Got Beer?

[The Rube]

Sat at noon. I'll be there at 11am. Last year they had a surprise drawing for bonus beer for people in line, which was nice.

[davescharf]

Sat at noon. I'll be there at 11am. Last year they had a surprise drawing for bonus beer for people in line, which was nice.

Bummer - i can't make Saturday work.

[The Rube]

I'd check in on Sunday; last year, Soviet Slayer lasted about a week. This year could be different, more people buying it right away due to shutdown, but worth a shot.

[davescharf]

I tried my first Humble Forager beer last night. Basically Forager down in Rochester invested in (or bought?) a brewery in WI so they can distribute in MN.

I had the Coastal Sunshine which is a sour with Blueberry, Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean and Maple Syrup. This really shouldn’t work on paper but it’s amazingly good. It’s like drinking a blueberry pancake smoothie with a touch of cinnamon added.

My wallet isn’t going to like me if I’m able to find more of their beers. it’s nice knowing though you can get beer from arguably the best brewer in the state without taking a trip to Rochester

[davescharf]

Nice thing about having a quiet day at work is I was able to get out over the lunch hour. Drove down to Badger Hill to get a few bottles of their Cherry Double Dunkel.

I’m not a huge fan of their beer overall but I love this one and I haven’t had it in a couple years

[D2D]

Anyone try any of Luce-Line Brewing beers? (new brewery in Plymouth)

https://www.lucelinebrewing.com/whats-pouring/

[davescharf]

Anyone try any of Luce-Line Brewing beers? (new brewery in Plymouth)

https://www.lucelinebrewing.com/whats-pouring/

Not yet - I do want to stop over and grab some to try though. They’ve only been open to the public for a week

Bourbon County gets released on Friday and my beer fridge (and my allocated space in the wine fridge) are both near capacity so I don’t have a lot of room to store more beer.

[The Rube]

Heard mixed reviews on Luce (expected). They are about a mile from where I work, so I will check them out at some point when things open up again. Saw some pics, looks like a nice space.

My beer storage is maxing out, will be cracking a 2012 Darkness tomorrow, and sharing a bottle of MI Green Apple Schramm's Mead with my parents for TDay dinner. Getting (potentially) 8 bombers from Back Channel and LTD this weekend. I will be maxed out at that point.

[Bigbeer]

I tried my first Humble Forager beer last night. Basically Forager down in Rochester invested in (or bought?) a brewery in WI so they can distribute in MN.

I had the Coastal Sunshine which is a sour with Blueberry, Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean and Maple Syrup. This really shouldn’t work on paper but it’s amazingly good. It’s like drinking a blueberry pancake smoothie with a touch of cinnamon added.

My wallet isn’t going to like me if I’m able to find more of their beers. it’s nice knowing though you can get beer from arguably the best brewer in the state without taking a trip to Rochester

Hate to break it to you but Forager should be available at a decent amount of stores in MN and WI. They use a smaller distributor but that distributor has a good amount of small, cool breweries so any solid craft beer store prolly has it.

[davescharf]

I tried my first Humble Forager beer last night. Basically Forager down in Rochester invested in (or bought?) a brewery in WI so they can distribute in MN.

I had the Coastal Sunshine which is a sour with Blueberry, Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean and Maple Syrup. This really shouldn’t work on paper but it’s amazingly good. It’s like drinking a blueberry pancake smoothie with a touch of cinnamon added.

My wallet isn’t going to like me if I’m able to find more of their beers. it’s nice knowing though you can get beer from arguably the best brewer in the state without taking a trip to Rochester

Hate to break it to you but Forager should be available at a decent amount of stores in MN and WI. They use a smaller distributor but that distributor has a good amount of small, cool breweries so any solid craft beer store prolly has it.

No I know. I probably haven’t seen it much because I’m just not in as many liquor stores as usual. 80% of what I’ve bought this year is crowlers from breweries directly

[The Rube]

Cracked that 2012 Darkness for TDay dinner. It's fire, BUT, it's gonna take a hard turn in the next couple of months. You can tell. A good sign: when my "It's just beer" Dad had it..."This would take getting used to," but LIKED it.....that's a good beer.

