craft beer company. Amongst a couple other beer geeks like myself, I was able to chat with two of our local brewers. The conversations were great and, of course, eventually led to me asking about what future beers they have coming down the line.

Joe Pond is the man behind Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company. He already brews what may be my favorite Minnesota beer (at the moment), The Auroch's Horn. His first winter seasonal, Ode to a Russian Shipwright, has done very well. He mentioned two future beers he has planned, and they sound great: 1 - a sahti, an old beer style traditionally brewed with juniper branches, and 2 - The Auroch's Horn with rhubarb. Sign me up for both...

Dan Stavig, one of the brewers from Brau Brothers, was the other craftsman I visited with. I did a tour of the Brau brewery this past spring and had a great time. They're some great guys making some quality beer, and I've really enjoyed watching their success. Dan mentioned an upcoming beer that sounds very exciting: a ryewine aged in rye whiskey barrels. Mmm, double the rye, making my mouth water...

I can't wait for these beers to hit the market, and it's hard to contain my beer geek excitement. That's why I wanted to share this with all of you. I hope you're anticipating them as much as I am.

Beer Brief #11 - Southern Tier Oak Aged Cuvee 1

Brewery - Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, New York

Beer - Oak Aged Ale Cuvee 1

Style - American Strong Ale

ABV - 11%

Color - Light copper with an off-white head

Aroma - Toffee, figs, brown sugar, hazelnut

Flavor - Rich, sweet, vanilla, caramel, hint of roasted walnut, slight earthy hop

Verdict - Freakin' good stuff. Huge on aroma and flavor, while hiding the ABV well. I wish I had some more...

Best Craft Beer Bar in Hastings

Not too long ago, I made my first "Best Craft Beer Store" post. It's a series I hope to continue by visiting other local cities' liquor stores thoroughly in the future. However, I've already decided to expand the "Best" idea to include local watering holes that serve tasty brews. Hence this post, the first "Best Craft Beer Bar" post on the Lupulin Libations blog. Of course, I had to start with my hometown of Hastings.

Hastings doesn't have many options for bars that serve good craft beer, but in my visits to the local establishments I have found there is one standout: RJ's Tavern in downtown. Now, keep in mind that this local staple isn't a huge craft beer powerhouse. In fact, I went there on my 21st birthday and guzzled a few MGDs way back when they only had a couple big macros on tap. Things have changed a bit since then (imagine that), and now it's my favorite bar in town. What RJ's does well is a great pub atmosphere, good burgers and sandwiches, and the best craft beer selection in Hastings.

When you walk into RJ's Tavern, the look and feel of the (somewhat) recent remodel and expansion may strike a chord. You'll see a lot of dark stained wood, a rough rock wall, and the big, central horseshoe bar with it's copper counter-tops and stained glass lights. It definitely feels like a good place to sip some suds.

Belly up to the bar and notice that 11 of their taps are reserved for craft beer and imports. Check the beer list and you'll see that they also have bottled craft beer available, including at least one variety in a 22 ounce bomber. In my own visits, I've had delicious brews like Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild and Stone Arrogant Bastard in bombers. Tasty, tasty goodness, available for a beer lover's pleasure.

Looking for burgers and sandwiches? You're in luck! Browse the menu and check out their many tastily topped and stuffed burgers, along with their non-burger sandwich options. The food is a great accompaniment to the brews.

Next time you're in Hastings and looking for a place to stop for beer and food, make sure you visit RJ's Tavern, the Best Craft Beer Bar in town.