Minnesota Breweries One by One: #2: Harriet Brewing, Minneapolis, with Karma Suture Belgian Brown Ale

If you recall the ending to my last post, I was pondering what my next move to check off local breweries would be, and how I would do it. I checked bus schedules to see how I can visit some St. Paul breweries on a Sunday, but something intervened to change plans. A couple of things, actually, starting with #1, I had pressing matters to attend to, "errands" some call them. But attend to them I had to do, before any recreational activities. And the other thing? The temperature is below zero today, almost 10 degrees below. No fun. Not sure I wanted to do a lot of standing around waiting for buses, or walking to catch the next connection.

I've known Madeleine for seven years, and never knew she had such
 flair with chalk.

My business at the library, the bank, and the grocery store kept me in the neighborhood where both Hiawatha and Minnehaha Avenues meet with Lake Street. What else is there? Harriet Brewing. Wasn't there a new beer just released? I walked up to the back entrance to the taproom and saw owner Jason Sowards. No, he informed me, that release wasn't until Tuesday afternoon. But on entering the room and reading the beautiful new chalkboard (the things you miss you don't visit for a month or three), there was a beer on tap that I hadn't even heard of, so a growler full of it was soon in my possession. After a couple of beers, chatting with friends, taking in some live music, it was time to go home, and with dinner and chores done, it's time to crack open this Belgian-style brown ale called Karma Suture for reasons that weren't made clear to me. It's 4.8% ABV, with 25 IBUs.


Clear, reddish brown coloring, large creamy-tan head, lasting long and leaving some lace.

Some sweetness in the nose, minor fruity esters, low bitterness. Mostly malty. Probably Belgian Special B in this one, and I'd guess that Belgian yeast is being used. I really should have asked Jason while I was there, but I also enjoy the guessing game.


In the mouth: starts slightly sweet, thoroughly malty, ending dry and crisp. Just enough bitter for balance. Just enough sweet for flavor. Nicely rounded, and quite tasty. Some chocolate malt notes, and a bit caramel malt flavor, too. I like this one. When you're desires something dark, but you don't want to go with the high alcohol offerings like Dark Abbey dubbel, or Grande Zombi stout, this makes an excellent session ale, while hanging out in the taproom, relaxing with the music.

Cheers, Joe, and thanks for the beer!

I found this one to be quite satisfactory, and will enjoy drinking at least half of the growler tonight.

Steve West and friends provide some sweet music on a frigid Sunday afternoon. 

I've done a fairly thorough job of documenting the output of this brewery over the past five years. They are fifth most tagged Minnesota brewery on the blog, after Town Hall, Surly, Schell's and Summit. When they opened, there were no other production breweries in the city of Minneapolis, only brewpubs. We've got nearly 30 now, and Harriet still hasn't seen any real expansion in that time, nor packaged any of their beers in cans or bottles to sell outside the taproom. Tap handle real estate has gotten more competitive, and Harriet has to do a lot more marketing to stay fresh in the eyes of the craft beer crowd. Just putting on music events and food truck rallies may not be enough to keep the drinkers coming back to this old, former garage. I'd like to see them survive and grow. Quirky breweries like this help keep the beer scene just a little bit weird, and I'd hate to see that go away.

The bobbing head of Hank Williams Jr. continues to watch over
 the record section,
where some of my LPs remain in the collection. 

Harriet USA IPA

Harriet American I.P.A. I'm missing a lot of information on this one. It's on tap at the brewery, with the words "USA IPA" on the chalkboard. That's not it's name, though. It's unusual for a Harriet beer to be without a fanciful, even inscrutable, sometimes unpronounceable name. This was supposed to be part of a series, whose name I've forgotten, of beers that go outside the usual Belgian-/German-style parameters they've been doing for over four years.

Without any technical info at all (I should really check the website and see if it's there…...and it's not.), I'm just going to crack open the growler and see what we will see.

Appearance: clear, golden/amber coloring, large white head, leaving lace, looking great.

Aroma: Bright gleaming citrus notes lead off, a little floral, a touch of spice. A little bit sweet, too, to match the bitter. Reminds me of West Side, just a smidgeon.

Taste: Big, bold bitterness blasts the palate, nothing but citrusy hops and sweet malt. Beautifully balanced. I'd guess the ABV at 6.5 or so, maybe 7. And I can't shake this similarity with West Side, there's a distinctive Belgian-esque feeling in the flavor.

Well, it's darned fine American IPA, and it's almost gone, sold entirely at the taproom, as far as I know. Bring it back, Harriet, let's have some more!

Biking to Beer: Bigger, Longer, Stronger, Part One

Biking to Beer: Bigger, Longer, Stronger: Part One. Spring is here. Time to get back on the metal horse and re-acquaint myself with the local breweries, new and old.

If you were paying attention to this webular blogging activity of mine last summer, you may remember my effort to visit all of the brewpubs and taprooms in the city of Minneapolis on one day. This was timed so that I could make the attempt before it was impossible, for Sisyphus was soon to open, and after that Bauhaus and Fair State and Insight and Northgate and more were on their way. I could imagine having thirteen beers all over town in the course of a day, but not 18 or 20. In truth, I only did 11 of the 13 breweries, but it's close enough for jazz.

