Archive: Author: Thom

That’s right! Gluten-Free Fish Fry every Friday through the end of March at the Burning Brothers Taproom!

Our resident food-truck Signature on Wheels is serving this delightful basket meal which includes crispy beer-battered cod (made with our Pyro Pale Ale), delicious fries, and fresh coleslaw, along with tartar sauce for dipping. In addition to this fabulous seasonal special, Signature on Wheels is also serving their standard full menu which includes many stellar sandwiches, fantastic fried treats, and more!

Is it Soda or Pop?

We think we’ve solved that old cliché and the answer is…Yes!

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— CITRUS
— GINGER ALE
— ORANGE
— ROOT BEER

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Unwind with a Kite Soda.

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Faithful Customers,

We would like to address a rather volatile issue that some of you have been experiencing. As some of you are aware, we have been having a problem with our beer cans exploding. This happens seemingly out of nowhere and no, there is nothing that you are doing wrong… It’s not you, it’s us. Needless to say, all of us at Burning Brothers are truly sorry for what has been happening.

Full disclosure here friends, after consulting with two different external, independent testing labs and contracting with a third-party Quality Control Specialist, it turns out that we have been fighting a wild yeast infection. The good news is that the beer is safe to consume, but the obvious problem is that said yeast is causing the product to start a secondary fermentation. That secondary fermentation happens to be what is causing the beer can to explode.

As you can imagine, this has been a very sobering experience for us. Beyond the disappointment, spiraling depression, and internal fighting this has caused, it has also been very eye opening. Truth be told, no one person at the brewery is to blame; we created this problem together. However, we have been trying to “right the ship” together as well. In turn, we conducted a thorough review of our brewhouse procedures, practices and policies. Now, united with only one goal in mind, we have been working diligently to solve this problem.

Because we can’t pinpoint this to one specific beer style, we recalled multiple products from our distributor. We also destroyed the canned beer that we had in stock here at the shop. Then, we did everything we could to brew, can and replace product with new fresh beer.

One problem that has been more of a challenge logistically is cleaning up the consumer level market. On the bright side, the product is moving fast through liquor stores. That coupled with what our distributor has done to help us remove the offending cans, we hope to be able to put this behind us soon.

With all that being said, we value and respect our customers. You’re the reason why we make beer and we couldn’t/wouldn’t do what we do without you. Whether it’s through some complementary Pints or a Growler or mailing you a 4-pack, we would like to offer to replace the offending product, as a token of good faith and thanks for your support. We know it doesn’t make things right, but we hope it helps and we’re happy that you continue to stick with us as we finish navigating through this issue.

Again, from the bottom of our hearts and that pit in our stomachs, we are truly sorry.

Thank you very much.

Thom & Dane

Co-Founders, Burning Brothers Brewing

Here we are in the throes of the holiday season.

Many of you might already have your gift giving ideas all done, wrapped and ready to go. Kudos to you, go pour yourself a beer and bask in the sense of accomplishment.

However, there are probably just as many of you who are still working on it (self included) and are perhaps struggling with gift ideas. No worries. You’ve still got time. Pour yourself a beer (I sense a theme here), relax and let me tell you about some holiday gift ideas from your friends here at Burning Brothers.

To start with, we have tickets available for the Five Course Winter Dinner Extravaganza on Thursday, December 7th. White linen & candlelight set the mood for an evening featuring fantastic food, great beer & even better company. Enjoy an evening with owners Thom & Dane as you savor a five-course gourmet meal presented by Chef Derek from Signature Café & Catering. Socialize & laugh as we celebrate the holiday season. Everything is gluten-free & seats are limited.

Next on the list, you could give that special someone the gift that keeps on giving with a founding membership to the Burning Beer Club. With options from monthly pints to birthday celebrations to collectible ceramics and glassware, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Last, but certainly not least, we just got a new batch of merch at the taproom. From hats to shirts to hoodies (and even some stylish flannel) we’ve got the gear to go with that growler you wanted to pick up anyway. Too many choices? We can hook you up with a gift card and let them choose their own adventure.

Also, before I forget, I would remind everyone that we are a drop off site for Toys For Tots. Help us help them by bringing a new, unwrapped toy and donating it to the cause. For our part, Burning Brothers will give you half-off your first pint when you donate, with that savings going directly to the program. Campaign ends on December 20th, so don’t wait too long.

