Fringe Festival Day 3!

Day 3 of the Fringe!  Saturdays are a busy one, with the first show starting at 1:00 in the afternoon.  Our first stop this fine day was to the Theater in the Round (just down the street from Town Hall and Republic 7 Corners) for a showing of The Tourist Trap.

Need some bloomers?

The Tourist Trap was a really well done production and quite creepy and disturbing, differing from the glut of comedies I've been seeing.  This one would have fit in just fine to the Twin Cities Horror Festival.  Full of disturbing twists, I would recommend this if you like serial killers, gore, and great acting!

Our second show was in the same venue, so we filed out, got in line for our tickets and then back into line for seating.  This time we were seeing Mainly Me Productions' Our American Assassin; or You Can't Handle the Booth!  I've loved every production these guys have done, and this is no exception.  Bordering on the ridiculous at times, this show covers the assassination of Abraham Lincoln from the point of view of the actors in the play he was seeing at the time.  Some great music cues as well.  Silly, funny, an all-around great comedy!

Sj entering the massive eyesore that is the Rarig Center!

Next we trucked it over to the Rarig Center to catch a showing of CIRCULATE.  Last year we saw CLOCKED by this group and found it to be one of the best dance pieces we had ever seen so we tried them out again this year.  Circulate is a bit less about dance and more about movement and physicality. A mix of skits and dance, the show focusses on the news in all its forms, with some excellent improv thrown in as well.  Worth a viewing!

Back to the Theater in the Round!  This time to see Fifth Planet.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this show but had seen actor Edwin Strout and Director/Producer Jean Wolff in my favorite Fringe show of all time The Friar and the Nurse, so I took a chance.  A slow burn of a show, starting quietly and slowly, but building up to a fine and rewarding end.  Both of the actors did an amazing job of handling this understated but very real story of friendships, astronomy, and love.  Great sound and lighting as well.  See it.  Seriously.

Back to the Rarig for Stuck on a Truck: A Hooch Crixby Mystery.  This was a bit of a wild card show for us, filling a blank spot on our well-planned schedule.  Both my wife and I enjoyed the show, but it isn't in our top list.  A fun red-neck murder mystery but not incredibly deep.  There were a few missed cues in our showing, but overall still a decent show.

Yes at this point we actually ate dinner.  A great duck burger at Republic paired with a Founders Devil Dancer for me and I was ready for one last show!

Our final show was The Sex (ED) Show!  By the Dirty Curls.  Banjo toting Courtney McLean fronts this band of ladies (and one guy on bass) who teach us all about sex in song, dance, and storytelling.  Funny doesn't begin to cover what these gals do.  I had tears of laughter draining out of the corners of my eyes through much of the show.  At one point Courtney's banjo strap broke but she went with it-- playing her banjo balanced on one leg like Ian Anderson in Jethro Tull!  Crass, dirty, an occasional boob, this one is not for kids!  In the smallest stage in Rarig, so I would pre-order tickets if you plan on seeing them--they are likely to sell out!

The Beer Hunter Movie

This past weekend I was lucky enough to take part in a unique beer experience at Republic in 7 Corners:  the special screening of the newly released Beer Hunter the Movie.  Here is my impression of the movie and the event.

Using my classic Beer Hunter glass to show off the wicked event poster!

For those unaware of who Michael Jackson was (living in a beerless cave in Outer Mongolia maybe?) I'll start with a little background.  Jackson was truly one of the first serious writers to tackle the subject of beer in print, and was responsible for the publication of The World Guide to Beer in 1977--the first book of its kind.  Nowadays there are many sources for beer information from books to magazines to internet forums (and blogs of course), but back then the craft beer world was virtually non-existent and even classic beers like London Porter were nearly extinct.  Jackson raised awareness of these unusual beers and was one of the first to organize them into distinct styles.  He is often credited with saving styles of beer from obscurity and I wholeheartedly agree with this opinion.  Over time he had a hand in educating the public about old and new breweries, embracing the fledgling craft beer movement in the 1980's and giving some legitimacy to the early pioneers like Pike, Summit, and Anchor Brewing.