A new idea recently dawned upon me, to make the rounds again, but 3 or 4 in a day, on my days off. This will continue until I get to all of the breweries of the Twin Cities (yes, I'll get to St. Paul, or even some of the suburbs) by bike, and I'll write about my experiences with them, as well as the beers, and strive to include a new beer at each stop.

This anonymous lizard (surely he must have a name, but I don't know it) is the smallest taxidermied animal in the Harriet Brewing Taproom, after the armadillo and the fierce puma. 

First stop, at 5 pm, Wednesday, March 18, Harriet Brewing, 3036 Minnehaha Avenue. I can say with confidence that every one of the beers they've produced has been covered here in the Nib. I met owner and brewer Jason Sowards for the first time in the summer of 2010 as he was trying to meet the beer buyers and bar managers of the cities to find the people who would purchase his product, with his homebrew samples as the promise of beers to come. A call to him once I heard he'd found his space and was setting up his brewery led to the invitation to host the release party in early February of 2011. And what a day that was. For the next month, the Blue Nile was the only place you could get the first beer from the first production brewery in the city in over a decade, the first new one since the '90's. Before Harriet, there were three breweries in Minneapolis, all brewpubs. Since then, in less than four years, seventeen more have opened.

Over three years, I continued to tap every new beer Harriet released at the Blue Nile. In March of 2012, I was invited to play my jazz records at the soft opening of their tap room, which just missed being the first brewery taproom in Minneapolis, beat out by Fulton. After a bit, I was offered a regular gig DJ-ing there on my day off from the Nile, which continued for over a year, until they sought out more live entertainment. You may remember that I worked at their taproom after being unemployed last fall, and while waiting for my new job at Eastlake to start up. I still make it in a few times a month, checking in on the my records stored on their shelves, keeping up with their beers, soaking up the arty atmosphere.

Perhaps my quest to find a new beer I haven't logged here yet would fail early on, as I've tried ever Belgian and German-styled brew this outfit has offered. Luck was with me, as they had a brand new brew that wasn't on the chalkboard, and still had no name. An American IPA, their first American anything so far. (That is, unless you agree with me that the Belgian IPA, especially the style that West Side represents,  is a thoroughly American invention.) This anonymous IPA is everything you'd want, pithy and citrus-y and hoppy as any IPA you like. As an IPA critic, I can vouch that any hop-heads in the house would be easily pleased. (I'll get a growler soon, and do a full review then.) During my long association with the brewery, I've often wished they'd break away a little from the Euro-style schtick, just a bit. An English-style once in a while, an American-style now and then. Hey, they did a Finnish-style, why not go a little further? Or closer, even?

If I hadn't seen a friend there during my visit, I might have had one and be done, but Don was there, so we got to talking and I put back another, this one a Divine Oculust. Once that Belgian Golden Ale was finished, I got back on the bike and took Hiawatha Avenue, a few blocks from Minnehaha, northerly to Franklin and 27th, turning on Franklin and following it over the Mississippi River, from the West Bank to the East. It's only a matter of blocks from there to University Avenue, and once there, it's a small shot until we get to Malcolm Avenue, where at 520, we meet Surly Brewing Company.

In 2004, there was a mention in a Brooklyn Center newspaper about a man who wanted to start a brewery in that city. This report was repeated in a post on BeerAdvocate.com and it of course caused a minor flutter, as it should have. There had been no new breweries in the Twin Cities that had succeeded since Summit and James Page (which, ultimately, failed). In the intervening years, anyone with ambitions to begin brewing locally was discouraged or sent to Wisconsin. All I did was make a comment on that thread that a new local brewery would be welcome, indeed, and I received a private "beermail" on the BeerAdvocate site from a user by the name of "micro" identifying himself as Omar. He reached out to me to keep me aware of his activities creating this new brewery, visiting me at the Blue Nile when he had things to report.  Sometimes it was bottles of Michigan beer he brought me, sometimes his new business card, revealing the name for the first time, and sometimes a cap or a pint glass, picking my brain for insight or opinion.

If I were to detail the events that led up to the rise of the Surly Brewing Company, and my long association with them, it would turn into a mid-sized novella. Actually, it already did, but I edited it out of this post. Too long. Another time, perhaps. I confess, though I may have mentioned it before, that I'm still amazed at the evolution of it all. It's so incredible that  I find it hard to put into words. It took not only the building of a brewery and the invention of a brand, plus the growth of a cult following, but also the changing of laws, as well as minds and tastes. (Omar actually had to change the law in Brooklyn Center to allow him to found a brewery there.)

