Archive: Author: Thom

Newsletter: Who is that guy?

Posted on by Thom

The friendly a**hole who brings balance!

As many of you may have noticed, we have several new faces working the taproom. We will do our best to introduce our dandy new employees over the next few months, starting today with our new Taproom Manager, Dominic Liljenquist. With a budding interest in astrology, Dominic just had his star chart done and happily told us that he’s a Leo with a cancer rising and an ascending Libra. He’s a self proclaimed… well, see the photo caption above.

Ask the Brewer

So, who’s the new guy working every night in the taproom?

Along with our new extended hours (open on Wednesdays, where have you been?) we got a new taproom manager. As the latest in a line of gifted conversationalists behind the bar, we felt it was only fair to give all of you a little insight into who Dominic is.

What do you do at Burning Brothers?
I’m the taproom manager, I do whatever they tell me to do. Within reason, but said more colorfully.

What’s the best part of your job?
Interacting with the customers, being able to joke, laugh and have a good time. In my opinion we’re just a bunch of dorks trying to sell beer. And it is comfortable, from my co-workers to the music we listen to.

What’s the worst part of your job?
I don’t have one yet, but my biggest fear is that I will make a mistake with food requirements, and may get people sick. The gluten-free part is new to me, but I’m a fast learner!

What’s your favorite Burning Brothers Beer?
Scorched (this is an off-menu mix of Roasted and Raj-Agni, don’t be afraid to ask for it).

What is your favorite other beer?
There’s so many, but based on the season we’re currently in, I love Zombie Monkey. It is a robust porter by Tall Grass, and with its tactile grip can, imminently suited for fleeing Zombies without dropping your drink.

Pirates or Ninjas?
Pirates – I’m a pirate! I’d love to be a ninja, but my wife says I’m too loud, so I have to be a pirate.

If you could add one thing to the brewery/taproom, what would it be?
More stuff to provide flair in the taproom. Things that reflect who we are and where we come from.

Taproom Tidings

Recap of our current taproom hours:

  • Wed 4-10pm (Hello… is there anybody there?!)
  • Thu 4-10pm (Thirsty Thursday Deals!)
  • Fri 4-10pm (For dinner and a beer!)
  • Sat 2-10pm (MORE dinner and a beer!)
  • Sun 2-6pm (Beer to go on a Sunday!)

Tap selection for this weekend includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale, Grapefruit IPA Wednesday and Thursday, and American Lager on Friday.

This Friday (12/16) Signature on Wheels will be here with their eclectic take on American Cuisine.  On Saturday (12/17) we will not have a food truck, so we invite people to BYOGFF (Bring Your Own Gluten-Free Food).  If you have questions or need suggestions, let us know!

Final Thoughts

Reminder that this year we are a drop-off location for Toys For Tots! Though the toy drive runs through December 21st, this is the final weekend for the BBB taproom. In order to finish with a bang, when you bring in and donate a new, unwrapped toy, we’ve doubled-down and are now giving you $2 off your first pint! (Which we are donating to the cause!)

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

Cheers!

Newsletter: Go Go Gadget Beer

Posted on by Thom

Yet another horde of beer lovers expounding their desire

Finding the perfect gift for your beer loving friend, family member or spouse can be as easy as stopping down at your local taproom (like say…Burning Brothers?!?).  There you can find a selection of beer glasses, gift cards, shirts, hats and growler gift packs (like what we carry!)  But, what if you need a little more than that, say, a unique beer gadget to round things out?

Ask the Brewer

What are some of the cool new beer gadgets for 2016?

First off, as an establishment that sells growlers, we are always interested in anything that helps the beer in the growler stay carbonated longer. Since a growler of beer acts much like 2 liter bottle of soda, once you’ve cracked that seal, you only have a couple of days to drink it before it is flat. The GrowlTap fixes that problem. Attaching to the top of the growler, it keeps the beer carbonated until you’ve finished it, at your own pace.

For the tech-gadget beer lover, we suggest a cell phone bottle opener case. The two things people almost always have with them are their keys and their cell phones. While key ring bottle openers are tough and convenient, the cell phone bottle opener case is awesome(r)! You’ll always have it on you, it doesn’t add extra items in your pockets, and it keeps you from attempting to open a brew with your regular cell phone case, which can come with some sad consequences.