In the 1990's Jackson hosted a short-lived but very popular BBC series called The Beer Hunter, which strangely never warranted more seasons.  I remember seeing one of these episodes on PBS in the mid-90's and found myself watching it despite the fact that I didn't like drinking beer, and was underage at the time!  I had brewed a few batches of homebrew with my mom, however and enjoyed the science behind the brewing process.  Learning about the variety of styles and flavors on the show was intriguing to me.   At the tail end of college I was re-introduced to craft beer and began to homebrew again--learning what I could from Charlie Papazian's books and an old beat-up copy of the revised World Guide to Beer that I picked up at a used book store.  Again Michael Jackson had direct influence on me and my new interest and hobby.  He wrote a wonderful piece in that book about my favorite local brewpub Sherlock's Home, where I would eventually hold the rehearsal dinner for my wedding.  I remember them having signed copies of all his books proudly displayed over the bar that featured possibly the only hand-pulled beer engine in the US. 

The Beer Hunter movie began as a Kickstarter to publish some of Jackson's lost film footage and increase awareness of his life and influence on world beer culture.  Most of the footage used in the movie was taken from 2004-2007 during filming for a DVD for his Rare Beer Club that was never released.  As such the majority of the film involves his later years.  Several sponsors helped get this movie made including local beer giant Summit and The Four Firkins Beer Store.  Ian Finch and Michael Wagner (of the Firkins) were instrumental in bringing together this special screening of the movie at Republic and deserve a special thanks for their hard work, but all the guys from the store were certainly involved as well.  The back room of the bar/restaurant was used for the event, with a small screen placed up the stage for viewing.  There was a cheese plate to share (darn you lactose intolerance!) and we were served a small glass of Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout--one of Jackson's favorites and featured in the movie!  Republic had made a small menu with special menu items paired with beers from the movie as well--a nice touch.  The classic English beer Fullers London Pride was available with all the proceeds from that particular beer going to Parkinsons research.

Silent auction!

This screening was actually the second of the day, with the earlier show having finished just before Sarajo, Dave and myself arrived.  My friend Rob Wengler of Limited Release fame saw that show but wasn't able to stick around.  We also ran into Al Boyce and Doug Hoverson at our showing--always cool to run into friends at beer events!  Included as part of the festivities was a silent auction (proceeds also going to Parkinson's research) for each showing, including cool gift packages from Summit, The Firkins, Samuel Smith, Surly, A Perfect Pint, and many more.  Before the film was shown, Mark Stutrud, founder of Summit, gave a short and heartfelt talk about his own experiences with meeting Michael Jackson.  To see how much it meant to Mark to have his brewery featured in the Second Edition of the World Guide to Beer in those early days of his brewery was impressive and emotional.

Mark speaks about MJ as Ian looks on!

The movie itself was mostly footage from the last few years of his life, following him to The Czech Republic, Belgium, Ireland, California and of course England.  It was very interesting to see him still so involved in the then-growing beer scene: epic tastings at Dogfish Head, lectures, beer dinners, TV interviews, tours of breweries, etc.  The movie did a great job of capturing his life in those years and his subtle but strong personality.  It was a good documentary, but I would have appreciated a bit more from his earlier life and times.  There were a few moments when Jackson's personality shown through and the entire room laughed out loud, but overall the feel was somewhat melancholy.  I also felt that the long spots of silence in the film could have been relieved with some music, voice-over or editing down a bit.  What really struck me about the film and the screening was the event itself.  This was how Michael Jackson would want to be remembered--a group of beer-savvy people meeting over a few pints and being sociable with each other.  A lot of love went into the making of the film and to organizing this event, taking the whole thing to a higher level than simply watching a movie.

After the movie was finished the silent auction was finished up and we all had a toast to Michael Jackson with our freshly served Summit Great Northern Porter.  It was easy to get a bit choked up from the sad finale of the movie but again...hoisting a pint to the great man relieved a lot of that sadness.  This experience helped me personally to look back at the beginnings of my favorite hobby and realize just how far we have come since the 1970's when craft beer didn't even exist.  This blog only exists because of the groundwork laid long before I even cared to drink beer.  As humble as Mr. Jackson was, I think that his contribution to the craft beer revolution can not be understated.  I feel that he would be proud and excited to see the beer culture change so dramatically in the last few years.  I would recommend the movie, but if you watch it, get a bunch of people together, have a beer tasting and enjoy the moment. 