And here we are now, with the Surly Mega-Brewery at 520 Malcom Avenue, which I wrote about here….and the question was asked: when will it calm down? My second visit was on a Sunday night around 6 pm. The Beer Hall tables were full, but I found a seat at the bar easily. I had a couple beers, and a Surly Burger. A smart-alecky bar-back gestured to the open seats and said to anyone listening: "Is it 7 pm, or 7 am? Half the bar stools are empty!" Yeah, and it's a Sunday night, and you don't have any TVs showing the Big Game, and no happy hour, and no nothing that bars use to draw people in, and yet it's still busy enough that there's no need to complain because you have a momentary lull.

I'm not accustomed to downing my Cynic from fancy glassware, but I don't mind it either. Shaker pints are forbidden, it seems, at the Surly Beer Hall.

I still hear from people who say they haven't made it in, because the parking lot is full, or they walk in and there's a line. Don told me he walks out more often than he doesn't. So, what happens on a Wednesday in mid-March, around 7pm? A line, but short. My long bike ride made me thirst something simple and drinkable, and I went for a CynicAle, which I used to enjoy on a regular basis when I always had it on tap at the Nile, and I haven't tasted it much in the past year. One CynicAle while I stood near the bar and waited for a bar seat to open up. Took about 20 minutes, and I tried the lamb meatballs and ordered a Witches Tower. This was the first new beer released at the Beer Hall , a "session brown ale" with an extra dose of cardamom to make it truly unique. Warm, spicy, and terrifically drinkable. The name comes from a nearby Minneapolis landmark near the new location, the Witch's Hat Water Tower. I slowly savored my pint, while enjoying an appetizer of lamb meatballs, and engaging in conversion with my bar-stool neighbor, Dave, a bassist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and talked of music and beer.

Getting up close and personal with a Witch's Tower Brown Ale. Did I mention the house roasted cardamom, or the aging on toasted ash? 

It's a piece o' cake to get from Surly to Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery. Surly is located blocks from University Avenue which runs parallel to Washington Avenue, and I took the latter street through the University of Minnesota campus to the Washington Avenue bridge over the Mississippi river, taking me right to one of my favorite beer spots in town. It's still a great mystery why I put off going there for the first five years of their existence. My best guess is that I simply did not trust brewpubs back then. How could their beer be as good as a "real brewery"? I was suspicious, and dared not enter. When my quest for beer kicked into high gear, I ventured inside and after Masala Mama went down my throat for the first time, I never looked back.

On this visit, there was Czar Jack Imperial Stout to be had, so I had to have one. Always have to have one, if ever I see one. But that's not new, so I tossed back a tasty Mocha Java Double Brown Ale. Not sure why it's "double", at only 6.1 % ABV, it's maybe one and a half times the strength of a normal brown ale, but it surely packs on the extra flavor, with serious doses of chocolate and coffee. It's another one that I'll probably pick up in a growler and do notes on then.

MJDB, or Mocha Java Double Brown at Town Hall. Not very double, but plenty Mocha Java. 

As I was getting ready to pack up and head to my next stop, all the way through downtown, across the Loring Park neighborhood, and into the Dunwoody campus, across from the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden, I was called over to some friends in a booth. I hated to cut the chit chat short, but there was a plan in play, and I couldn't lose a moment, especially because closing time was nigh. I made to Sisyphus Brewing at about 9:50, just in time to get last call and have a couple pints. Trivia was over and the place was emptying out. Albert the dog was being friendly as always, and there was time to play a couple games of pinball with Sam, but I couldn't compete with him because he's become a master of the game. Enjoyed hearing talk of his expansion plans while enjoying a West Coast IPA, another beer that will be described in full detail later. (I had arrived in time to secure a growler of it before the law forbade me from doing so.

Last beer of the night? Not quite, I had one more at home. And once I opened the growler, you can read my notes on the West Coast IPA. 

So, on a Wednesday in mid-March I paid a visit to four of my favorite local breweries, just the first leg of this longer, occasional journey. Next time, maybe they won't all be my favorites, but there will be beer involved, so that's a good thing.

Harriet's Grande Zombi Belgian-style Stout

Harriet's Grand Zombi Belgian-style Stout. 10% ABV. Why Grand Zombi, I asked? Because that's what Jason wanted, I was told. Must be a real reason, I'll get to the bottom of it. Soon.

Appearance: solid blackness, rich, roasty tan head, looking perfect for any kind of stout.

Aroma: bittersweet at first, lightly chocolatey, dark fruits, molasses, charcoal, roast and toast, a little anise.

Taste: more bittersweet, expert balance, full body, richness and roastiness, but not too much of anything. Booze rises up with quickness and knocks on the brainpan's front door. It's a mix, to be sure, of rough and rich, of bitter and sweet, of fruit and funk, with a grit and determination all it's own. I could never call it smooth, for it has a gritty texture that rides over any calm. Altogether, though, it's a beautiful wreck, and a true treat to drink down, over and over. All those flavors noted in the nose come pouring back into the taste, and envelope the senses.

Mmm, I like this. A new favorite from Harriet.

Harriet Sooner or Later Belgian Blonde Ale

Sooner Or Later Belgian Blonde. Harriet Brewing Company. Further information unknown. (???)

