Pub Crawlin’

The most frequently asked question of me at Dark Lord Day was, “Where’s D?” Several of the men commented that their wives wouldn’t go to DLD for them… 

Honey, I didn’t go FOR him - I went in spite of him! I went for myself (although the truth is I probably wouldn’t have gone if Heath and Kim hadn’t included me in their ride.)

Anyway, he had to work all weekend, but did get the day off on Saturday to attend Heather & Jake’s wedding. And since he was in State College, that provided an opportunity to attend Zeno’s Belgian Brew Fest, which ran from 3-8 PM on April 26.

Looking at the full list of 70 bottles and 6 taps of Flemish, Wallonian, Trappist and Farmhouse beers, it does sound like a good time!  Here is what he enjoyed:

• De Dolle Dulle Teve
• De Rank XX Bitter
• Duchesse de Bourgogne
• Gulden Draak
• Melbourne Cherry
• Petrus Aged Ale
• Piraat

Am I jealous?  Absolutely not… That same night, I was drinking Hoppy Chick IPA on cask at The Livery, and I had both a Vanilla Porter and a blended glass of Rubaeus/Imperial Stout at the new Founder’s location.

Derek, Heath and Kim also introduced me to Culver’s that day, where we got the family-sized order of Dairyland Cheese Curds. My life is forever changed (and my cholesterol is forever high!)

Real dairy-fresh white and yellow cheddar cheese curds breaded and cooked to a gooey, cheesy golden brown. These curds are made in Wisconsin just for Culver’s!

 

I’m not going to waste my time and energy posting negative thoughts on Dark Lord Day 2008 - I certainly had some, but plenty of people have posted the whiny thoughts and I’ll be happy to point you there (see this post, which will link you to griping on the forums.) I can’t disagree with most of it, but I also can’t see dwelling on it. Besides - don’t I look happy?

  That’s not a photo of drunk - that’s exhilaration (many thanks to Ev for the costume inspiration…after the hat exchange, my companions started calling me Officer Sassy. With a Troeg’s work shirt, a little bedazzling and a Marshall’s badge from Dark Horse, I was set!)

Overall, I had a FABULOUS time! I traveled with fun people, we stopped at some great breweries along the way out and back, and it was my pleasure to catch up with fellow beer enthusiasts in the parking lot of Three Floyd’s. It started out as a chilly day (or, as I pointed out, cellar temperature), and I was thrilled that I purchased a cozy long sleeve t-shirt from Bell’s - I needed it with that wind!

I owe a heap of thanks to Kim for being our able (read sober) driver and trip coordinator - she did a super job at both! Heath and Derek were great traveling companions, making sure we didn’t miss a single thing (well, Cereal City was a miss for now-obvious reasons, but all of the beer stops were right on!) There are a lot of terrific beer people in the world, but this was a crew I was more than happy to spend four days in the car with! 

Uncle Jedi and Joan (aka Mrs. Jedi) get the hospitality prize for making a place for us in the line. They are always a treat to hang out with, as are the entire Free the Hops clan (not all of them are in the photo below…just the ones wearing kilts!)

Speaking of the line, a couple of bloggers mapped the beer line, and this was one of my favorite renditions. I just couldn’t get an accurate photo of it, which I estimated to be 4500 people stretched over no less than 1/2 a mile. I was so glad to get my six bottles of Dark Lord Imperial Stout, and also my allotted two bottles of Hvedegoop Wheat Wine (a surprise for D.) When we packed it all in the car, it was obvious we weren’t even going to attempt getting more.

Meeting Officer Hall and collecting his trading card made my day (next time, I’ll need an “Officer Sassy” card.) And I thank Aaron for introducing me to April (and April for the photo with an inebriated stranger!)

Everyone at the event in a brew-sharing mood gets a big thank you, too! I shared my Troeg’s Nugget Nectar, but kept looking for an opportunity to pop my bottle of Otto’s Double D and just never saw an opening (no offense to Otto’s, but the bottles being passed around we far superior!)

There are some additional summaries blogged here and here, and a little video coverage.

One of my favorite summaries of the event was on the Vagoscribe blog- it is both poetic and completely descriptive of the experience. There are no expressions of detestation, anger or even elation, which is kind of how I left this year’s experience (last year, I departed full of elation and urine - thanks, FFF, for the improved toilet situation this year.)