[davescharf]

Bourbon County purchases can get a little pricey this year if you can find the variants. One of them is $25 a bottle and a couple others are a little more than $30.

There generally aren’t 3 at this price point...maybe one most years with the rest being in that $15 range

[The Rube]

Bourbon County purchases can get a little pricey this year if you can find the variants. One of them is $25 a bottle and a couple others are a little more than $30.

There generally aren’t 3 at this price point...maybe one most years with the rest being in that $15 range

I couldn't hit stores until after work. Found 3 regs at $14/piece. That was fine by me. I always consider variants a bonus.

Stopped by LTD, they were selling vintage bottles to members only (if any are left, they go public tomorrow). 4 different ones, Bottled as for numbers of bottles released: 28, 29, 36, 69. This includes the Dream Maker, RIS, of which I still have a (truly) empty collectible. They made that for one of the owner's wedding, and originally had a screen shot of the couple on the bottle. They changed the label, but it's the same beer.

And tomorrow is Slayer Day at Back Channel. They upped the public offering to 2 bottles per. So I guess I'll be getting 6 bottles, due to membership benefits.

[davescharf]

Bourbon County purchases can get a little pricey this year if you can find the variants. One of them is $25 a bottle and a couple others are a little more than $30.

There generally aren’t 3 at this price point...maybe one most years with the rest being in that $15 range

I couldn't hit stores until after work. Found 3 regs at $14/piece. That was fine by me. I always consider variants a bonus.

Stopped by LTD, they were selling vintage bottles to members only (if any are left, they go public tomorrow). 4 different ones, Bottled as for numbers of bottles released: 28, 29, 36, 69. This includes the Dream Maker, RIS, of which I still have a (truly) empty collectible. They made that for one of the owner's wedding, and originally had a screen shot of the couple on the bottle. They changed the label, but it's the same beer.

And tomorrow is Slayer Day at Back Channel. They upped the public offering to 2 bottles per. So I guess I'll be getting 6 bottles, due to membership benefits.

I was able to get all of the variants. I have an extra of the Stout #4 if you’re interested in getting your hands on at least one of them

[Vegoe]

In Bev for some reason decided not to allocate BCBS or varietals to a lot of stores this year. Seems like an odd decision on their part as I saw plenty of BCBS and variatals hanging around from last year as of last week.

[The Rube]

I'm set on the beer, dave, but thanks! Now, off to actually organize my beer shelf in the fridge. Figure I'll have to sort by brewery, then by year as the subset order.

[davescharf]

In Bev for some reason decided not to allocate BCBS or varietals to a lot of stores this year. Seems like an odd decision on their part as I saw plenty of BCBS and variatals hanging around from last year as of last week.

Yeah - it was weird. Princeton’s this year didn’t get any varietals and that’s odd. The store I go to for BCBS usually doesn’t get as many of the variants but this year I got one of each of the 5 different ones.

[The Rube]

Random stop today and ended up finding the Wheatwine Caramella variant of the BCS at MGM on 7/Hopkins Crossroad (and they still had a ton of the regular left). Read the description, sounded interesting. We'll see how it actually tastes.

[The Rube]

I'd check in on Sunday; last year, Soviet Slayer lasted about a week. This year could be different, more people buying it right away due to shutdown, but worth a shot.

As of this morning, Back Channel still has regular and BA Slayer for sale. I might have picked up some additional bottles for the cellar.

[davescharf]

I'd check in on Sunday; last year, Soviet Slayer lasted about a week. This year could be different, more people buying it right away due to shutdown, but worth a shot.

As of this morning, Back Channel still has regular and BA Slayer for sale. I might have picked up some additional bottles for the cellar.

Ended up making a trip there tonight for both. Picked up a couple crowlers too

[gopherguy13]

Lupulin has now firmly broken into my top 5 Minnesota breweries. Everything they put out is so damn solid.

[Bigbeer]

Lupulin has now firmly broken into my top 5 Minnesota breweries. Everything they put out is so damn solid.

Off the top of my head:

Barrel Theory
Blackstack
Modist
Forager
Junkyard
Lupulin

[The Rube]

Lupulin has now firmly broken into my top 5 Minnesota breweries. Everything they put out is so damn solid.