That’s what I got for now. Questions? Let us know.

Cheers!

Beer and Donuts – 2 great tastes that go great together!

Hello….. Is this thing on?? Is anybody still listening??

OK, we could make a lot of excuses about this, that and the other thing and how we were too busy to newsletter, but really, “stuff” happens, so let’s just move on.

This Friday, June 2nd is National Donut Day! What better way to celebrate the end of the week, and to kick off summer, than joining the crew at Burning Brothers to eat donuts (Gluten-free, of course!) while lifting a pint. With that in mind, we thought you might like a handy guide to pairing your beer with your donuts…

Ask the Brewer

Can you really pair donuts with beer?

While some people may find this an odd combination, the sweetness of donuts can be excellent when combined with the hoppiness of beer. When you look at how popular donuts (sweet) and coffee (bitter) are, the combination may make a bit more sense. In light of that, we have unearthed some general beer and donut pairing guidelines, as well as picking our taproom manager’s brain to find out which donuts he thinks will pair well with our beers.

If the donut you prefer is Spanish or Portuguese in origin, like the Churro, you may want to pair it with a spiced beer, so that the various spices can compliment each other. If your preference tends towards Beignets from Louisiana, you’d want to grab a coffee beer, where the smoothness of the coffee and bitter of hops mimic the chicory roast used in New Orleans. To counteract the decadence of a Boston Cream Pie Donut, drink a Pale Ale. The light citrus refreshment of the pale ale will compliment the cream filling and highlight bitter notes in the chocolate topping.

Since National Donut day requires donuts, and those of us who are gluten-free love donuts too, we will have fresh donuts for sale in the taproom on June 2nd from both Crazy Puppy and Sift Gluten Free Bakery (first come, first served until gone).  The Crazy Puppy chocolate mini-donuts pair well with our Raj-Agni IPA, our Roasted Coffee Ale, or the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale.  With these, the chocolate of the donuts will be highlighted by the slight bitterness of the IPA and the coffee, or the fruity chocolate of the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale.

After much taste testing (which was rough) our taproom manager settled on 5 different varieties to order from Sift.  There will be double chocolate donuts, which will pair well with the Roasted or the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale.  The chocolate with salted caramel donuts should probably be eaten with a pint of Roasted.  The Vanilla Bean donuts, with either Maple, Blueberry, or Raspberry, will all pair well with Pyro or Fused; while Parched would accompany the Vanilla Bean Blueberry or Raspberry like a taste of summer.  As an IPA lover, our taproom manager would pair Raj-Agni with any of these donuts, and find it delicious.

Taproom Tidings

Summer hours go into effect on June 2nd! New taproom hours throughout the summer will be:

• Wed 4-10pm (Activity Night)
• Thu 4-10pm ($1 off pints, $2 off Growlers)
• Fri 2-10pm (Food trucks and fun)
• Sat 12-10pm (A refreshing break during the heat of summer)
• Sun 12-6PM (A quiet pint before the work week starts)

Tap selection includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Honey Ale, Parched Lime Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale, Grapefuit IPA, Steamed Honey Lime Ale, Scorched Coffee IPA. Grapefruit IPA will be replaced by the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale on Friday.

On Friday we will be joined by Crazy Puppy, slinging their gluten-free fair food including Pyro batter onion rings, spicy cheese curds and corn dog brats.

Final Thoughts

For those of you who love Minnesota Pride, and beer, tickets for the Pride Dabbler are already on sale.  This years beers are inspired by the songs of Lady Gaga, a staunch GLBTQ advocate.  Join us and other Minnesota breweries as we get our Pride on!

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

Cheers!

Hoppy New Beer!

While the beer world does not embrace acronyms quite like other industries, there are certainly some that are in common use.  ABV stands for Alcohol by Volume, and lets you know how potent a beer is.  IBU is for International Bitter Unit, and lets you know how bitter a beer is, or in other words, how hoppy it is.  An APA is an American Pale Ale, While an IPA is an India Pale Ale.  With that information under our belts, we can …

Ask the Brewer

What’s the difference between an APA and an IPA?

