2012: The Year Gone By, Part One

I did this last year, and, frankly, I got a kick out of it. Don't know about you. But, I'm in charge here, so sit back and enjoy the ride...

January 4. Here are the first two barrel-aged beers from Harriet Brewing Company. These beers were kegged for the 1st Anniversary party that was held at the Blue Nile. (There was a full report on that one, after it happened.)
I wish more was made available, but fret not, for barrel-aging has a big future with this brewery!

January 27. Delivered the day before the 1st Anniversary event, here is one of the first neon signs for the Harriet Brewing company, which still shines one at the Blue Nile. Another one exists at the Harriet Taproom, but it's not always the focus of attention.

May 8. Here is my hand holding an El Nino IPA at Fitger's Brewing, on the occasion of my first visit. It was a momentous occasion. I'd had the beer before, but never where they brew it and serve it. I'd actually never been to Duluth before, either. So many firsts on this journey in May, which was spearheaded by my friend Ed Jackson, to whom I am very grateful. After all, I've had many friends who've said: "What? You've never been to Duluth?" But only one who said: "Let's go to Duluth!"

Anyway...where was I? Oh, yeah. If I may not have taken a ton of pictures of beer-related events of the past year that I participated in, well, here are the ones that I did. Part One. January through July. I did a pretty full review of some events, and may not have any leftover pictures from those, but bear with me, here it goes, here it comes...now...

April 10, a weekday beer tasting at my place, with pals Dan, Beth, Brian, and Erin. I forgot what bottles we broke out, but the company we kept was key.

Here's me, posing before that most Superior Lake, not very far from the Fitger's Brewhouse. Of all the Great Lakes, surely they named this one aptly. This was both a sightseeing trip, and a beer journey, we tried to find as many of the bright spots in beer that the town had to offer.

A look up above. Once this was a thriving regional brewing concern. Now it's a hotel, a brewpub, retail center, and, you know what, who know's what's up for the future of the Fitger's Complex, don't go and let me pigeonhole it.

In our wanderings in May of 2012,  we snapped these shots. What, do you know, but it's up and running as we speak. Did anyone say Road Trip?

It was in the basement, AKA ratskeller, of Tycoons, a Fitger's subsidiary, that we first learned of a Duluth-area brewery specializing in Belgian-style, called the Borealis Fermentery. Tycoons' Ratskeller had bottles of their Mon Cherries, which set off a quest to find more of their product.

Here's a nice shot of Zack Lozier, trumpeter, blowing at the inaugural day. March 17,  of the Harriet Taproom. I have already shared many pictures from that day, which has to rank as one of the most fun days for me of the past year. I took the day off, and played vinyl jazz in between the live music. There is a full report, of course, if you want to look at past entries. And why wouldn't you?

We didn't plan every minute of our Duluth-area excursion exceptionally well. We did drink some of their beer at a neighboring stop, but that left us more time for lighthouse looking at other tourist-y stuff. In July, Jason, Angie and I finally made it up there during business hours, for growlers and tastes, and damn, is it tiny. Tiny, and surrounded by a beautiful campground right next to Lake Superior.

Here's a peek at a small section of one of the walls at Thirsty Pagan Brewing, formerly known as Twin Ports Brewing, home of an impressive collection of breweriana. This doesn't even scratch the surface. It was all over the place.

This is on the side of the Fitger's complex building, a billboard from days of  yore.

An April 1, 2012 visit to Dave's BrewFarm, Farmer Dave himself is enjoying beef tips cooked in Matacabras sauce. In all of 2012, I visited the BrewFarm about 8 times. Not enough. What can I do to make it more? Quit my job? Move to Wilson, Wisconsin? Something has to happen!

April 11. I finally got around to decorating my kitchen. This is just a glimpse.

June, 2012. Jason eyes my BrewFarm beer enviously, while Brandon laughs away. 

An IPA and a pizza at Thirsty Pagan in Superior, Wisconsin, part of that epic My First Visit to Duluth in My Entire  Life, Yes, I've Lived In Minnesota My Entire Life, No, I Don't Know What took Me So Long.

July 25. Here's my friend Kat showing her Surly pride at the Surly Syx release event at Aster Cafe , with Dean behind her, and probably Linda Haug at her left.

Another shot from the Aster Cafe Syx release, Omar Ansari with some Surly fans/friends. I should know their names, but I'm blanking. It'll come to me. Syx was an amazing beer. Still is, Haven't tapped our keg yet. Someday, soon.

Dean's giving me the what for, with Kat, Scott, Paul, and Lori in the distance, at the patio of Aster Cafe, for the occasion of the Surly Syx release. I didn't make it to many beer release parties at other bars, especially, like this one, they fell on work days for me, but this was different. I was dying to try this one! Bottles went on sale later.

Here I am, on the patio of the Harriet Taproom, in the middle of my Dj session, drinking a Harriet Pils, while a double rainbow blows all of our minds in the background. Even Chef Shack doesn't know what it means.

Omar, with Jim at his side, has a lot of questions for Kat, specifically about her hop tattoo.

My friend Rick Susman hosted a tasting party at his home in Maple Grove in July, featuring a bottle of Surly Darkness 2008, which Omar Ansari gave to him on hearing that he spent his 50th birthday at the brewery during The Power of the Pint Celebration in June. Forget what everyone tells you, that Omar is a heck of a guy.

My contribution to this party was a bottle of Surly Five and an aged vintage of Abbaye du Bon Chien, which Jeremy particularly enjoyed.

Here's me at that same event, at Rick's place.

Another excerpt from March 17, why not indulge in showing off the first appearance of DJ Al "Jazz " McCarty? When the Harriet Taproom opened regularly on Wednesdays, one of my regular days off, that became one of my times to Dj fresh and vintage jazz vinyl for the funky fresh people. Yeah.

That will do it for part One of 2012, the year in Re-Brew. More fun to come, stay tuned.