Off the top of my head:

Barrel Theory
Blackstack
Modist
Forager
Junkyard
Lupulin

Agreed. Top to bottom in their beers. They don't miss very often, if at all.

The second group for that type of consistent quality/etc would be (in no order)
Back Channel
Bent Paddle
LTD
Drastic Measures
Falling Knife

[gopherguy06]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

[The Rube]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Drastic does distribute a little. Vinifera on 101/6, and Top Ten St Louis Park carry them for sure.

[davescharf]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Drastic does distribute a little. Vinifera on 101/6, and Top Ten St Louis Park carry them for sure.

You’ll find them at Princeton’s as well. Usually there’s a few in the cooler.

I’ve had a total of one Blackstack beer ever...755. I really should try them more but I rarely go out looking for IPA to buy. All my IPA loving friends though love their beer.

My dad lives within walking distance of Lupulin and we’ve started stopping there a little more often after seeing them. Some of their taproom only stuff, especially some of their lagers, are really good

[Bigbeer]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Weird that we both left Dangerous Man out of our lists when you could make a case for them being in the top tier

[The Rube]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Weird that we both left Dangerous Man out of our lists when you could make a case for them being in the top tier

They, like many other breweries nationally, are good, but others have simply surpassed them, IMO.

The classic case is Pliny The Elder being the top IPA in the country. It's still quality, but now there are better ones out there.

[sunbone]

Lupulin has now firmly broken into my top 5 Minnesota breweries. Everything they put out is so damn solid.

Off the top of my head:

Barrel Theory
Blackstack
Modist
Forager
Junkyard
Lupulin

Agreed. Top to bottom in their beers. They don't miss very often, if at all.

The second group for that type of consistent quality/etc would be (in no order)
Back Channel
Bent Paddle
LTD
Drastic Measures
Falling Knife

Agree with pretty much all of these except LTD.

[gopherguy13]

Lupulin has now firmly broken into my top 5 Minnesota breweries. Everything they put out is so damn solid.

Off the top of my head:

Barrel Theory
Blackstack
Modist
Forager
Junkyard
Lupulin

Agreed. Top to bottom in their beers. They don't miss very often, if at all.

The second group for that type of consistent quality/etc would be (in no order)
Back Channel
Bent Paddle
LTD
Drastic Measures
Falling Knife

I've never been to Drastic Measures, I don't make it up to that area of the state much at all, but that one will be in the back of my mind now.

Went to Falling Knife recently for the first time (about a month ago when the patio was open), and I really enjoyed just about everything I had, really good stuff.

[The Rube]

Again, you can find Drastic around here.
I will defend LTD hardcore. They don't make ZOMG beer, on a scale of 1-10, they continuously produce 6s over and over. I'd rather have that than have a brewery make a 10 one time, and a 1 the next, you know? For me, consistency is key.

[sunbone]

Again, you can find Drastic around here.
I will defend LTD hardcore. They don't make ZOMG beer, on a scale of 1-10, they continuously produce 6s over and over. I'd rather have that than have a brewery make a 10 one time, and a 1 the next, you know? For me, consistency is key.

I guess where you see consistency I see mediocrity. There are just a lot of better options out there IMO.

[The Rube]

Again, you can find Drastic around here.
I will defend LTD hardcore. They don't make ZOMG beer, on a scale of 1-10, they continuously produce 6s over and over. I'd rather have that than have a brewery make a 10 one time, and a 1 the next, you know? For me, consistency is key.

I guess where you see consistency I see mediocrity. There are just a lot of better options out there IMO.

Mediocrity, and that actually would be a compliment, would be Bald Man or Enki.

[gopherguy06]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Weird that we both left Dangerous Man out of our lists when you could make a case for them being in the top tier

I think it is in the top tier, but also about distribution and location. I used to live 3 blocks from DM and got it all the time and will drive over there and get it now. Don't see in the stores. I am not sure how mch they distribute, if at all.

[davescharf]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Weird that we both left Dangerous Man out of our lists when you could make a case for them being in the top tier

I think it is in the top tier, but also about distribution and location. I used to live 3 blocks from DM and got it all the time and will drive over there and get it now. Don't see in the stores. I am not sure how mch they distribute, if at all.

