The Great Taste Caper 2018 - Day 6: Twinning (Part II)

We were anxious to get back to Surly and really dig in to this craft beer lovers' playground. Where do I even begin? Perhaps the entrance to the brewery would be a suitable place to start.

Looks like a brewery to me!

As I mentioned in our last episode, we swung by on the previous evening for a sneak peek. While checking out the gift shop, I started chatting with one of the tour guides and he ended up giving me a token for a free draft in the tasting room. This would come in handy in a few minutes. Since it was now daylight, I was pretty camera happy during our visit on this particular day. The facility itself is pretty impressive to say the least. Surly definitely did its homework when constructing this amusement park of a brewery (as you will see in the forthcoming photos).

In the lobby.

It was still pretty early in the day (somewhere around 11 a.m., give or take) so we decided to park ourselves at the bar for a bit and enjoy our breakfast. Once we got situated, I glanced up at the beer board and noticed at least three beers that weren't available about 12 hours ago. One of them was a 2016 vintage of Barrel-Aged Darkness. Jackpot! I tend to experience this type of luck from time to time. For example, the first time we visited Three Floyds, we discovered they'd just put a keg of fresh Dreadnaught on tap only minutes before we arrived. There was no doubt in my mind that this beer wasn't going into my belly. I politely asked the bartender if I could use my token on any draft beer, and he confirmed my assumption. So, not only was this easily one of the best beers of the entire trip, I also didn't even have to pay for it! To quote Charlie Sheen: "Winning!" This massive Russian Imperial Stout delivers waves of chocolate, cherry, dark fruit, coffee, and toffee candy. A three-month nap in Rye Whiskey barrels from High West (a distillery in Park City, Utah) lends a distinct whiskey character with notes of spicy oak and vanilla. This was simply one of those rare times when you just stumble into a magical situation.

Don't fear the Darkness, Pleeps.

While I savored by BA Darkness, Brewslut was enjoying something completely on the opposite of the beer spectrum. She liked the sound of Lime Lager, a twist on the classic lager style. Brewed with lime juice, lime zest, and sea salt, this refreshing, thirst-quencher of a summer beer really hits the spot. She loved this beer so much, she ordered two of them during our visit! I must admit, this beer was pretty damn awesome. I typically stray from these "beach beers" unless I'm really (stress really) in the mood for one. This one may have been the best Mexican-influenced lager I ever had; a true lawnmower beer if I ever had one. Perhaps that's why Brewslut was so taken with it; after all, she cuts the grass. (Don't judge me... I do the laundry and cook).

Up next was Furious. You knew it was coming, folks. Going to Surly and not getting some fresh Furious on tap is like going to Belgium on a beer trip and not visiting Cantillon. This is a true hop lover's beer. Perhaps not as aggressive by today's standards compared to some outrageously hoppy beer that have followed in its wake, this beer still delivers. I hadn't had it in a while, so it was quite as amazing as when I first had it, but it was still a pleasure to be enjoying this beer directly from the source.

Curious George? More like Furious Pleeps!

Furious is a lovely fire-hued beer boasting intense notes of pine and grapefruit backed with toffee and caramel sweetness. The malt bill of this classic IPA incorporates Golden Promise, which is used extensively by premium whisky distilleries such as The Macallan (Rush fans may have heard about this particular distilled spirit). This malt variety provides the canvas on which Furious' hop character truly shines. Four American hop varieties are added at a rate of more than three pounds per barrel. It's just of the pioneering "hop bomb" beers from a decade ago when these types of beers were all the rage. Personally, I'd take one of these over a hazy juice bomb any day. But what do I know? Maybe I should grow a handlebar mustache and start wearing a monocle and I'll change my tune. Fuck that shit... I'm not buying into that hoodwink. I guess I'll stick with my old school mentality.  

Look at all them bottles!

While we enjoyed our beers, we decided to take a leisurely stroll around the premises. Below are some photos of Surly's impressive facility, tasting rooms, and adjacent areas where customers can kick back with friends and enjoy some serious suds, grub, and good times.

