Minnesota Breweries One by One #76: Castle Danger, Two Harbors with Danger Ale

Folks, I've just discovered something a little embarrassing. There's an unpublished draft of an article I was writing two years ago about my visits to the Castle Danger brewery & taproom three years ago. I never finished writing it, and had clearly meant to include more photos of the inside of the tap room to illustrate it. They disappeared some time ago, and so did, perhaps, my intent on publishing it. Well, I'm going to post it anyway, because I did actually get a lot of it finished. Here we go....

Let's go back in time, back, back in time. Actually, we're going to go back to two times, the two times  last year that I visited  Castle Danger in Two Harbors, MN. And that first time was Thursday, September 1, 2016, when they became brewery #76.

I'd been to the previous location before, four years earlier. This was my first time at the new one, though. The previous day Dave A. and I had made it all the way up to Ely for The Boathouse and Grand Marais for Voyageur and Gun Flint Tavern, staying overnight in GM. We had breakfast in GM, did some typical sight-seeing (I can't remember the last time I was in the city, if ever.), and headed down along the North shore of Lake Superior. 83 miles, an hour and 25 minutes. We were planning to get there in time for their opening at noon, although we would probably arrive earlier. My friend Melissa Rainville informed me on FaceBook that she'd be working the taproom, and would let us in early if need be, but there was so much to explore along the shore, why bother her? Old railroads, docks, water...so much stuff.

Actually, I was curious why a professional brewer such a Melissa was doing working behind the bar. Was she biding her time until another brewing position opened in the area. Pretty much, she told me. She'd left her job at Fitger's Brewhouse recently after Dave Hoops stepped down and new owners came in. Did she know then, and just wouldn't tell, what we all learned months later, that her next move would be the head brewer at Mr.Hoops new operation opening this spring, Hoops Brewing in the Canal Park neighborhood of Duluth? Maybe, just maybe.

So, Dave and I sat at the bar and got our samples. Castle Danger has been in the Nib six times before now, from the growler of George Hunter Stout I brought back in July of 2012, to the cans that made their way to the Cities starting in 2015. My notes show that I had a flight consisting of Castle Cream Ale, Danger Ale, Summer Crush and George Hunter Stout. I actually just got a can of Castle today and will do a full review of that later. I took home a growler of Danger on my second visit 7 weeks later, and those notes are below. I've already written up George Hunter years ago. So, I'll share the notes on Summer Crush, which has gone out of season long ago. 4.7% ABV. I found it "bright and lemony, light bodied, quenching and 'crushable', easy as pie, nothing wrong with that." We need the crushable ones in the summertime, early autumn.

I next had an Ode IPA, which has also been reviewed here before. I did not take notes on exactly what beers were available, but I believe I'd had everything before. Looking at Untappd shows that I'd also gotten in another beer, this one the 17-7 Pale Ale. We had plenty of time to spend, after all, since our next stop, Bent Paddle in Duluth, did not open until 3 pm, and was only a half hour away.

When we first entered, we were the only ones in and took our time soaking in the place, while Melissa served up some chips and salsa. As time went on, more and more folks came in, the lunch rush came and went, and we whiled away an hour or two. As taprooms go, it's fairly perfunctory. Here's the merch, there's the games. Nice northern feel, all wood, cool patio, decorated with beer signs and a vast collection of growlers from elsewhere. Great range of products, well made.

I made it to Duluth a second time, some weeks later, October 20, to be exact. It was the second of three brewery visits, after a breakfast at Fitger's, Jason and I pulled into Two Harbors to check out CD just because. I took no notes on this visit, although I did try a new beer, Azacca-to-me, a nice and hoppy pale ale. I followed that with a Fresh Hop Mosaic Ale, which has turned into quite a sensation for them.

....and there's where it ended, and here's where I was going to attach a review I did of a growler I took home...




Castle Danger Danger Ale. Dangerously Good Ales. Two Harbors, MN.

Slightly clear, deeply crimson hue, huge creamy white head. Looking great.

Aroma: ah.. citrus-y hop notes, bright and fruity and a little tropical. Nice.

In the mouth: big hoppiness, matched well with bold malt backdrop. Fruity up front, low bitterness, with juicy malt holding it up fro below. Yum. Malty, delicious. . Really, truly delicious.

