Favourite Places, Twin Cities : The Republic, Minneapolis

The former Sgt. Preston's spot in Minneapolis' Seven Corners area has been cleaned up and given a make-over. No longer college frat bar, it's been transformed into a bit of a gastro-pub with a great tap list (32 taps) and even better food. I must admit that it might seem a bit of a stretch to include a bar barely open a couple of months in my favourite places but having been there no fewer than 10 times (approx. 8 more than when it was Sgt. Preston's) I think I can speak from a position of authority. I like this place. A lot.

Best of all it has a great Happy Hour, Daily  4-6pm (yes that really means daily as in seven days a week not the lame M-F routine) - $3 domestic taps (in this case this truly means domestic, as in all non-European beers are included, not just Summit, Schell's and the like). HH also features house wine and rail drinks for $3 and food specials (fries - which are awesome by the way - chips and gluacomole are $3 each while burgers and fish tacos are both $5).

Happy Hour Menu 4-6pm Daily

As mentioned, Republic has a great tap selection with 32 beers offered on tap. Highlights include Fulton Worthy Adversary ($5), Two Brother's Cane and Ebel ($5), Left Hand Milk Stout ($5) along with no less than four Surly brews. They also have a strong Belgian selection, Kwak, Saison Du Pont, Tripel Karmeliet and Duvel all make an appearance, all at  a reasonable price ($6). Another favourite is Matacabras by Dave's Brew Farm (when I was last in the price had went up from $5 to $6 a pint but not extortionary by any means). Another nice feature is they also have a "beer of the day" (which they normally announce on twitter) on a recent lunch visit it was Founder's Dirty Bastard, at 8.6%ABV I showed admirable restraint I thought by limiting myself to just the 2 pints! Even without happy hour or daily special the beer is very affordable, I counted about  a half dozen selections at $4 a pint (including Bell's Two Hearted), certainly some of the best prices in town. In case you don't believe me here's t beer list :

Food menu is compact with an emphasis on quality and affordability, sandwiches, burgers (five are offered featuring local grass-fed beef or wild acres turkey), everything on the menu is under $10 bucks, even the entrees, with the exception of the hanger steak ($17). One slight annoyance is that burgers and sandwiches do not come with fries which means if you want them it will cost you an extra $4. Admittedly they are delicious and are a huge portion, perfect for sharing but a bit much for a single diner. Some of the items we have tried on the menu, along with ratings :
Sandwich - Grilled cheese, cheddar, chevre, tomato on whole wheat ($7) Fantastic!
Sandwich - Rosemary chicken breast, roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, toasted whole wheat ($8) Very Good
Burger - Aged cheddar, bacon, carmelized onion ($8) Fantastic!

Salad - Hanger Steak, bibb lettuce, bleu cheese, hard bolied egg ($9) Good
Entree - Local sausages, roasted tomatoes, mustard ($9) Disappointing

Another great feature of the place is how friendly the staff and owners are, on my most recent visit co-owner Rick recognized me and took the time to shake hands and chat for a few minutes. A nice touch. The other co-owner, Matty (O'Reilly, owns the Aster and 318 Cafe) is almost as friendly as well (!). The place has a great patio, spacious, almost rivalling Town Hall Brewery across the street.



A captivating audience

More info :

Republic at Seven Corners
612-338-6146
221 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55454
Hours : 11am - 1am Daily
Happy Hour : 4-6 Daily

Website : http://www.republic-mn.com/

Parking : Is a nightmare! With light-rail construction in full swing, many of the nearby parking meters (enforced until 6pm daily) are covered. I recommend parking in the pay lot behind the Jewel of India ($3 except for special events) or look for a meter further afield. Parking is also avalable in the ramp adjacent to the Holiday Inn but use only as a last resort, rates are ridiculously expensive (one recent 2 1/2 hour stay after 5pm on a weekday cost me $13)!

"The Don" : Town Hall Brewery

Apologies dear reader for the internet silence, it's been almost two months since my last post. Contrary to rumours I have not been in re-hab (!) Call it what you will - lack of muse, performance anxiety, or writer's block (more likely writer blocked - which is Northern Irish parlance for being drunk haha). On a brighter note, the free time has allowed me to catch up on my scrapbooking, so all was not lost. But as the ad says you never know when the right moment will strike, the view from the bath tub is exhilirating and I promise that if this column takes longer than four hours I will seek medical attention.

Onward...



