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Worthy Adversary and War & Peace cask tappings
Posted Friday February 24, 2012
Break through the winter doldrums.

Is there any time of the year more exciting than the end of February? In all honesty, yes...pretty much any time. In this admittedly boring time of year, we've found that a cask-conditioned imperial stout gives us a much-needed shot of adrenaline, just when we need it most. And if one is good, four is better.

Join us at Brit's Pub on Tuesday, 2/28 at 6:00 as we tap a cask of Worthy Adversary aged with oak and vanilla beans. Not that you'd need more incentive than that, but Brit's is making an entire festival of it, tapping limited release casks from Summit, Surly, New Belgium, and Crispin as well. Those beers and an hors d'oeuvre buffet are included in the $40 ticket price.

The next day, Wednesday the 29th, is Leap Day. Normally, not too much cause for pause, but this Leap Day, Republic will be tapping a War & Peace firkin at 6:00. It's one of just a few that we filled this year, and if your growler of War & Peace is already gone, it's one of your last chances of the year to get some.

Still need something for your Thursday? We've found that Thursday is a great day for giving back to your community, especially if you've misbehaved all week as we usually have. Fortunately, Share Our Strength is holding their winter fundraiser, the Cakewalk, on Thursday, March 1. In their words, the Cakewalk is a "night of drinks, dancing, and most importantly, delectable desserts from the best pastry chefs in the Twin Cities." We happen to know that Michelle Gayer and the crew from The Salty Tart are coming with a Worthy Adversary concoction...and there's a 100% chance it will be delightful. Tickets are still available here.

Finally, get your March started the right way by stopping by the Muddy Pig on Wednesday March 7th for a cask of Worthy Adversary aged with oak. They'll be tapping it right after they open at 11:30, so if you're nearby, sounds like a great day for an extended lunch break...or for taking the afternoon off entirely.

Hopefully these casks will get you through these otherwise dull days of winter. When we come out of this two week stretch, the first day of spring will almost be here (at least on the calendar), baseball season will be less than a month away, and more importantly, you'll have a new taproom to visit and maybe even a new beer to drink while you're there.


 

War & Peace growlers this Saturday at noon!
Posted Monday February 13, 2012
& some other ramblings...

Most of life's important decisions require some sort of trade-off. That decision making process can be emotionally and physically taxing. Since we're here to make your life easier, we've decided to remove one of those tough decisions for you. That's right: this weekend, you won't have to choose between drinking coffee and beer, because we're giving you both in one attractive package. (Hint: it's an imperial coffee stout in a growler).

The War & Peace growlers will be available when we open at noon on Saturday. We're expecting a good turnout, and we've only made a limited quantity, so make sure to come by earlier in the afternoon if you're dead set on getting one - they may run out before the end of the day. We'll be releasing a few kegs and casks of War & Peace to some of our bar customers, but this will be your only chance to take it home with you this year.

How did we make War & Peace? It started with our Worthy Adversary. When the rest of the batch of Worthy was done fermenting, we filtered it and sent it on to the brite tank to carbonate. But the War & Peace was just getting started, so we left it behind in the fermenter. We picked up about 15 lbs (which is approximately the same amount of coffee  Brian drinks in a week. That may sound like a lot for one person, but trust us, the alternative is worse) of whole bean Guatemalan Dark Roast from our friends over at Peace Coffee. Pete and Mikey filled two mesh bags with the coffee beans and lowered them into the fermenters with fishing lines (which is a key step, if you ever want to get the bags back out).

After about 4 days, the War & Peace took on a wicked coffee aroma and flavor. The only downside? After savoring it, you may find yourself wondering why any stout would be made without coffee.

Also, you may heard tomorrow is Valentines Day. Regardless of your opinion of this love/hate holiday, it's guaranteed to be a great day this year. Why? The good people at Republic have put together a 3-course, 3 Fulton meal, all for just $30. Those of you who have eaten at Republic will know that their food is excellent, so this deal is a steal. And, for all of you procrastinators out there, it's a great bailout for your failure to plan something nice for your sweetheart. 

Oh, by the way: we're building a taproom. We're making great progress. The bar is framed and mostly finished, the plumbing and electrical work are almost done, and the city council has approved our license. We have a little more painting to do, and we'll be putting in a window that will make it easier to keep an eye on Pete and Mikey over in the brewhouse...or for them to thirstily eye your pint of Lonely Blonde while they're busy making your next one. We intend to open the taproom for business sometime in mid-March (we'll keep you posted with an exact date), as soon as we complete the construction and our inspections are all finished. You can get a good look at the progress if you stop in this weekend; otherwise, see below for a quick preview.