Minneapolis Breweries Day by Day #13: Eastlake Craft Brewery / Minnesota Breweries One by One #107

In 2016, I underwent a journey of visiting as many of Minnesota's breweries and taprooms as I could, and I made it to 113. Maybe you read some of the reports on these visits. If not, you should, they can be kind of fun and I enjoyed writing them. When I enjoy writing, you can probably enjoy reading. Look for the tag "breweries one by one."

There was one that I didn't get to until December 15, which might seem odd since it was the closest one to me. (Four blocks away for the first five months of the year, 13 blocks away for the rest.) And the one that I worked at for the first five months of it's existence. Wait, was that why? Well, I'm not telling. But I will tell you that I'm talking about Eastlake Craft Brewery in the MidTown Global Market.


I finally went back, because I told myself that I had to, and I had the beers. A Dank Aaron Double IPA, a Nicollet Nicollet Mauler Mauler, a Tsathaggua rum barrel-aged Imperial Stout, and a Kirby Pucker # I forget-which, and I took pictures and I took some notes, too, but I have no idea where they went.  I dragged my feet on writing the report, because I wanted to tie it to the notes on the bottle of Tsathaggua that I was a bit disappointed by.  I didn't want to put out a middling review on the brewery that let go of me because of what is now called "optics." And the notes got lost, and it became one of many in the big pile I never got around to writing.

And I didn't visit them at all in 2017. Do I need to tell anyone this, is it information that has to be included? The Bitter Nib always asks the tough questions, even of itself. There are so many local breweries to keep track of that we can't spread ourselves evenly. Someone gets the short straw.

And in 2017/18, I begin another, shorter journey to close the gap on Minneapolis' breweries. And on Thursday, January 11, it's been snowing all day and I decided to stay close to home. Get on the 21 and take it down to Chicago Avenue and see what's up at Eastlake, which is much the same as it was three years ago, while still quite a bit different. Owner/brewer Ryan Pitman came over and talked about his plans for opening a new spot for the brewery and other plans. And I sat down for some beers.

Like I so often do, I reached for the double IPA, one named in punning fashion after  baseball legend Hank Aaron. Sports puns and themes have always run through the names of Eastlake's beers. Some of them, like Dank Aaron and Kirby Pucker seem so obvious you can't believe no one came up with it before. And this is one I was

See how many baseball puns, jokes, & riffs you can
find, kids!

quite happy with, definitely dank, fresh, citrus-y and piney, vibrant, pithy, tangy...all the things I like. Keep making this one, and keep making it this nice.

Beer #2 was their take on the hazy, NE-style IPA that they call Sun Dogs', for reasons I don't get. Does that apostrophe means that there are Sun Dogs who are the owners of this IPA? Never mind. I'd post my notes here, except I already did, from a bottle in this place.

Third up, the brandy barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout Tsathuggua. I scribbled things down in the ol' notebook, but you can read more in-debth ramblings in this post here. This was making me forget the snow. Set a nice fire inside me. Good stuff.

Did I have a fourth beer? My notes don't show one, but my pictures do. Guess I just tired of scribbling, but not of drinking.
It was called Everyone's Invited, and it was a pale ale brewed with guava and strawberry. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some tropical, fruity feelings to stave off the clammy grip of winter. A nice capper to this visit and the multiple and various flavors of the beers. There were more available than I was accustomed to, but then again, I've really only stopped in twice in the course of two years or so. And here's where I'll admit that I hadn't come in to try the beers because I'd heard less promising words from others. All kinds of rumors and scuttlebutt and such. Well, it looks like things are on the up-and-up, onward and upward, riding high into the sunset, and so forth. Glad to hear it, gladder to see it.

Four beers was plenty and it was time to take my take-out and bring it home, along with the bottles I was bringing. Back out into the snowy wasteland, and taking a 21 down Lake Street, which Ryan will continue to tell us, is for lovers, and it is alway sunny on. Sure. Okay.

Thirteen down, nineteen to go.

Minneapolis Breweries Day by Day #9: Clockwerks Brewing / Minnesota Breweries One by One #92 w/ Cyr Strong

I woke up bright and early this afternoon with clarity of vision and alertness of mind, one thought bursting forth to send me in a fruitful direction: I must adhere to that acronym of the engineers at Lockheed in the 1960's. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

You see, when I launched this project, I had a few untold rules. First, I must write them in order. Second, I have to finish the Minnesota Breweries One by One report if I hadn't done that already. There are 11 un-written-up brewery reports for the city of Minneapolis, out of the 32. I had to correct that before I put them into this project. So, I bumped them around in the order if I hadn't written them up. That changed when last week, once again, I hadn't given myself enough time and was on the way to The Freehouse, thinking of the seven block walk from Washington Avenue and how freaking cold it was, and it dawned on me: Clockwerks is only blocks from the light rail station, go there!