By 2:30 on Saturday, I did say, ”where is the get-the-hell-out-of-here line?,” simply because the lines were so disorganized. I felt like a character in Hope for the Flowers (read pages 12-17 and you’ll understand what I mean!) - it was impossible to tell which line led to which final destination or how long it would take to get there. We decided to find food, clean bathrooms and great beer, which I will talk about in my next post…when I get to it.

Until then, I hope you, too, have found some good beer with good friends!

Just a brief note before getting a good night’s rest for DarkLord Day…  Our road trip has taken us from Harrisburg to Cleveland last night, and through Michigan and Indiana today. Stops included Great Lakes Brewing Company, Kuhnnan, Dragonmead, Dark Horse Brewing, Bell’s and Three Floyds.

They have been brief stops, but enough to enjoy many new brews, and a few old favorites.  For instance, last night I started at Great Lakes with the Grassroots Ale. At 4.8% and only 20 IBUs, it was a light, refreshing treat on a warm spring evening. The ginger and lemongrass give this beer an interesting complexity, and I remembered why I liked it so much the last time. I followed that up with a Blackout Stout, which was served in a snifter glass. In contrast to the first beer, this Russian Imperial Stout is 9% ABV and 85 IBUs. It has a rich, roasty flavor that coats the top of the mouth, but the hops come through nicely and the alcohol is subtle.

At Kuhnhen (Warren, MI), we intended to have lunch, but the menu wasn’t really appealing so we only drank. This was a strange little place - half of it is a pretty decent bar with seating for 14 and the brewing equipment all located behind and beside it; approximately 12 high wooden tables with chairs in that room. The other half looks like the wall was knocked out and a warehouse converted into a bingo hall serves as the seating area. A piano sits along the wall, boxes are stored under plastic, and the ceiling is either going up or being taken down.  Kuhnhen had 11 different taps, most served in 12-oz glasses, some available in bottles and sample glasses available for a small fee.  I had a 10-oz glass of Simcoe Silly (8.5% ABV) which was more Belgian in nature than hoppy. I’m a big fan of the Simcoe, but there was such banana in the nose, and as they describe, bubble gum flavor, to this one that I was not impressed. My 3-tablespoon sample of Tenacious Cassis (16.5%) was plenty - this is a very sweet and highly alcoholic concoction, which I later learned we have at home in bottles. And finally, the Crème Brule Java Stout in a 12-oz glass. This was the first thing Derek had, and Heath and I followed suit. It was so lovely with vanilla flavor - it made me incredibly happy!

Dragonmead (Warren, MI)was a lot of fun, and certainly a place to which I must return. Unfortunately, the fryer was out of commission, so most of the menu was unavailable, but Kim picked out a lovely roasted red pepper Jack cheese for us, served with a sleeve of crackers, which the four of us could share. I had a nice conversation with Larry Channel - one of the owners - and enjoyed the beers I had and those I tasted from my friends. Dragonmead does offer half-pint options, which was great because there were so many different types! There were approximately 37 beers on tap (12 on nitro, but nothing on either of the handpumps), and four house soda pops available as well. My beers were the Honey Porter, served on nitro (which was spot on and delicious!) and Broken Paddle IPA (which paled in comparison to their Crowning Jewels IPA; both are American IPAs, but mine was simple, while Derek’s was fragrant and full of flavor.) Dragonmead looks totally boring and industrial on the outside, but inside it is colorful with flags and awards, stained glass (made by one of the owners) and lots of locals stopping by, many maintaining their passports. We sat in front of the doors to the brewery, and because they had the back entrance open, the wind blew a constant Grape-Nut breeze of fragrant wort through the place.

We made a short stop at Tim Horton’s, and then headed of to Marshall, MI for dinner at Dark Horse Brewing Co. The place still looks very much the same - like a double-wide trailer holding a yard sale inside - but it was so much more pleasant with a new non-smoking rule. There were only five beers on tap, so I stuck with an old favorite - Crooked Tree IPA. And while the menu is simply, I really enjoyed my toasted sub, and Kim’s pizza looked terrific. Dark Horse is such a great place, so we had to go into the new gift shop across the parking lot to buy a few souvenirs.

