Bemidji Brewing Winter Warmer Double Porter

Here we have a bottle I bought at Bemidji Brewing on the day of it's release back in late December. Liked it so much on tap at the brewery that I brought home three. I've shared one already, have another to share in the future, and at last opened a bottle for myself. It's about time, as we're slowly but surely leaving winter behind. Maybe. We hope. Possibly.

If you see a strange shape hovering over Minnesota on the
glass, it's only the reflection of my Galactus bottle
opener. I'll strive to remove it in the future. 

Bemidji Brewing Winter Warmer Double Porter. Brewed and bottle by Bemidji Brewing, Bemidji, MN. Enjoy now or Cellar at 50 degrees. 8% ABV. 750 ml.

Solid blackness. Large, lace-leaving, light tan head. Looking good.

I the nose: soft, slightly sweet, majorly malty. Cocoa, dark fruit, mildly bitter.

In the mouth: sweet malt hits first, rich and full bodied. Just where we want our porters. And doubly so our doubled ones. Dark fruit flavor jump into the mix. A little sweetness, little bit bitter and a touch, just a touch, of sour...this is delicious. Really, really tasty.

Also: Yum.

Bemidji Brewing Fruited Flanders

Here are the notes on the second Bemidji Brewing sour ale we had on tap back in May, released at last from my notebook:

Dark reddish brown coloring, off-beige head, slim, but lasting.

Aroma is pungent and tart from the onset, bursting with cherry notes, then raspberries rush in, followed quickly by blackberries. It's berry-tactic!

In the mouth: big sour, big fruit, big yum. Medium body, long sour finish. Tart is king here, but sweet always stays in play. Love it! Great beer, Bemidji, and thanks, again, for driving these kegs down to us. I'm looking ever more forward to making my own trip up there to see the brewery.

Bemidji Brewing Flanders Red Ale 2014

It's another one from last week's Minnesota Wild & Funky event, and I can't claim credit for bringing it in. Thanks go to Ryan from Indeed for talking to these guys and getting them to contribute. I, frankly, did not know they were doing anything like this. It makes me more excited to bring them into the plans for Minnesota Breweries One by One, and visit it good ol' Bemidji town.

Bemidji Brewing Flanders Sour Red 2014. 5.5% AVV.

Gorgeous crimson coloring, slim beige head, sticks around and leaves lace.

Aroma starts wine-like and vinegary, tart and cherry-ish, oak-y, fruity, lovely.

In the mouth: Intensely puckering at first, delivering dry, fruity flavors. Medium-bodied. Long, tart, cherry/berry-ish finish. Sourness grows and grows, continues deliciously.

This is a nice version of the style. It's not great, but it's good enough to encourage them to keep on at it. Could be better, could be fuller bodied, more of everything. But, then again, they don't have the hundreds of years of experience that the master brewers in Belgium do. Good start, though.

From the brewery: "Blend of barrel-aged beers that results in a bright, tart ale with notes of fruit, caramel and oak. This dry and malty ale was the first release from our Sour Beer program and has been cellared for nearly two years."