But, I haven't written them up! But, who cares! Combine them! But, but, but? I'd get things done a lot faster if I wasn't always fighting the voices in my head. (Which is something I stole from the draft of the report that I started last July. Good. Got that out of my system.)

Boho Rye Pilsner from Feb. 2017.

I will do it all. Maybe I will combine them. Even cut and paste. But I don't need to tell you that. Keep It Simple, Stupid. It was the third stop of four on Sunday, October 16, 2016. The place was in transition before a grand opening several weeks away. Elements of their "steampunk" theme seemed to be strewn about, and the beer wasn't bad, but wasn't particularly inspired, either. Tried the Alt and the ESB. The session beer angle is one that will excite very few, but everyone has to go with their passions in this business.

And I will skip entirely the bit about the tap handles. A year and some later, they're over that. Not worth noting now. I figured it was best to give this place time to find themselves before passing judgement.

Skip ahead to trying them out a few months later, February, 2017. The beers seemed to be in a better place. I had the Baltic Porter was quite keen on it. It turns out that the owners had hired a brewer, and that was my friend Dan Banks, who had previously helmed the brewing operations at Day Block. The Boho Rye Pilsner was quite nice, as well. I definitely needed to keep these guys in rotation and continue to monitor their progress.

At this point, I'll again adhere to the principles of KISS and share with you the notes on the growler of Cyr Strong Belgian Strong Golden Ale that Dan gave me at my birthday party last June, and complete omit the hand-wringing over publishing comments or criticisms, or lack thereof, when addressing a beer brewed by a friend. And given to you. For your birthday. Gonna skip that. Not waste your time. KISS.

9.2% ABV. Clear, dark amber coloring, solid ivory head slims down to a tight ring.

In the nose: The Belgian thing is going right off the bat: sweet, fruity, funky, yeast and malt characteristics at swim in this aroma. It's the oddness that I love in the Belgian-style beers. Wild, weird, and wonderful.

In the mouth: Rich malty sweetness grips the palate, meshed with an instant warmth. Pepper-y heat spices up the tongue a tad. Flavors grows and grows. Medium-bodied, light malty finish. It's a good one.

You can't get that one at the taproom now, that was from last summer. They'll bring it back, I'm sure.

(Looking at Untappd, it seems that I took the empty growler and filled it up with their Kolsch, but never took notes, just drank it down, which is quite unlike me. I normally write up every beer I have at home. Took a pic, though. Must have been a thirsty night.)

Another thing I'll cut out: the notes on the samples that salesmen dropped off and Dan filled for me.
I took notes on all of them. Alt. Oktoberfest. Boho Rye. I like them all, they tasted like they should taste. And that crisp, slightly spicy, bread-y Boho Rye found it's way on the tap lines at Acadia for a while, and will probably return.

And we can cut directly to Friday, January 5, stepping into Clockworks to check them off this list, and make it to work on time. Lonny's behind the bar and they have the 1st Anniversary Baltic Porter on tap. It's exactly what I want. 9.4% ABV. Cocoa and toffee, dark fruit, espresso, rich malt, and yet smooth and tasty. Just where I want a Baltic Porter to be, and so satisfying. Most definitely my

Baltic Porter 2018. 

favorite Clockwerks beer to date.

I felt that I had enough time for a second, so
I moved on to a Black Pearl. Foreign Export Stout, another favorite style. Smooth and substantial, that's how my notes read. 6.9% ABV, 44 IBU. Another nice one.

It's also one of their guest brews, a recipe provided by a home brewer. This is something they've done from the start, dedicating one of their taps to a home-brew recipe brought in by a friend, family member, home-brew enthusiast, what-have-you. Remember,  Broken Clock is the collective in NE without a taproom and Clockwerks is the steam-punk-theme downtown brewery with the home-brew recipe beer rotating on tap. That's how you tell the two "clock" breweries apart. Now, how you tell Inbound, Indeed, and Insight apart, that I can't help you with.