Here we have the first Harriet beer review at the bitter nib from a growler, without the growler in the picture. Why? Because Harriet is one of the few breweries to take advantage of the change in Minnesota's laws that allow a brewery to fill a growler of beer from any other brewery, not just their own. (Eastlake is another doing so.) Before I returned all my Harriet growlers, I had…get this: 52. Now I'm down to 48. I think I still have a world record. Prove me wrong.

Appearance: lightly hazed, bright golden hue, slim white head.

Aroma: Sweet, fruity nose, followed by Belgian yeast. Floral notes, candy sugar.

Taste: Enters the palate clean and easy, neat as a pin. Lots of citrus and a little spice. I'll say "clean" again, 'cause that's what it is. Dry finish. Light body. Tastes like nothing else but a note perfect rendition of the style, which is what Harriet really does well. Spicy, fruity, lean and clean. Not bad at all.

Biking the Beers of Minneapolis, Part Two.2: Stabbing Northward

Biking the Brewpubs and Taprooms of Minneapolis, the Adventure Continues!

A break and we're back. When we last left this tale, I was at Dangerous Man Brewing Company, having a Scottish Ale, when along came Tim Olson, of Tallgrass Brewing, with his co-worker Jake. Saturday was the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest, and there were many brewery representatives in town. Tim was kind enough to buy me the pint, and I almost had another, but stuck to the plan, and had one and was done. While briefly on facebook (I was going online periodically and updating my adventure, to the virtual cheers of my fb friends), my sister Lynn sent a message asking where I was headed next. I suspect she was concerned of my safety after eight or nine beers, while on bike. She was going to Indeed with her husband (who is, co-incidentally, actually my brother-in-law! small world), and guess what? So were Tim and Jake. Okay, next up, go from 13th to 15th, then a right turn and all the way to Monroe Street, and there we are...

Brewery #9: Indeed Brewing Company, 711 15th Avenue NE.

Around this time, my note-taking had ceased completely. I can't recall when I left Dangerous Man or when I arrived at Indeed, but I'm going to guess 7:30? I also have to confess that while the directions given above are correct and true, I did not actually follow them. I went into this without taking a map, or printing out Google Maps, or doing anything beyond writing down addresses in my notebook. I've biked to Indeed many times, and I've travelled from Indeed to Dangerous Man on foot, and always found my way there. But I did get lost, as I often do, and once again the Bitter Nib continues it's tradition of being the blog that tells you how I live, rather than demonstrating how one should wisely live. It's just how it is around here.

Eventually I found my way, much more than a mile away, and longer than the six minutes it should have taken. Remember, people: don't be like me! (Except when you should, of course.) And I pulled into the bike rack, and there were my pals Dave and Mikayla on the patio, and so were Tim and Jake, and inside, at a booth, there was sister Lynn, and brother in law Pete. I chose for my beer #9 at brewery #9 the LSD Ale, and you can read my thoughts on that here.

It seemed a little quiet for a Friday night at Indeed when I first rolled in, but after 8 o'clock, boom, along came the crowd. Just in time for me to make my next move. Could I do both 612 Brew, and Sociable Cider Werks (despite it's name, actually a brewery), before going to Harriet to complete 12 breweries in one day (skipping the 13th Minneapolis brewery as of this minute, which is but one among a national chain, the downtown Rock Bottom)? Should I? Would I?

At Indeed's taproom, clockwise from left: Tim, Jake, and, in the foreground, my glass of LSD.

The decision was made when it started to look like rain, at last. I made two snap decisions: 1. skip 612 Brew, and 2. accept sister Lynn's offer to toss my bike in her car and take it to ...

Brewery #10: Sociable Cider Werks, 1500 Filmore St. NE.

This was my second visit to Sociable and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. They're making beers, and with the wort from that beer, they're crating an ale/cider hybrid called "graff", so rare and unknown that it doesn't have a Wikipedia entry? How is this possible when this is actually a fictional invention of Stephen King? Don't these wiki's and pedias talk to each other?

I ordered a beer, something called Crystal Smash, a "Single malt/single hop" beer, while sis and bro-in-law had one of the tart ciders. I remain a non-cider lover, a lover of non-ciders, i.e, not a lover of ciders. Will it ever happen? Pigs have flown, yet they still cannot fly.

At Sociable Cider Werks, clockwise from left, my glass of Crystal Smash, brother-in-law Pete, big sister Lynn.

I said hello to friends in attendance, kept up the routine of frequently remembering the rule of IBU, and with my ale and their ciders tossed down our respective gullets, we travelled eastward, through Dinkytown and the University of Minnesota, across the big river, back into SouthEast Minneapolis, and to our final brewery taproom, a place regular readers should be well familiar with, ...

Brewery #11: Harriet Brewing Company, 3036 Minnehaha Avenue.

Walking into Harriet's taproom, I was informed that a cover charge in effect. They've been so kind to me there on so many occasions, I didn't mind paying it, for myself and my kin. Why the cover? Willie Murphy, local blues/rock legend was in the house.