Republic Homebrew Chef Dinner

When I was alerted to this event (via Facebook) this was a no-brainer...I had to get there.  I'm sure my readers know that I'm all about the gluttony and go to more than my share of beer dinners around the Twin Cities, already having been to a couple this month, so even I felt that this might be excessive.  But it was Sean Paxton the Homebrew Chef! 

Let me back up a bit.  I've been listening to The Brewing Network podcasts for many years now, usually while brewing, and first "met" Sean Paxton through them.  He hosted on several episodes, and just listening to him talk about beer and food was mouthwatering and intriguing.  Paxton is a bearded Goliath of a man, incredibly well spoken and seems to taste food and beer on a completely different plane than most people.  On one of the podcasts I listened to he directed attention to his website.  If you haven't done so go check it out now (but come back and finish reading this blog entry afterwards!)   Make sure to look at the recipes...

Ok, are you back from your Internet journey?  Those recipes are gold.  Foody and fancy and glorious.  I have successfully created dishes based on his recipes for chicken braised in dubbel, grand cru braised lamb shank, lamb shepard's pie, and the extravagant barleywine prime rib.  I have also used his beer brine for chicken and even a Thanksgiving turkey (using an old fermentation bucket as a brining vessel.)  Some of these recipes are simple, others are more complex, but all result in an amazing use of beer in the cooking process.  I recently used a set of recipes from Beer Advocate to make a St. Patty's Day dinner as well and blogged about that.  What I love is that he uses beer as an ingredient in pretty much all of his dishes, contrasting and complimenting the flavors of both the beer and the food.

I've also been to two NHC award banquets and both tasting menus were created by this man, paired perfectly with tasty and complex Rogue beers.  As a result of tasting Paxton's food personally and trying my own hand at recreating his dishes at home, to say I was excited about him coming to town for this beer dinner is certainly an understatement.  Strangely it took my wife prodding me to bite the bullet and get us tickets, but she's an enabler...

The dinner was at Republic Uptown, and only their second beer dinner to date.  The first was a smaller group with Steel Toe and we missed it due to prior engagements.  This dinner was very large, perhaps too much so, but they rolled with it and made the dinner a very good experience.  The event took up the entire restaurant side of the space, but was not really separated from the rowdy Friday night bar crowd.  Between the noise from the bar side and the ebullient diner cheer, it was a bit cacophonous.  Luckily the folks at Republic had planned ahead and set up a microphone for the various speakers, so we could all hear the details.  Our friend Emily Brink (previously from The Happy Gnome) is a manager at Republic and obviously put a lot of time and effort into making this work, as did the rest of the staff.  This dinner was the first such event that was organized by the Rob Shellman, founder of the Better Beer Society.  The goal of that organization is the improve the quality and serving of craft beer in Minnesota, with consulting for restaurants and pubs on their beer programs, as well as a certification for those places so potential drinkers know that they are doing things correctly.  This is the first time I've met Rob and he seemed positively giddy about the dinner!

Our meet and greet beer before the festivities was the sessionable and hoppy Steel Toe Provider.  Between each dinner they had Sean Paxton talk about the dish and the pairing, followed by the brewer to discuss the beer.  The only other beer dinner I've been to with this many brewers present is the Brewmaster's Dinner before ABR each year (last year was at Blackbird and was truly amazing.)

The first course was a raw shaved vegetable salad with goat cheese, paired with the Summit Unchained Organic Ale.  I was a little torn on how much I like this beer, but after getting to have a conversation with brewer Gabe Smoley about how much work it was to get all the organic ingredients and get it USDA certified, it rated a little higher for me.  Interestingly, they went through the effort of making sure the yeast was organic as well, despite that not being a requirement to the certification process.  Winner for this course was the Organic Ale.  Save the planet--drink a beer!

The second course was a walleye fillet poached in the Schell's Goosetown Gose beer.  I found this dish to be my least favorite of the evening, mostly because it was under seasoned, but also because I'm not a huge fan of fish.  The Goosetown was a new beer from Schell's and is a take on the nearly extinct style of Gose--a tart and sour beer with salt added during the brewing process.  Brewer Dan (I didn't catch his last name because it was loud and I'm totally losing my hearing...) discussed the beer for us.  I think he wanted it more sour, but the brewery was concerned that they wouldn't be able to sell it all if it was too sour.  I liked it, but there was more malty lager character than tartness.  Would be very refreshing on a hot summer day...maybe we'll get one of those soon!