The merch shop was our first stop at Bell’s in Kalamazoo, MI. We stocked up on t-shirts before going in for a beer. I was really excited to find Wild One - a Belgian-style fruited beer made especially for Eccentric Day. They have a few extra barrels left over, and will roll them out periodically. I was glad this was one of the days! Wild One comes in at 6% ABV, and is served in 12-oz glasses for $4 and 16-oz glasses for $5. It was very similar to the Kriek made by Selin’s Grove Brewing, but lighter in flavor and lacking the color - this was more of a dark amber with an orange aura. Most beers at Bell’s are available in 12, 16 and 20-oz pours, but we all had smalls. Derek got the Poolside- a cherry wheat that was outstanding (this is saying a lot coming from me - I don’t generally care for the cherry wheats!) It was 5% ABV, which is a little high for a session beer, but I could see myself drinking lots of it on a hot summer day. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t stay, because a funk/fusion band called Spare Parts was playing - three keyboards, a bass guitar, drums, trumpet and simple vocals - and I was enjoying watching the bass player. But we needed to get to Indiana in reasonable time.

So here we are…  we made it to Three Floyd’s, and all of the excitement for Dark Lord Day is building.  We won’t get in the door tomorrow, I am sure, so I was glad to get in tonight for a Topless Wytch Baltic Porter. It was rich with coffee and chocolate, and a nice way to end the night. I need to get some sleep now so I can sample like crazy tomorrow at the festival and still have the strength to enjoy The Livery and Founders in it’s new location.

I know…it’s been ages since I’ve posted - that trip to Minneapolis ended with a conference for work, and I’ve been swamped with library stuff ever since.  That’s not to say there hasn’t been some great beer in my life - just no time to write about it!

In Wisconsin, we went to a fabulous beer bar called Maduro, from which I hope to someday post my notes, and had a really good time hanging out with Steve - a fellow collector and Beer Advocate - at his house. My only disappointment was that I missed out on a cask of Surly Darkness later that week, but work took priority.

I did make it to State College for Zeno’s Cask Festival (see next post) before heading off to another conference, where I was again terribly busy.  But during that time, I did get over to Rustico in Arlington, VA for a glass of Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 30 Reserve on Cask!  At $12 for an 8-oz glass, this black, smooth, smokey and chocolaty treat was so very worth it! And I spent a night out with an old friend at Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery in Merrifield, VA - that was fun.

So no links in this post, or the next, because I’m just shooting this off to let the world know I’m alive and haven’t given up on the blog or enjoying a lovely brew from time to time.  With Dark Lord Day coming up, and a very full agenda of stops along the way, I hope to be much better with keeping up!

We drove to Madison, WI for dinner at Great Dane Pub & Brewery where I failed to take any notes. And, in reality, it wasn’t a noteworthy experience. That’s not to say the location was unacceptable or that the beer wasn’t decent. Even the food, and the menu, overall, was noteworthy, but our service was extremely poor and the entire experience was simply “ho-hum.”

Great Dane Brewing Company is located in an old corner hotel building, and has retained much of the historical charm on both the interior and exterior. It is just one block down from the capitol building, which sat up on the hill, well lit and rising above all other buildings.

We ordered four beers from the selection of 15 (two of which were on cask) along with dinner. I was highly interested in the IPA, which on the printed menu, stated that the style varies from time to time - sometimes an English IPA, sometimes an American IPA. So as instructed, I asked the server. She was terribly confused by my question and couldn’t really help answer, so I just ordered it. I figured something called Texas Speedbump IPA would probably be American, and it was. In fact, it was a very solid IPA - extremely hop forward with a strong citrus nose and powerful hop flavor.

The other beer I had was Black Watch Scottish Ale on cask, and this was a deep copper color with an incredibly smoky finish. The smoke flavor was too much for me, and I gave this one up to D.

My trade was for his Black Earth Porter, which also had a smokiness to it - a sort of burnt malt quality, but I found it to be more smooth and drinkable than the Scottish.

D’s other choice was the English Special Ale on cask, which disappointed him quite a bit. It was a dull choice, and the beer delivered on that note. There was very little suggestion of hop flavor, which was balanced with the lack of malt body.

As for the food menu, everything read like an appealing dish. Vegetarian items were indicated with a carrot icon, and I only read the carrots…with such an extensive range of choices, I never got to the others - my mind was already swimming. And our waitress never filled us in on the specials, which in the end may have been a good thing because everything sounded great to me!