"The Don" Special Bitter at Town Hall



As a life-long Leeds United "sufferer" (symptoms include, but not limited to, nausea, upset stomach and diarrhea -  prognosis is terminal)  you can imagine how "chuffed" (British : quite pleased, delighted) that my Local, Town Hall Brewery, released a beer in March to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "The Don" taking charge of Leeds. Donald George Revie, "The Don", was born July 10th 1927 and died at the age of 61 on May 26th, 1989 of motor neurone disease. It seems fitting today being the 22nd anniversary of his death I finally get around to writing this post. The Don was United's greatest manager and transformed the club from a forgotten provincial rugby town into a European soccer powerhouse. Not only did he preside over the most successful era in the club's history but he was a visionary ahead of his time and his profound influence inspired a loyalty among his players that was legendary. Not without his detractors, of course, success brought predictable revulsion outside of Yorkshire, but we remember him with respect and fondness and as the greatest figure in the club's history. "We all hate Dirty Leeds" is the ultimate compliment after all.

Don Revie and Billy Bremner, FA Cup Final 1972

Oh, the beer you ask?

"The Don" pours a beautiful copper orange and is a bitter that expertly disguises it's substantial 8% ABV. Malty, sweet and biscuity with a hint of honey this is a delicious and superbly crafted beer. Even better cask-conditioned, the flavours become more pronounced and enjoyable. In short a really nice beer (tasting notes from March 26th) and no, it's not on pint-club!

B+

P.S. - Full disclosure -it should come as no surprise to learn that this was not in fact a tribute from Town Hall for Don Revie. Rather....

"This Special Bitter was made in memory of Don Younger of the famed Horse Brass Pub in Portland, OR. Thanks Don for inventing beer bars!"

No matter, RIP Don's, you are both legends.

Indulgence : Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout

I used to think that Young's Double Chocolate stout was the epitome of dessert beers (I know some restaurants feature it on their dessert menus) but Choklat by Southern Tier (Lakewood, NY) blows it out of the water. This is pure chocolate in a bottle, luxurious, deliciously decadent, bursting with cocoa, espresso and dark chocolate malt - a totally amazing taste sensation, you have to wonder how it's possible to get a beer to taste so much like chocolate. Rich, sweet, roasty, pours a Guinness black with a nice tan head. Anyway, did I mention it tastes like chocolate?! Picked up a bomber of this for around $10 at Blue Max Liquors in Burnsville in January. Too bad this is a seasonal - released in November as part of their "Blackwater" Series of Imperial Stouts - as I could drink this year round. Really looking forward to the June release of the beer that introduced me to ST - Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout - another sensational beer that has to be tasted to be believed. A word of caution about Choklat - it packs a wallop at 11% ABV that is undetectable in it's sweet goodness, so best savoured in moderation (a trait I am certainly not known for)!

A+

More info :
                   Southern Tier Brewing Company
                   2072 Stoneman Circle
                   Lakewood, NY 14750
                   'PH: 716-763-5479

Website :    http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/index1.html

Favourite Places, Twin Cities : Aster Cafe

Located on historic Main Street,  reportedly the oldest street in Minneapolis, the Aster Cafe is a gem of a place to spend a couple of hours, particularly on a dreary drab Sunday afternoon, which is when we found ourselves visiting. Even better than the picturesque setting in the shadow of the Stone Arch Bridge and the cobblestone lined street overlooking the Mississippi is the daily Happy Hour, 3-6pm, which features $3 domestic taps, house wine and $5 cocktails, as well as $5 cheese plates and flat bread pizza, if food is your thing.

Of course, I'm only here for the beer and the menu, although short, is eclectic and interesting enough,with an admirable focus on local beer. Minneapolis' Fulton being well represented with 3 taps - Sweet Child of Vine, Lonely Blonde and Worthy Adversary as well as Lake Superior's (Duluth, MN) Kayak Kolsch. Offerings from further afield included Rush River's Unforgiven Amber, Furthermore's Fatty Boombalatty (both WI), Bell's Two Hearted, Founders Dirty Bastard (both MI), Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale (CO) as well as Kwak Amber Ale (Belgium) and Tilburgs Dutch Brown Ale (Holland). The only cider on tap is Ace Pear (CA).

Alas, I was disappointed they no longer offered Kwak at HH for $3, which I had enjoyed on a previous  visit. According to the waitress they finally realized they were losing money on it - at $7.25 regular price it's still a good deal however.

With it's exposed brickwork and eccentric layout, the Aster has more of a comfortable coffee shop vibe than a bar. On this particular sleepy Sunday afternoon it was less than half- full but once the weather warms up and the courtyard seating opens I'd imagine it will be harder to find an opening, until then the perfect spot for enjoying a  pint of Worthy Adverary (9.2% ABV - not bad for $3 a pint)! was found on the elevated "music stage"  in front of the window overlooking Main Street.

