Replete with tangents about bottle dates and general beer geekery, we present another episode of our Happy Hour series with Mike, Jason, and special guest Brandon. Clocking in at just under one hour, this week’s Happy Hour circles around the reviews of two beers: Schlafly’s (St. Louis Brewery) Bière de Garde, and Oskar Blues’ Gordon. The Bière de Garde is a timely summer seasonal farmhouse-style ale, and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out a second beer from Oskar Blues. Hear our plea, Oskar Blues: we would love to have your beer distributed in Iowa. Thanks for listening everyone, cheers!
Saint Louis Brewery – Schlafly Bière de Garde
Style: Bière de Garde
ABV: 7%

Oskar Blues – Gordon
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
ABV: 8.7%
IBU: 60

Happy Hour #13 Show Notes

0:00-1:13- Introduction
1:13-18:06 – Schlafly Bière de Garde
18:06-54:29 - Oskar Blues Gordon
54:29-57:02 - Conclusion

Starting today we will be selling different infused Cygnus X-1 Porter growlers each day at the brewery. Additionally there will be a special keg tapping each evening at select bars in the Twin Cities. The first 10 people getting an infused Cygnus will receive a free Flat Earth pint glass. Here is the schedule of events for the week at the brewery and abroad:

DMjuice this week had a feature on homebrewing in the Des Moines community, Steel Toe Brewing is setting up in St. Louis Park, The Food Network is creating a craft beer television show, New Glarus puts their next beers to a vote, Beeronomics ponders the consolidation of the craft beer industry, and the BeerDorks don’t mind being beer snobs.

Brew days can certainly be one of the more social beer events. When visiting Minneapolis, Shawn and I joined up with our friends at Ryan’s house for a day of beer creation and discussion. The crew at New Brew Thursday arranged a trade with Shawn, where he scored a bottle of Cuvée de Tomme from The Lost Abbey (a division of Pizza Port Brewing Company).

Similar to the beer we explored in our previous episode, Cuvée de Tomme is an example of the American Wild Ale style of beer – meaning sour or tart. I’m loving the diversity this style of beer brings. It seems the age of each one of these beers can change its flavor profile. So, a beer might have a flavor you may or may not love – yet you have to revisit it at a later point in time just to see how the beer has changed with age.

The Lost Abbey – Cuvée de Tomme
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 11.0%

The Beer Genome Project #29 Show Notes

0:00-2:16- Introduction
02:16-16:12 – Cuvée De Tomme by The Lost Abbey
16:12-18:09 - Conclusion

Not too long ago we met some new friends, the members of the band Pictures of Then. As is typical with Shawn and myself, the conversations held revolved around beer, technology, and music. As our podcast grows, we are looking for new ways to uniquely identify ourselves. Our podcast introduction music has evolved with us on this journey. After listening to Pictures of Then, of Minneapolis, through and through, the decision was made to partner with our friends as they graciously allow us to utilize some of their music for our podcast. Episode 28 was the first episode to feature music from Pictures of Then – their “When It Stings” leads us in. Stay tuned, as Casey and other band members will likely record with us in future episodes. Cheers to Pictures of Then for lending their talent to our project.

• http://www.picturesofthen.com
• http://www.myspace.com/picturesofthen
• http://twitter.com/picturesofthen

Brought kicking and screaming into the world of sours? No way – we dive right in! I feel a bit ashamed that it had taken me this long to hear about Captain Lawrence Brewing, but I have been properly introduced thanks to Shawn and our friend Tyler. In this episode, Shawn and I take a crack at 375mL bottle of Cuvee De Castleton from Captain Lawrence. Any sort of reading before the tasting revealed the rarity of this beer, as well as how highly regarded it remains in the craft beer community. This was a shorter episode, focusing on the one beer, but it is all based around the idea of sour ales. Thanks for listening everyone, cheers!

This is a beer that will make you rethink your definition of beer. It doesn’t taste like any beer you’ve ever had, yet it doesn’t taste like anything else either. Pushing the limits of brewing is what makes this job so much fun. Malted barley, wild yeast, hand picked Muscat Grapes, and French oak wine barrels are just a few of the things that went into crafting this beer. Breathe deep, take a long sip, and enjoy the creation in your hand.

