We want to thank everyone for a great time this year! The Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild

did it again with a lot of help from their friends and peers! Thanks Dave Berg and Company!

We really loved the new site at the Grain Belt Brewery and all the beers were just awesome!

Thanks go out to my Minnesota Home Brewers Association Club for all your efforts and the

wonderful people in the club! The ABR was a blast this year as usual and the little bit of rain

was “Piddly” as how my friend Tim, “The Admiral” says it…for us seasoned beer veterans and

Mountain Men… heh heh

 

Thanks Jim Ellingson and Chris Smith for getting tickets for my friend Brian at work here.

I know he greatly appreciated it!  We met many new friends there this year. Lynne Erte’,

Santiago, Bruce, Lake, and Beth were a blast and fun to meet. Sorry we missed meeting

up with you guys at that restaurant after the ABR was over…Helen is such a social butterfly…

She saw Lynne’s cool boots and soon they were talking and carrying on like old friends…

And thanks go out to our new friends, Virginia Kampmeier, her Sister Selena, and their friends

Cory and Tyler.  During the festival, Helen saw Virginia using a beautiful Kitty umbrella and later

on Virginia just gave it to Helen because Helen loves kitties so much!  What a gal that Virginia

is! We ended up partying with those 4 into the wee hours at the Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit in

Mpls dancing and drinking from “Das Boot”!!

 

Here’s my recap on the day.

 

Helen & I got a great room thru the ABR site for just $79!  Man, I could have made a batch

of beer on that stove Sunday morning!!   “Dang it”…  Had a full sized fridge too! 

 

Started out at Dusty’s bar across from the ABR site where Helen found an old phone booth she liked.

 

After a little mix up with what line to get in for wristbands and glassware… we were in line and on our way in.

 

Ran into our good buddy Wayne Theuer who is always fun and interesting to talk to.

 

These “Hop Heads” were pretty cute…

 

Here’s Chris Smith who seem to be always helping out at beer events and had a spare ticket

for my friend Brian R at work.  Thanks Chris!

 

Dave Berg from Schells and the Craft Brewers Guild passing out some of his goodies.

We loved the Snowstorm and the unfiltered Ungespundet-hefetrub Pils Dave!!   Thank you sir!

 

Myself, Mike Swalinkavich and Helen enjoying Fitger’s Cherry Batch 2200 that had over

800 lbs of cherries in it!!  It was one of my favorites along with Fitger’s Breakwater Blue that

had over 400 lbs of blueberries in it and Fitger’s Appricot Wheat that was way nummy!

Surly’s Coffee Bender was just a dynamite beer also, with a smooth flavor that was hard to

beat! Town Halls beers were awesome too with their Mango Mamma, Raspberry Scotch Ale

and Cabernet Cask Conditioned Oatmeal Stout being right up there with the best. The Brau

Brothers had a very interesting smokey peat Scotch Ale that I really liked!  Bell’s had a nice

Java Stout that was very smooth and tasty.  Unfortunately, we missed a few good ones I know…

I wanted to try Summit’s 3:00 release of the cask conditioned Oatmeal Stout... L  and I am

sure many more too numerous to name…  L   Oh well… Next year baby!!

 

Some of the pretty fair maidens passing out their tasty beers at the ABR.

 

Buddy Jim Ellingson, in the middle who got me a spare ticket for a friend and always is a key

figure at these great events!   Thanks a lot Jim for the ticket and the peanuts at closing!

 

The rains came and brought out a few umbrella’s and Helen saw this kitty one and had

to go over and see it and meet the folks who had it. Virginia, bless her soul, ended up

giving it to Helen later!!    Thank you soooo much Virginia!

 

Omar from Surly handing out one of my favorites of the day… The Coffee Bender!

 

It was a great day after all and the sun came out later on.

 

Helen spying some cool boots belonging to Lynne… Please Helen…no more boots in the house…

(She has already got boatloads of em… heh heh heh)

 

Helen with new friends Lynne and Santiago who we need to go see some day. Cool folks!

 

Chris on the left and Jeff with his awesome Lambic that was matured 3 years in an oak barrel!!! 

The Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella that was so very good, one of the best that day!!  A sour

beer that was so balanced and very drinkable!  The best sour beer I have ever had without fruit

in it!!   (Though Adam Stern and Steve Piatz make some very good ones also, from my homebrew club)

 

Wayne, Helen & Mike waiting for Jeff’s Grand Cru!  Man that was good!

 

Cool glassware thanks to Northern Brewer.  Way better than the plastic ones we had

at the Clearwater Beer Festival the weekend of Sept 8 in Eau Claire Wisconsin… Sorry Tami… had too…

 

Wayne sharing his vast knowledge on that Brianmyasis (heh heh) stuff that makes beer sour… 

I look like I know what he’s talking about huh… ya right… 

 

Virginia, who gave Helen the nice Kitty umbrella and her boyfriend Cory. Thanks sooo much!!

What fun & nice folks they are!

 

Tyler and Selena are engaged and partied with us into the night at Gasthof Zur

Gemutlichkeit after the ABR.

 

Good friend Al Boyce had his Peddle Pub parked outside Dusty’s bar after the ABR was over.

Nice ride Al!!   We all have to do that some day!  Looks like a lot of fun!!

 

Of course Helen had to check it out.  Scotty is sitting opposite Helen and we met up with

him at the Gasthof later too!   What a fun day and night it was for all!!  

 

“Das Boot” getting filled up with some yummy German beer

 

Myself having a little of “Das Boot”

 

Everybody took turns taking a pull off  “Das Boot”  Here’s Selena.

 

I even met an old friend there who I used to work with at Lucht Engineering, Larry Hesse.

He was dancing when I recognized him and bear hugged me as I walked up to see him.

We were happy to see each other after all these years…Lucht Engineering was the best

place with the nicest and finest people I have ever worked with in my whole life!   I sure

miss those folks, but we all still keep in touch by email even after I got laid off in 1997…

 

Cheers everyone and thanks for a great day and night!!

 

These are going in my collection from the 7 years of doing this!!