Minneapolis Weekend

This sounds amazing.

 

[Part I]
Dear TC-ers,

I had a blast on my trip. Despite being held up on the JFK runway for 2 hours due to storms, we took off and I was able to enjoy my first MN beer (We were flying Sun Country) somewhere over Pennsylvania: Surly Furious with a canning date of 4/26. Not the freshest, but still quite enjoyable. Never having been a big fan of rye in IPAs, I think that Surly actually pulled it off quite nicely, combining a bit of the spice with some also-spicy hops to great effect, for a lean towards a solid WC-style, which, as I would come to find out, is squarely in Surly's wheelhouse.

Landing in MSP on Thursday afternoon, I was immediately struck by how open and calm the airport was, in such stark contrast to JFK. I stepped outside and was struck by the heat. Oh, the heat, the heat that wouldn't break until Sunday, when we left, and when we landed back in NY, the heat had moved all the way over to the East Coast for us. Very considerate. We decided to check into the hotel and head to Surly for some lunch.

One thing I love about the TC is the well-placed highway grid that is placed over the city. I imagine it can get frustrating during rush hour, but since we were only there for the weekend, we never experienced any sort of traffic jam. Surly was hoppin' by the time we got there and grabbed a table inside (of course). Ordered up some Hog Frites and one of every beer. Just kidding, just the lagers. From my notes: "Surly Hell - beautiful cracker malt nose, a little floral. A bit grainy on the palate, a little hop-forward for a traditional Helles, choppy carbonation, dry-sweet-dry finish." Not bad at all! Finished it before the Hog Frites arrived. The girlfriend tried the Rose Lager, and although we both enjoyed what the fruit brought to the table, we both thought the finish was a little flat and stainless-y. Those Frites, tho. Third best thing I ate in MLPS. We finished off the round with a Fiery Hell and a Lime Lager-- and wound up actually blending them (sacrilege!) to produce a WAY better beer than either of the two parts. Made me want nachos. The Fiery was good but again with the same complaint as the Rose- a little one dimensional. The Lime lager was great, but we both felt it was a little saltier than was warranted. Is it a fruited Gose? Is it a salted Lager? I dunno, but the lime was definitely present and vibrant, and the resulting blend was great. Something for Surly to consider?

We hopped off outta there and headed to The Bachelor Farmer for dinner (read: charcuterie) Got there and ordered an Amer Picon and soda, because it's not imported in to the U.S., only to be told that it was an "American interpretation" of the real deal. For food, ordered a green salad, trout rillettes, and the Groaning Board. I didn't venture any beers here because charcuterie needs wine, in this case some 2016 Beaujolais-Village from Jean Foillard. The trout rillettes was the best thing I ate in MLPS. Highly recommended. The Groaning Board (all ten or so components of it) was the second best thing I ate in MLPS. The country paté, stellar. The bratwurst terrine, phenomenal. The fermented and pickled vegetables were all different and all at the very least, interesting. The chicken liver spread, fantastique. The pork rillettes was ostensibly the worst thing on the board and it was great. Finished up the meal and headed to our hotel for a nightcap . . . of some Counterweight beers we had brought from CT.

Part II to follow