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company – Cuvée de Castleton
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 8.0%

The Beer Genome Project #28 Show Notes

0:00-3:43- Introduction
03:43-19:54 – Cuvée de Castleton by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
19:54-20:55 - Conclusion

Last night, Leslie and I decided to begin our adventure in exploring Odell beers at Stub & Herb’s. We arrived a few hours after the release and special cask tapping of Woodcut #4, but I was happily surprised that the members of the Odell crew were still hanging out, chatting with craft beer folks, excited to see 7 different Odell beers available.

I already knew which burger basket I planned to order (the Inferno, substituting for a Boca burger), so I asked Jon Landers, the bar manager, which beer I should enjoy first to start my evening. He told me that I should check out the Odell sampler. I was able to try three year-round offerings, and one seasonal, in manageable seven-ounce pours. My thoughts, brief as they may be, are as follows:

• India Pale Ale (7.0 % ABV, 60 IBUs) – light, floral nose; taste soft notes of peanut; crisp, slightly bitter finish.
• 90 Schilling Ale (5.3% ABV, 27 IBUs) – Wow. Immediate notes of hazelnut, with a creamy, nutty finish. Think Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, but slightly smokier, and more full-bodied.
• 5 Barrel Pale Ale (5.2% ABV, 36 IBUs) – soft, grassy nose; light, slightly bitter finish. Definitely a great introductory beer for those not keen on hops, but interested in learning about wet hopping and dry hopping.
• St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale (6.5% ABV, 46 IBUs) – slightly astringent nose; medium-bodied mouthfeel; more present hops in the finish. It’s a quenching beer, not overtly-bittered by hops.

Another beer I sampled at Stub & Herb’s was a rare, cask-conditioned rendition of the fabled Woodcut. The crew from Odell clarified for me that it’s not the same beer as the bottle-conditioned namesake; this barrel-aged, double Märzen was dosed with Brett before being casked. The Woodcut #4 was immediately my favorite of the night, and the frontrunner so far in my journey this week. It had a funky, tart nose, reminescent of Russian River Consecration, or a room-temperature New Belgium La Folie. It was a bit lighter in body than those two heavy hitters, yet had a creamier mouthfeel, hitting just the right taste buds to fulfill my craving for sour, funky beer.

Originally, we planned to head home to Saint Paul, but as we were departing, a few of the folks mentioned we should stop by The Happy Gnome. I knew I was going to leave a few Odell beers to be sampled later this week, however I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to some of a rare, 5-gallon cask of Odell Friek, a five-way blended kriek, tea-bagged with whole raspberries. I was instantly reminded of a lighter rendition of a Cantillon 100% Kriek. The Friek’s nose was mildly funky, had a tart mouthfeel, and a fleeting presence of raspberry seeds, with a merlot-like finish.

The final beer I sampled on the first day of Odell Welcome Week was their Saboteur, an oak barrel-aged brown ale with Brett. Ringing in at 10.5% ABV, it’s definitely a sipper, but remarkably quaffable. The Brettanomyces presence is soft, but lends just enough funkiness to make this brown ale really interesting. I detected a soft fruity nose, nutty caramel body, and a funky finish, making this brew extremely interesting. It’s not too funky to be a figurative “one-trick pony” and it’s just funky enough to make a typical brown ale drinker raise an interested eyebrow.

I look forward to seeing many of you at some of the other events this week. If you’ve been out to a tasting or beer dinner already, what do you think? I would like to hear your thoughts. Cheers!

Over the weekend, Rock Bottom Brewery of Des Moines, Iowa played host to the Iowa Farmhouse Ale Fest. The goal of the event was to “showcase beers that originated in the farmlands of Europe” as interpreted by Iowa brewers as well as various international renditions of the styles. Primarily, beers in the style of Saison, Bière de Garde, and Witbier, otherwise known as farmhouse ales, were on-hand.

I love finding out the tradition behind styles of beer, and farmhouse ales definitely have some unique profile characteristics that can be drawn from their brewing history. Originating in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, Saisons and other farmhouse ales were brewed during the winter and stored until summer harvest, where the beverages were distributed amongst farmhands as a safe and quenching beverage. As such, farmhouse ales were traditionally brewed with a large amount of hops as a form of preservative, but with a low alcohol content so workers could hydrate throughout their day. Today, these farmhouse ales generally fall within the guidelines of Category 16 of the BJCP. However, as this hosted tasting goes to show, there are few defining characteristics for modern farmhouse ales. Despite the change in brewing techniques since the style’s inception, brewers have maintained some of the original flavor profiles of the farmhouse ales. Wild yeast, once a natural ingredient in the brewing process, is now only used with the utmost care as a technique for introducing a certain level of funk or sourness in the flavor and aroma of beers. Thus, the farmhouse ales represent a broad range of beer flavors and give the brewer ultimate creative control in defining the drinker’s palette.