Front and center, my pint of West-Side Belgian-style IPA, beer #11 at brewery #11, with Willie Murphy, vocals and guitar, directly behind.

 He was actually doing a cover of Lou Donaldson's "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky From Now On." I tried to find it on vinyl to play during the break, but I only have that one on CD. Did have some other funky jazz, and the musicians came over to the turntable to thank me for spinning some Shirley Scott.

the only picture not taken by me, this was shot by sister Lynn, laying down some grooves at Harriet Taproom.

Beer #11 was a pint of West Side Belgian-style India Pale Ale. Beer #12 was a pint of Divine Oculust Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale, and Beer #13 was Juhla Bru, the Finnish-style Sahti, which I was amazed that they still had on.

So?
Did I do it, did I make it to every Minneapolis brewery (brewpub/taproom) in one day? No, I skipped two, for time, and, well, I just didn't feel like it. Did I make it all the way by bike? No, when rain was on the way, I took the easy way out and made the longest leg of the journey ( 4.7 miles from NE to Harriet) by car.

Could you do it? Keep in mind that I only felt a buzz by my 13th glass. In fact, I was okay enough to actually go grocery shopping after leaving Harriet ...which I totally don't remember! Just kidding, I do have vague recollections of that midnight shopping spree, but I don't know why I felt the need for so many bags of Cheetos...Also, keep in mind, that this is me, and everyone's mileage varies. And so, I posit that if I had started this journey earlier (the first stop on the voyage, Herkimer, actually opens at 10 am), I could have spanned 13 pints at 13 stops. Further, I could have chosen smaller pours at some of those visits, but, since I never remembered to ask for them, I got a pint each time. Additionally, a little more food might have helped a bit (I only ate at Northbound, Freehouse, and a food truck at Indeed). Also, for the other stops skipped, they would be easy to include in the same itinerary from this trip. Rock Bottom is only about six blocks away from Fulton, and 612 is only a couple off from Indeed.

Theoretically doable, I hereby establish. But I won't try again. I awoke the next...afternoon...without a hangover, bereft of sickness, but very, very tired. Good thing that I didn't have to work until 5 in the afternoon. Did I ever sleep in. It was a fun day, to be sure. If I try anything similar, and I will, it will be more compartmentalized. On my next day off, Monday, all the brewpubs are open. Hey, why not hit the six of them, but the other way, from Freehouse to Herkimer? My next next day off is a Friday, when all the taprooms are open, I could do Fulton to NE, then that nearly 5 mile stretch (I've done it before, many times) to Harriet. Watch this space. More fun awaits!

Harriet Divine Resolution Spiced Belgian-strong Golden Ale

Harriet Divine Resolution. This is one we had on tap for the 1st Anniversary 2 years ago (I'm pretty sure), which means that it was gone while I was working and I never got to do a proper tasting. It's never been released in growler form while I was aware, which is why it hasn't appeared here yet. So, imagine my surprise when I called in an order to the new distributor of Harriet's beers, and they said, "hey, we've got some Divine Resolution if you want some." Yes, please, and here we are, and I'm going to have some and talk to you about it.

What is this Divine Resolution? It's Divine Oculust, the Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale, brewed with orange peel and coriander. These are the traditional spicings for a witbier, now applied to a golden. Fine with me. What either of the names mean is another question, which I cannot answer.

Clear, bright golden coloring, lush, voluptuous, snowy white head. Looks gorgeous and inviting.

Aroma: exactly as expected, delivering the light, but attractive floral/vegetal spice character one gets in a witbier, now delivered in a heartier brew. Citrus notes abound, as well. Wonderfully pleasant.

Taste: Lightness, smoothness, and deceptively strong. This is a common phrase when describing a Belgian golden or a triple, and I've encountered it pouring this for newcomers. Yes, it feels light, but don't call it flavorless, and just you wait, it'll knock you on your tuckuss. The spice continues on the palate, as well as the fruit, and the alcohol burn. There's a special, light loveliness involved that treats the tastebuds and delights the drinker. mmm, mmm. Particularly pleasing. Plenty of action on the palate, lots of tantalizing texture, just enough hops, keeping it good and tasty.

How does it differ from D.O. proper? Without a bottle, growler, or glass at my easy disposal, it's hard to reckon, but I'd say that this is just a little bit more of something already pretty awesome.

Harriet Juhla Bru Sahti

So, Harriet turns 3 years old, as the Cedar Cultural Center celebrates 25 years, they got together and threw a party for themselves. Why not brew a special beer for the occasion, and shouldn't it be a rarely seen, hardly-ever heard of Finnish-style, with Red Cedar twigs, tips and juniper? No reason why not. I'm fairly sure I've never had a sahti before. (Not true, I've had two, one from Dogfish Head, and one from a Finnish brewery.)


Cloudy, bright golden hue, minimal head.

Sweet, herbal nose. Lightly spicy and intriguing.