As much as I wanted the Inner Warmth Peanut Stew (butternut squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, Habanera Pepper and cilantro with a zesty peanut sauce, served over rice) I went with the healthier alternative - Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (handcrafted fresh Mozzarella with asparagus tips, yellow and red tomatoes, roasted peppers, virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper blended with sea salt, all on a bed of spinach.) I ordered the balsamic vinaigrette on the side, which was a wise choice. D had the Brats & Mashers, which were a pair of beer-and-onion-marinated bratwurst over Scotch Ale sauerkraut with smashed red potatoes and hot apple “sauce” (which was really super-cooked apple chunks with cinnamon…)

Great Dane is certainly a place we’d like to try again - maybe with a different waitress or at one of the other two locations we will have an improved experience. As I said, it wasn’t awful, but the experience didn’t leave me wanting to send a friend to Madison.

Wisconsin. It’s cold here.

Yeah, it’s cold in Minnesota, but at least there is stuff. I guess in Wisconsin there is stuff, too, at least up by the lakeshore. But the part we have been seeing is just cold. It snows, and then it snows more. It’s not even beautiful, because there is no geographic relief.

But there are birds - we’ve seen multiple Bald Eagles, plenty of Sandhill Cranes on the ground and in the air, and a Rough-Legged Hawk. And did I mention snow?  We’ve seen lots of that.

What brings us to Wisconsin is that we “fell for” one of those resort preview deals, where we pre-paid a small amount for a stay in exchange for previewing their property. Tomorrow we do the tour, but I’m already a grump because the Best Western is actually where they put us up for the three nights, and it isn’t a very nice BW. In fact, it’s the kind of place I would vacate after one night if I had a choice.

Making the best of the situation, we located the nearest brewpub, which is Moose Jaw Pizza and Brewing Company. It’s a great big showy lodge-style building with a restaurant and bar area downstairs and the brewing area in the upper loft. It looks very touristy, so our expectations were lowered. It actually turned out to be not that bad!

D ordered the Imperial Winter Warmer (8.5% ABV) which was brewed with peated malt, and aged in oak barrels. It was served in a snifter, and was quite impressive!  They have a female brewer (which I found very interesting), and she claims this may be the best beer she’s ever made.

I was too chicken to commit to a single beer, so I had the Six Point - a sample tray of six 5-oz glasses which I got to choose. I eliminated the lager, the gold, the pilsner and the winter warmer. So what I had was:

• Honey Ale (4% ABV) and made with Wisconsin Honey - this was surprisingly drinkable; light and sweet
• Dell’s Chief Amber Ale (5% ABV) - could not finish even five ounces…
• Raspberry Crème Ale (4% ABV) - brewed with real raspberries - not extract; this was refreshing and tasty, and had a fabulous aroma of fresh fruit!
• Kilbourne Hop Ale (5.5% ABV) - brewed with locally grown hops for Brownie Zinke’s Hop Farm; my favorite of the Six Point; nice hoppy flavor!
• Stand Rock Bock (6.8% ABV)
• Milk Stout (5.8% ABV) - a little thin, but otherwise really well done stout

We ordered a little snack - D had the Wisconsin cheese and beer soup, which included nice chunks of vegetable and little chunks of bratwurst; I had a side house salad (boring, but an excellent choice as my breakfast really stuck with me!)

We checked into the hotel late in the afternoon and took time to freshen up a bit, then drove across town to Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, which is located at the corners of S Washington and S 15th Ave.

We love this place because they have cask ale at all times, but today they had Masala Mama IPA on cask, and THAT was just what I needed! The glass arrived with creamy foam suspended from the bottom of the glass. The orange color with white creamy head was so beautiful, and as I was thinking, “Where is my camera? I must get a photo of this beautiful beverage!,” D was scribbling in his notebook “Appearance = 5! Perfect!” The foam settled, and I touched it - it pushed back like a Tempur-Pedic® foam mattress, and stuck to my finger, creating a stiff peak.  That same, amazing thick foam had the drawback of masking the aroma - the piney, citrus notes of this same beer on draft just don’t come through on cask. And the foam never ends. While it doesn’t really lace the glass, it remained there, all the way through my drawn out session with this ale. In the end, I tipped the glass back to enjoy a mouthful of foam that was left long after consuming the beer.

Additional beers we enjoyed at Town Hall (which does, by the way, serve half pints) were Pot of Gold Potato Stout (4.9% ABV, brewed with chunks of Yukon Gold Potato in the grain mash), Black H₂0 Stout and Masala Mama on draft (which was so fabulously aromatic and the hops flavor just bursting in the mouth!)