Mmmmmmmmm Beer!This next gift idea appeals to us both on the humorous as well as subversive nature of the item.  Enter the Trinken lid.  While this may look like your standard to-go coffee cup lid, it actually snaps onto the top rim of a can, and then the can nestles down into the paper or insulating portion of the “coffee cup” sleeve.  We, of course, would never advise drinking booze anywhere you’re not supposed to be drinking it, nor would the people who make it!

Frozen Beer Slushie Maker by Kirin IchibanLast, but certainly not least, is the beer slushie maker. (Why should kids get all the fun?) This machine makes adult slushies that don’t leave you with an oddly colored tongue. Fitting on a kitchen counter, you pour in your beer, and it creates frozen deliciousness for you.

Taproom Tidings

Reminder of our new taproom hours:

  • Wed 4-10pm (Woot! More Taproom Time!)
  • Thu 4-10pm (Thirsty Thursday Deals!)
  • Fri 4-10pm (For dinner and a beer!)
  • Sat 2-10pm (Second round of dinner and a beer!)
  • Sun 2-6pm (Beer to go on a Sunday!)

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

Signature Cafe will be here on this Friday (12/2) with their eclectic take on American Classics.  On Saturday (12/3) we will be joined for the first time by Smashed, featuring boiled baby red potatoes Smashed! on a flat top grill, browned in butter sauce with your choice of added toppings.

Final Thoughts

Reminder that we are now a drop-off location for Toys For Tots!  Running through December 21st, bring in and donate a new, unwrapped toy and we’ll give you a $1 off your next pint.

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

Cheers!

Newsletter: Local Beer equals Local Business

Posted on by Thom

Support your local businesses this Holiday Season!

Small Business Saturday is this weekend and is your chance to support the local shops and retailers that make your community unique. So, once you’ve finished with the food and family time, and after the craziness that is Black Friday, take some time to visit your local businesses for a more relaxed and community focused shopping trip.

Ask the Brewer

So, I love drinking at my local taproom, and visiting the small businesses in my area, but how much of a difference does it really make?

We’re going to start this answer from the perspective of a craft brewery (shocking, I know) which according to the Brewer’s Association are both small and independent. In looking back on 2015, while the overall beer market was “meh” (down slightly by 0.02%), craft brewery sales were up by 12.8%. Also, it is now estimated that the majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewery, making them a great local choice for people to support.

Broadening our scope, we look to the Small Business Association who typically defines a small business as being a business of less than 500 employees. According to the 2010 census, there were approximately 27.9 million small businesses registered in the United States, compared to the more than 18,000 companies with 500 employees or more (i.e., 99.7 percent of U.S. employers were small businesses). That equates to jobs for about 56 million people, or roughly 57 percent of the private sector employees in the nation.

Lastly, not only do small businesses employ people from their surrounding area, but they also contribute to the local tax base through sales and other taxes. They also make many of their purchases from other local businesses. Therefore, when you make a purchase from a local independent business, 3 times more money from that purchase goes back into the local economy than the same purchase at a chain store, and as much as 50 times more than if the money was spent at a big box retailer.

So, while we know not every purchase can be made at a small business (hey, we shop at the big box stores too!) when you get the opportunity, make the choice to support your local businesses.

Taproom Tidings

Our holiday schedule for the week is as follows:

  • Wed 4-10pm (Woot! More Taproom Time!)
  • Thu Closed (Something Something Turkey!)
  • Fri 2-10pm (Opening early, cuz you’ll be ready for that pint!)
  • Sat 2-10pm (Small Biz Sat, see secret deal below)
  • Sun 2-6pm (Something Something Football…. WHAT DO YOU MEAN I MISSED THE VIKES?)

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

To celebrate the addition of Wednesday night to our regular taproom times (and the addition of 10pm growler sales), we are giving away (well, Thom is… somewhat begrudgingly) our very last grumbler of the Coconut Chocolate Stout!  Stop in for a beer, enter your name in the drawing, and hang out with us until we pull the name at 8pm. You must be present to win.

Tap selection for this weekend includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale, Grapefruit IPA on Wednesday and Dark Lager on Friday.

This Friday (11/25) we are joined by Soup Coupe and their hearty and warm soup and chili selections. On Saturday (11/26) Crazy Puppy will be here with their delicious fair food options including beer battered onion rings and beer battered green beans made using Pyro. As always, all food served at the taproom is gluten-free!

Final Thoughts

We are pleased to announce that we are now a drop-off location for Toys For Tots!  Starting this Friday, and running through December 21st, bring in and donate a new, unwrapped toy and we’ll give you a $1 off your next pint.