In the mouth, it's quite an interesting thing. A blast of sweetness soon turns to prickly spice before burning out bone dry. Light bodied. Crisp,  dry, and rather effortless at a mere 6% ABV. What does this remind me of? A hefe weizen without the wheat? A pilsner without the hops?

The spicy, earthy character keeps it interesting, and the clean, light body keeps me drinking. Malty is complex and compelling. And those twigs and tips …do they remind me that I wish they were hops? No, I'm cool with that.

Nice sahti.

Here's the gobbleydygook from the website: JUHLA BRÜ
Finnish–Style Sahti, brewed with Red Cedar twigs, tips, and juniper.

In honor of The Cedar’s 25th Anniversary we are releasing, Juhla Brü a Finnish-Style Sahti brewed with Red Cedar twigs, tips and juniper. We brewed this ale as traditionally as possible. 50 pounds of fruiting red cedar branches were added to the mash. Rye malt lends a crisp and spicy character that is enhanced and softened by multi-step and single – decoction mash. No hops are added, and the wort is fermented with Red Star fresh baking yeast, which allows a subtle tartness to take form. The result is a complex, malty, soft-spicy, earthy, and refreshing brew meant for celebration.

Limited Release – On tap at The Cedar & Winterfest on 1/31 and Harriet’s Taproom 2/1 – Only available at these locations till its gone!

Painting and Full Label Design unveiled in The Cedar’s Lobby at 6pm on 1/31.

ABV 6% - IBU 0

Harriet Woluptuweizen Dunkel Weiss

Harriet Brewing Woluptuweiss Dunkel Weizen. 5.4% ABV. I love a good dunkel weizen. (Dunkel is German for dark, weizen means wheat, of course.) All the smooth drinkability of a great German wheat beer, with more dark complexity of character. Best of both worlds. And here's one from Harriet!

Unfiltered. Utterly hazed. Dark reddish brown. Smal, creamy white head.

Aroma: wheatness and sweetness. Little bit of fruit, little bit of caramel and toffee tones, dark malts meet citrus-y notes. Banana and clove are here, too. Medium bodied, super-smooth, and completely consumable.

I love a good dunkel weizen. I'm glad this is one of them.

Harriet Luv Jus Witbier

Harriet Brewing Luv Jus Witbier. Information,  I don't have. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jus is French for "juice". "Luv" is short for "love", and they just like the symmetry of two three-letter words.

It's a witbier.  Hazy golden coloring, large, flush, fresh snowy white head. Looking delightful as can be. Picture perfect.

Aroma: wide open, vast, and airy. Light, lovely, and loaded with spice, coriander, orange peel, wheaty-type notes….every inch of a wittier.

Taste: light bodied, yeasty, spiced with coriander and orange peel, full of flavor and easily drinkable. Not a lot more to say, except that it is exactly right, totally on point, perfectly satisfying. Meets every mark of a witbier, and they should be proud of that. I like wits. They're tasty, refreshing, and pretty. The nicest spice, the juiciest fruit, and so likeable all the way down the throat.

Needless to say, I will revisit this throughout the summer.

Harriet Suga' Mama

Harriet Suga Mama, a wonderful failed experiment, and my favorite beer from them so far. Did I just spoil the ending? You'll forgive me, won't you?

So, this was supposed to be a batch of Divine Oculust, the Belgian-style strong golden ale, with candy sugar produced in-house. This new product had unforeseen results, adding greater depth, and shooting up the alcohol another 2 percent. And then it went into a wine barrel (not sure what kind), adding greater complexity and flavor. Now, let's look at it…

Hazy amber appearance, solid, staying, lush, off-white head. Looking great.

Aroma: I 'm picking up the malt first, then the yeast. Hops won't come into play in this. Some fruit at first, some sweetness, then the oak, and then the wine. A blend of sweet and sour, for a while, cherries are foremost, but there's greater depth, a wonderful mix brought on both by the yeast interaction and the barrel aging.

Taste: Loads onto the palate simply plump and full with flavor. Richness of malt, blended with the barrel's work. What was already a delicious Belgian-style ale, goosed up a bit by this new sugar injection, is taken to new places with the wine barrel's contributions. Sweet, then dry, with just a slight addition of sour. Long-lasting flavors, very satisfying, complex, and delicious. Never gets boring, never dulls, stays fresh and unexpected on the tongue. Love it. Absolutely wonderful. But, no, it's not "a sour", what it is, is more than that.

Capital T Terrific stuff. Drinking from tap at the Blue Nile, where we were lucking to get a keg. Otherwise it's been an exclusive at the taproom for the past month. Why is this limited brew still around for so long. This is so amazing, it's fame should have rightfully spread, and bonafide beer geeks should have been storming their gates and drinking these kegs dry.

Every brewery needs more accidents like this.

