Something Shiny

There’s a new brewery going into St. Louis Park, and they need our help. Check out the video, then read on below for more information.

If you want to throw a few bucks in the hat (contingent on them reaching their goal of $35,000), head over to their Kick Starter page and check out the swag and behind the scenes access you can get in return for your generous contribution. Pledges have stalled out as of late so please pass on the word to anyone you know who might be interested.

Sure, Park Tavern didn't invent the Toepener, but they've got them, and now I have an (unhealthy, probably) urge to go pee there. Sure, I could just drop in and go in and out of the bathroom without any... business to attend to, but that would just be weird. Weird like having a local TV news crew shooting in the men's room of my neighborhood bar.

I like beer and I enjoy making it myself. It’s perhaps not the most healthy of habits, the making and drinking of beer, but competitive eating was just too difficult to break into. You had to sign up for events… go to those events… it all seemed like a huge hassle. Home brewing, on the other hand is much easier, especially if you have a quality kit and retailer to support you. It’s only slightly more difficult than making a large (5 gallon) batch of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Living in the Twin Cities, I have the good fortune of being conveniently located near Midwest Supplies, a fantastic home brew (and wine making, and hydroponic gardening, and cheese making) shop. The gear is great, the ingredients are fresh, and the pre-packaged recipe kits (the box of Mac ‘n’ Cheese, if you will), are outstanding.

So why am I blathering on about competitive eating, macaroni and cheese, and brewing my own beer today? Well, Groupon has a deal today for either $42 or $44 (depending on whether the page title or buy button are correct) to get you setup with nearly everything you need to brew your first batch of beer including most of the gear, and all of the ingredients. All you need to provide yourself is a really big pot and 48 empty bottles. Don’t have the empty bottles? Well, you have about two weeks from the time you start brewing to the time you need to bottle. I’m sure you can figure something out.

So, if you’re interested in brewing your own, pick up the Midwest Supply Groupon. It’s one of their holiday ones, so it actually runs for a couple days, good through Thursday, 12/16. Looks like you can either pick it up in store, or have it shipped to you for about $10. For the amount of gear you get, $10 for shipping seems more than fair.

For fans of Surly Brewing beers or home brewing, or both, this video from Brewing TV featuring Surly Brewing is for you.

Brewing TV – Episode 25: Surly Brewing Company from Brewing TV on Vimeo.

Note, on the episode page on the Brewing TV site, they link to the Northern Brewing clone kit for Surly’s Furious. You may also want to check out Midwest Supplies Ferocious IPA which was formulated with input from the gang at Surly in extract or all grain recipes.

Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis has a lot of interesting restaurants. The west end is a little more concerned with trend than taste, but the east end has some great spots on par with “Eat Street,” Nicollet Avenue.

Taste of Lake Street is a good opportunity to sample from a variety of Lake Street establishments. You might even find a new favorite. And, as an added bonus, proceeds go to the local charity, Minneapolis Hunger Relief.

2nd Annual Rotary Taste of Lake Street For Minneapolis Hunger Relief
Taste some fantastic food, wine & beer from Lake Street Establishments
Sunday, October 4, 2009 – 1:00 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Midtown Global Market
East Lake Street & 10th Ave
Tickets: $25 advance, $30 Day of the Event
www.tasteoflakestreet.org

Looking for something to do this afternoon? Check out the free brewery tour over at Flat Earth Brewery.

From MNBeer:

Check out how Jeff works his magic to create Flat Earth beer during their September brewery tour. Afterward, he suggests the group head over to Groveland Tap for their beer festival. So, get that pesky to do list accomplished in the morning and spend the afternoon enjoying great beer.

Flat Earth Brewery Tour | MNBeer – Beer from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond.

Like wine and looking for something to do tonight? Check out the tasting at the downtown Minneapolis Haskell’s. $5 gets you a glass and as many tastings as you can squeeze in in two and a half hours.

From Haskell’s (via Facebook):

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Summer Wine Tasting at Haskell’s Minneapolis Part III
Back again by Popular demand

Sounds interesting, but will I be able to get myself to cross the river tonight?

