Secrets of the City

Summit and biodiesel have the same birthday as me.

Here’s the line-up of who plays when. So what’s your favorite Summit? I like the Hefe Weizen.

Summit is one of the things that makes Minnesota oh so tasty.

In the old days, Summit was biodiesel.

DeRusha: That last comment was not as far off the mark as you might think.

I bought Shakers vodka today for my friend Dave for a related reason. Not only is it Minnesota made, it comes from an plant that began as a fuel ethanol operation (which they still make), soon to be powered by biomass.

Really, matt? Happy Birthday.

Indeed. Happy Birthday, Matt. When’s the party? Will Diddy be there?

Damn. I should have bought more. Happy Birthday, Matt!

Shakers vodka also makes for a delicious ice-cold martini. I’m fond of the rose flavor. Never had a hangover with Shakers. Not once.

Better retailers sell it cold, ready to mix. There’s a wall of chilled Shakers at Surdyks.

Summit is a good beer, and they are throwing a great party.

there should be a ban on discussing booze until after 5pm. these next 2 hours at work are gonna suck.

Hey Matt,

Happy Birthday, Sheep Dip.

how many spankings, matty-poo? HOW MANY SPANKINGS?

I’m a dom fairy.

sparber, that you?

I remember my first glass of Summit. It was at the Persian Club in St. Cloud. They had the best happy hour in town

Extra Pale Ale is the original, and still their best. I drink a lot of pale ales and IPAs, but no pale ale can touch its perfect blend of malt and hops. Summit’s porter, IPA, ESB, Alt (RIP), and Winter Ale are also excellent.

I don’t touch their pilsner, hefeweizen, maibock, or Oktoberfest — but I don’t like those styles to begin with.

Ooh… I did try the ESB and was rewarded for it. Yum.

I love the EPA and the hefe — a kegerator full of Summit is a reason to go home at night….

It is indeed my birthday. I’m 23. And I will be drinking plenty of Summit tonight to celebrate.

The real party is tomorrow night at the first ave Atmosphere show. Anyone going?

I’m pleased that we have a respectable local microbrew. And I had no idea that Cake was still around. I’ll be there for sure.

I’m always a fan of women in short skirts and loooong jackets. I’ll be there Saturday too. Post Twins game.

Sprecher Good, Summit Better, Bell’s Best.

Ah… Sprecher. That’s some damn good root beer.

Ooh, and I loved Summit’s oatmeal stout, when that was around. Poseur breweries try to make without much luck, and that really soured me on the style, but Summit nailed it.

Looks like a good time…can we assume that the ticket includes free beer? (maybe I missed it in the description)

Damn! I would like to see The Alarmists but I don’t think I can last from 12:30 until 10 pm. I guess I will be arriving in time to see TnT.

I doubt there will be Free beer, but it will likely be fairly inexpensive in a nice plastic cup. In years past Summit had an invite only anniversary party at the Brewey where you got 2 drink tickets and free food. There were always plenty of extra tickets to go around and if you hung around long enough you could help put up chairs then go inside for a couple more brews.

Surly Beer tastes like toilet water with a slightly more bitter aftertaste.

Favorite Summit beer? Can I pick three or four? Their pale ale is my gold standard, but their limited & seasonal releases have really been great as well. Scandia was great as was their Oatmeal Stout and their Winter ale is really nice as well.

I can’t say I’ve ever tasted toilet water, but I always imagined it would taste more like some of the swill from Wisconsin rather than Surly’s offerings. I tend to think that the reason that they’re getting tap handles is that they make great beer. That’s not to say that being new and local doesn’t help them, but given the great reviews they’ve been getting outside of Minnesota, I’d have a difficult time writing them off so quickly.

Bender fills a gap that Summit hasn’t touched, an American Brown Ale. Furious is an IPA with a huge hop presence. It isn’t for everyone, but it makes use of a couple of relatively new hop varities and I think it blows Summit’s IPA out of the water. (Of course I think that Summit’s IPA & Grand are their weakest beers.) Surly’s seasonal offerings will likely prove to (mostly) cover areas that Summit doesn’t fill as well. This summer they released CynicAle, a Saison and right now they have their version of an Oktoberfest, SurlyFest, available. Summit has a more traditional Oktoberfest while the guys at Surly gave their beer the additional one- two-punch of an IPA. This winter, they’ll have a new beer called Darkness, a Russian Imperial Stout. In any case, I think Surly deserves credit for pushing boundaries, following in the shoes of MN brewpubs such as Town Hall, Fitger’s, Barley John’s, Great Waters, etc.

But I digress… a lot… In any case, if you like good beer (Summit, Surly or otherwise), I suggest you go to Autumn Brew Review next weekend. Tons of great beer from Minnesota and beyond!

Who knew that the lead singer from Cake was such a complete asshole and control freak!

Soul Asylum was hot!

I enjoyed the Suburbs earlier in the afternoon.

I would like to tape Jeanette Trompeter to the ceiling.