Celebrate Small Business Saturday with us! This Saturday, November 26th with each merchandise or gift card purchase of $25 or larger, get a free pint in the taproom. Get that beer lover something they will truly cherish and have a pint on us!

Going forward (i.e., starting next week), our standard taproom hours will be:

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

Growler sales are now available until 10pm all of the nights we are open (except Sunday which is still 6pm).

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

Cheers!

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

Posted on by Thom

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!

Newsletter: Thank you for your service and sacrifice

Posted on by Thom

Soldiers of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion have free beer at a tavern, served by German women. Lembeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 29 March 1945.

As many of you know, this Friday is Veteran’s Day, and we want to take this opportunity to say thank you to those who have served our country. To our grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, sons, daughters, and friends who have served in the military, we want to say thank you. You have risked it all, and we appreciate it. This Friday, any veteran, reservist or active duty military personnel who visits the Burning Brothers taproom, you first pint is on us. You’ve earned it.

Ask the Brewer

The current American military has some strict policies surrounding drinking, has it always been that way?

The history of the American military and drinking (specifically drinking beer, because, Beer!) is a long and colorful one. When our founding fathers were planning the revolution, taverns were popular meeting spots. One of their favorites was The Green Dragon, a tavern in Boston frequented by Sam Adams. The Continental Congress enacted an early statute, in November of 1775, that stated that each soldier within the army should be provided with 1 quart of beer or cider per man, per day. (that’s a lot of beer!) One of General George Washington’s lesser known skills was his ability to make sure that his armies were camped within reasonable distance of a supply of beer.

When the civil war rolled around, beer again played a pivotal role. With armies camped in the same location for weeks, leading into months, and the associated inactivity, boredom became a serious issue. What better to do when you have time on your hands then home brew (or camp brew). In addition, popular camp songs such as “Soldier’s Joy”, extolled beer as being cheaper than morphine: “25 cents for the morphine, 15 cents for the beer. 25 cents for the morphine, gonna drink myself away from here!”

During World War II, the US Department of Agriculture actually ordered that 15% of all beer production be set aside for the troops, which was actually more than the regular citizenry was receiving. On top of that, this canned beer was much stronger than what was available in Britain, and was often painted drab green to improve it’s camouflage from enemy aircraft.

The Vietnam War was a time when beer was freely available to troops, and many different brands of American beer were shipped overseas for our soldiers, as it was preferred to the Vietnamese-made lager. Soldiers drinking right up until going out on patrol or piloting a helicopter was not uncommon.

In today’s military, most branches restrict drinking to off-duty times, and military personnel are expected to never be on duty with a blood alcohol level over .05.  In fact, the Marines expect it to be under .01 anytime you are considered active.  Meanwhile, the Navy’s fleet operates “dry” while on deployment, with the exception being an allowance of 2 beers per person at the end of every 45 contiguous days at sea.

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, abd Grapefruit IPA.

This weekend our food trucks are Wholesoul on Friday (11/11), with their unique take on Soul food, and Signature on Wheels on Saturday (11/12) with their eclectic American fare.

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

We wanted to give everyone a heads up that St. Paul has changed their ordinance regarding off-sale closing times. Starting the week of November 21st, all St. Paul breweries are able to sell beer to go (i.e., growlers) until 10pm every night they are open (and liquor stores too).

In addition, we’ve had enough people stopping by earlier in the week that we have decide to add an extra taproom night.

With this in mind, starting the week of November 21st, 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 people to spend time with their family and friends.

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

Cheers!

Newsletter: Burning Brothers, a Bodega of Bearded Beerness?

Posted on by Thom

No-shave November, not just for mustaches!

With the advent of November comes Movember, the international movement to focus on men’s health issues, as well as have fun growing facial hair.  While Movember started with mustache growing, it has moved on to beards as well, and who better to sport a good beer’d than a brewer!  (beer and beards seem to go together like milk and cookies)

Ask the Brewer

What’s with brewers and beards, it seems like they all have them?

It may seem that in the brewing industry, every month is a no-shave month. Brewery employees, especially brewers, are largely unshaven. There’s actually a joke about how the Great American Beer Festival could do double duty as the Great American Beard Festival.  2 of 3 brewers there are bearded, so we see those beards on a daily basis.