I like this place. It's a nice spot, you can play pool, games, there are events, DJs, art shows, charcuterie, cheese, Heggie's pizza, and some good beer. You don't have to go there with a monocle or gears in your top hat, but I bet they'd like it if you did. Go check them out.

As for me, it's 9 down, 22 to go.

There's Dan minding the bar.

Hop Blast Wonder. Hey, they do IPAs!

Baltic Porter 2017.

100% ClockWerks tap handles, accept no substitutes.

Venn Brewing Citra Mosaic IPA / MN Breweries One by One # 125

The breweries keep on coming.

A few Saturdays past (December 16), Venn Brewing at 3550 E. 46th Street, Suite 140 in  Minneapolis opened it's doors. The chatter I'd picked up on indicated big crowds and long lines, so I decided to wait until a nice quiet Sunday afternoon, the next day, in fact,  to check them out. Got on a bus to the light rail station and merely had to endure a train chock full of Vikings fans, then jumped of at the 46th Street Station, and there it is, on the first floor of a retail & apartment complex. I'd heard good things and sidled up to the bar to check out the beers.

The convenience of the location is just one thing this brewery has going for it. Let's add the great thirst of the neighborhood. Everyone wants a neighborhood brewery, and south Minneapolis is lacking. Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub is a mile and a half away (side note: I saw three of their employees here during this visit), also easily found via the light rail system, but beyond that? Wild Mind is 7 miles to the west, or LynLake 5 miles in that same direction. The people of South Minneapolis want to get some good beer without having to travel to Uptown or Downtown or Nordeast, or, hell, anywhere, really. They want it right in their backyard. And they'll be happy.

There are numbers associated with the beers and style, but no names. Twelve beers on tap, though the numbers went to Thirteen. Number Eleven wasn't ready. That they had 12 good beers ready to go is impressive. And I started with a 5 ounce sample of what should be my favorite, if done well, the Citra Mosaic IPA. I'll tell you about it at the bottom, for I liked it well enough to take a growler home.

Happy with that one, I pressed on and went all out with another one that I wanted to be perfect, the 6.2% Porter, in a pint. Rich malt, robust, chocolatey, smooth and highly drinkable. Stands up, satisfies. I could find no flaw, wanted nothing more than what was in the glass. My notes actually read: "almost perfect."

My original plan was to try a couple beers and move on, maybe take a growler home and then check out another brewery that I needed to visit. But I was having a nice time, the servers were all terrific, several friends were in attendance that I chatted with , there was the old man next to me who didn't really know anything about craft brewery taprooms and just wanted something domestic. We had an interesting conversation. One of the bartenders was more than helpful in getting him to open up his mindset, an interesting exercise. Owner & co-head brewer Kyle Sisco was helping out with glass washing and occasional pouring, and I had a chance to speak with him a little bit. At this point, I decided to go with a flight.

It a build your own flight, allowing you to pick whatever you want, up to 8 beers. with the price per 5 ounce pour based on the price per full serving, either $2 or $3. Works for me. I went with Golden Ale, Black Lager, Petite Saison, Pale Ale, Blood Orange Wit, Winter Ale, Pilsner and Raspberry Sour. And I did not take notes on them. Why not? I had the feeling that I would be back and would bring home growlers to take further notes on in the time ahead. I was happy with what I tried, some not quite as flawless as the porter or the IPA, but nothing bad, either. Everything I sampled was good to excellent.

Once I was done with the flight I'd been on, I looked at the time and realized that I'd been passing the afternoon so well that I had little time left to accomplish my goals for the rest of the afternoon. I adjusted my plans accordingly. In addition to picking up a growler of the Citra Mosaic IPA, I used the other growler I'd brought along to use at that other brewery I wanted to see and had them fill it up with the Session IPA, which you may have read about here. My final beer at this inaugural visit to Venn (no diagrams, only friends and foxes) was the Rye Pale, again in a pint. I liked it, didn't love it. Prefer my rye ales to be heavier on the rye, but there wasn't anything wrong with it. Good beer, and you can drink it. But I don't know about "squishy"...

As for the space itself, it's fairly typical, the usual sea of tables, and well-appointed restrooms at the right, just past the board games. Always with the board games. Nicely designed, an excellent staff. Food truck out in the parking lot. I can see many good things coming out of this brewery.

Let's talk about that beer, though:

Venn Citra Mosaic IPA. 7.5% ABV.

