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Ryan Tuenge
Ryan Tuenge is an avid home brewer and craft beer lover who
is not afraid to spend his last $5 on a pint of beer at the local pub.
As a member of the Minnesota Home Brewers Association, Ryan has tried a wide variety of beers and has toured many of the local breweries. He also has a blog about craft beer in Minnesota. He likes to read, write and travel with his wife. Follow him on Twitter @lodgefather.
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Bad Weather is Brewing
Posted by: Ryan Tuenge under Beer, Beer, Local business Updated: March 25, 2013 - 11:36 PM
The brainchild of Zach Carpenter and Joe Giambruno, Bad Weather Brewing is out to blur the lines regarding beer styles. The artwork which is nothing short of spectacular is done by Lucas Gluesenkamp and depicts the haunting beauty of Minnesota weather.
The two (Zach and Joe) will join Lucid and Badger Hill Brewing at their brewery in Minnetonka under an alternating proprietorship. Since last summer after finishing brewing school Zach has spent his time learning all about the process with the guys from Lucid Brewing and is excited to bring his brews to the craft beer lover. What is neat about this set up is that consumers will be able to purchase growlers from all three breweries at one location pending government approval.
Their first brew Ominus which is something like an Imperial English Brown Ale was released at Republic last week and as of today will be available at the Happy Gnome in St. Paul. This brew is definitely a winter warmer brewed with dark candy sugar, oats, and English and Belgian malts. Some flavors that come out of this one are warm chocolate and dark fruits and the ABV checks in at 7.5%.
The year round offering from Bad Weather is called Windvane which is a sort of a hoppy Red Ale according to Zach. This is brewed with Columbus hops which gives it a resinous and piney flavor. This one weighs in at 6% ABV.
The spring offering here will be Migration which was described as similar to a Kölsch and brewed with rose hips. This one is not currently available.
For summer expect to see Firefly Rye which will be a Rye Pale Ale and should be a big hit in the warmer months. This one is also not yet available.
Bad Weather is going to be available at the Muddy Pig in St. Paul on Thursday, March 28th and at 6:30 the same day there will be a dinner at Pairings in Minnetonka featuring Bad Weather, Lucid and Badger Hill Brewing.
Now if only spring would get here..
Cheers!
Winterfest: A Sneak Peek
Posted by: Ryan Tuenge under Beer, Food, beer, wine events, Beer, Local business Updated: January 31, 2013 - 3:03 PMFor those who were fortunate enough to get tickets, Winterfest 2013 promises to deliver. Featuring almost 40 breweries and catering by Bon Appétit, fest-goers are certain to tantalize their taste buds with everything from chili pepper Pilsners to Russian Imperial Stouts.
One of the best parts about the festival is the intimate setting, which allows the beer lover to meet the brewers and the people behind their favorite brews. If you’ve never been to the History Center it is a beautiful space that creates the perfect atmosphere for this event. The annual Snowshoe Award will be given to the brewery that brings the best beer (as voted on by the attendees). Last year’s winner was Barley John’s Brew Pub for its Dark Knight, but they will have some stiff competition this year.
Some beers worth seeking out this year include Lift Bridge’s first Russian Imperial Stout named Silhouette. This 10.5% monster was aged in a single barrel with 12-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels and will be featured at the brewery during the release party on February 9th. They are also offering a bacon version, sure to redefine the term “breakfast of champions.”
Another intriguing brew is the product of a local collaboration between Indeed Brewing and Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub. Hot Box Imperial Smoked Pepper Porter was made at Indeed with smoked malt and chilies from Northbound. This one is not to be missed.
For the coffee lovers out there, Harriet Brewing will be breaking out Peace Coffee Elevator Doppelbock. Lightly toasted and infused with cold press concentrate, Elevator will surely please the palate.
Surly Brewing is, once again, pulling out all the stops with a beer called Pentagram, which is a dark ale fermented with Brettanomyces and aged in red wine barrels. This beer will be hitting shelves in bottles this February. Get in line early for this one as it may not last too long.
Fitger’s Brewhouse is bringing a 3-hop IPA called Hoppelujah which will deliver aromas of blueberry, peaches, grapes, and grapefruit and should finish clean. Fitger’s has been known to brew some of the most interesting beers around and by looking at their line-up for this year, they’re continuing the trend.
Winterfest will also be a great opportunity for you to get a first taste of some of the many new breweries such as Dangerous Man, 612 Brew, Canal Park Brewing, and NorthGate.
The doors open at 7:00 PM and the event goes until 10:00 PM. Remember to plan a sober ride home and to drink responsibly. Here is a link to the Metro Transit site where you can find bus schedules. Also according to MNBeer.com (a great source for beer news) there will be free car rides available thanks to a partnership between Better Beer Society and Uber (car service). Check out the details here. Have fun meeting some of the people behind your favorite beers.
Cheers!
The Tree of Local Brewers
Posted by: Ryan Tuenge under Entertainment, Beer, Local business Updated: January 17, 2013 - 10:33 PMOver the past few years our local craft beer market has grown considerably. In 2010 alone, our market produced 386 brewing jobs—providing 23.5 million dollars in wages. With this growth, opportunities have opened up for understudies to take their skills to the next level.