A loft area overlooks the brewhouse so customers can experience the brewing process first-hand:

The extensive second floor area features large spaces for overflow traffic and special events:

Secondary bar in the upstairs loft area:

Don't forget about the merch! The gift shop was a pretty nice sized space and includes everything you could possibly want emblazoned with Surly's logo. I bought a black Pentagram T-shirt, a zip hoody, and a patch for Brewslut. She got a sweet purple football-style T-shirt that's right up her alley.

There's also plenty of room to chill outside, although the main view is of a decommissioned factory of some kind. (I'll bet Deuane knows what it is.)

They even have rad sculptures scattered about the outside area. Yes, I used the term "rad." You got a problem with that?

I'd imagine this would be a haven for beer geek weddings. Check out this sweet pop tent affair on the grounds of the brewery.

The partially enclosed, seasonal patio loft on the second floor is attached to the pizza restaurant (yes, Surly has its own pizza joint complete with a separate bar and pizza ovens) and overlooks the ample outside seating area. Outside, they have human-sized Jenga, Connect Four and other fun games, plus fire pits and more. You can also just stroll around with your beer. No open container laws here!

After soaking in the Surly experience, we headed down the street to Urban Growler. Open since 2014, Urban Growler has the distinction of being the first woman-owned microbrewery in Minnesota. The two ladies decided to leave their successful, steady income careers in lieu of following their dream to open a brewery. In addition to year-round and seasonal specialty beers, Urban Growler also features beers from its Plow to Pint series, which focuses on local ingredients and the farmers that produce them, and the Hayloft series of experimental beers brewed in small batches.

After a quick perusal of the beer menu, I honed in on one of its flagship beers called Kentucky Uncommon. Popular before prohibition, the style known as Kentucky Common all but disappeared over the years. Urban Growler aims to breath life back into this obscure beer style. Kentucky Common takes a bourbon recipe and modifies it for beer. Rather than distilling the mash and making bourbon, Urban Growler boils it and add hops... and its own twist, of course. This copper-colored, moderately hopped ale reminded me of a cream ale in body but with more toasty malt notes. It was pleasant and easy to drink. You can read a bit more about the style and its history on - where else? - the official Wiki page.

As soon as I read the description for Sticky Rice, I knew I had to have a pour. Based on the type of rice served in Thai restaurants, this wheat beer is brewed with Jasmine rice, ginger, fresh mango, and organic coconut. Notes of coconut and mango dominate the aroma, while the ginger character builds up through to the finish. The jasmine rice helps to soften the body of this refreshing, slightly sweet beer. I must admit that this was one of the most memorable beers of the trip. Although Brewslut wasn't digging it, I thought it was a very forward-thinking, well-executed beer. Kudos to Urban Growler for coming up with this totally unique recipe!

With two of its more off-kilter signature beers under my belt, I figured I'd explore more familiar territory. Enter Golden Hammer, a well-balanced IPA that blends the drier, hop-forward West Coast style with an East Coast maltiness on top of a smooth, round mouthfeel reminiscent of the new school hazy IPAs of New England. This was enjoyable but not as memorable as the others.

Meanwhile, we were enjoying a great selection of music that was heavy on Rush, especially deep cuts. Of course, I had to ask the bartender who picked the music for the tasting room. Apparently, one of the younger bartender guys working this particular day was a Rush fan and was playing the Pandora Rush Radio channel, which mixed in a variety of Rush tunes with similar songs from the same era - the 70s and 80s. Additionally, we had a quick conversation with two cool older guys, on of whom was wearing an Amoeba Records shirt. More on these gents in a few shakes. Great beer, awesome music and good company... not much else you could ask for! They even have an awesome cow painting! See?

How now?

All in all, we really enjoyed our visit to Urban Growler. I could have stayed a bit longer, but we were running right on schedule, so we decided to move along. We arrived at Dual Citizen a few minutes before they were schedule to open for the day. There were about four or five other people waiting to get in. Sounds like St. Paul produces some thirsty citizens. Thankfully, Urban Growler provided a nice buffer so we only had to wait a minute or two for Dual Citizen to open its doors. Perfect timing, I'd say. 