The third course was more on track with a wild rice and purple barley (cooked in Bender) pancake topped with pheasant leg confit and a red currant sour cherry Pentagram beer jam.  There was also a healthy serving of pheasant breast that had been smoked with a Russian River Consecration barrel.  This dish was very complex and paired perfectly with the Surly Pentagram.  This beer is sour, dark, and wine like, bringing more interesting flavors with each sip.  A great beer for food pairing.  I'm glad I have a few bottles stashed away in the cellar!  Omar gave a quick talk about this one, and apparently they are now going to make this on a regular basis!

The fourth course was the winner in my book.  Or Blog.  Spring lamb simmered with leeks, yellow onions and shallots, as well as the paired beer.  This was served over soba noodles with a Sriracha gelee and brought tableside in a red Chinese carry-out box.  I am a huge fan of lamb and carbonade, and this spicy Belgian/Asian fusion dish was outrageous.  Bold flavors for a Scandinavian hold-out like Minnesota where many view black pepper as too spicy.  The beer used in the dish and paired with it was the Indeed Hot Box, an Imperial porter made in collaboration with Northbound Smokehouse.  Co-owner Tom Whisenand and brewer Josh Bischoff were both present and the humble Tom gave a bit of background on this unique beer.  They used alder, hickory, and (I think) maple wood to smoke the base grain for the beer as well as hot peppers that were added to the fermenter.  I tried this beer at Winterfest a few months ago and thought it was nearly undrinkable, but it has mellowed significantly with time.  The smoke is strong at this point but not overwhelming, and the chili burn is complementary and not overly painful.  I would search this beer out now just because it is so unusual.

The final beer of the night was my favorite: the Steel Toe Lunker.  I've blogged about this one a couple times, including standing in line outside the brewery in sub-zero weather to get our bottles of it!  Jason Schoneman talked about the beer a bit and apologized to the other brewers for not sitting with them--he was out with his wife Hanna for their second date in a year, so he should be excused!  His sweet English style barleywine aged in Templeton Rye barrels is simply heaven in a glass, and Sean Paxton encouraged Jason to send some to The Toranado Barleywine Festival in California next year.  The last decadent course was a deconstructed barleywine.  Paxton took all of the major flavor descriptors from English barleywine and combined them into a sweet and unusual desert for us.  Prunes, raisins and dried cherries were soaked in the Lunker, along with crunchy Lunker cocoa nib toffee, malted shortbread cookie and a pastry beer curd made with Before the Dawn black barleywine.  Sound awesome?  Yes it was!

Overall I think the dinner was very good, but my favorite aspect of this particular event was the social.  I am not naturally a very outgoing guy and often have a hard time talking to people unless I'm in comfortable company or surroundings.  I blame growing up Norwegian Minnesotan.  Some events though, can make it easier to break out of my stoic and quiet shell, and this was one such.  Sj and I knew a lot of people here!  Everywhere I looked I found an old friend or recent acquaintance to talk to.  I discovered a whole table of fellow homebrewers including Al Boyce, Steve Piatz and their wonderful spouses, as well as beer historian Doug Hoverson.  My good friend Chris German from Rahr/Brewer's Supply Group was there, and he knows everybody in the business.  Our friends Randy and Andrea from previous beers dinners kindly saved us seats and kept us entertained through dinner.  A contingent of folks from The Happy Gnome were there, including the talented Executive Chef Scott Brink, and general manager Ryan Huseby.  Ben Knutson and James Beard nominee Jack Riebel from Butcher & The Boar were there as well, lurking off in a corner.  Let's not forget to mention getting to briefly talk with Sean Paxton, Jason, Omar, and some of the other brewers.  I feel like even without great food and beer I would have had a wonderful time!  While I truly love food and beer, this is the real reason I continue to frequent so many beer dinners.  Thanks to Republic, BBS, Sean Paxton, all the brewers, and all the staff for putting on a unique experience, and for giving me the chance to take part.