Mostly clear, with chill haze, bright golden hue, beautiful, long-lasting white head.

In the nose: hop bitterness bursts from the nose, big citrus, grapefruit and pine, lots of lemon and tangerine. Just right.

In the mouth: Bitter hop attack continues once the ale boards the palate. Light-ish body, malt holds it down, but lays low. An impressive melange of hop flavors abound. Hop bitterness stays long on the tongue, and I like it that way. This is sure to please any card-carrying Hop-Head, like myself. Damned delicious. This one will quickly rise to the ranks of my favorite locals IPAs.

BEER STYLES
We want our beers to be as welcoming as the beertender pouring them. So it’s no wonder we have a wide array of beers, inspired by recipes from around the globe, to quench your curiosity. 

Unlike larger production breweries, we won’t have the same core beers on all the time. Instead, you can expect to find each offering labeled by batch number –  Each batch will be available until it’s gone.

Batch #6 CITRA MOSAIC IPA (7.5%)
Tropical fruit, resinous, bitter. West-Coast style IPA: dryness and bitterness are key notes in this hop-dominant style.
Malts: Maris Otter. Hops: Citra and Mosaic (United States). Yeast: American Ale.

Sociable Ciderwerks Rusty Chain Cranberry Apple Cider / MN Breweries One by One #90

I'm not a cider drinker. Just don't get what I like from beer in ciders. Sorry. Not sorry. But I keep getting ciders because people want to sell me ciders. What people? The people who make and sell cider, of course. In an effort to clear out my fridge by year's end, I'm going to focus on the ciders for a bit.

We'll start with Rusty Chain, the first appearance of Sociable Ciderwerks here in the Nib. (No, not really.)And you know, while we're at it, I'll conclude this post by writing about my visit to Sociable last year, as the 90th brewery (/cidery) that I visited in 2016.

First, Rusty Chain, the only sample of Sociable that I've ever been able to take home. I had samples at work before, but the salesman insisted on drinking them then and there. When I see the cans in stores, I don't spend my money on them, because, well, I'm not a cider drinker. Thanks to the Sample Man for these, and for letting me take it home.

Rusty Chain Cranberry Apple Cider. Enjoy Every Freshly Pressed Batch. Crafted and canned by Sociable Cider Werks, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. 6.6% ABV. Ingredients: fresh pressed apples, cranberries, sorghum, hops, yeast. Naturally gluten free.

Clear, bright cranberry red, slim pinkish head.

In the nose: tart, fruity, dry. There's the cran, there's the apple. Nice.

In the mouth: Very dry. Clean, crisp, easy drinking. Plenty of fruit, more cranberry than apple. Good cider and you can drink it.

Rusty Chain links together a blend the Midwest’s finest freshly pressed apples with ripe cranberries. The result is a bright rose color, light body and brilliant berry flavor that balances tart acidity with gentle residual sweetness.

Now on to Sociable in general. They opened up at 1500 Filmore St. NE in 2013 with a mix of ciders and beers. I popped in once that year with Dave A., tried some of the beers, didn't go for the ciders, a pattern I kept up with just about every time in the place. Did I ever takes notes or bring back growlers of these beers? Not once. Nothing against them, just wasn't what I was going to do.

My next visit was in 2014, as one of the last stops on my attempt to bike to each Minneapolis brewery on one day. (Link provided above.) If memory serves, I made it there again later that year for the second annual NE Brewer's Block Party. Is that right? Did they do the first one their first year in business? Or did I go in 2015? Damn this memory! Untappd is no help. My first check-in is for Crystal Hop in 2014, then the two in '16 at the fest, one at a party at Dave's, and then a Rusty Chain at Acadia, when I finally decided to bring them on tap. Only 5 times in 3 1/2 years. Because other places are breweries, and here the focus is cider. And I needn't keep repeating about me and cider.

I biked up to NorthEast Minneapolis that Sunday to take part in this festival in which Sociable hosted just about all of the breweries and distilleries of NE in a big old party in their parking lot. Bands were playing, games were about, tons of food trucks, a jolly good time. I recommend you check it out next time they do this. I had an Indeed, a Dangerous Man, and from the bar inside, a few of
Sociable's beers, and not a single cider. Their ciders are quite good and they really know what they're doing, but I never want to reach for one. I'll try to get my hands on some more cans and review them here in the future.