From Haskell’s via Facebook

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Malt vs. Hops
Free Beer Tasting & Lecture Haskell’s -White Bear Lake
Price: FREE!
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Location: Haskell’s White Bear Lake
Street: 1219 Gun Club Road
City/Town: White Bear Lake, MN

Description
In our second beer class we will investigate Malts & Hops. What are they and why do they matter to you as a beer drinker? Find out at Haskell’s.

Earlier I’d mentioned September means good beer. Metromix has done a run-down of the Oktoberfesty stuff coming up in the Twin Cities and some related resources. Check out the links below for more info, or the link below the block quote for their summary page.

From Metromix:

Here in the Twin Cities, we like to usher in autumn in hearty Germanic style, and if you want to participate in the fun, then we’d like to show you where to have some good Bavarian suds, and where to get your polka-party on.

Below you’ll find the best German bars in the Twin Cities, a line up of some of the best Oktoberfest parties and some photos from last year’s chaos at the always-fun Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit.

Oktoberfest in the Twin Cities 2009 | Metromix Twin Cities.

As the days grow cooler, the thought of a heavier, more flavorful beer is more appealing than when it’s 95 and humid out. And with events like Oktoberfest and the MN Craft Brewers’ Associations Autumn Brew Review, there’s no excuse for not getting out and trying something a little more interesting than Miller Lite (which I’ve been drinking unhappily most of the summer).

So here’s to cooler months and the beer that keeps us warm.

No, this isn’t just a sales pitch to move my spare pair of Autumn Brew Review tickets, although they are still available…

Mmmm… wine, lots and lots of wine. The City Pages annual wine tasting event is this Friday 4/3.

City Pages Wine Tasting presented by MGM – Eventbrite.

From City Pages:

Hundreds of wines, delicious appetizers, great live music and a silent auction – all in one room! It’s the spring edition of the City Pages Wine Tasting presented by MGM.

The event features a variety of more than 250 wines, including some of the best domestic and imported wines available at metro area MGM locations. Enjoy an incredible array of wines and live music from Rare Medium. A portion of proceeds from the event benefit The Southern Theater – a non-profit organization which provides a vibrant home for performance, fostering a multiplicity of voices, and catalyzing connections among artists and audience. In addition to the vast selection of wine, your admission includes complimentary light appetizers (while supplies last) from award-winning D’Amico Catering, voted one of the Twin Cities best caterers.

Tickets are $28 in advance at MGM locations (no ticket fees) and through www.citypages.com/winetasting – ($0.99/ticket service charges apply); or $35 at the door the night of the event. A $10 designated driver ticket is also available. Admission includes all wine samples and light appetizers from D’Amico Catering. Must be 21 or older to participate and present valid ID upon entering the event.

International Market Square is located at 275 Market Street, Minneapolis – just west of I-94 and Lyndale off Glenwood. For additional information about the event please visit www.citypages.com/winetasting. The City Pages Wine Tasting is presented by MGM and sponsored by Cities 97, KTLK, and SRO Productions.

photo credit: helmet13

Bringing your own bottle of wine used to cost you $25 (plus the wine itself), but no more! In an attempt to figure out how to get more folks in the door during these rough economic times, they’ll let you bring your own wine for no additional charge.

They’re careful to point out that this ONLY applies to wine, not beer, or spirits (or probably even orange soda).

Very nice move Manny’s, I’m on my way.
http://www.mannyssteakhouse.com/
The W Minneapolis – The Foshay
9th & Marquette
Downtown Minneapolis

Wow, I’ve seen the gas powered models, but those aren’t very practical. Now that nearly everyone has a decently powered rechargable drill, this may be the perfect portable blended drink solution.

Anyone have one? the site doesn’t have much info as to what the blender blades are like, or any detailed information at all for that matter.

In any event, $35 +s&h can get you that blended margarita while you’re “roughing it.” Check it out over at Keg Fun.

Make your own skittles infused vodka and “taste the rainbow” both ways (going down and coming back up again). I haven’t tried this out yet, but I fully intend to. Sorta reminds me of the old fashioned wax bottle candy with the syrupy liquid in it.

Hmm, wonder if I can find a how-to on making your own wax bottle candy…

Skittles Vodka Tutorial | Mix That Drink.

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Finally available to those of out who reside outside the UK, the Chugalug magnetic fridge drink Mixer!

ThinkGeek :: Chugalug Fridge Drink Mixer