Town Hall, like Herkimer and Stub & Herb’s, is located on a corner with two walls of windows, so we could look out on the world. The sun was shining when we went in, and then snow began to fall. Then the sun came back out, and then the snow returned. Then sun AND snow…it was ridiculous. Wondering what I’ll do for footwear later this week when I chose skirts to wear at my conference, I was observing everyone on the streets. Not a single woman in a skirt or dress! They just don’t do it here!

We were warm and toasty inside, and not rushed at all. A steady stream of bar patrons, including many people with empty growlers in hand, came in and out of the place. We enjoyed a few hours of beer, basketball and the food. Unfortunately, the grilled tilapia tacos, served with cilantro rice, black beans, mango salsa and guacamole plus sweet potato fries was crossed out on our menu, so I assumed they didn’t have it (they did, and our neighbors go it - they looked wonderful!) D had the fish and chips - perch in a thick, roasty beer batter - and I had the chicken burrito which was as big as a loaf of homemade bread!  It was ridiculously large, and we will be enjoying half of it at a later time.

The beer and the atmosphere at Town Hall are so enjoyable. This really a great place to come hang out. Especially on a sloppy snow day like today!

We had plans to continue our evening by going downtown for Surly Smoke, but since the bar we knew of was out of it, we returned to the hotel to turn in early.

Since we were already on Lyndale, we decided to stop in at The Herkimer Pub & Brewery. It isn’t highlighted on BA, and several of the people we talked to about beer talked about it as an afterthought. We’re not big lager fans, but we decided to try it anyway.

Considering the style, it was not that bad! We started with their two GABF gold winners - Sky Pilot Keller Bier and Alt Bier - which were both pretty good. D really enjoys the Keller Bier, simply because it is so unique, and I enjoyed the Alt because it did carry a nice hoppiness with it. By the time we ordered the next beer, it was happy hour, which is 2 for 1, so even though we didn’t intend to, when D ordered a High Point Dunkle, we were served up two pints.

Herkimer had free Wi-Fi, so that gave us a reason to linger and enjoy the additional pint. The Dunkle was lightly smoked and a beautiful dark color, tricking my palate into believing it was a light porter. With that in my brain, I really enjoyed every sip of it!

Herkimer really is a worthy stop if you find yourself on that edge of town (unlike Surly, which is a worthy stop even if you aren’t anywhere near that community outside of town!)

Our day started out a little lazy, and then a little crazy, since we left the comfort of our hotel and then tried to find parking on the street near a place for breakfast. Additional snowfall during the night blanketed the city and turned the city sidewalks into cross-country ski paths. The slush sweepers and Bobcats were out clearing things up as best they could.

We tried to visit Hell’s Kitchen, but as they tell you, you need a reservation. There was a 45-minute wait, so we walked down to Key’s Café, which free Wi-Fi access, so I was able to post a little, and we used Priceline to get a room for tonight (funny…we ended up at the same place we just left!)

Key’s reminded me of a fancy diner from days gone by. It was an attractive diner with a pretty impressive menu of unique spins on typical breakfast foods. We were seated in a TERRIBLE location - right next to a large family with three children (two of them under the age of two and one of them wailing at all times), and my chair was right in the line of traffic, so as to be bumped by everyone passing into that section of the restaurant or on their way to the bathroom. But my scrambled egg with spinach, garlic and cream cheese - spiced up with Tabasco and, later, some of D’s salsa, was excellent (it came with a sweet homemade catsup, which I didn’t care for.) I had it with the American fries (fried potato chunks) and 12-grain toast. D had the huevos rancheros with the American fries and refried beans. The tortillas were thin and incredibly large, and the salsa was outstanding. Because our terrible seats were right in the center of traffic, we were never missed when it came to coffee and water refills. That was nice.

After breakfast, it was time to head over to Surly Brewing Company. It is located at the edge of a community just north of the city in a little industrial complex. They do growler fills from 12-2 on Saturdays, and as Todd had promised, Sara was there to take care of us, and everyone else. It was ridiculous how steady the stream of customers was! It was as if the public are all just that polite - never totally inundating the place, but business never slowing. People came in the door with empty growlers and handed them over for fresh ones. Surly prepares the growlers in advance by purging them with CO₂ and filling them - only Furious and Bender were available, and apparently there is a limit of two per customer in order to keep enough in stock for everyone to enjoy.