They don’t. NE bars will sometimes get kegs but that’s about it. They have no need to distribute when they can sell everything out of their building. It’s more profitable that way and I’ve gotten the sense they’re not interested in being as big as a bunch of other breweries

[gopherguy06]

Never been to drastic measures but really like Dangerous Man

Weird that we both left Dangerous Man out of our lists when you could make a case for them being in the top tier

I think it is in the top tier, but also about distribution and location. I used to live 3 blocks from DM and got it all the time and will drive over there and get it now. Don't see in the stores. I am not sure how mch they distribute, if at all.

They don’t. NE bars will sometimes get kegs but that’s about it. They have no need to distribute when they can sell everything out of their building. It’s more profitable that way and I’ve gotten the sense they’re not interested in being as big as a bunch of other breweries

Yeah,that was my feeling too when I went there. It was always packed and almost never stayed in the taproom and mainly got a growler fill and left. They have some great beer and probably don't get much attention sinec they aren't distributing.

[davescharf]

Go out for one of DM’s bottle releases and I think you’ll find they get a lot of attention. They may not sell out in hours (although some do) but it’s rare to see bottles for sale after about a week after release

I don’t have more recent data but I read somewhere that in 2017 DM sold about 2000 barrels of beer. That’s an insane amount to be selling out of your Growler shop. If they are comfortable with not getting any bigger then there’s no reason to distribute it and deal with all the costs associated with that.

There’s a lot of breweries with this direct to consumer model all over the US. Its more profitable for them and they have better control over the product. They also probably don’t have the same level of debt service for their equipment either because they don’t have a massive brewhouse.

[gopherguy06]

Yeah, I guess what I was saying is the attention you see on lists and what not. They defnitely get attention locally and their releases are always nuts, which was nice when I lived there. I could get in line or come back, depending on how it was. The taproom always was packed. Distribution definitely adds more costs and infrastructure, so they seem happy where they are. The have a small footprint building in NE and use the space well!

[The Rube]

DM won't distribute. Was talking with a random before the pandemic, at LTD, and they mentioned they asked about DM doing distro, and the answer they got was, "Why would we?"

[gopherguy06]

DM won't distribute. Was talking with a random before the pandemic, at LTD, and they mentioned they asked about DM doing distro, and the answer they got was, "Why would we?"

Agreed. No reason to do it. They have a sweet spot and put out great beer. No need to over reach.

[davescharf]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

[The Rube]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

[davescharf]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

[The Rube]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

That is a load of horsesh*. Blackstack is actually making MORE money during the shutdown, and Back Channel and LTD are still doing okay, along with many other breweries.

[davescharf]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

That is a load of horsesh*. Blackstack is actually making MORE money during the shutdown, and Back Channel and LTD are still doing okay, along with many other breweries.

I don't doubt for a minute some could be struggling but I think a lot of people are trying to support the local breweries and distilleries. We've bought more Crowlers this year then probably the past couple years put together.

We've also bought a number of mixer packages at Norseman this year and it's been a lot of fun to try those. We like that they're selling just the mixers too because we're buying some extras to drink down some of the large collection of booze we've accumulated over the years.

[gopherguy06]

Super cool space on the lake and fun decor but the beer wasn’t great. Too bad as it was close

[fightclub30]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

That is a load of horsesh*. Blackstack is actually making MORE money during the shutdown, and Back Channel and LTD are still doing okay, along with many other breweries.

I don't doubt for a minute some could be struggling but I think a lot of people are trying to support the local breweries and distilleries. We've bought more Crowlers this year then probably the past couple years put together.

We've also bought a number of mixer packages at Norseman this year and it's been a lot of fun to try those. We like that they're selling just the mixers too because we're buying some extras to drink down some of the large collection of booze we've accumulated over the years.

They had truly HORRIBLE beer. I will echo the same comments, between my friend and I each ordering a flight, I think we each were able to finish a single beer out of them. None were enjoyable at all, and several weren't even drinkable. It was awful beer. I had a "calibration beer" from Bent paddle as they were opening, where it wasn't great but you could tell they just needed to get the equipment figured out. (Gave me a free pint when I brought back the calibration growler cap the following year, haha). Wayzata Beer Works wasnt anywhere near that.