I must say that I consider farmhouse ales to be a gateway for those looking to get into craft beer. Beginning with the style of Witbier, you are presented with what is essentially a spiced wheat ale that is light, refreshing, but also flavorful without much bitterness. As you progress further into styles like Saison, you’ll notice subtle complexities from the yeast presented and the beer might have a dryer mouthfeel. Then as we find examples of Bière de Garde, our glasses will be filled with a sometimes darker liquid but almost always richer and sweeter with a nice malty body. Then, every once in a while you will come across Brettanomyces (Brett) in your beer for an extra kick of tartness.

Where am I going with this, and why haven’t I talked about the specific beers yet? A few nights ago, Iowa Public Television hosted a panel discussion on “Beer and Microbreweries in Iowa”. Check it out. As you may or may not be aware, Iowa is going through a few changes as we have just recently passed legislation allowing for local breweries to produce beers up to 12% alcohol by weight. Now, while these farmhouse ales aren’t necessarily at the extreme top of the legal range, they represent one of the many styles of craft beer that up until recently were either not capable of being brewed, or were just not prominent. The consumers of Iowa simply may not know about these intriguing styles of beer and it is events such as the Iowa Farmhouse Ale Fest, or programs from IPTV that set out to educate. Education on beer is why Shawn and I began our project and why we continue to learn at every opportunity. It’s now on us to bring this world of craft beer to those who want to know more. Eric Sorensen, brewmaster for Rock Bottom Brewery in Des Moines, acknowledged that while this year’s event was sponsored by the brewery, the hope is to have all of the Iowa Brewer’s Guild participate in the coming years.

So what was this event, and how did it all go down? Cost of entry was $30, for which you received a commemorative tasting glass and one heck of a tasting list. For your entry, each participant received a number of tickets that could be exchanged for a full glass pour of any of the available beers, otherwise, you were free to have a one-once pour of each of the represented beers. Rock Bottom had their own Tiger Lily Saison, Dangereaux Amber, Cerveza Especial Bière de Garde, and Flanders Fields Witbier. Mike Gauthier, brewer for Des Moines’ Court Avenue Brewing Company, was on hand to pour samples of his Wit and La Fou Blonde. Other Iowa beers represented were John’s Generation White Ale by Millstream Brewing Company, and Dinky Wheat from Olde Main Brewing. The Belgian-style beers are certainly being embraced by our local brewers, which is a trend I hope to see continue.

Now, this is the part of my post where I inform you, dear reader, that I didn’t take any tasting notes at the event. Jason and I kept pretty busy with conversation and jumping from table to table, trying to find all that we had missed on our first pass. I will point out some of the notable beers, however. In Iowa, we are privileged to have regular access to the Smokestack series of beers from Boulevard Brewing of Kansas City. Their Saison Brett is a dry, low hop, low spice beer with a slightly maltier mouthfeel. In fact, I compared it mostly to the Golden Ale from New Glarus Brewing Company of Wisconsin, if not more subtle with the brett and heavier in the body. Another gem in the crowd was the Blanche De Saisis of Brasserie Ellezelloise, which was sweet and well balanced with a hint of grain.

It is events such as this weekend’s that will work to grow the beer culture in Iowa. Every week new breweries are entering our market, and our local brewers are also now creating some great renditions of our favorite beer styles. Education can only grow the opportunities for new beers to come to market, so talk about beer and look out for more events and releases in Iowa.

Note: If you want to know more about some traditional examples of Saison-style beers, check out Episode 18 of The Beer Genome Project, “Oh, Saison”, or subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.

I hope all you Minnesotans are as excited to have the fabled Odell available in Minnesota as I am. I’ve gotten ahold of the calendar of events for Odell’s inaugural week in Minnesota. I hope to see many of you out at these tastings and release parties!

