Beer Snob

​Rare Beer Picnic

July 14th, 2016

By Heather Schuer

Hello, beer lovers! Saturday, July 16th, will be the 2nd annual Rare Beer Picnic hosted by Junkyard Brewing Company and Usher’s House. The picnic’s theme is “Aged, Infused, and Sours.” Breweries from Minnesota and North Dakota will be participating, and food will be served from Usher’s House. There will also be yard games and live music from musician Dustin Ellingson, part of the group Cropdusters.

Michelle Juhnke, part of Junkyard Brewing, shared her…

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​Mead I say more

July 6th, 2016

For fans of the epic series Game of Thrones, you might say it played a huge part in the resurgence and newfound popularity of mead. Even though the beverage itself hasn’t made an appearance on the show, the popularity of both are on the same trajectory, and it is curious that it hasn’t made an appearance. It would be the most likely beverage to have been quaffed in those ancient times.

It is a performance centuries in the making and it is now taking center stage: call it the Hamilton…

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​Aegir is a most gracious host

June 29th, 2016

By Steve Listopad

Aegir was a giant in Norse mythology who lived under the ocean in a great hall filled with gold and welcomed his guests with open arms.

In honor of the gentle drowned giant who threw elaborate parties for the gods, Aegir Bryggeri (Brewery) at Flåmsbrygga offers travelers 20 of Norway’s finest brews, delicious food, and lodging when they cross the waters of the Sognefjord and reach shore in Flåm. The brewery was named Norway’s "Brewpub of the Year" three years in a…

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​Insular: the Upper Peninsula

June 15th, 2016

It is completely different than anywhere else in the U.S.

Ripe with hills and rolling forests, the region borders both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. There are more miles of snowmobile trails than actual roads in this old mining country. It’s a different style of life and leisure in Upper Michigan, almost like living on an island.

Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette brews Coconut Brown here. And the last place coconuts belong is on the shores of Lake Superior where the average snowfall…

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​Greater than the sum of their parts

June 8th, 2016

By Ben Rodgers

There is nothing quite like great teamwork. People who work together always accomplish more than a person who works alone.

This time of the year the folks at Sierra Nevada are big into teamwork, the end result of which involves six beers from 31 breweries as part of the 2016 Beer Camp Across America.

Available in 12 packs of bottles, each case of Beer Camp contains six distinct beers, one from each region of the country, made in collaboration with a number of breweries…

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​Cherry stout and Old Blue Eyes

June 1st, 2016

By Ben Rodgers

ben.rodgers22@gmail.com

Every once in awhile something comes along that makes you drop everything. For most people it’s usually a life-altering event, a job offer, a birth or death in the family, marriage proposal, etc. For me it’s a beer release.

Central Waters Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout came out in Wisconsin this past week, if you were lucky enough to snag it.

Usually only available at finer bottle shops and in extremely limited quantity, this malted…

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Simply mellow

May 25th, 2016

By Ben Rodgers

Dorothy’s New World Lager is the flagship brew of the Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, based in Decorah, Iowa. It’s a small town with fewer than 9,000 people calling it home, which is why Toppling Goliath is considered one of this northeast Iowa town’s main attractions.

The other being Luther College, the site of a 1998 Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds live album.

But Matthews doesn’t seem right for this lager, which has been compared to Yuengling. No, an easy…

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​Local Flavor

May 19th, 2016

By Krissy Ness

American Craft Beer Week is upon us. All week there have been events: new beer releases, infusions of your local favorites and so much more. This is a week to celebrate big, little, new and old breweries around the country, by supporting craft breweries and sharing a pint of your local favorite beer and your all-time favorites with fellow beer connoisseurs.

In 2006 the Brewers Association decided to make American Beer Month into a weeklong event. One week’s worth of…

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Worth savoring

May 18th, 2016

By Ben Rodgers

Every bottle from New Glarus is a something special and uniquely Wisconsin.

Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed their flagship, a Spotted Cow. But they also offer a wide variety of everything else from barley wines to brew only available on site.

Apple Ale seems to be somewhere in between. It’s part of the Thumbprint series and is only available in four-packs. This brown ale is made from apples fresh from Door County and is a little harder to find than…

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​Old Tankard Ale: A Step Back In Time

May 11th, 2016

By Ben Rodgers

Brewed from a 1937 recipe, American-style Old Tankard is a complete opposite of the red, white and blue flagship.

Back in its heyday, Old Tankard was the second-best selling beer from Pabst for about three decades. Although it’s hard to turn down the classic Blue Ribbon, Old Tankard offers a vintage taste that should be more refined than the flagship.

Just a few hours south of the old Pabst brewery in Milwaukee is Chicago, a blues town through and through. One of the…

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