Suds: September 2

Welcome to tonight’s late edition of Suds. With the baseball season drawing to a close with playoffs, the college football season, along with the Badgers Rose Bowl hopes, are just beginning to bloom.  It’s amazing how much sports mean to us as a nation and the connection that we can feel to a team and while it gets a little crazy, the culture of college football is special. This weekend is stacked with good football games including Oregon and LSU and my second favorite team behind the Buckingham U’s, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish taking on USF. So settle in for the weekend and enjoy a few homebrews or a select 6-pack of your favorite brew. As a toast to the UW’s win last night, I’m cracking open a delicious New Glarus Spotted Cow which I picked up before crossing back to Minnesota last weekend.

Here's to former glories and future victories. Go Bucky!

 Now for Suds.

- It’s official. Surly has changed the landscape of beer in Minnesota.

- More beer greatness coming from the state of Michigan. This time from the Jolly Pumpkin.

- Have the craving for brains lately? Get zombified and prepare for Darkness!

- Go for one more bike ride this summer because the fall is on the way–New Belgium’s Hoptober is back.

- Rolling Meadow Brewery is available at the Illinois State Fair. Give it a shot and help a new micro-brewery out.

- The eternal bad-asses that are 3 Floyd’s Brewing have dedicated a beer to region where they brew. Get your Riot gear.

- Hey, you UP-ers. Get tickets for this today! I’m not kidding. Get tickets!

- Speaking of beer and football…

- Some brew-love for Wisconsin from the Great Brew Tour.

- No words necessary.

Love beer? Love Football? Make a case for you Alma Mater in this year’s college football season by tweeting @MidwestBeer or posting on our Facebook page. Go Bucky!

Suds: August 22

I saw Captain America last night, and I’m having a rather hard time deciding what to think about it. Overall, I enjoyed the film—just enough patriotic rhetoric, violence and Stanley Tucci—but what can be said about the reinvention of a long irrelevant American hero? After all, Marvel killed him off a few years ago and received no flack, especially in comparison to Batman and Spiderman.

The conclusion that I’ve come to about the film and superhero movies in general is that they are essential elements of the American experience (expertly explored by Michael Chabon in The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay). These are our stories, no matter how flawed or cheesy or irrelevant, and they definitely deserve recognition—or lip service—especially in a world struggling to find the right hero for the current situation.

Regardless, we’re still talking about superheroes. So grab a Bell’s Oracle (if you can find it), and let’s get to Suds.

-Why I’ve never linked to this blog before is beyond me. The article is old, the insight is not.

-Want to start brewing, but feel a bit intimidated? Here’s a nice first homebrew experience that should help with those fears.

-Beer Here: Black Top from New Glarus.

-All things go! To Duluth!

-Surly release info. Yes, it’s that surly.

-The beer fest formerly known as South Bend Beer Fest is now Brew Fest at Century Center and it’s tickets are on sale. Yes, that’s an awful sentence.

Need more than just Suds? Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), Facebook or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: August 5

Ah yes, Lollapalooza weekend. The unwashed masses will descend on Grant Park looking for the ultimate good time for only $215! What a steal! In all seriousness, I once paid the $215. It seems steep looking at the current lineup (Coldplay?), but at the time it made sense.

I have a confession to make: I have been obsessed with Radiohead since Kid A. Before Kid A actually, but that record cemented my obsession. An Onion article once wrote, satirically of course, that Radiohead’s music evokes the feeling of an abandoned playground in winter. The truth is, in many ways, it does. Radiohead specialize in wringing out feeling from the electronic, texturizing the unknown and expanding our idea of  pop sensibility.  For me, spending $215 on a ticket to Lollapalooza was worth it just to be a part of that.

If you squint, you can see me near the front left. Thom and I made eye contact with his not-lazy eye.

For a Radiohead themed suds, I can only think of one beer that I really want: Dragon’s Milk Ale from New Holland Brewery. Not quite an abandoned playground in winter, but the flavors will cause chills. Now on to Suds!

-Tickets are on sale for the Great Lakes Brew Fest in Racine. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

-This post is what brewing is all about. Kudos to our friends at Northern Brewer, they are truly men amongst boys. Also, there will be wet hops for sale this fall from NB.

-Wolverine Brewing beer labels looking sharp.

-Chicago Tribune takes a closer look at a Wisconsin classic.

-Beer Here: Belgian Style Blonde from Central Waters.

-I am not pleased with the use of a cow in this label.

-Finally, step back in time and enjoy a root beer float.

Need more than just Suds? Follow us on Twitter (@midwestbeer), Facebook or send an email to mwbeercollective@gmail.com.

Suds: February 18th

Oh man, how come I always start feeling sick when the weather turns? What’s worse is that I have to read about delicious beer to serve you guys Suds, and I can’t drink any of it! Well, I guess I could, but then I wouldn’t get better. It might be worth it though…

I’ve been feeling pretty blah for a few days. Today I pushed through and spent my afternoon in the Wisconsin State Capital Building. Before I get too far into this, I just want to say that these are my views and don’t necessarily represent those of the rest of the Collective (though I’m pretty sure they would agree with these statements). I was born and raised in Chicago, a union town, and when union rights are at stake, I will do my part to protect them.

These are strange times in the Badger State, ones where the state motto “Forward” has been replaced with “Backward,” and a governor who is content to flash a dopey grin and rationalize that he’s budget balancing. It’s such a shame, especially coming from the state that gave us Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette, the founding father of progressive America. Champion of woman’s suffrage and civil rights, La Follette moved mountains for the great state of Wisconsin, and subsequently, the United States.

So in memory of the man, grab The Big O from O’so Brewing, and head to Fighting Bob Fest!

-Sorry to be so political, but here’s more. Fortunately it’s beer related. Let’s make Surly’s dream a reality! MN drinkers, call your representatives!

-Not in the Midwest, but let’s help out our friends in Montana. They want to shift tap room serving hours from 10AM-8PM to noon-10PM. Sounds reasonable enough to me!

-Big Shoulders Drinkers, Goose Island may be bottling Marisol, the beer they made with Frontera’s Rick Bayless. The link has a pretty neat video on the making of the beer with Bayless. These are good times to live in Chicago.

-Top 7 beer cities in the US according to Esquire. Chicago makes the cut, but Milwaukee doesn’t? Nor Minneapolis? The list reeks of pandering and poor journalism.

-Speaking of Milwaukee, it’s going to be an awesome weekend there. The MST3K guys are putting on their live show, Cinematic Titanic, Friday and Saturday, and there are two beer festivals that weekend! Food and Froth Fest at the Milwaukee Public Museum Saturday, and the Milwaukee Ale House is hosting Mid-Winter Beer Fest on Sunday.

-I’ve never bought a mini-keg before, but I’ve been meaning to. Maybe I’ll celebrate Bell’s new label with a purchase?

-12 wishes for Wisconsin’s beer scene. Oddly enough, the Isthmus doesn’t mention either Schblabst, or halting production of Supper Club as wishes(seriously, we get it Cap Brewery, you don’t like to make flavorful beer, but cans? Really? Cans of Supper Club? Where did I put my Pabst?)

-Really neat event for MN homebrewers: Q&A with representatives from Wyeast and Northern Brewer at The Happy Gnome.

-Also for MN readers: I’m currently listening to The Replacements while I write this. Just thought you should know.

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