What's Your Bid?

We spent the week getting bids to get our roof reshingled. We have a few more to go early next week and we should be able to make our pick for the job. We start painting the middle of next month, so the homestead should be looking good by the end of September.
I've been slacking posting my bands shows here on the blog. We've been playing a good bit lately and we have some fun shows lined up for fall. Check the link on the left of this page for the schedule. We will play McCann's on October 10th followed by a show at The Brau Brothers Brewery the next day-can you say road trip? The Braus hope to have their first "estate" beer on tap for the festival. It will be brewed with hops and barley grown on the brewery property. I can't wait to try it.

How cool Is This?!

My buddy JD from Jorgenson Pottery finished up our new tap handles. I'm way happy with them. Very unique and eye catching I feel. I really wanted something special instead of the run of the mill tap handles and I'm always about supporting local artists. See the pictures below for more insight on JD's process.

JD is now doing some prototype glasses, mugs and growlers for us with his next firing.

JD's Kiln

The kilning process is very labor intensive as it requires constant monitoring for three days. Not to mention many hours of loading pieces in the kiln for firing and the removal of pieces after the process is over. Helpers take shifts to add wood to the fire and keep an eye on things.

Adding Wood To The Fire

Getting Hotter!

JD's Wood Fired Pizza/Bread Oven

JD also built a wood fire oven for pizza and bread. We enjoyed some of the best pizza my taste buds have ever come across-Thanks JD!

Busy August

Summer is our slow time. With people out at the lakes and St. Cloud State without students, we just don't see the numbers we do in the fall and winter. But, I gotta tell you things have been pretty good lately. Beer is selling well and I'm brewing a good bit lately.

I still do not feel people in the area really know they have a craft brewery in town yet. Some of that is our fault, having a limited advertising budget as a new business. I've tried to get some interest from the local paper, but they do not seem to care there is a brewery in their town. Sad, considering the rich brewing history this town has. I suppose we will have to bite the bullet and do some advertising with them to get their interest. to bad it has to be that way.

Central Minnesota just doesn't have the beer culture the Twin Cities has, but I'm doing what I can to change that. I keep telling my self-one person at a time and it will come. This is my matra.

Fall is looking really good with the students coming back to town and people coming home from their cabins. We now have over 500+ growlers out in circulation and folks are coming back for refills, so things look good there also. I'm looking into growler deliveries starting next spring, but I have many details to work out. I'd like to deliver on my bike if possible to promote the "green" thingy. Not sure I can pull that off though. Peace Coffee delivers by bike in the cities and I really like that model. We'll see. Any other ideas you beer lovers may have? Let me know-I'd love to hear them.

Great Lakes Brewing News at McCann's

You can now pick up the "brewspaper" Great Lakes Brewing News at McCann's. It's free and a great way to catch up on all the local brewing goings on in the great lakes area.

Middle Town Braun Now On Tap

Here's the skivvy:
The Middle Town area of St. Cloud(now Downtown) was settled by Germans in the mid to late Eighteen hundreds. This dark amber lager is brewed in their honor. By using a large portion of Munich malt with the addition of chocolate and dark crystal malts, we achieve a beer with balanced caramel/toffee notes with a light roasted background. Our cold aging process produces An incredibly drinkable beer you will keep coming back to.
4.5% ABV

This one will be about as light as our Dark Seasonal gets, but we are in the dog days of summer and I thought this would be a little more refreshing. We still have the Dubbel Donker if you want to get your dark on. It fits style wise somewhere between a Octoberfest and Dunkel. This one is just made for our liter mugs and patio. I'm really digging the deep maltyness this beer dishes out.
Prost!

Do Not Delay!

If The Brewing Thing Doesn't Work Out...

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I'm in a haze from vacation withdrawl. Three days camping in Elkart Lake Wisconsin watching the American LeMans Series at Road America. We almost had a tire blowout on Sunday night, so we got a hotel and waited for the tire store to open Monday morning. Made it back home in six and a half hours after the tire was replaced.

I hope to be my "normal" self by tomorrow.

I'll have a new beer on by the end of the week-stay tuned.

On Tap Tomorrow...

EURO

PILS

Unlike the mass produced fizzy yellow "pilsners" brewed with adjuncts (corn/rice), our true style pilsner beer is brewed with 100% of the highest quality pilsner malt and Saaz hops from the Czech Republic. This golden lager is aged slowly at just above freezing for a clean, crisp finish. I LOVE saaz hops, so I add fresh Saaz hops to the fermenter during aging resulting in a wonderful floral aroma and thirst quenching finish.

My son and I leave for our first big camp out in Wisconsin Friday, so I'll wish you a happy weekend now as tomorrow will be busy with getting the pilsner on and packing up.

Drink your Pilsner!

Blue Bastard Now On Tap

The Two Rivers Apricot Ale is now gone and the Blue Bastard is now on tap.
I'm hoping to get the new lager on by the end of the week. Stay tuned for details.

Two Rivers Apricot Ale Now On Tap

The fist keg in our Summer Fruit Limited Reserve Series is now on tap.

Two Rivers Apricot Ale:
A light ale with the addition of natural apricot and spiced with just a dash of coriander as a nod to Belgian summer beers.
I'm not sure how long this will last, but it will go quick.

The next keg in the series will be:
Blue Bastard:
The offspring of our Golden Ale. A light gold ale Infused with natural blueberry. A refreshing summer brew for the hot days of August.
I'll update the blog when it goes on.

Check Out The Wee Little Ones

The hops in the back yard are well on their way. Looking foward to harvesting. Can anyone say fresh hop dry hopping?

I'm interested in how much of a bounty I will get.

Not sure what approach I'm going to use for drying yet, but I have some ideas.