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Sweet Child of Vine at Target Field, expanded taproom hours, an all-new beer & more
Posted Friday April 6, 2012
As Walter Sobchak would say, “Gimme the ringer, chop chop!”

Here in Minnesota, there are three indicators that summer is upon us: melting snow, Twins baseball, and mosquitoes. This year, however, the only one we have is Twins baseball (though we fear the mosquitos are on their way). Here at the brewery, we have a few of our own seasonal indicators. Read on to find out more.

First and foremost: Monday marks the Twins home opener. We’re especially excited for baseball to be back for a couple extra reasons this year. Reason #1: the taproom will be open for every home game, and even if you don’t have a ticket, you can hang out in the taproom and watch the game on our 70” TV. (Note: the TV might not be up and running until later next week). Taproom beers will be $5 as always, we’ll have food trucks parked outside for every game, and growlers will be available for take home. For taproom hours and the food truck schedule, check out our new taproom page.

Reason #2 we’re excited for Twins baseball: if you do have a ticket to the game, you can get Sweet Child of Vine on tap inside Target Field! You can only get it at Townball Tavern, so make sure to stop in there. The coolest thing? You can see the brewery from inside Townball.

If you’re coming by the brewery in the next week or so, you’ll get to try our all-new beer, The Ringer! The Ringer is an American Pale Ale with a crisp hop character and bright citrus aroma. The Ringer, however, is lighter than it would appear, clocking in at only 5% ABV. (Put another way, The Ringer cannot appear weightless).

Another great thing about summer is fresh, local produce (because you can pair it with fresh, local beer, of course). Our friends at Tangletown Gardens offer a great CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, and this year, they’re offering two pickup locations: one at their South Lyndale location, and one right here at the brewery! To sign up or for more information, stop by the brewery and pick up a form, or contact the kind folks over at Tangletown. If you sign up, you will be able to pick up your weekly share at the brewery on Tuesdays from 4-6.

We know a lot you are homebrewers, or perhaps interested in getting started. Our earliest garage recipe eventually evolved into the Libertine, our imperial red ale. Thanks to Midwest Supplies, now you can make it at home too! We worked with them to develop an extract brew kit. It’s the next best thing to taking a growler of Libertine home – and maybe even better because you get to make it yourself!

Among all this other fun stuff, we have a great lineup of events this month. First up is the North Coast Nosh on 4/14, where we’ll join several local brewers and food purveyors at the Peace Coffee roastery for delicious food & drinks. The event is a great cause that supports the Heavy Table and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. There are only a few tickets left, so if you’re interested, surf over to Heavy Table to get yours.

We also have two beer dinners this month, at the Happy Gnome and the Bulldog Northeast. The Happy Gnome dinner on April 17th is a big one, with six courses and six beer pairings, all for $80. This will be the first time we’ve ever had all five of our beers (plus one cask) available in the same place, so come thirsty – and hungry. The Bulldog NE dinner is on April 24th, and will feature Lonely Blonde, Sweet Child of Vine, and Libertine paired with 3 courses, at the very affordable price of about $25 (final menu and price is TBD).

If you’re not looking for a formal beer dinner but are looking for some good beers and good times, we’re doing a Lonely Blonde infusion at Sapor on Thursday, April 19th. Chef Tanya will be whipping up something special to match the infusion, and judging by her performance at last year’s beer dinner, it will be superb.

Finally, on Thursday, April 26th, the Bullfrog will be tapping a surprise cask, to be accompanied by live tunes from Luke Warm and the Cool Hands. And, if you’re one of the first 24 people to purchase a Fulton, you’ll get to keep the Fulton pint glass! For more info on this and all our goings-on, visit our events page.

There – now you have no excuse to be bored in April. Baseball, new beer, casks, beer dinners. If you’re into beer, we’ve got something for you. We hope to see you out and about, or down at the taproom. Until then, cheers!