A view of the bar from the stage :



Further info:

Address :  125 SE Main Street (St Anthony Main), Minneapolis MN 612-379-3138

Ph: 612-379-3138

Parking : Plenty of pay meters on Main Street (enforced daily) but side-streets not enforced on weekends.

Website :  http://www.aster-cafe.com/





A nice czarprise (surprise) : Czar Jack at Town Hall Tap

Very pleasantly surprised to see the legendary Czar Jack (Russian Imperial Stout aged in Jack Daniels barrells) at Town Hall Tap (Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery's sister satellite in South Minneapolis) when I stopped in for a quick pint before dinner. Especially grateful since I had missed the original release late February at the brewery and heard that it caused quite a stir in beer geekdom when growlers ran out immediately on release. Anyway, as good as ever, 10oz pour into Town Hall's majestic clock-logo goblet. Delicious, decadent, chocolatey, noticeable taste of booze but not overwhelming, not as chewy or as thick as some other RIS, nice and smooth and dangerously drinkable. 9.3% ABV which seems a bit paltry compared to Avery's 2009 Czar (had to be 13% ABV) I had on tap at Blue Nile on Saturday night but the less said about that the better! No danger on getting drunk with this one at $8 a 10oz pour however, seems rather steep, I mean some nation's GDP are less than that! Bonus chatting with Town Hall's master brewer Mike Hoops at the bar, this is one of his finest creations. Noticed this was rated #7 on http://www.beeradvocate.com/ for RIS, with 71 reviews, a fact that would only interest me. I'd have to agree with the consensus, a definite A rating for this.

A

Further info :

Town Hall Tap - no website but they are on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/townhalltap

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery website :
http://www.townhallbrewery.com/

Historic Casanova Liquor in Hudson, Wisconsin

Anyone that has the misfortune to know me knows my reluctance to leave the comfortable and familiar surroundings of Minneapolis. Just crossing the Mississippi over to sleepy St. Paul causes me to break out in a cold sweat so with that in mind you can imagine my trepidation about travelling even further afield to Hudson, WI. But in the interest of beer such sacrifices must happen and a visit to historic Casanova Liquor is a worthy destination for Minnesota beer geeks, even if it means venturing into the land of cheese and fireworks. Wisconsin has something that puritanical Minnesota doesn't (no smartass not a Superbowl victory) - civilized liquor regulations (I know Wisconsin and civilized in the same sentence doesn't look right to me either)! Meaning that liquor stores can sell alcohol on Sundays (gasp - they are so going to Hell!) and more importantly fill "growlers" (64oz glass re-fillable containers  typically used for beer). You can buy an empty Casanova branded growler for $8 or you can bring your own (Rock Bottom, Townhall etc) and then just pay the re-fill charge.

 When I visited they had no less than ten beers available to fill for growlers,which is listed on a chalkboard,  including a stupendous $9.99 deal for Bell's Expedition Stout of which I picked up two of (who needs groceries anyway?). Also part of my haul was a Ommegang Rare Vos ($8.99) and a Southern Tier Chokalat (pricey at $15.99 but well worth it).

To me the growler availability is the best aspect of a visit to Casanova but they also have a nice selection of individually priced bottles that you can assemble in a 6 pack mix-n-match and of course another highlight is the availability of some breweries that aren't distributed in Minnesota - Dogfish Head ("World Wide Stout" 4 pack 12oz bottles $34.99 - it is 16% ABV after all), Smuttynose, Oskar Blues (the legendary "Ten-Fiddy" RIS 4 pack 12oz cans $16.99),Three Floyds, New Glarus - all spring to mind. With the explosion of new brands coming in to the Minnesota market - Brooklyn, Stone and Alaskan - it may soon become redundant to make a beer run to Wisconsin, but until Dogfish Head shows up in our state make Casanova your WI choice for beer, the staff were warm, friendly and knowledgeable, and really it was a straighforward 35 minute journey from Uptown Minneapolis on I-94 (Saturday morning with light traffic). Hey, I'll even overlook the Budweiser poster in the lobby with the Manchester United logo on it. Marching on together...

More info :

Address : 236 Coulee Road Hudson PH: 715-386-2545

Wesbite http://www.thenovaofhudson.com/

The "Nova" is the wine bar that is attached to the liquor store (it has a separate entrance and is not accessible thru the liquor store). Tip - stop in at the "Nova" for a beer after placing your growler orders in the liquor store, as they can take a while to fill, especially if they are short staffed. Only a few beers on tap, but a decent selection and it's surprisingly comfortable and ornate, complete with fireplace and cosy furniture. The wine bar is not open on Sunday's.

Directions from Twin Cities :

Take I-94 ast across the St Croix river. Take 2nd Street Exit into downtown Hudson. At the first stop light take a right. It's located directly behind the Dairy Queen.