2012: The Year Gone By, Part Two

We're back, with the remainder of the year in beer gone by. In Part One, we looked at events in January through July. For July through December, there are two events I will skip, for I used up all the good pics in the posts that I did for them. These would be the first annual All Pints North beer festival in Duluth, and the 13th Annual Autumn Brew Review in Minneapolis, in September, the one local festival I haven't missed once, since my first visit. But, there are other events I never devoted a blog post to, like my first visit to Madison, Wisconsin in 4 years for the Great Taste of the MidWest, in August, and this year's Darkness Day, which took a different turn for me this year, but one I enjoyed immeasurably more. Plenty of other exploits along the way, so enjoy this peek at my life in beer, in the year gone by, 2012!

July 2. After a Bill Frisell show at the Dakota for  my birthday, Deb and I visited a new beer bar downtown called Devil's Advocate, with 40-some taps and a menu comprised entirely of meatballs. We didn't eat (she's a vegetarian), but had some drinks, and she found herself drawn to the La Chouffe gnome statue in the window, and the bartender kindly took it down for us to play with. I'll get my own someday, I've supported La Chouffe plenty, after all, but don't know where I can display it without it getting stolen. The gnome got Deb's phone number, but he never called.

August 28. I tried to host a gathering for our initial release of Indeed Brewing Company's beers, with all of their first 3 beers on tap at once. Perhaps because they'd already debuted at other bars, or even more, because the taproom was open and drawing a crowd night after night, the turnout wasn't great. But, I did have some friends show, including Tim Johnson, at left, Rita and Dean, and in the right corner, Tom Whisenand, one of the 3 Indeed owners.

August 8, my first visit to the Indeed Brewery. The other pictures I took weren't that great, just the same old tanks and racks and canning lines. This one clearly shows off their allegiances, which only goes to explain some of the beer names.

August 10, Dexter's Pub, Madison, Wisconsin. Here's Margarita and Nate, who were kind enough to give me a ride en route to my first visit to the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in 4 years. Jason and Angie were the ones who got me the tickets, and secured the lodging. Dexter's was our fist stop on the night before the fest, an evening which is full of brewery events at bars all over the city. We eventually made it into downtown Madison proper and had some free-wheeling fun mixing it up at beer bar and non-beer bar alike, up and down the avenues. A fun night of misbehaving.

The beer event at Dexter's? Why, they were hosting Toppling Goliath Brewery, of Decorah, Iowa. Who was sitting right next to Jason when N, M, & I arrived? Why, my old friend Bob Slack, who is a brewer at TG. Here's Bob, gasping in awe at the Mornin' Delight Imperial Stout I'm holding in my hand.

August 11. We took a shuttle from Ale Asylum, which was wasn't far from our Motel 6, to get to the festival in downtown Madison. I couldn't help snapping a shot of this misguided man who is celebrating his imminent arrival at a major craft beer fest sporting a hat made out of a Coors Light box. Mixed signals.

At the bottom of the hill, way back of line. Some people camp out for hours to stake a good place at the front line, and get into the fest first. I don't see the point. We're all getting in eventually. What difference do those few minutes make?

One of the best things about these festivals is trying new breweries you've never heard of, might never visit, and who probably don't often go outside their home territory. I tried quite a few of those, but at the same time, needed to visit my friends, as well. I don't think I have photos of those breweries, I was too busy taking pictures of people I knew. Here are Ryan and Val helping pour at the BrewFarm booth, with Farmer Dave hanging out in back (identified by his cowboy hat.)

Here's a Schell's fan posing with the Schell's man, owner Ted Marti, outside the  Schell's van. What do you know, another example of me taking a picture of someone getting their picture taken.

At left is Jason, at right Meagan, who's working this one, representing Tallgrass Brewing, who brought some excellent derivations of their regular beers. You know, I'm going to break out that program, and tell you all about them...later...

The Surly booth was always busy, and very well-manned, with brewer Jerrod Johnson ready to serve your needs.

But he's too late, for Linda Haug has already poured me a beer. It's probably a Three. Why do I know that? Because...

Two is out! Boo hoo, no more Two!

Here's August Schell Brewmaster Jace Marti hanging out behind the Surly booth, chatting with Surly brewer Derek Allmendinger. 

Surly artist Michael Berglund (Darkness '11, Syx labels) has volunteered to pour, and told a funny, apparently to Joel and Aleah.

I don't have a caption for this one. Maybe you do?

Here's Surly head brewer Todd Haug enjoying the fruits of his labors, while Omar takes a shift.

Some brewers don't just bring beers, they also deck out their booth or tent in some manner of theme to grab the festers attention. Bell's had a super-hero them going this year, giving out these capes that everyone seemed to be wearing. If I recall, there's a contest for best booth dressing. don't ask me who won.

New Holland Brewing's theme was "Zombie Prom." All of the brewery employees and volunteers were decked out as  zombies who are going to the Prom. Which explains the black balloons. Isn't anyone else tired of zombies or am I really the only one?

The theme at Tyranena Brewing Company was Santa Claus. Not pictured: Owner Rob Larson dressed as Santa, asking the young hotties to sit in his lap and tell him if they were naughty...or nice.

