The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) is hosting a rally this Sunday, July 19, from 2–7pm at Surly Brewing Company, and several attendees will walk away with five gallons of Surly wort to ferment and experiment with at home. AHA rallies are meant to give AHA members an inside look at local breweries and provide homebrew and beer … [ Read more]
The Minnesota Brewer: Pitching Yeast with Twins Closer Glen Perkins in the Offseason
April 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Photos by Brace Hemmelgarn, Minnesota Twins Glen Perkins’s newfound hobby has him pitching more than just baseballs in the offseason. Beer and baseball are an iconic pairing—and it’s not just enjoyed in the bleachers. Twins all-star closer Glen Perkins, a longtime beer fan, took that pairing a step further this offseason when he discovered the joys … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Neck Tat That Says “Evil” Black IPA
April 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Illustration by David Witt This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. At a recent brewing conference I attended I sat next to a guy with a neck tattoo that was simply the word “evil.” At least I think that’s what it … [ Read more]
Vine Park Celebrates 20 Years of Brew-Your-Own Beers
March 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Anybody can brew their own beer. From department store kits to all grain systems at homebrew supply centers, a range of products are out there for people to make their own beer at home. What those recipes tend to ignore, though, is the social side of brewing. Sure, homebrewers share their products with friends, but … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Wheaty Brown
March 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Illustration by David Witt This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. Poor, unloved brown ale. It’s not IPA, so almost by default nobody cares. It doesn’t have the cultural cachet of Irish stout or Scottish ales. It’s not mild or bitter, … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Oldtoberfest Smoked Rye Lager
September 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. Real talk, citizens: I had my first seasonally-released pro Oktoberfest of 2014 (Summit; in a can) way back in July. Tasty, and one of my all-time favorite styles, but it stole my thunder. I … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Müncher Hell
March 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Brewing up a good kind of Hell. This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. The upside of this long-ass winter’s polar vortices, citizens, is ambient lager temps in unfinished basements and attached garages. This month, let’s harness Mother Nature’s apparent hatred … [ Read more]
Throwback IPA: Back to the Swords
February 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. This issue’s Homebrew Recipe tries not to fetishize the IPA any further. Is there any style of craft beer that’s more fetishized, more mandated by its audience, more commercially successful than IPA? I sometimes … [ Read more]
All About Bocks and Dopplebocks
February 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Style Profile looks at a German (and Minnesotan) original. By Michael Agnew, A Perfect Pint Illustration by DWITT “Is it true that bock beer is made from the dregs left in the tanks at the end of the year?” I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked that question. I don’t know … [ Read more]
How to Make Homemade Kombucha
September 30, 2013 by 1 Comment
In the spirit of this fermentation issue, our Homebrew Recipe goes off the beaten path to the land of homemade kombucha By Michael Dawson Photos by Emma Christensen Citizens, like the beer you usually see formulated and brewed in this column, kombucha is a fermented beverage, but instead of malted grain it uses sugar-sweetened tea … [ Read more]
Fermentation as an Art and Science in Brewing History
September 30, 2013 by 2 Comments
A side of history to go with your beer. By Jeffrey M. Pilcher Louis Pasteur famously set brewing on a scientific path with his Études sur la Bière (Studies on Beer, 1876), explaining that fermentation was caused by the work of microorganisms. Though Pasteur did not actually identify the microorganisms that were responsible—Pasteur believed them … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Saison Classic
September 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. Brewer, author, gastronome, and beer critic Garrett Oliver said, “[I]f I were forced to choose one style to drink with every meal for the rest of my life, saison would have to be it.” It’s one … [ Read more]
Craft Beer at the MN State Fair 2013
August 15, 2013 by 2 Comments
By Joseph Alton, @JoeAlton View The Growler‘s Guide to Craft Beer at the State Fair 2014 The Minnesota State Fair is upon us. And Minnesota beer enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to. What a difference six years make. It wasn’t until 2007 that The State Fair “ditch[ed] the long tradition of wimpy 3.2-percent-alcohol beer … [ Read more]
Homebrew Recipe: Orange Blossom Honey Tripel
August 6, 2013 by 2 Comments
This recipe appears in Michael Dawson’s book, “Mashmaker: A Citizen-Brewer’s Guide to Making Great Beer at Home.” Learn more at mashmakerbook.com. The youngster in the family of Belgian monastic beers, Tripel is attributed to the Trappist abbey of Westmalle, where it was first brewed in the early 20th century as a response to the soaring … [ Read more]