Hours : Open 9am - 9pm Every Day (Liquor Store)

Check out their excellent Beer Blog at :

http://www.beergeekheaven.com/

Here they will normally list what is available for growler fills. You can also follow them on Twitter.

Victorian Beer Mail

Discovered this buried in the bottom of a drawer from the days when I collected (geek alert) stamps and from a time when I had a disposable income to spend on frivilous nonsense! Anyway, thought it would be a perfect diversion for this blog. It's a letter dated September 6th, Glasgow, Scotland 1849 and is addressed simply to a Mr John Jeffrey, Brewer, Edinburgh.

Here's an image of the letter inside. It appears to be an urgent request for beer.

Here's the transcript, as best as I can decipher :

Glasgow, September 5th 1849

Dear Sir,

Having neglected to order ale from Mr. Rutherford you would much oblige me by sending one half of $5.50* if you have it back. I will be much obliged as I am nearly out.

                                                                                       I am Sir,
                                                                                       Your humble servant,
                                                                                       William Smith
                                                                                       241 Gallowgate, Glasgow

 * Note - This is in British Pounds, not dollars of course.

On the back of the envelope it has Glasgow 5 Sept. 1849 and the names of John Rutherford (which is crossed out - I assume that means he was aware that the letter was being sent) and also Wm. Smith, the sender.

From internet research I was able to establish that a brewery did exist in Edinburgh that was owned by a John Jeffrey and Co. in 1837 (see below, from the Scottish Brewing Archive). I've also included the updated history of the brewery for those that may be interested. It appears to have lasted until the 1990's in one form or another.

A brewery was reputedly operating on Heriot Bridge, Grassmarket, Edinburgh, Scotland, from the early sixteenth century. By 1800 the brewery was owned by Baillie Gordon, trading as Gordon & Hume, and in about 1820 it was acquired by Buchan & Co. Thomas Stewart took over the brewery in about 1830, followed by John Jeffrey and his younger brother David in 1837, trading under the name of John Jeffrey & Co. The Grassmarket site soon became cramped and land was purchased in 1865 at Roseburn, on the western outskirts of Edinburgh, where new maltings, an ale store and a cooperage were built.

A new brewhouse was added to the Roseburn site in 1880 but brewing continued at the Heriot Brewery until 1900 when the site was sold to Heriot–Watt College for GBP 2,500. The firm was one of the pioneers of lager brewing in Scotland and had a large export trade and tied trade in Scotland and northern England, with deposits in Glasgow, Scotland, Newcastle–upon–Tyne, England and Manchester, England.

John Jeffrey & Co Ltd was registered in July 1934 as a private limited liability company to acquire the business. The company acquired Edinburgh United Breweries Ltd in 1935 and was converted into a public company in 1938. It supplied ale to James Calder Co Ltd, Alloa, Scotland, from 1951 and a new bottling plant was built at Sighthill, Edinburgh, in 1955.

In February 1960 the company merged with Hammonds United Breweries Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and Hope and Anchor Breweries Ltd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, through Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd, York and London, England. United Breweries Ltd, as Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd was renamed, merged with Charrington United Breweries Ltd, London. Brewing continued at Heriot Brewery until its closure in the 1990s.

I was unable to find anything out about the sender of the letter, Wm. Smith, and it appears whatever pub existed at 241 Gallowgate is long gone. Hardly surprising, since the Gallowgate area of Glasgow had at one time 86 pubs in just over a 2 mile area, making it the most populous - or should that be pub-ulous - street in Glasgow. "Eric's Carpets" now resides at 239-241 Gallowgate. Apparently a pub must have existed at 241 Gallowgate at one time because in 1875 a listing of Gallowgate License Holders mentions one Archibald Mitchell with an address listed as 241 Gallowgate.

Much of this information was gleamed from this excellent website :

http://www.oldglasgowubs.co.uk/

For a bit of historical background, Glasgow around that time was described as "possibly the filthiest and unhealthiest of all British towns" (and they had a lot of competition)! They had a cholera outbreak in 1849 and in 1850 it was reported that one half of all children born in Glasgow died before their 5th birthday. They also had a large influx of Irish peasants escaping the famine in Ireland at the time (1845-'52) that contributed to the overcrowding - it was said that Irish with money went to America, those with some money went to Liverpool and those with no money went to Glasgow. Queen Victoria visited the city in 1849 and was the first reigning monarch to do so since the 1600's. An estimated 400,000 people lined the streets along her route, which is quite impressive since the population of Scotland's biggest city was listed at 329,096 in 1851 (with over 18% Irish born).

That concludes today's history lesson, I hope you managed to stay awake....