Just a reminder, our Sunday hours have changed. We're now open from 10 AM until 3 PM on Sundays.
This means that we now open every day at 10 AM (except Holidays and
Grand Old Day). Our closing time on the weekdays is 7 PM while we
close at 5 PM on Saturdays and 3 PM on Sundays. NEW AND RE-RELEASED BEER KITS
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Due to their popularity, we've brought a couple of beer kits back
from the dead. Some of these kits were Limited releases and have been
resurrected with a new yeast strain, while another was discontinued due
to insufficient availability of an ingredient. Allow us to present,
The Zombie Series:Chinook IPA
You
know it, you love it. This American IPA has a relatively modest
gravity and an immodest hop character derived entirely from a single
hop variety.
Peace Coffee Stout Porter
For
those cold winter mornings - the stout porter has notes of black
currants, black cherries, and cocoa with mouthfilling bready malt
flavors.Petite Saison D'etéThis session-strength Saison of summer pours tawny-gold
and perfumes the air with tangy yeast and pungent hop aromas.
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And now to present a handful of brand new concoctions. The only theme: delicious.
Advantageous Weizenbock
Doppelbock brewed with a Dunkelweizen
grist and yeast, or a Dunkelweizen brewed to Doppelbock strength: however
you want to think of it, this potent Bavarian concoction is luxuriously
rich, devastatingly strong, and complex with malt, fruit, and spice
character. A base of Munich and wheat malts lays a foundation of sweet
maltiness with overtones of toast and bread dough; saturated red color
and notes of burnt caramel come from a small percentage of dark crystal
malt. A traditional yeast strain gives fruitcake and spice character
with cloves and dried plum aroma in abundance. This is a wheat beer
for winter! For best results, prepare a yeast starter and cold condition
for a few weeks before packaging.
John Q Adams Marblehead Lager
Brewers,
patriots, countrymen: lend us your tankards. This golden-amber beer
sports balanced hops and malt, noble aromas, and a clean finish. A
complex but approachable mix of spicy German hops and ripe-fruit-sweet
caramel malt interweave across your nose and palate from the first
whiff to the last sip. An excellent session beer that still has enough
going on in the glass for contemplative sipping if the mood should take
you. It's technically not an ale, but we use Wyeast's California Lager
yeast in this recipe so you can ferment it at ale temps and still
achieve a clean, lager-like result.
Sierra Madre Pale Ale
All of you out there currently
enjoying that chocolate Bourbon barrel Brettanomyces continuously wet-hopped
Imperial black IPA, take a moment and say a silent “thank you” to
the humble West Coast American Pale Ale. Sure, it might seem tame to
your 21st century craft beer sensibilities and sensory-overloaded
palate, but back when Northern Brewer was four dudes and a 20-foot storefront,
this style was the “extreme” beer – and it's still going strong.
More than any other, this widely-imitated ale is responsible for
bringing craft beer into the national consciousness and re-introducing
America to real beer. Now it's a classic.
Decidedly clean, firmly hoppy,
and drinkably bitter, this isn't an ale that feels the need to jump
up and down and scream for your attention. From Chico, California to
all points of the compass, whether you're pairing it with Mexican, burgers
and fries, or just conversation, there's always a good time and a place
for a good, basic pale ale.
Old Luddite
So you're a mid-level quill
pusher whose employer doesn't think your comfort is worth the price
of coal; or maybe you're a plucky young lad with crutches and a bleak
orthodontical future by virtue of your British citizenship. But you
can still enjoy a Dickensian holiday (at any time of year) with a big
mug of Old Luddite - a tawny, malty strong ale in the English tradition.
With its full, malty body and flavors of chocolate, toffee, dried fruit,
and floral hops, a beer like this keeps the cold and damp at bay whether
you're in Bristol or Bemidji.
NEW LIMITED EDITION BEER KITS
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This quarter, we've released four new beers designed specifically
for quaffing. For the months of January, February, and March: THE SESSION SERIES
Technically a session beer
is a low-gravity beer of immense gluggability, but the parameters might
be different depending on where you are: Oxfordshire, Antwerp, or Oregon.
This round of Limited Edition kits is a collection of ales – some
stronger, some lighter – that all taste like “one more.” Broken Spear Bitter
The bitters of the River Thames
stand on the fault line between the more malt-forward, fruity interpretations
of Anglia and the drier, more firmly bitter bitters of London and the
hop country of Kent. Fusing the complex of biscuit/caramel/dried citrus
derived from British pale and crystal malt with the pungent floweriness
that comes via the exuberant use of English hops, then transmuting the
whole with a rich, estery yeast strain -- the draught ales of the rural
Thames Valley are truly exemplary. Unfortunately, low gravity beers
like these don't travel well, if they travel at all; if you want to
experience an ale like this as the brewer meant it to taste, you'll
have to fire up your kettle!
With a bantamweight ABV of
only 3.4%, Broken Spear is modeled on a world-class standard bitter
from the town of Oxfordshire in the Thames Valley. It arrives in the
pint glass with a tawny color and fine, short-lived bead (because we
don't want to waste that volume on foam, now, do we?). A true session
beer that showcases fat, juicy malt ahead of snappy bitterness, and
subtle tropical fruit behind a blend of fragrant, resiny hops. Dry hopping
adds layers of earth and new-mown hay to the restrained fruitiness of
the nose. Low alcohol? Yes. Bland? Oh heavens no. Serve at cellar temperature
with fish and chips or a nice chunk of Stilton or Cheddar. DK Belgian Pale Ale
Denmark? De Kooning? Discovery
Kids? Donkey Kong? Not even close. Dead Kennedys? Never mind the bollekes.