Sara seemed like she was expecting us, and while she couldn’t entertain us, she did get Peter/Ben who was working in the back to show us around. She definitely called him “Peter”, but D is sure he introduced himself as “Ben”, so we are awfully confused as to his identity. He’s a homebrewer who has just come on as a 6th employee in the expanded brewhouse. The brewing area is enormous - there is so much room for expansion, or holding a small high school prom… We checked out the canning line. I have never seen a beer canning line, and it seemed so much more efficient than a bottling line (I’d love to hear what an experienced operator of each system would have to enlighten me about that.)  He took us into the cold storage area - another huge room full of sixtels, cases and the barrels holding 2007 Darkness (mmmmm!)

And then, Peter/Ben reached behind him and pulled out a growler of Coffee Bender!!!  Oh my….  I think my heart skipped a beat, and I my eyes were on the verge of welling up with tears!  How thoughtful of Todd to have him get this out on our account. I don’t know what the true availability of this brew is, but I know it is totally inaccessible to me and not currently available in Minnesota bars, so it was a special gift!  Well, not a gift - it rang in at $21 (with the cost of the growler), which is twice the cost of the growler of Bender we bought. But it is SOOOoooo worth it. Bender is a great brown ale, but Coffee Bender, brewed with coffee from Tea2, is absolutely fabulous.

So, with two growlers and a new shirt for D, we hit the road. And actually, we had to go do some housekeeping. We needed to trade in our rental car (the one we had was out of balance), and get me some new footwear. We failed on the footwear, as the Mall of America was a mad-house, and both Land’s End Inlet and REI were highlighting spring and summer wear. I need a little commuter boot to get through these slushy streets and big banks of snow!

We learned about Blue Nile through beeradvocate.com, where Al, the bar manager, is a frequent poster. One might not think to go there - an Ethiopian and Middle Eastern restaurant by design - for microbrew selections, but it is most definitely a destination for beer travelers. And since we arrived during Happy Hour (4-6 PM) we enjoyed 2 for 1 beers along with the company of Al.

On tap right now are three Surly beers (Two, Furious and Bender), Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, Brau Brothers Scotch Ale, Summit Grain Belt, Lion Stout, Bell’s Consecrator Dopplebock and a few others that I just don’t remember.

He told us a lot about what he’s lining up, the interesting music visitors can enjoy (including hip-hop, jazz, reggae, and African bands), and the background of the owners and how their Oromo heritage influences the menu. We ordered appetizers. I did not note the names, but one was like a samosa but made with lentils and served with a really interesting hot sauce and the other was a really tasty Baba Ghanoush served with warm pita triangles.

After some time, we were joined by some people we met through common interests and the Internet - Sharon and Bill came by to meet us, and we had a great time talking birds, technology, books and beer with them.

We headed out to meet friends on the other side of town at Cafe 28- a restaurant owned by one of the brewers / part-owner at Surly, Todd, and his wife, Linda. D and I are still debating about what we read the building used to be, but regardless, it looks like an old firehouse converted into a warm, cozy, eclectic little restaurant. This is the kind of place people come to enjoy wonderful food with good friends - lingering and enjoying the experience.  And we did.

Surly beers are on tap, if that wasn’t obvious, and our friend Tom really enjoyed his Surly Two! The food was outstanding - D had the Fish Fry, which was a light, beer battered Canadian walleye served with fries and slaw, while I had the tofu tacos served in a La Perla corn tortilla with romaine, black olives, cilantro, sour cream, queso fresco and guacamole. The tofu was lightly fried and salsa verde was perfect. I also enjoyed a cup of the tomato soup with spinach and garlic. This was no thick Campbell’s tomato soup - this was a light, smooth juice of tomato accompanied by many wonderful flavors, but especially the essence of olive oil.

We enjoyed the company of our friends and the flavors of our food throughout the evening, but were pleasantly interrupted by Linda, who recognized D and I as the beer travelers from PA. She brought Todd out, and we had quite a lengthy conversation with him about Surly brewing and beer in general.

It was such a great night out in Minneapolis, but unfortunately, I was light on sleep so we looked forward to a nice ride under the snow-heavy trees that lined the streets near Lake Calhoun and back to our hotel.