Founded on simple principles and the concept of following their collective gut rather than current trends, Dual Citizen seems to have a pretty good grasp of its identity. I wasn't sure what the brewery's name implied, but once I visited their web site, I found that it referred to the divide between the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) and that, despite which side of the river you're from, you're a "dual citizen" (i.e. cut from the same ilk). Living near Harrisburg where the East Shore vs. West Shore mentality still comes into play from time to time, I could relate to this concept. The brewery's mission is simple but commendable: 

Dual Citizen is a community-focused brewhouse born from a few simple beliefs. An understanding that substance beats trends. A recognition that community roots run the deepest. The understanding that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.

Above all, I've found that craft beer is about unity. If often said that one of my favorite aspects of beer travel is the people you meet along the way. It seems like Dual Citizen shares my perspective on this and even acknowledges it on paper.

OK, now I'm just rambling on. Let's get to the beer, shall we?

We saddled up at the bar and perused the beer list. I spotted a beer called Market, which was described as an "American Rauchbier" rather than the traditional German style I'm used to seeing. Not sure what makes it "American"... perhaps the types of hops or smoked malt used. Rauchbiers are traditionally not hoppy or bitter at all. The focus is almost entirely on the smoked malt flavor and aroma. Either way, I ordered it. I had the luxury of polishing this off by myself, as Brewslut isn't fond of smoked beers. This one fell kind of in the middle of the road for me. It was lightly smoked with an mild herbal hop presence. Enjoyable but not overly memorable.

As we were working on our pours, the two older gents we met briefly at Urban Growler walked in and sat next to us at the bar. Turns out the guy with the Amoeba shirt on is really into music and has a huge vinyl collection. Sound familiar? This turned into a great conversation, because the other guy was a teacher, so he and Brewslut talked shop while me and his chum chatted beer and music. Plus he tipped me off to a great record shop in Madison! After our beer, it was time to hit the dusty trail and head to our next destination.

I don't recall if BlackStack was on my initial itinerary or not, but somehow we ended up there, either as a result of a recommendation from someone we'd met along the way, or perhaps James and/or Dean, or perhaps it was on my list and I'd forgotten. Either way, we were here and it was beer o'clock!

Brewslut went with the "hazy, brah!" beer this time and ordered a pour of Local 755, a NE-style IPA. This soft, juicy and refreshing IPA is a specialty of the brewery, apparently. With minimal bitterness and a pungent, tropical fruit-forward hop nose, this IPA was pretty solid overall.

I opted for a German-style Kellerbier named Sprockets! Fans of early 90's era SNL will surely recognize the word "Sprockets." Images of a bespectacled Mike Myers with slicked back hair and wearing black leotards entered my mind, which made me chuckle and think, "Zis is zhe time on Sprockets ven ve DANCE!"

Cue the ridiculous, over-exaggerated avant garde dance moves.

Aaaah, gotta love Dieter! Now that I got that out of my system... the term "kellerbier" translates to "cellar beer," which refers to the temperature at which it is lagered. It's also traditionally unfiltered and unpasteurized, so there is a slight haze to the beer. I enjoy the style very much, and this one was quite tasty.

The cafeteria-meets-library vibe of BlackStack Brewing.

I also absolutely loved the atmosphere here. After ordering our beers, we parked our butts on a cozy couch in the back corner of the room. This tasting room area offers a sprawling, open floor plan with lots of cool seating options. It almost has a kind of high school cafeteria/college library vibe with lots of mismatched tables and chairs that screamed retro-modern. Lots of plants too. Big, green, tropical plants with rubbery leaves. The space kind of took me back to our visit to Weasel Boy Brewing in Zanesville, OH, during Drinksgiving #3, though not as grandma's-basement-like. Definitely reminiscent of it, though. They also boast a huge wall of board games, cards, and other activities geared toward helping customers pass the time. We decided to pass the time by asking each other questions from one of the Trivial Pursuit card boxes I grabbed from the game shelf.

I could have hung out here much longer, but we had places to go and people to see. So the drink train was off to yet another brewery. Bad Weather, to be exact. 

The brewery's name takes its inspiration from the unpredictable weather in Minnesota. Being from PA, I can relate. When someone asks me, "How's the weather?" I typically respond with, "Ask me again in ten minutes." With more of an emphasis on seasonally rotating beers, the brewery aims to produce beers that are "untethered and unpredictable."