After reading several articles as to why so many brewers skip the razor, including one that asked the collective hive mind of Facebook for their thoughts, a consensus begins to emerge; a lot of brewers come out of some buttoned-down disciplines: engineering, finance, corporate labs.  Some brewers even mentioned having negative comments from other executives in their prior careers.  From that standpoint, a beard is a great way to demonstrate there’s not a dress code anymore.

When you also take into account that creative types have long sported facial hair, and brewing beer is is a creative industry, the likelihood that is will breed beards goes up.  Both of our bearded brewers came from prior jobs in corporate America, yet solidified their friendship out at the MN Renaissance Festival, which checks off both the “done with a dress code” and “creative” boxes.

We would like to point out, however, that it is not necessary to have a beard to brew great beer!  The non-bearded brewers in the industry (including the many awesome women brewers out there) all prove that fact.

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, Raspberry Infused Pyro (Thursday) and our Chocolate Coconut Stout (starting on Friday, no growler fills).

Food trucks for the weekend are Tatanka on Friday (11/04), with their traditional Native American Fare, and Crazy Puppy on Saturday (11/05) with their  gluten-free fair food, including green beans and onion rings coated in Pyro based batter.

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!

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

Cheers!

Newsletter: Beering with Cooks?

Posted on by Thom

Beer Truffles!

With colder weather comes cooking, crock pots and feasting, and one of the flavors we love to have in our food is beer! (Shocking, I know….)  While beer can chicken is a staple of summer; stews, soups, breads and rich desserts decorate our autumn and winter tables.  This weekend at the taproom, we are excited to have both food trucks cooking with Burning Brothers beer. On Friday(10/28), Soup Coupe will be serving a beer cheese soup and on Saturday(10/29), Crazy Puppy will be serving their beer battered onion rings and green beans – all gluten-free of course!  While that sounds like savory deliciousness, one might wonder what you could make with beer on the other end of the spectrum…

Ask the Brewer

What are some good sweet treats made with beer?

While their are lots of recipes out there for cakes, tortes and cupcakes with dark beer in them (and those are delicious), one of our favorite recipes is for chocolate truffles.  We have used this recipe multiple times ourselves with good results, and it is very allergen friendly.

Chocolate Truffles
– 1/2 lb. quality chocolate, chopped into 2″ pieces
– 1/3 cup creamer, soy, almond, coconut or dairy
– 2 tablespoons beer
– Cocoa powder or other coating

In a medium sized stainless bowl, melt the chocolate over gently simmering water.  The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.  Turn off the heat and let stand over the warm water until ready to use.

Scald the creamer in a small saucepan, adding the beer right at the end.  Pour it into the melted chocolate and whisk together until smooth and blended.  Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow dish or pan, to form a 1″ layer – we often use a 8″x8″ cake pan for this.  Chill 30 minutes or until set.

Using a melon baller, scoop out the truffles one by one, forming them into 1″ balls with your hands..  Work quickly so that the chocolate mixture does not start melting.  Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate again.

Once firm, the balls are ready to be rolled in whatever topping you choose – while we list cocoa powder here, you can use chocolate shavings, coconut, nuts, cinnamon and sugar, whatever you feel will best compliment the truffle flavor.  They should be stored in the refrigerator, but allowed to sit out for a few minutes before eating to maximize their flavor.

While the preference is to use a chocolate bar for these, we have done them with both the Enjoy Life and Chocolate Dream chocolate chips in order to be as allergen free as possible, and they have turned out well.

For those who really want a beer centered truffle, we point you to this recipe.  If you try it and it works, let us know!

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, Raspberry Infused Pyro (Thursday) and our Wee Heavy (starting on Friday).

Food trucks for the weekend (did we mention they are both serving food made with our beer!) are Soup Coupe on Friday (10/28), with hearty soups, including a gluten-free beer cheese soup; and on Saturday (10/29) Crazy Puppy, featuring gluten-free fair food, with both green beans and onion rings coated in Pyro based batter and deep fried to perfection.

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!

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

Cheers!

Newsletter: Choose your own beer adventure

Posted on by Thom

Autumn beer trips!

While the leaves have hit their peak here in Minnesota, the weather is still mild enough to get out and explore.  In fact, for those of you who love to venture out of state, there is now an interactive map that highlights peak leaf viewing areas throughout the United States.

Ask the Brewer

What are some good fall beer activities?

Living in the upper Midwest, we always advocate for getting outside, so long as the weather will cooperate.  Autumn is a beautiful time of year to do a brewery tour and there are multiple ways to accomplish this including trolleys, biking, driving and hiking.