People drank it because of the location and it is close. Beer people weren't drinking it. There are several breweries like that I think. 612 (and, in my opinion, Bauhaus to a lesser degree) have survived based on location while producing mediocre beer at best. Could Wayzata Brew Works have survived without a shutdown? Yeah probably. Did they make great beer that people sought out? Not even close. Had they made even decent beer, people would've come from growler fills and helped out a bit.

[The Rube]

612 is not good, I agree. Bauhaus is meh. I don't go looking for them, that's for sure.

I know Bald Man is surviving only due to location, but hopefully Ineffable cures that issue. Construction has started again on the new Hopkins brewery (Bear Cave, something like that). It'll be interesting to see what happens there, as I have found that Hopkins is really loyal to LTD.

[Steve MN]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

That is a load of horsesh*. Blackstack is actually making MORE money during the shutdown, and Back Channel and LTD are still doing okay, along with many other breweries.

Actually, in a lot of ways, the lockdown really is the trigger for them closing. It sounds like the only real draw of the place was the location/space itself, not the beer. So, they were doing ok before lockdown, even though the beer wasn't worth a damn. Now that they're forced to try to run based on the beer itself, the inevitable happens.

[The Rube]

I saw that Wayzata Brew Works is closing effective immediately.

Oh shucks. Great space, horrible beer. Went there twice, and couldn't even finish the flight I ordered each time.

My thoughts exactly. The one time we went they had a few of my favorite styles you don't see elsewhere (stuff like Baltic Porters and Dopplebocks). I finished some of them but not many.

In their closure note they made it clear why they think they went out of business...it's on FB if you haven't seen it.

That is a load of horsesh*. Blackstack is actually making MORE money during the shutdown, and Back Channel and LTD are still doing okay, along with many other breweries.

Actually, in a lot of ways, the lockdown really is the trigger for them closing. It sounds like the only real draw of the place was the location/space itself, not the beer. So, they were doing ok before lockdown, even though the beer wasn't worth a damn. Now that they're forced to try to run based on the beer itself, the inevitable happens.

And that is my issue. Instead of the product itself, and not admitting the byproducts were the real draw, they blamed others. Bah.

[gopherguy06]

612 is not good, I agree. Bauhaus is meh. I don't go looking for them, that's for sure.

I know Bald Man is surviving only due to location, but hopefully Ineffable cures that issue. Construction has started again on the new Hopkins brewery (Bear Cave, something like that). It'll be interesting to see what happens there, as I have found that Hopkins is really loyal to LTD.

612 was not good and haven’t been back since. Great location right there but too many choices in NE to deal with a bad one. I don’t mind Bauhaus sometimes but nothing special. A couple are fine to drink and the space is cool

[sunbone]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

[D2D]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

Looking forward to the "2021 Chinese Slayer" which is supposed to be excellent.

[The Rube]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

The regular? Haven't had it yet. But, have had the Double BA a couple times on tap, and that is outstanding. Have 3 bottles of the reg, and 7 of the Double BA. Heck I still have 2018 and 2019 Slayer (and a 2019 BA) in my fridge.

Cracked the current Prairie BA Mocha Noir, and BA Weekend tonight, both are excellent, and met the expectations, given Prairie's reputation.

[davescharf]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

The regular? Haven't had it yet. But, have had the Double BA a couple times on tap, and that is outstanding. Have 3 bottles of the reg, and 7 of the Double BA. Heck I still have 2018 and 2019 Slayer (and a 2019 BA) in my fridge.

Cracked the current Prairie BA Mocha Noir, and BA Weekend tonight, both are excellent, and met the expectations, given Prairie's reputation.

Is the BA bourbon and cognac? I know it’s the 2019 vintage

[The Rube]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

The regular? Haven't had it yet. But, have had the Double BA a couple times on tap, and that is outstanding. Have 3 bottles of the reg, and 7 of the Double BA. Heck I still have 2018 and 2019 Slayer (and a 2019 BA) in my fridge.

Cracked the current Prairie BA Mocha Noir, and BA Weekend tonight, both are excellent, and met the expectations, given Prairie's reputation.

