​Drekker celebrates two years with Drekkerfest

By Christopher Larson

cjlarson75@gmail.com

Whiskey, peaches, chocolate, raspberries, pumpkin, citrus juice and bright bold hops are all flavors you should expect to be savoring at Drekker’s second birthday party bash, known as Drekkerfest.

While The 4onthefloor and BOOTS are both outstanding bands who are sure to get you shakin’ and moving enough to spill some beer in the alley, the true stars of the day will most certainly come from their incredible lineup of yearly available favorites and an amazing list of special beer releases set to occur not only on the day of the event but every week in September.

Hausterhosen Festbier, their unique take on an Oktoberfest marzen, was tapped in the taproom on the 1st of the month. Millions of Peaches, a Kölsch that has a far more subtle and approachable peach flavor than the name might suggest, was tapped on the 9th. Their brand new New England style IPA, Wheez the Juice, was tapped last week and has a deliciously fruity, extremely juicy IPA flavor profile(think pineapple and orange) with a nose aroma that I found to be nearly bliss inspiring.

To celebrate their Anniversary, they will begin the day of September 24th at the Red River Market on 4th ave and Broadway with a 10am tapping their annual pumpkin ale, OH MY GOURD BECKY! Stop by the farmers market by 2pm to get free samples or even buy a pint to drink while you shop for your locally grown gourds and other produce.

In addition to the new beer releases already mentioned, the fine folks at Drekker will be unleashing a wide variety of specialty brews, barrel-aged beers, and cask-conditioned treats for their birthday party, and I was fortunate enough to get in on a sneak-peek tasting of some of them, including a beer that absolutely astounded me: their The Nightman Cometh aged in a Jack Daniels barrel for a full year.

While these beers were yet to be fully carbonated, what was so stunning about the barrel aged “Nightman” was how much the whiskey blended into the background of this hearty Russian Imperial Stout. Typically, brewers will only barrel age in whiskey barrels for a couple months but this bad boy has been sitting long enough in charred oak to mellow out in a deliciously dangerous way. For a whiskey-loving, cigar-smoking fan of imperial stouts like myself, it hit all the right notes and delivered a perfect harmony of chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, and malt without the boozie flavors a younger aging would produce. I am hoping this one becomes available for sale at a couple of local retail stores when they begin bottling small releases of single bombers in the near future.

Another excellent dark beer to seek out at Drekkerfest would be their limited release of Pillager Porter which has been conditioned with cocoa nibs and raspberries which served to amp up the chocolate notes that already exist in their porter and compliment them with delicious raspberry goodness. Think raspberry truffles in a glass.

If dark and heavy stouts aren’t up your alley, don’t worry. Drekker is rolling out several other casks and special concoctions that include dry-hopped versions of several of their most popular year round offerings as well as limited-edition infusions of their sour beers. Their Techno Viking with cucumbers is always a favorite when made available at their taproom or at beer fests.

Before the concert in the evening gets rolling, Drekker will be hosting a beanbag tournament in the alley from noon to 5pm. You may preregister through drekkerbrewing.com or show up early on the day to pay your $20-per-team entry fee and compete for cash and prizes.

Blackbird Woodfire will be serving up their ever popular “hell-fired” pizzas.

At 7pm the concert in the alley behind Drekker will begin with local bluegrass/folk favorites, BOOTS with Minneapolis hard driving, americana roots/rock group The 4onthefloor to closeout the night.

With a full day of fun available for you in the brewery and the alley and numerous new beers to try, you might want to pace yourself and plan for a responsible ride home when it’s all over.

IF YOU GO

DrekkerFest, 2nd Anniversary

Saturday, September 24, all day till late

Drekker Brewing Co., 630 1st Ave N, Fargo,

And out in back, in Roberts Alley