Republic Uptown

Over the last weekend Sj and I went to some of our old haunts, including Uptown.  We used to spend a great deal of time around that area, heading down for lunch and a visit to various used book and CD stores.  Many of the old places are gone or have moved, and there has been less to interest us around there recently.  We did find one new reason to head that direction again:  Republic's new location upstairs in Calhoun Square.  This mall has changed a lot since last time we were there.  The Kitchen Window has moved into a larger space; there is a gym upstairs; several new clothing shops.  Overall the previously failing mall looks hip and vibrant with room to grow upstairs. 

Republic opened its first spot a few years ago in the 7 Corners area, near the University, in the old Sergeant Preston's building.  Quickly becoming popular for a great beer list and good food, they just opened this new location in Uptown.  I think this is a great idea for them.  Uptown has a ton of young people and hipsters who are embracing the craft beer revolution (except those hipsters who ironically drink PBR tallboys...they do not count!)  So far there really aren't any good beer bars around that area of Uptown.  Bryant Lake Bowl is probably the closest, but still a good hike from Calhoun in the cold MN winter.

The new spot takes up a large area on the upper floor of Calhoun Square where The Independent lounge used to be.  I guess there weren't enough high society martini drinkers to support that place, or possibly they came too late to the Sex & The City scene.  The space is wide open with visible dark painted duct work and ceilings.  Lots of lighter woods and some strange large art pieces on the walls soften up the industrial look and make it more inviting.  There is an enormous open centered square shaped bar in the center of the restaurant with seating all around it.  Lots of space to belly up to the bar and order a pint of something awesome.  Large chalk boards in several areas announce the specials and new beers on tap.  Upon entry, the left side of the restaurant has more high-top tables for bar seating, and the right is the restaurant seating area.

We were seated by a very nice waitress in the restaurant side.  There was a pleasant view of the active Saturday afternoon Uptown streets from the windows.  They had a large and varied beer list, organized by style as well as about six or seven specials from the chalk board.  I love the fact that they do a three beer sampler to let you test more new beers.  I had the sampler with Alaskan Smoked Porter, Surly Smoke and Unibroue Tres Pistoles:  an amazing selection of very special beers.  And those were all from the specials list, I didn't even try any of the "regular" beers.  Sj had the St. Bernardus 12, Alaskan Smoked Porter and the Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza.  Yum!  We had brunch there that was tasty and quick.  My poached eggs over squash and potato hash with side of hanger steak was a great pairing with those smoked beers I was drinking. 

I would highly recommend heading here if you are in the neighborhood.  I do worry that folks won't know they are up there on the top floor, and hope that word gets out.  Hence my write-up here!  I want Republic to stay in business and continue to show us a wide selection of amazing beers. 

Republic

For a break from Fringe Festival updates, we now bring you a review of Republic bar and restaurant.

We have now visited this place enough times for me to give a decent review of it.  Located in the historic Preston's Building in the 7 Corners area of the University, Republic is a relative newcomer to the craft beer scene.  They have been increasing their tap selection and now only have craft on tap, and some macro stuff in bottles.  They have a fine range of local, other US craft, and some Import beers.  A stand out for me was the Sunner Kolsch from Germany served in the proper stange glass.  They also have Kwak from Belgium served in their wacky wooden-framed glassware.  The staff seem well trained in beer serving and styles as well.  One guy I saw pouring was an outright master at pouring from the taps, knowing just the right amount of height and angle to achieve the correct head on each different beer.  A friend of ours, Emily, has been serving here for a while too, and we got to see her the other day.  Tap lines were all clean and they serve a cask beer every Wednesday I believe.  They also serve samplers of 3 eight ounce beers for $10.  Not cheep, but a nice way to work your way through the beer list.

The decor evokes age with the old oak bar and paneling as well as the antique Preston's stained glass that they left intact.  Good move!  And some stuffed animal heads on the wall of course!  There is a separate dining section in the other half of the place, but most people seem to sit on the bar side.  This time of year the outside patio does a brisk business as well.

We have food here twice now, the first time being soon after they opened and not a fantastic experience.  Trying again yesterday we were happier with our food.  I ordered the hanger steak, (not a common cut of meat around here,) that was cooked perfectly served with crispy fries and a side of sugary carmelized carrots.  Sj had the hanger steak salad, that could have used a little more excitement.

Overall, I'd recommend stopping in here for a sampler and a snack, but probably wouldn't choose to eat here regularly.  Oh, and make sure to stop across the street at Town Hall Brewery as well!