Is the BA bourbon and cognac? I know it’s the 2019 vintage

Yes. Got a preview of it about a month ago (right before Shutdown 2.0) and then got a sample of it while waiting in line (well "waiting") for the release. And that's a good point, the 2019 BA is the 2018 vintage also.

[gopherguy06]

Surly did some variants on the Darkness for the first time. Picked up one of each to try and also a 13 and Culture Collab

Flavors are Mole, Double Vanilla and Vietnamese Coffee

[sunbone]

The 2020 Soviet Slayer is really good. Very well done.

The regular? Haven't had it yet. But, have had the Double BA a couple times on tap, and that is outstanding. Have 3 bottles of the reg, and 7 of the Double BA. Heck I still have 2018 and 2019 Slayer (and a 2019 BA) in my fridge.

Cracked the current Prairie BA Mocha Noir, and BA Weekend tonight, both are excellent, and met the expectations, given Prairie's reputation.

I had the regular. I have a bottle of the double BA but haven’t cracked it yet.

[GO4]

Surly did some variants on the Darkness for the first time. Picked up one of each to try and also a 13 and Culture Collab

Flavors are Mole Vanilla and Vietnamese Coffee

They put out a double vanilla variant as well. Seems like the double vanilla is coming off the shelves fastest.

Edit: I just realized you probably had all 3 in your post although it seemed like all 3 of them have a few additives in them.

[The Rube]

Got the collabs today, and thanks to a friend that works at the store I bought it from, got some other vintage stuff:
Bell's 25th Anniv Ale
Bell's Batch 10,000
Surly 2015
Fulton BA Libertine

[davescharf]

I stopped by Indeed to get some beer for my wife and she said "see if they have any pastry stouts". They didn't, but I stopped at Pryes and picked up their Stroopwafel pastry Stout (which was very easy drinking and very heavy on the caramel as you'd expect) and their Hazelnut one that we haven't tried.

On a whim I grabbed a crowler of their Blueberry Cobbler Ale as well. If there's a Blueberry shortage in the world it's because every single one was put into this beer. It tastes exactly like the blueberry cobblers we made on my Boy Scout camping trips as a teenager and I'm absolutely loving it.

[D2D]

My wife likes to have a beer when she's preparing dinner for the two of us*. Obviously not a "beer tasting expert" as exemplified by one of her two "must have" favorites:

(a) Blue Moon
(b) Stella Artois

Any suggestions for others that "fit the mold" that I should buy along these lines for her to try?

* When it comes to my turn to prepare dinner, by no means sexist at all, but I prefer to have a nice wine to compliment dinner. But she prefers a beer!

[Bladepuller]

Curious what what the beer people think of:
Gar Fish in Bethel. He may have a tap in Smokies when I'm in there (Smokies) I like the Founders Scottish Bastard, for some odd reason.
There is a brewery on W. Broadway in Robbinsdale. Angry Wort, that has been a good donor for the motorcycle non-profit I was an officer was. He has a contractor for brewery equipment before getting into the retail side.
I hear my "beer snob" son in laws talk and recognize that brew pups have hits and misses. Just interested in general thoughts

[davescharf]

Never been to Garfish. Wicked Wort (not Angry) isn’t too far from my house. Don’t go too often because mainly we can’t bring the kids, but they have a few decent things.

When they first opened though it was in my opinion the worst place in MN. I still have never had a stout worse that the 2.5% ABV one they made

[davescharf]

Curious what what the beer people think of:
Gar Fish in Bethel. He may have a tap in Smokies when I'm in there (Smokies) I like the Founders Scottish Bastard, for some odd reason.
There is a brewery on W. Broadway in Robbinsdale. Angry Wort, that has been a good donor for the motorcycle non-profit I was an officer was. He has a contractor for brewery equipment before getting into the retail side.
I hear my "beer snob" son in laws talk and recognize that brew pups have hits and misses. Just interested in general thoughts

That Dirty Bastard beer from Founders is good. The Bourbon Barrel Aged one (called Backwoods Bastard) is even better

[Bladepuller]

Backwoods Bastard? I have a beer named after me? Yay!

[davescharf]

My wife likes to have a beer when she's preparing dinner for the two of us*. Obviously not a "beer tasting expert" as exemplified by one of her two "must have" favorites:

(a) Blue Moon
(b) Stella Artois

Any suggestions for others that "fit the mold" that I should buy along these lines for her to try?