I didn't stay very long at the festival, had a few beers, took some pics, hung out with friends, and it's in the books, brewery #90. Time to move on, for I was bound to bust into #'s 91, 92, & 93 still that night. And I did too: 612Brew, Clockwerks, & Inbound. I'll get around to them, just as I finally finished this.

Something else: I've never taken notes on the beers, or the ciders, at Sociable because I've always been there in social situations (imagine that), hanging out with friends or relatives. I never pull out the notebook then, at least very rarely. I'll do that soon, as I give them a visit in my new project of revisiting all the local breweries. I'll tell you about that soon. Just what I needed, a new reason to spend money, hang out in breweries, drink beers (and ciders!), and tell you about it.

I don't remember the name of this band. Skipper &
the Little Buddies? 

Seems like I'm always bumping into these guys!

They called this one Peachy Kolsch. It was.

This one they named Hoppy Beer. It was that, too.

Schell's Snowstorm 2017 Rye Ale / Minnesota Breweries One by One #54

Schell's Snowstorm 2017. Rye Ale. 6.1% ABV. August Schell Brewing, New Ulm, MN.

Clear, bright  auburn color, ample cream-toned froth atop. Looking nice.

In the nose: spicy, biscuity-y, rye malt. Just sweet enough.

In the mouth: Nice! Rye malt spices up the malt, body is smooth, on the light side. It's a good drinker, easy going, tasty. Not too much complexity to this, but the flavor is fine and plentiful. Good one.

Reddish brown ale with hints of spicy rye and bread crust. Ideally suited for brisk Northern nights.

Hey, while we're at it, let's take a moment and look back at my visit to August Schell Brewing Company last year. It's a lovely day, and the Bier Garten is open on a Sunday, so Jason and I drove (well, he drove, I sat in the passenger seat) 93 miles, for 1 hour and 45 minutes to New Ulm, MN, and the 54th brewery that I visited last year. We couldn't go inside, mind you, and there was no taproom. A window was open and we could purchase our beers there and drink them in the Garten, stroll through the grounds, soak up all the history and beauty.

This was only my second time at Schell's, the first being six years prior, on the occasion of their 150th Anniversary. I couldn't live with myself having not been to Minnesota's oldest brewery, and the second oldest family-owned brewing operation in the nation, and in that case it was Jason and Angie who helped me get there, too. What excellent friends they are. That time there was a tour, and we could go inside, and get a guided history lesson, and a much wider variety of beers to try. On the other hand, there were no deer to be seen, and only a pea-hen, and some pea-chicks, but not a single peacock. Were they all hiding from the crowds? August Schell routinely finds itself on every list you can find of the most essential, most beautiful breweries to visit, but without the deer and peacocks, I felt cheated.

Look, way in the back, it's a Schell's deer!

Not this time, there were plenty of deer resting in a fenced off area, and peacocks roamed at will. As far as beers, I had two, the Hefe Weizen, and it was an appropriate choice for the day's weather, and the new Fort Road Helles lager, which is now available in cans. It was perfectly fine as a Helles lager, but I'm not much of a lager fan, so I've never bought a six-pack of it. (And this was certainly not an occasion for jotting down notes in the ol' notebook. And don't go telling me to use my phone.) I'll definitely review it if someone from Schell's gives me a sample, hint, hint. It went down nice and easy in the July heat.

It was a beautiful Sunday, and the beer was right, the grounds were stunning and gorgeous. All you have to do is walk around and enjoy the pretty. A perfect way to while away an afternoon. After two beers, Jason and I had to get on the road in order to click a few more breweries off the checklist in our quest to see them all in 2016. Our next stop was a brewery in Blue Earth, 66 miles due south and over an hour away, and we had to get there, then off to stop number three before it got late and dark. I'll tell you about those visits, too, soon. Meanwhile, a few more pictures:

Jason at the fountain. 

I got a deer to pose with me,
but he didn't have much to say.

drunken gnome!

peacock on the rooftop!

peacock in the parking lot!

contented gnomes.

One further note before I forget. We were trying to coordinate our visit to Schell's with an appearance at the Starkeller taproom, which had yet to open, elsewhere in New Ulm. That didn't happen in 2016, so I was glad we got a stop at Schell's in of some kind. StarKeller, the home for their barrel-aging program finally opened earlier this year, and is high on my list of new beer place to see, and drink at.