Monday, May 3

Zipps Liquors: Be the first to try the fine Odell Brews in Minnesota!  Beer tasting with Brewery Founder Doug Odell!  3:30pm-4:30pm

Mackenzie: Minneapolis Kickoff for Odell Brewing Company. Meet Doug Odell and the brewery team for the first official tapping of a 90 Shilling for the city of Minneapolis. There will be 3 Odell beers on draft and some fun “Scottish Flair” to go with the festivities.  Starts at 5:00pm

Sweeney’s Saloon: St. Paul’s Kickoff for Odell Brewing Company. Meet Doug Odell and the brewery team for the first official tapping of a 90 Shilling for the city of St. Paul. There will be 3 Odell beers on draft and some fun “Scottish Flair” to go with the festivities. Starts at 6:30pm

Stub & Herb’s: Minneapolis Kickoff for Odell Brewing Company. Meet Doug Odell and the brewery team for the first official tapping of an Odell Firkin for the city of Minneapolis. Stub & Herb’s will also feature 6 other Odell beers on tap including 90 Shilling, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, IPA, St. Lupulin, Bourbon Barrel Stout, and the new Saboteur. Starts at 7:00pm

The Happy Gnome: St. Paul’s Kickoff for Odell Brewing Company. Meet Doug Odell and the brewery team for the first official tapping of an Odell Firkin for the city of St. Paul. The Happy Gnome will also feature 6 other Odell beers on tap including 90 Shilling, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, IPA, St. Lupulin, Bourbon Barrel Stout, and the new Saboteur.
Starts at 7:30pm

Tuesday, May 4

Princeton Liquors: In-store tasting, right in Maple Grove there is a great little craft beer store. Odell Sampling, brewery Founder Doug Odell and You! 4:30pm-6:00pm

Four Firkins: In store tasting. Come down to St. Louis Park, meet Doug Odell and sample some Odell brews. 6:00pm-7:00pm

Zipps Beer Tasting Extravaganza at the Minneapolis Eagles Club: Meet some of the Odell crew as they sample of some of their great beers along side some other great craft brewers.  Tickets available at Zipps Liquors, Local Wine Events, or at the door. 6:30pm-9:00pm

The Muddy Pig: Beer dinner with Doug Odell from 7:30 pm – 9 pm The Muddy Pig will be featuring 7 Odell beers on draft including 90 Shilling, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, IPA, St. Lupulin, Bourbon Barrel Stout, and the new Saboteur. They will also have a Firkin of Odell to round out the 7 beers.

Wednesday, May 5

St. Anthony Village Wine and Spirits (Village Store): In store tasting.  It’s beer school night at SAV! Meet your friendly neighborhood Odell Rep and find your new favorite Odell beer! Starts at 4:00pm

Heritage Liquor: In Store Tasting.  All you western Wisconsinites, this is your chance to taste the Odell beers!  Make the short drive to this East Metro location and get your Odell on! Last chance for kickoff week to taste beer with brewery founder Doug Odell, come on out! 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Busters on 28^th: Join Doug Odell and his crew for 7 Odell beers on draft featuring 90 Shilling, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, IPA, St. Lupulin, Bourbon Barrel Stout, and the new Saboteur. Buster’s will also be “Busting” out a Firkin of Odell for this great South Minneapolis craft beer bar! 4:00pm – 6:00pm

“Cinc Odell Mayo” Pub Crawl: Tiffany’s, Shamrock’s, Groveland Tap, & Eagle Street: Join these four great St. Paul fun spots and help support a great local charity! All proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Heartland! Let’s have some fun and put a “Colorado twist” to this Mexican holiday! $20 gets you bus transportation, souvenir cup, and $2.50 Odell drafts in your cup from 7 – 11 p.m. at all locations. Meet the founder Doug Odell along the way and enjoy a pint with him and his crew. Salut!

Thursday, May 6

South Lyndale Liquor: In Store Tasting. Come taste Odell Brewing Co.’s finest with Brewer extraordinaire Joe Mohrfeld. 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Blue Max: In Store tasting.  An Odell Brewing rep will be your guide to tasting beers from Odell Brewing, the latest craft brewery to come to Minnesota. 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Longfellow Grill: Join Odell Brewer extraordinaire Joe Mohrfeld and other brewery reps for an evening of Odell beers and patio fun with an Odell Happy Hour from 4-8 p.m. The first 250 to show up will get Odell souvenir cups to put their beer in! $3.00 Odell drafts and great camaraderie to be had by all! 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Nomad World Pub: Watch for the Odell team to be stopping in the Nomad to share a few pints and maybe even be challenged to a Bocce Ball game or two! We will be stopping in to enjoy some of our great beers on draft and maybe a surprise brew to go along with them. Starts at 9:00p.m.