Not to toot our own horn, but we are easily accessible from the Green Line, as are many other breweries between Minneapolis and St. Paul, making a Light Rail Brewery Crawl a fun weekend activity.  For those of you focused on leaf viewing, the Hoppy Trolley is still running one more leaf and brewery tour this coming weekend.

Fall is also a wonderful time to experiment with home brewing.  If you have ever had a hankering to give it a try, cooler weather is optimal for brewing, especially when you consider the large volume of water that needs to boil for an extended time, as you make the beer.  We got our start brewing on the stove, the burner of the grill, and then with a hurricane burner out in the garage (that happened after certain spouses said something about being tired of smelling grains and hops every weekend).

Autumn also brings out a whole new round of seasonal beers including Oktoberfest, Pumpkin, Cranberry and many other styles.  Inviting friends and family over for a home beer tasting lets you try and share multiple beers side by side, without any going to waste.

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 either Raspberry Infused Pyro or Grapefruit IPA, depending on when the kegs run out.

Food trucks for the weekend are Signature On Wheels on Friday (10/21), serving their unique take on classic American cuisine.  Then on Saturday (10/22) we are joined by Patacones, featuring authentic Colombian Street Food.

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

The end of October brings us two big beer festivals.  The first is the Nordeast Big River Brew Fest happening from 1-4PM on Saturday (10/22) in Minneapolis.  All proceeds benefit the programs of East Side Neighborhood Services.

The second event is the Grand MN Taste Together.  This event is happening at the Grand Casino in Hinckley and will be sampling over 200 different local, regional, and national craft beers, as well as featuring music by Trampled by Turtles.  We hope to see you at either event!

As always, if you have questions, drop us a note via Email, Facebook or Twitter.

Cheers!

Newsletter: Pumpkin… cranberry… I’m the guy with the beer!

Posted on by Thom

Fall favorites, but do they blend?!?

Here in the upper Midwest the leaves are changing and mums and pumpkins are appearing in people’s yards  With the advent of cooler weather and earlier nights has come the onslaught of pumpkin spice lattes (pumpkin spice EVERYTHING!!!) as well as their beer counterpart.  No matter how much someone loves beer in general, when it comes to pumpkin beer, people seem to fall into one of two camps – love it or hate it.  And that brings us to…

Ask the Brewer

What’s the big deal with pumpkin beers, anyways?

While pumpkin beers may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, they first entered the scene on a national level in 1995, thanks to Blue Moon Harvest Ale.  Before that they were actually pretty hard to find, as fall beer releases tended to focus on Oktoberfest beers.  While it took a while for this beer style to catch on, in the past 10 years, pumpkin beer sales have grown by 1500%!

That brings us to the meat of the question, “What is the deal with pumpkin beer, why do people either love it or hate it?”  In pouring over multiple articles on this, it seems like the hate it camp finds it too sweet, too spicy, to have a musty after-taste, to lack pumpkin flavor, to have too much pumpkin flavor, to not being  sweet enough, to not taste like beer, or have no spice whatsoever.  The love it side of the equation insists that pumpkin and beer blend perfectly.  That the pumpkin and spice notes combine just right with the floral and citrus of the hops to create a smooth fall beer that celebrates the season.  And those pumpkin beer lovers have plenty to choose from.

Here at Burning Brothers, we take the road less traveled. Our fall release is our tart and delicious Cranberry Shandy.  We start with our American Pale Ale and add cranberry juice and sugar for a festive celebration that goes from fall through the winter.

Taproom Tidings

Tap selection for the weekend includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Orange Blossom Honey Ale, Parched Lime Shandy, Cranberry Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale and Raspberry Infused Pyro.  For those of you who love the Parched lime, we recommend coming in and stocking up, as it will not be back on tap until next spring.

We are very excited to have Hot Indian Foods with us on Friday (10/14).  They will be serving their “Paneer on a Spear”, battered with a Pyro beer batter, that they debuted at the MN State Fair.  Saturday (10/15) is BYOGFF (Bring Your Own Gluten-Free Food), so make sure you ask if you need suggestions of ideas as to what to bring in to the taproom.

Final Thoughts

Our awesome brewers have been hard at work on the pilot brewing system, tweaking recipes and getting back to small batch beers for the fall and winter.  If there was one that you particularly enjoyed last year at this time, drop us a note.  We will move the favorites up in the taproom rotation.

As always, if you have questions, drop us a note via Email, Facebook or Twitter.

Cheers!