I was thrilled to meet up with my old pal John "Woody" Chandler, of Lancaster, PA, who I probably haven't seen since 2008. Woody makes the scene at many events all over the country, decked out in a monk's robe, it's heavy cloth and his vast beard not deterring him the least in this summer heat. He's even added a crown of hops to his sartorial repertoire. (When not in monk attire, he wears a heavy coat loaded with brewery patches.) I first met Woody in person back in 2006, when he crashed on my couch during a tour of Upper Midwestern breweries.

A very bad photo of the bar at the Great Dane in dowtown Madison. After taking the bus back to our motel, me dined, then took a cab back downtown. Even after  a big beer fest, I wasn't going to go to sleep at 9pm, with the wonders of a foreign town at my disposal! We hit various spots, and ended at the Dane, lounging the night away in their garden, I enjoying a quadrupel with the droll name of MidWest-veletern. End of a great weekend in Madison, WI.

September 4. My fist visit to the Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater. Brad Glynn is showing Dean, Brandon, and me what is in all those cool barrels.

October 27. My sixth time at Surly Darkness Day, and this year I have no photos to share of freezing fans waiting in line early in the morning. I actually strolled up around 2pm, with Dan, Beth, Brian, and Erin, completely sober, and left that way (give or take). Why didn't I take basically an entire weekend off of work just to buy 6 bottles of beer? Gosh, why would I? It was fun when could leave early Friday night (when I had someone who could close the bar for me), sleep, and then wake up early enough to get a good spot in the line. But, every year there are more people and the line is longer earlier. Last year, I got no sleep, arrived around 6 am, and barely made the cut-off. This year, I paid attention to facebook, twitter, and BeerAdvocate, and listened to the people saying there were 500 in line by 6pm, 800 by 8, etcetera. It was pointless. I wanted to sleep, but I still wanted beers. Eventually I decided to go the next afternoon and hope for some left-overs. 

If you looked carefully in that last photo, there was a face looking towards me. That belonged to Nils, seen here, approaching me with a bag of goodies from a tasting table still standing hours after the Surly event officially began. There are really two things going on at Darkness Day. The camper-outers are celebrating their comraderie in craft beer by treating each other to untold rarities, all shared freely, but among variously located outposts. Some of this was documented in my post about last year's Darkness Day. The other event is the one that Surly actually hosts, which is the bottle sale, the food vendors (some of which is available to the campers), the live music and games, and the special beers for sale. Very often these two events only intersect in this way: the campers enter the gates, get their beer, and go home with their bottles. For a lot of them, Darkness Day is only about all those rare bottles passed around with friends and strangers, and little interest in what goes on inside the gates, besides their bottles. Nothing wrong with that. This year was the first time that I did not participate in both parts of the event, only the Surly-sanctioned one. And I enjoyed it. 

Ohmigod! Look who it is, Jeff and Shelly! Remember them from last year? And here comes a little bit of irony. All that chatter on the internets? It was wrong. They counted wrong, or whatever, but they were wrong. J & S arrived at 11:30 A.M., and easily got wristbands. If I knew, we would would have left hours earlier, still gotten sleep in our beds, and received 6 bottles, rather than 4. Oh, well...big deal... I guess...

Perhaps that explains why I look less than delighted in this picture with Omar that Shelly took?

Although I had no problem smiling in a picture with Jeff, however.

Since it was the weekend before Halloween, costumes were not out the ordinary. But this couple, with their can of Furious and can of Wet attire really went the extra mile. 

Top right, Todd Haug shreds with his band, Powermad. Bottom right, in fur cap, his wife Linda bangs her head.

October 31. Halloween fell on a Wednesday, and I dj'ed at Harriet's Taproom, at least until a band came on. I peppered my usual funk/soul/fusion/hard bop/be-bop/swing set with scary sound effects and Halloween-type songs. People seemed to dig it. 

November 3. Place: the Blue Nile bar. Event: the 5th Annual Stoutfest. Dave is taking a break from his samples, while I snap this, with Jay and Julie sitting to his left. These guys have been making it to most of these events. I think it was the 4th StoutFest in a row for J & J. got to love them for that.

My friends Dean and Rita are at the bar, choosing their stouts and porters, while one of my Somali regulars, who drinks only gin and tonics, looks at the list with utter bewilderment. This is my world, ladies and gentlemen.

November 27. Another Surly Darkness Vertical Epic Tasting, this one a bit more collaborative, as I brought some, and others brought the rest. Rollie the cat looks on and approves. 

Jay and Julie deep in thought, contemplating the Darkness. 

Matthew's awfully excited to have so many years of Darkness in his hands. We found that the 2009 & 2010 were tasting best, and while the 08 and 07 were not bad, they hadn't improved appreciably. Perhaps 2 or 3 years is as much as you should age these guys. Don't go overboard people, they won't turn amazing at 10 or 20 years old. You can try it, but we warned you!

Bryce gives his glasses some very close scrutiny. Andy was the sixth member of the group, but he really didn't want his picture taken. Another fun night of drinking Darkness, where once again strangers become friends through beer tasting!

And you know what? No much happened in December! (That I didn't already report.) Here's to more beer in 2013!