Minnesota Breweries One by One #20: Indeed Brewing, Minneapolis, with Wooden Soul #6

It was a dark and soon to be stormy late afternoon....

It's another Wednesday (March 9) , another day off, and I wonder which brewery will I visit? I decided on Indeed for two reasons: Patrick Mulcahy had been asking me when I'd be stopping in to make Indeed an official stop in this project, and it just dawned on me that I had not walked in the doors since last September, and that had to be fixed. Also, Wednesdays are the days that Indeed gives the net profits of the taproom sales to charities chosen by the

Cheers, Tom!

employees, and this week the recipient was a no-kill cat shelter. And I love the kitty cats.

It was also the first day of biking for this project. I finally got the air pumped up in my tires on Monday (though Sunday was really the day to enjoy the weather), and was eager to get on the bike and get my legs moving. It wasn't as fantastic as the past few days, not temps in the 70's or 60's. 50's and 40's, unfortunately. But the snow and ice is gone, and I was ready to bike through downtown
Minneapolis, cross the Mississippi and and find my way to 711 NE 15th St., and the Indeed Brewing Company.

Indeed has appeared in this blog 26 times before, since they opened up 2012. When I was managing the bar at the Blue Nile, they were one of three preferred local breweries for me, and that was not just because I liked their beer so much, but also that I was treated to their beers before they started selling, and being allowed in early meant a lot to me. (The other two were Surly and Harriet.) Co-owner Tom Whisenand paid me a visit with samples early on, and I was eager to get on board. We weren't the first to tap them, nor did we sell the most, but I always found room on the tap tower for every beer they put out, and I continue that today at Acadia. It's no secret that they're one of my favorites, and this post will be one of those where I write about this particular visit, reminisce about my history with them, and cap it off with a review of one of their beers. I'm not covering any new ground here in particular, not scratching off

I don't remember what beer this was.

some fresh surface. I like Indeed, and don't see that stopping any time soon.

Rum King Imperial Stout, aging away.

One reason why I haven't had more than 25 beers from Indeed is that I haven't picked up growlers from the taproom very often. Because they're so far away. Also, because at times they didn't have a wide variety of beers other than those that were canned and bottled or available in kegs. That changed, certainly. A third reason for visiting them on this day was that Wooden Soul #6 had been released, and I was anxious to try this Flanders-esque sour red ale. By staying away for six full months during fall and winter, I ended up missing Wooden Soul #s 4 & 5, and probably others. Shame, shame on me.

tall tanks.

tight tanks.

I got there around 6 pm, found a seat at the bar and got my hands on some Wooden Soul 6, which will be reviewed at the bottom of this post. Shortly thereafter, Patrick and his fellow sales associate Ryan Bandy
found me, and once I finished the WS 6, they got a pint of
Lucy for me (previously reviewed), and took me on a tour to see some aspects of the brewery along with some of the new spaces, that I hadn't seen before. I'd had tours over the years, but this one still had new things for me to see. The canning lines were busy, and brewers were hard at work. I got to see new tanks and silos, situated in areas of the building that hadn't been utilized before, and saw the many barrels aging Rum King and other goodies. This was not where all of the sour program is going on, that is in a separate facility off-site, in St. Paul. I've been promised a tour of that soon, too.

Patrick got me some Shenanigans straight
from the brite tank. I have no idea what
that device he's holding is. 

As I said, it's fun to find friends, and Jay and Julie are
friends indeed (no pun intended).

When we emerged from the brewery, the taproom was in full swing, with the auxiliary taproom full as well. Some of my friends were in attendance, too, which usually happens when I visit Indeed, whether I plan on it, or not. It's just a popular place to be and be seen being.

During this visit, I certainly had my share, but mainly stuck with the 3 Wooden Souls available (#1 & #2, previously reviewed here and also here, were also on tap), and I can't recall exactly what else I tried. There is photographic evidence (above) of some dark brew in a tulip, not the Teku glass meant for the Wooden Soul beers. Can't remember what it was. Things got fuzzy. As it got dark and it started to drizzle, friends Julie and Jay came to my rescue and helped save me from biking back home.

Indeed holds the distinction of being the first local brewery to open with a taproom, and it opened with a bang, helped by the beauty of the place. It's a great place to get a get a good beer, and if you're into the sours, there's no reason not to pay them a visit, now and then.

Speaking of.....

Wooden Soul #6. Mmm, mmm, good.

Indeed Wooden Soul #6. 5.4% ABV. Aged in Pinot Noir barrels. Several different types of wild yeast involved. (Sorry, they don't have anything posted online about it. I'll have to dig around for more info.)

Clear, rich burgundy coloring, flush creamy head that lasts and lasts.

Aroma comes screaming out of the glass and hovers over. The sour is here, the tart, the fruit and the fresh, refreshing, exhilarating. Sour, tart, weird, funky, fresh, fruity....pretty right on.

Taste: Mwha! Yeah, it's all on the palate, it's all in the mouth, it's a richness and an incredible mix of the funk and the fruit. Long lasting sour and fruit. Delicious. Funky. Fresh. Loads of tannins and oak, too. Plenty wooden soul in this. Lot of wine peeking through, too. Barrel's doing it all.

This could be better, but so could everything. It's damned good, and the best from their barrel aging program, which is only going to improve. If this is the first attempt at a Flanders Red-style beer, keep 'em coming, Indeed, keep 'em coming. Can't wait to see how much better this will be in a few years. They'll be bottling them soon, and then we can really find out.