To answer this question we need to touch on a bit of beer history. APAs, or American Pale Ales, are actually the American Version of English Pale Ales. The first time that Pale Ales appear in history is back in 1703, when a batch of malt was roasted with a cleaner version of coal, called coke. Coke creates a lot less smoke, so the roasted malt had a much lighter color, as well as a lack of smoke flavor. The beers that were brewed with this malt were much paler than their counterparts, so were dubbed pale ales. These beers also had a much lighter malt flavor, so the hop flavor was more pronounced.

Pale Ales became quite popular in Britain, and were really the only hoppy beer on the market there for the next 100 years. The first mention of an India Pale Ale (IPA) appears in an advertisement in 1829. Beer lore holds that brewers added more hops to the Pale Ales that were being shipped to India for homesick British Soldiers. The brewers were concerned that the standard British Ales would not survive the 6 month sea voyage without developing off flavors or spoiling, so upped the hops, which not only add flavor, but help to preserve beer. Soldiers returning home to Britain brought a preference for the really hoppy IPAs back home with them.

This brings us to the early days of the American Craft Beer boom, when American brewers started experimenting with crafting a traditional Pale Ale, with an American Twist. To do this, they focused on using American hops, such as Cascade, which are fruitier, brighter and more resinous than European Hops. This created a Pale Ale that was distinctly American in flavor, therefore, an APA. When American breweries wanted to craft an IPA, they dialed the hops up even more, since an IPA is even hoppier than an APA. IPAs can range from 40 IBUs to 120 IBUs, with one topping out at a whopping 2500 IBUs.

Burning Brothers Raj-Agni IPA sits at a pleasantly bitter 60 IBUs, and just became available in cans within the last couple of months. If you want to try it, but don’t see it at your local liquor store, ask them to bring it in.  Retailers want to carry what you are interested in buying.

Taproom Tidings

Holiday hours are still in effect! Taproom hours through the weekend:

• Wed 4-10pm (A quiet pint before the weekend)
• Thu 4-10pm ($1 off pints, $2 off Growlers)
• Fri 4-10pm (Time to reflect on the past year)
• Sat 2-8pm (Get ready to welcome in the New Year)
• Sun – Closed (Happy New Year!)

Tap selection includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale and American Lager starting Friday.

Our Food Truck mojo has failed us for Friday and Saturday. However, we are always happy to steer people towards delicious gluten-free food options that are welcome in the taproom!

Final Thoughts

For those of you who love Minnesota, and love Winter, and love Beer, and love the Winter Carnival, we have good news.  The tickets for the MN Winter Carnival Beer Dabbler, held February 4th, are already on sale! We’ll be there sporting our usual winter defiance gear. Join us!

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

Cheers!

Milk and Cookies or what Santa really wants with his snack?

While not everyone celebrates the holiday season with Santa and stockings, almost everyone has treats that are made specifically during the winter. There are traditional sweets for Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Yule, as well as many of the other holidays that are celebrated throughout December.

Ask the Brewer

What kind of beer should I drink with my holiday treats?

While many people prefer milk with their cookies, or wine with their chocolate, we have found that beer pairs well with just about anything, including traditional holiday treats!

Fruitcake and Panettone pair well with a Chocolate Stout. The strong rich flavors of a stout need something just as strong and rich to accompany it. Anything less flavorful would just be overpowered by the beer.

Coffee Ale pairs well with hazelnut or praline truffles. The rich coffee flavor offsets the nut and chocolate of the truffle. Think mocha with a shot of hazelnut syrup, and you’ll have an approximation of the flavor.

Spiced Ale pairs well with gingerbread cookies, where the strong spices complement each other and meld together.

Kolache pairs well with Brown Ales. The smooth caramel flavor of the ale complements both the sweetness of the dough and the tartness of the raspberry filling.

If you find a specific beer and holiday treat that you feel go well together, let us know!

Taproom Tidings

Holiday hours are in effect! Taproom hours through the weekend:

• Wed 4-10pm (A quiet pint before the weekend)
• Thu 4-10pm (Dane & Thom beertending, come watch us bumble the bar)
• Fri 4-10pm (Gird your loins before family time)
• Sat & Sun – Closed (Make sure to stock up and fill your growlers and grumblers)

Tap selection includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale and American Lager.

This Friday (12/23) Soup Coupe will be here with hot and hearty soups and handmade fajitas.

Final Thoughts

A big thank you to all those who brought in items for our Toys For Tots drive!  Not only did we send a lot of toys in, but we also donated $100 to the cause.  We couldn’t have done this without you!

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

Cheers!