Somewhere stylistically and geographically between English pale ale
and German Altbier you will find a russet-colored, standard gravity,
top-fermented beer: Belgian pale ale. This is the standard lunchtime
tipple in the cafes and pubs of Antwerp. Our inspiration for this recipe
is a paragon of the style, the flagship beer of its brewery's portfolio.
DK is copper colored with a
rocky white stand of froth and, at 5% abv, it's engagingly drinkable.
Lucid levels of bright malt supported by kettle additions of nothing
but Saaz hops and overlaid with yeast-derived complexity. Fruity with
spicy overtones, hopped to balance, finishing malty but dry with a
hint of toast and hop bitterness, entirely accessible but packed with
intriguing layers of flavor. This everyday ale is just enough like other
styles you've had to make it seem a little familiar, but at the same
time it's like nothing else, either. This is a beer you could get lost
in.
Serve at cellar temp in a stemmed
goblet and pair with freshwater fish, shellfish, or sausages. Grateful Dead Guy
While it's possible that drinking
too much of this golden-red riff on the Maibock theme would lead to
an itinerant life of tie dye, dangerous brownies, and electric kool
aid acid tests, it's really not necessary to follow this ale around
the country – you can brew it at home.
Pouring a burnished pale copper
with white lacing, the aroma of Greatful Dead Guy is an extended jam
of earthy, spicy hop and a malt character that expresses bread crust,
toast, and caramelized sugar. The flavor brings more of the same, with
clean malt and prominent hop leading to a hop-bitter finish cut with
rich malt sweetness.
For best results prepare a
yeast starter, oxygenate the wort, and keep the fermentation temps on
the cool side. Afficionados and the little dancing bears will tell you
that this ale is fantastic all by itself (and it is), but it's also
a great partner for brined pork chops on the grill and Mexican with
lots of hot sauce.
Twelfth Night Stout
This above all: to thine own
self brew. Now is the winter of our ferment! And those now a-bed shall
think themselves accurs'd and hold their manhood cheap while we drink
of this ale without them on this Brew-day. Whoa, sorry ... beer is often
credited with a general loosening of the tongue, and with enough of
this beautifully-balanced American stout around, you might turn into
a bard or something.
Jet black with a dense tan
head (supported in part by flaked oats in the all-grain version), this
ebony ale suffuses the senses with suggestions of citrus, chocolate,
roasting coffee, burnt sugar, and dried fruit. An intense 70 IBUs of
bitterness is offset by a full mouthfeel and a balancing final gravity.
Your palate comes to wondering what just happened.
For best results prepare a
yeast starter, oxygenate the wort, and keep the fermentation temps on
the cool side. Drink this stout by itself or with some loquacious conversation,
or match it up with some grass-fed steak.
WYEAST PRIVATE COLLECTION STRAINS
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Just a reminder, these are our current line of VSS strains from Wyeast:
1764 - Rogue Pacman
A versatile yeast
strain from one of Oregon’s leading craft breweries. Pacman is alcohol
tolerant, flocculent, attenuates well and will produce beers with
little to no diacetyl. Very mild fruit complements a dry, mineral
finish making this a fairly neutral strain. Pacman’s flavor profile and
performance makes it a great choice for use in many different beer
styles.
Wyeast 1882-PC Thames Valley II
This strain was originally sourced from a now defunct brewery on the banks of the river Thames outside of Oxford, England.
Thames Valley II produces crisp, dry beers with a rich malt profile and
moderate stone fruit esters. This attenuative strain is also highly
flocculent resulting in bright beers not requiring filtration. A
thorough diacetyl rest is recommended after fermentation is complete.Wyeast 3655-PC Belgian Schelde
From the East Flanders - Antwerpen region of Belgium,
this unique top fermenting yeast produces complex, classic Belgian
aromas and flavors that meld well with premium quality pale and crystal
malts. Well rounded and smooth textures are exhibited with a full
bodied malty profile and mouthfeel.
NEW WHITE LABS PLATINUM STRAINS
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Here are White Labs' latest release of three yeasts (be sure to ask
at the counter if you're having any kind of trouble finding these):022 - Essex Ale
Flavorful
British style yeast. Drier
finish than many British ale yeast. Produces slightly fruity and bready character.
Good top fermenting yeast strain, is well suited for top
cropping (collecting). This
yeast is well suited for classic British milds, pale ales, bitters,
and stouts.038 - Machester Ale
Top-fermenting
strain that is traditionally good for top-cropping. Moderately
flocculent with a clean, dry finish. Low ester profile, producing a
highly balanced English-style beer.850 - Copenhagen Lager
Clean, crisp north European lager yeast. Not as malty as the southern
European lager yeast strains. Great for European style pilsners,
European style dark lagers, Vienna, and American style lagers.
Lastly, White Labs has decided to release it's popular Dusseldorf Altbier strain year-round.
036 - Dusseldorf Alt
Traditional Alt yeast from Dusseldorf, Germany. Produces clean,
slightly sweet alt beers. Does not accentuate hop flavor as well as WLP029
does.
We'll see you next time you're in the store,
Cheers!
Northern Brewer
1150 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
651-789-0189