Acadia Cafe: What can you say about this West Bank craft beer mecca? FRENCH FRIES and great craft beer! Pretty hard to beat that combination and the Odell Crew will be stopping by to enjoy both! Fresh off Acadia Café being named Best French Fries in the City Pages “Best of the Twin Cities” issue we feel honored to be sharing space on draft to enhance the whole French fry experience! Come have a couple pints with us and rumor has it there is going to be a special Odell beer on draft that pairs great with those garlic and vinegar bathed beauties! Starts around 9:00pm

Friday, May 7

Surdyk’s: In Store Tasting. The NE Minneapolis landmark will host an Odell Brewing Co. tasting event.  Be sure to come down either Friday or Saturday and meet an Odell Rep, and try all the Odell Beers. 11:00am-7:30pm

Grumpy’s-Downtown: It’s FIRKIN lunch time I said at Grumpy’s on Wash! Join Odell brewer extraordinaire Joe Mohrfeld for a tapping of an Odell firkin and kick off your weekend with a firkin good lunch! We will be tapping that bad boy at high noon so we hope you can get in and have a little firkin fun on your lunch hour for a change! 12:00pm – High Noon!

Grumpy’s- NE: It’s FIRKIN FRIDAY in Northeast! Here’s your opportunity to enjoy a different version of an Odell firkin than what we had for lunch at Grumpy’s-Downtown and let your hair down after that wicked work week! Stop in for a pint and introduce yourself to the Odell crew and help us wind down from our Odell kickoff week. 4:00- 6:00pm

Mac’s Industrial: Meet up with the Odell crew and help us get the weekend going by enjoying 3 different Odell brews on draft. Come on in and vote for your favorite and help Jimmy and Mike decide what they will keep on tap. Our yard sign says vote for all three! Starts at 6-ish!

Pracna on Main: Did someone say a van down by the river? Watch for the Odell crew to be climbing out of ours to enjoy some Odell drafts at his St. Anthony Main institution! Word has it when the sun shines down here people have fun! We have fun no matter what, so show up rain or shine and enjoy a pint with us! Starts around 7-ish!

Saturday, May 8

Blue Plate Restaurant Company – Highland Grill, Longfellow Grill, Edina Grill, and 3 Squares: Can you say Kegs and Eggs? We can! Stop on by on your way to the baseball game at that new stadium and enjoy an Odell inspired breakfast to get your day started off right! The Blue Plate Restaurant Company’s award winning Chef Trevis has created a breakfast utilizing Odell Brewing’s award winning 90 Shilling in his creation.

The breakfast is a whole grain mustard frittata with Tillamook cheddar & Stracchino cheese.  Served with grilled home fries & 90 Shilling Ale braised bratwurst.  Of course, this breakfast would not be complete without a glass of Odell 90 Shilling all for the bargain price of $9.95. We will have some of our crew at each location to answer any questions that you might have about the Odell brewery or our great beers. See you bright and early! (Check the website for individual store location hours)

Surdyk’s: In Store Tasting. The NE Minneapolis landmark will host an Odell Brewing Co. tasting event.  Be sure to come down either Friday or Saturday and meet an Odell Rep, and try all the Odell Beers. 11:00am – 7:30pm

France 44: In Store Tasting.  Come down and meet Odell Brewer, Joe Mohrfeld, and taste Odell Beers. 2:00pm -5:00pm

Dennis Brothers: All you western Wisconsinites, this is your chance to taste the Odell beers!  Make the short drive to Cottage Grove and meet an Odell Rep and Taste the beers you can’t get over the eastern border! 4:00pm-6:00pm

Groveland Tap: It’s Firkin Saturday at the craft beer gem of the Blue Plate Restaurant Company! Join Odell brewer extraordinaire Joe Mohrfeld as we tap a unique Odell firkin and we pull the pump. Help us wind down on our final night of Odell kickoff week with a nice cask conditioned ale! Starts at 6:00pm!