Where are these new brewmasters coming from? Take a look around—many of them are coming from local breweries and brewpubs. Here are just some of the examples:
- Indeed brewer, Josh Bischoff, cut his teeth for years behind Mike Hoops at Town Hall Brewery.
- Also coming from Town Hall is Jamie Robinson, who recently opened Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub where he is the brewmaster and creative mind behind their offerings.
- Bob DuVernois left Great Waters Brewing Company to take his talent to Excelsior Brewing where he is making waves with some quality brews on the lake.
- Formerly with Summit Brewing Company, Horace Cunningham is now with Third Street Brewhouse out of Cold Spring, MN.
- Colin Mullen of Bent Paddle Brewing in Duluth came from Barley John’s Brew Pub and his business partner, Brian Tonnis, put his work in at Rock Bottom Brewery in Minneapolis before heading north.
- Also coming from Rock Bottom was Todd Haug, who went on to become head brewer of Surly Brewing when they opened in 2005.
Since 2005, the following breweries have opened right here in Minnesota. In no particular order: Surly; Fulton; Lift Bridge; Harriet; Olvalde; Boom Island; Northbound; Indeed; Carmody; Dubrue; Canal Park; Bent Paddle; Third Street; Staples Mill; Pour Decisions; Excelsior; Borealis Fermentary; Flat Earth; Lucid; Badger Hill; Leach Lake; Mankato Brewing; Jack Pine; Vine Park; and Steel Toe.
Coming soon are: Dangerous Man Brewing (January 25th); 612 Brew; NorthGate; Bad Weather Brewing; and Wolf Brewing out of Stillwater, which will be re-opening. That’s 30 new breweries in 8 years with no end in sight.
One thing is certain: if you have quality brewing experience it is a good time to be living here in Minnesota.
Cheers!
News and Notes for Late Fall
Posted by: Ryan Tuenge under Entertainment, Food, beer, wine events, Food and drink, Beer, Local business Updated: November 14, 2012 - 12:25 AMThis is the time of year when we are all reminded of how lucky we are to have such great local beer to enjoy. Late Fall is a great time to get acclimated with a favorite winter warmer or to try something new at your favorite bar or brewpub. Here are some things you can look forward to now and in the coming weeks.
At Barley John’s in New Brighton the smooth and slightly sweet Tropical Stout is on tap as well as their Zombie Ale, which is a dark British Mild Ale. Also on tap: Dark Knight Returns, a Porter that was aged for 18 months in bourbon barrels. Some of you will remember that the original Dark Knight won the Snowshoe award at last year’s Winterfest in February.
Chad Hilgenberg, brewer at Great Waters, has been busy concocting some new brews at downtown St. Paul’s beloved brewpub. Right now you will find Canty Smeek, a Smoked Scotch Ale pumped from a cask, which will be featured all winter long. Currently on tap are Figgy Stardust—an American Strong Ale and Madcholly Union Ale—a Belgian Blonde ale brewed with 65 pounds of local honey and created to celebrate Chad and his his wife Molly’s recent nuptials (congrats Chad and Molly).
The time is here again to celebrate the release of Commander, a fine Barleywine made by the fine folks at Lift Bridge. The event will be held at the brewery on Saturday, November 17 from 3 PM to 8 PM. Admission is $10 and you can expect music, games, a mustache contest, an old time circus costume contest, and (of course) there will be food trucks on hand selling some delicious fare.
Cheers!
Canning Indeed
Posted by: Ryan Tuenge under Entertainment, Beer, Local business Updated: October 27, 2012 - 12:15 AMOnce thought to be inferior to bottles; cans are now making a comeback around the country as the craft beer craze continues to grow. There are over 689 craft beers being canned by 223 breweries across the nation. Right here in Minnesota, two of the local favorites Surly Brewing and Indeed Brewing have chosen to package their beer in cans. Surly, who has been known for their quality beer since they began in 2005, still proudly cans almost all of their beers.
Canning has many advantages over the historically preferred bottling option. First and foremost, canned beer is 100% protected against light, which is beer’s mortal enemy. Second, cans tend to travel well since they are near unbreakable and most public places that allow alcohol will not allow bottles on their premises such as beaches and parks.
Aluminum cans are also one of the most recyclable products because they are often melted down and made into more cans or sent to auto manufacturers to use in light-weight car parts. Other notable breweries across the nation such as 21st Amendment, Tallgrass, and Oskar Blues are also packaged in cans and are available around the Twin Cities at your local liquor stores.
Indeed cans, which hit store shelves on October 11th, feature the excellent artwork of Chuck U. They are available in both Midnight Ryder, which they call a Black American Ale, and Day Tripper, which is considered a Pale Ale. You can find Indeed in cans at Zipp’s, Central Avenue Liquors, France 44, Thomas Liquors, Four Firkins, and The Ale Jail.
*Two side notes: Remember that today is Surly Darkness Day. Get all the details here. Also, I have been nominated for Best Beer Writer in Growler Magazine and you can vote for me here if you agree. Voting ends on November 6th.
Cheers!
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