Can anyone tell me what the deal is with this year's fest? I know they had to change something up after the claustrophobia hallway that was last year's fest at Target Field but I don't fully get how it's supposed to work this year. They talk about brewery and restaurant pairings but then they have two breweries listed like they're collaborating, a restaurant, and then two more breweries listed right after the restaurant. Not sure if that qualifies as a pairing at that point, more of a flight and an appetizer: http://www.mncraftbrew.org/events/winterfest Looking at the app, it looks like each brewery is only bringing two beers. Does anyone have more insight as to how this year is really going down?
I'm working setup, I can maybe give a better idea then, i cant imagine places only being able to bring 2 that's absurd
The setup this year is two pairs of breweries per table with a food vendor in the middle. That’s all supposed to fit on a 12 foot table. Each brewery will have a 2 head jockey box but I don’t expect that will stop people from bringing more beer, either in other packages or just more kegs for when the first kick. The few brewpubs will have their own tables and will be serving their own food.
Honestly part of the fun of winterfest was all the unique beers and branding they could bring along to showcase. I can appreciate the idea, but if it's really now going to be a hall of nondescript coleman coolers (are the jockey boxes being provided?) next to tiny half bites of food, that sounds disappointing. I'm here for the beer. It probably is a space problem but I feel like separate food areas would work better regardless. If places can bring their own boxes I imagine most have more than 2 taps on them and it wont be silly This sounds like a case of trying too hard, I'll give it a shot to see how it goes, but again, it should be about the beer, not the gimmick of pairing Looking at the app again I see at least one place with 6 beers listed and many others with nothing. Maybe overblown
I think your description of nondescript boxes and half bites of food is going to be spot on, for what it’s worth. Aside from that I don’t think anyone will be pulling punches on the beer. Winterfest is one of the big ones and everyone will be there with their best stuff. If you’re coming for the beer I don’t think you will be disappointed.
You know when participants make it up to the booth, get their beer, park it right there to drink up and then ruminate on the offering while everyone behind waits. Adding food to that intersection sounds,.. like we might need to pass out cattle prods.
Hey everyone, Jace from Schell's here, and I am also on the MN Brewers Guild Board. Hopefully i can help clarify some of the questions that surround Winterfest this year. As you are all aware, the number of breweries in Minnesota continues to grow, and that's great! But, that continued growth poses a challenge for the Guild in trying to find an enclosed space that will hold all those breweries. The feedback we've gotten is that people didn't like the Target Field space, and they didn't like the two night event we did before that. So, as a way to get all the breweries in one place in one night, we had to get creative. We decided team up with the thriving local food scene to transform Winterfest into a showcase of the best of Minnesota beer and food- like our own version of the BA's Savor event. Winterfest is our classiest event, and this year will be no exception. You won't see any coleman coolers- all the breweries will be pouring behind Guild branded jockey box covers, and brewers are encouraged to dress up for the event. Yes, each brewery is only allowed to bring two beers, but its still Winterfest, and those will still be unique, showcase beers. For us, it definitely made us think hard about which beers we would be bringing because you can only bring two (we're bringing a double barrel aged sour and an oak aged strong lager), and i've heard other brewers say the same thing. I'm personally looking forward to this years event a lot, and think this will be a unique way to showcase of the best of Minnesota beer! See you all there!
Attendees, please post your reviews and reports. I suspect the Forager/Barrel Theory side of the table was busy.
Thoroughly enjoyed the MBA threat level midnight. My first pour was a blend of two taps. My second was just one. I’m assuming that was just the threat level midnight on the second pour. My other two favorites were the Lupulin Brunch Stout and the Minneapolis Town Hall Star barrel Barleywine.
Hot takes coming up: Nillerzzz was worth the hype. My only disappointment is like most of Forager's stouts, word will get out and this was probably my last chance at it. Threat Level Midnight was a hot mess but then again I didn't do myself any favors by eating some Hmong sausage right before it. Lupulin's Brunch Stout was up there with the best of the fest. Lupulin may be the only Minnesota brewery proving they know hotter to handle the hottest trends of hazy IPA's and big stouts at the same time. Town Hall still knows how to deliver after all these years. Don't ever change Town Hall! Birch's Root Beer Doppelbock smelled and tasted like a root beer flavored Dum Dum sucker. Surly's Jerked Pork food dish was miles ahead better then their beer offerings. Take this comment for what you will in this post-Todd era we find ourselves in. The only food-beer pairing that actually improved each other was the Wicked Wort Hoppinsdale Double IPA with the Travail fish and lemon off the back of your hand. Artichoke dip and half of a tortilla chip now qualifies as a dish? This format wasn't bad but it also wasn't the Winterfest I've known and loved throughout the years. In the past it was first and foremost about the best beers Minnesota can conjure up. This year instead felt like it restricted what many breweries can do. I wish the brewers guild would just focus on doing what they do best (as in beer) and let other organizations put on these food/beer combo fests.
I was skeptical when I saw the program. My concerns were: -No Fitgers. I understand the transitional challenges, but am concerned about their longterm viability. -2 Beers per brewery. How would I tick 19 Indeed beers this way??????? -A proliferation of Vienna Lagers. Huh? After the event, my impressions were: -Loved the food. Food may have outshone the beer. Could this be the future model for Guild events? Full disclosure, I didn't pay for a ticket. Might my opinion be different if I had? Maybe. But I had a lot of food, and for the most part, it was phenomenal. -Limited number of offerings eased my anxiety about trying everything. Vibe was much more relaxed. -Didn't seem like there was a ton of effort actually pairing food with beer. People got beer they wanted, got food they wanted, didn't care about pairing. I didn't really either. -Barrel Theory beer was solid. Nillerzzz was solid. Town Hall still crushes. Surly is trending the wrong way. I think Hammerheart gets overlooked. Wild Mind Spontane: Tropica was the consensus winner for best beer within my crew.
To say that Maple Barrel Threat Level Midnight was a hot mess after eating the Hmong sausage is just irresponsible reviewing. I had the Hmong sausage a few times, since it was delicious. However, I added other food between that and beers that it wasn’t “paired with” because it was an absolute palate-wrecker. I tried the Maple Barrel Threat Level both with and without the paired foods. It was far from a hot mess; your food choice beforehand destroyed it for you.
I overall liked the event, though I'll echo the idea the pairings were mostly ignored. Might work better next year to have like a food court area separate, with pairing suggestions in the handout/app. A major traffic jam sat in front of travail all night. I think more than 2 would be great, and i was admittedly skeptical, but i dont think i ever lacked for options all night, and nothing I was hoping to try was out. Also, I had a wristband from volunteering already, but I don't think i ever actually hit any checkpoints forsaid wristband coming in the side entrance. Maybe they were just stealth
