Newsletter: And they say you can’t take it with you

Liquor to go, what every globe trotter needs!

Just in time for the holiday gridlock, we are pleased to announce that our flagship beer, Pyro, is now available at the Minneapolis and St. Paul airport. Check out Stone Arch in Terminal 1 at MSP. This means that you can crack open a gluten-free cold one prior to boarding. And for those of you who want to bring some beer (or other libations) with you on your holiday travels…

Ask the Brewer

How do I travel with my beer so that it arrives safely at my destination?

This is actually a question that we get asked a lot, both by craft beer drinkers who want to bring their favorite beer along, as well as gluten-free beer drinkers who either have a limited or non-existent selection where they’re going, or who want to share good gluten-free beer with who they’re visiting.

Whether you’re traveling by plane, train or automobile, one of the main things to keep in mind is that craft beer should not be allowed to get warm.  The reason is that most craft beers are not pasteurized, which means they may have some residual yeast left in them.  When this yeast gets warm enough, it could go back to work and start munching down on any remaining sugars and increasing carbonation.  This can make opening the beer a lot more exciting than expected.  So, while the beer doesn’t have to travel in a cooler, making sure that it isn’t left in a hot car, or allowed to sit in the sun, is important.

It’s also important to note that you cannot take beer onto the plane in your carry-on luggage unless it was purchased at a duty-free shop and placed into a secure tamper-evident bag (STEB).  This means the beer has to be packed into your checked luggage, and that you need to keep the final weight of you bag at under 50 pounds for economy class and 70 pounds for business class.  Because the majority of beers fall under the 24% ABV limit for checked luggage, other than weight, there is no limit on how much beer you can pack into that luggage.  For beer (and other alcohol) over 24% ABV, your limit is 5 Liters.  If you are traveling overseas, it is also important to take a look at any duties or tariffs that may be imposed, prior to packing your beer.

How you pack your beer is also especially important when you are checking your luggage, as checked bags can get some rough handling.  There are two different ways to do this, depending on whether you want to purchase a bag specifically for booze transport, or if you are going to insert the bottles into your regular luggage.  For those who want to purchase a lovely beverage transport bag, a search of the internet reveals multiple choices.  For those who want to pack their bottles among their clothing, we offer the following tips:

  1. Place the bottle in Ziploc bags.  This not only helps to prevent a huge mess if the bottle does get broken , it also catches any leaks from caps or corks as pressure changes within the airplane luggage hold.
  2. Securely wrap the bagged bottle in a piece of clothing, making sure that there is no way for glass to bump against glass.
  3. Create as many “nests” among the remaining clothes as there are bottles.  You want each bottle to have padding front and back, as well as top and bottom.

Whatever your destination over the holidays, we wish both you and your beer safe travels!

Taproom Tidings

Tap selection for the weekend includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale, and Grapefruit IPA.

This weekend we are joined on Friday (11/18) by Tatanka with their Native American cuisine, and on Saturday (11/19) by Hot Indian Foods, your last chance to be “down with the brown” for the 2016 food truck season.

Our cupcake this weekend is Ginger Cardamon Apple, which is a ginger cake with apple filling and cardamon cream cheese frosting.

As always, all food served at the taproom is gluten-free!

Final Thoughts

This Friday, November 18th, we are doing a tasting at Yarmo liquor store off of West 7th from 4-7pm.  Stop in for samples of Burning Brothers, and to browse Yarmo’s selection of craft beer.

We also want to highlight our new hours, and the fact that due to St. Paul’s updated ordinances, starting next week (11/21), all St. Paul breweries are able to sell beer to go (i.e., growlers) until 10pm every night they are open.

Our standard taproom hours are changing to:

  • Wed 4-10pm
  • Thurs 4-10pm
  • Fri 4-10pm
  • Sat 2-10pm
  • Sun 2-6pm

That being said, we will be closed on Thanksgiving to allow our staff to spend time with their family and friends.

If you have questions, drop us a note via Email, Facebook or Twitter.

Cheers!