View from our table at Bad Weather.

I settled on The Hopcromancer, an IPA featuring notes of tropical fruit and sweet caramel. Check out this D&D-inspired beer description:

"Few know of the bitter forces that lay hidden in the pages of the Hopcronomicon. Fewer still can read its cryptic and citrusy recipes. Those who can are driven mad by alpha acids. For it was written by those who live in the shadows of our fermenters. They wait in slumber for their time to return and consume the world. They wish to return us to the black beyond the pale... ale.."

Overall, not bad but also not terribly memorable. Meanwhile, I wandered outside to check out the surroundings and decided to get some sweet potato fries to nosh during our visit. Gotta love food trucks. Snack time, anytime.

This mural reminded me of the "Upside Down" in Stranger Things.

Brewslut went outside her typical wheelhouse and opted for Hitched, a Belgian White IPA brewed with 252 pounds of grapefruit as well as wheat and oats for a bready, silky malt character. The Belgian yeast strain elicits hints of spice and clove. The name "Hitched" refers to Bad Weather's head brewer's recent nuptials. I don't think Brewslut was digging this one too much, as it was a little heavy on the Belgian yeast and spicy side rather than the hop side. I wasn't really sold on it either.

This turned out to be a quick one-and-done stop for us. Our beers were fine, but they didn't suck us into the vortex of multiple pours. So, it was off to the next place. 

Things were hoppin' at Barrel Theory when we arrived. Situated in the bustling downtown St. Paul section of Lowertown near Mears Park, Barrel Theory is the kind of place I'd likely hang out after work... you know, if I didn't already work at a brewery.

We arrived at the end of the typical work day, so parking was at a premium. We ended up having to park a few blocks away and cut through the park. Upon our entry, we discovered that the brewery was hosting a fundraiser event for a local cat rescue or shelter. The place was packed, and we had to order our beers at the bar and stand in the hallway between the main room and patio, using a barrel as a tabletop for our drinks. However, we finally secured two bar seats way back in the corner of the main room. There were a lot of folks wearing cat-themed outfits and costumes, and it felt more like a sci-fi convention than a brewery tasting room. Still, I'm down with the community outreach, especially when it involves animals.

Similar to Dangerous Man's tap list, Barrel Theory's was also heavy on sours and IPAs. Fine with us! We both opted for lower ABV fruit beers this time around, and we were both extremely pleased with our selections. Agua Fresca, a Berliner Weisse brewed with mango, passion fruit, lemon, and lime was up first. This little guy packed a nice tart punch among the juicy tropical mango flavor and zesty twist of lemon lime in the finish. Overall, this was a very well-done Berliner!

Up next was Tiki Dream, a collaboration with Dangerous Man for the In Cahoots Block Party, which sounds pretty cool. Brewed with mango, passionfruit, lime, pineapple, and coconut, this was another tasty tropical treat that was a winner in our book.

Decisions... decisions... decisions.

Since we enjoyed our beers so much, I decided to explore one of the available IPAs. I had to look no further than a DIPA named Shooter McGavin. This cloudy DIPA is hopped exclusively with Citra with a big smack of ripe grapefruit and tangerine. There was no way I was leaving without getting a pour of this beer. Thankfully, it did NOT taste like pieces of shit I eat for breakfast. Um... I mean... uh... never mind.

Pleeps prefers to fling poo rather than eat it.

We reconvened with James and Dean over at Flat Earth, another place I was really looking forward to visit. The environment and surroundings here are really conducive to kicking back and drinking with some friends. Think of hanging out in an old abandoned prison or huge factory. I equate it to ruined remnants of a castle with urban graffiti. Something like that. Actually, a bit of research revealed that Flat Earth had acquired several abandoned buildings that had once housed Hamm's Brewery. Established in 1865, Hamm's eventually became St. Paul's flagship brewery. After being traded to Stroh's (traded... what is this, baseball?), the brewery continued to operate until it closed in 1997 and ended a 137-year St. Paul brewing tradition.

Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

As it would happen, we decided to sit inside at a table near the bar area. I opened with Northwest Passage IPA, which according to Flat Earth is "the hoppiest IPA in the Midwest at 115 IBU." The beer's name refers to the once virtually impassable route through Canada that has become a secret submarine route. The beer itself is brewed with Canadian-grown malted barley and four American hops that are not divulged in the beer description. At 115 IBUs, which suggests bitterness beyond the threshold of the human palate, I didn't find it very tongue-numbing. Perhaps I was getting burned out, as it had been a long day for sure. Unfortunately, this beer didn't do much for me, I'm afraid.

My next beer is the reason I even know about this place. For those of you readers who also enjoy the music of Rush (that's short for the greatest band in the history of recorded music), then you certainly are familiar with Cygnus X-1, the 10+ minute epic ditty from a little album called A Farewell to Kings. The beer (and the song) are named after a black hole, which is a fitting name for a dark beer. Based on an old English porter recipe, Flat Earth chucked in some rye malt, and Cygnus X-1 was born. Overall, it's a pretty solid example of a porter, with hints of chocolate, biscuit, and a smidgen of smoke that finishes pretty dry.

James and Dean were up for one more, so I perused the beer list again and landed on Angry Planet. In hindsight, I probably should have started with this instead of Northwest Passage, as this is merely a pale ale. Brewed with organic American malted barley, Cascade hops and a hefty dry-hop addition, this interpretation of a classic American pale ale suggests citrus fruit and lightly toasted bread with a balanced grapefruit and caramel malt finish. Think old school pale ale a la Sierra Nevada and you get the picture. By the time I got to the bottom of the glass, it was time once again to part ways with the the Twin Cities' own Dynamic Duo. Dean was kind enough to gift us with a bottle of Surly Pentagram, which was unexpected, as he'd already given us a generous "welcome bag" the previous day. I was especially thankful, as I'd been eyeing up a Satanic-looking black T-shirt in Surly's gift shop with the Pentagram beer logo. I typically won't buy merch unless I'd tried the beer, so I now felt OK buying the shirt since I'd be having the beer in the very near future. Thanks buddy!

Unfortunately, the novelty of the Rush reference didn't do much to elevate Flat Earth's beer for me. I was a bit underwhelmed with the beers overall. Nothing was "bad" per se, but they just didn't stand head-to-head with many of the other beers we had in the Twin Cities. Still, the place was super cool, and I love their brewery logo.

We decided to head back to Surly for our third visit in the span of 48 hours. We figured we didn't know when we'd be back in the area, given that it's about an 18-hour drive and and all. I capped off an excellent day with a pour of Overrated, a West Cost-style IPA. After checking out the write-up for this beer, I felt compelled to share it with you verbatim:

It’s been said, “It’s easier to brew an extremely hoppy beer than an extremely balanced beer.” And you know us, we are always looking for the easy way out, so we jumped on the West Coast IPA Bandwagon and brewed this dry and hoppy ale. “Surly’s a little bit of a one-trick pony, they just brew gimmick beers,” and maybe we are OVERRATED, but at the end of the day, it’s just a beer. If you like it, great, so do we. If you only liked us when we were small, then leave this one on the shelf. Let one of the fanboys grab it.

That's pretty fuckin' epic, if you ask me... and ballsy too. Good for them! I'd be hard-pressed to find a brewery of Surly's size to call out a disgruntled customer (aka hipster douchebag) on one of its beer labels. So props to Surly for that. Oddly enough, it was probably my least favorite of the beers I tried at Surly. Still, a mediocre beer from Surly is better than half of the beers out there.

Since we'd spent a lot of time downstairs at the bar, we decided to chill on the second floor in the pizza restaurant. Yup. Surly has its own pizza joint, complete with a separate bar. After our pizza and single beer, it was time to stick a fork in us. By now, we were both pretty tired and agitated, and we quickly realized we had a 4-hour drive to Madison ahead of us the next morning. And with that, we retired to our hotel for some much needed sack time.

Up next, join us for a few days in Madison leading up to the main event! Stay tuned for more beer-soaked travels as we continue on our Great Taste Caper. Until then...