* When it comes to my turn to prepare dinner, by no means sexist at all, but I prefer to have a nice wine to compliment dinner. But she prefers a beer!

First things that come to mind would be a Fulton Lonely Blonde or Standard Lager. Maybe a Leinie’s Honey Weiss too

[The Rube]

Wicked Wort is good.
Thea Bastard Series from Founders is good.


Cracking the Surly Darkness variants (2020) and the Mole is awesome, the double vanilla is slightly better than average for that level of beer.

[fightclub30]

My wife likes to have a beer when she's preparing dinner for the two of us*. Obviously not a "beer tasting expert" as exemplified by one of her two "must have" favorites:

(a) Blue Moon
(b) Stella Artois

Any suggestions for others that "fit the mold" that I should buy along these lines for her to try?

* When it comes to my turn to prepare dinner, by no means sexist at all, but I prefer to have a nice wine to compliment dinner. But she prefers a beer!

Going to suggest some local, relatively easy to find options:

Stella is a Belgian Pilsner. Everything Blackstack makes is anywhere from great to phenomenal, and I don't think I am exaggerating. They make a Pilsner called Fugazi that might be worth a try. I've got a buddy who likes pilsners that enjoys Bent Paddle's Venture Pils.

As far as blue moon goes, it is listed as a Belgian witbeer. It's been a longtime since I had had a blue moon, I might suggest Fulton Lonely Blonde or maybe Steel Toe Provider. Lupulin also makes a Belgian Blonde and Apricot Blonde, however both are seasonal and I am not sure either is available right now.

I know Belgian yeast gives off some pretty distinct flavors, and that could be what she likes in those beers. I am not sure what local breweries might be using Belgian yeast strains. Someone with more info than me would have to answer that. Lupulin's Belgian Blonde might just use Belgian yeast... Not 100% sure though.

Often times, my go-to for introducing people to either craft beer in general and/or a more hop-forward flavor is Surly Xtra Citra. It is pretty cheap (relatively speaking in the craft beer world) and is fairly easy on the palette, I have had lots of former MGD drinkers say "You know, that's not too bad" which is high praise coming from them. Just thought I'd throw that out that, I recognize it isn't what you are asking though.

[gopherguy06]

Curious what what the beer people think of:
Gar Fish in Bethel. He may have a tap in Smokies when I'm in there (Smokies) I like the Founders Scottish Bastard, for some odd reason.
There is a brewery on W. Broadway in Robbinsdale. Angry Wort, that has been a good donor for the motorcycle non-profit I was an officer was. He has a contractor for brewery equipment before getting into the retail side.
I hear my "beer snob" son in laws talk and recognize that brew pups have hits and misses. Just interested in general thoughts

A husband and wife who I graduated with at Blaine opened Garphish. Never had their beer but they seem to be doing well and well liked locally. With Alloy, 10k and Invictus, quite a few in that little area but haven’t had much other than Invictus.

[Bladepuller]

My Ham Lake / Ely S. in L. knows him too.
Odd place to open, Bethel, & right across the road from a townie / biker bar, The Dugout.

[The Rube]

For wine-lovers, try some lambics. The entry level is Lindemann's. Quite tasty. If you know someone (who might have to know someone).Cantillon is prime.
LTD brought back their Cherry Abbey which is rather good, and their Firkin this week (if it's still available) is an Amaretto Maple Stout. Frankly, it's carbonated Amaretto (not a bad thing).

[gopherguy06]

My Ham Lake / Ely S. in L. knows him too.
Odd place to open, Bethel, & right across the road from a townie / biker bar, The Dugout.

Yeah and the space was an old church IIRC

[Bigbeer]

If she likes Blue Moon have her try Avery White Rascal....it’s like Blue Moon with flavor

[Bladepuller]

My Ham Lake / Ely S. in L. knows him too.
Odd place to open, Bethel, & right across the road from a townie / biker bar, The Dugout.

Yeah and the space was an old church IIRC

Yes it was and after that the City of Bethel had their city offices there before they moved into the old elementary school / Sandhill Center.