#MNBeer News Insider: Feb. 16

Town Hall Brewery starts barrel-aged week

Town Hall Brewery's annual barrel-aged series starts at 5 p.m. Monday with the tapping of a cherry Grand Cru called Manhattan Reserve that has been aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels.

The Minneapolis brewpub will tap nine barrel-aged brews over six days. The brewery started barrel-aging in 2000.

"It was just an experiment (at first)," said Town Hall brewmaster Mike Hoops. "I read a little blurb about it and decided to try it. I didn't know what to expect."

Hoops said he collects barrels from different distilleries and wineries around the country in person. Along with Woodford Reserve barrels, the brewery used Jack Daniels, Angel's Envy, Buffalo Trace and French oak red wine barrels for aging in 2015.

Hoops said the brewery plans to experiment with tequila, white wine and Four Roses barrels in the future.

"The barrel is another ingredient," explains Hoops. "We have started building the recipes around what the barrel has to offer."

The series concludes with a trio of tappings starting at 3 p.m. Saturday and includes Brown Label, a Belgian Bruin made with maple syrup aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel; The Duke of Wallonia, a Belgian Witt aged in a French oak red wine barrel; and Le Baltique, a Baltic Porter aged in a French oak red wine barrel.

For an in-depth look at the trend of barrel-aging beers check www.sctimes.com later this week.

2015 Bock Fest draws more than 2014

While the official tally hasn't been announced yet, the August Schell Brewing Co. said on its Facebook account that attendance at the New Ulm brewery's annual Bock Fest on Saturday surpassed the 2014 mark.

Organizers were expecting about 5,000 attendees. In 2014, Minnesota's oldest brewery announced an attendance of more than 4,500.

For the second straight year, the event featured below-freezing temperatures.

Schell's Bock seasonal beer is made with 10 different types of malts

August Schell's year-round selections include a pilsener called Schell's Pils, a Vienna-style lager called Firebrick, and a dark lager called Schell's Dark.

Jack Pine to start brewery tours

The Jack Pine Brewery announced it will start offering free tours of the Baxter brewery starting Saturday.

The tours start at 1 p.m. and are limited to 20 people per tour. Tour attendees can get three samples if they bring a non-perishable food item or make a $5 donation to the local food shelf.

To sign up or get more information, email Jack Pine's taproom manager at aaron@jackpinebrewery.com.

Jack Pine's year-round beers include an American pale ale called Fenceline, a brown ale called Duck Pond and a cream ale called Dead Branch.

Junkyard announces re-release and new pale ale

The Junkyard Brewing Co. announced the return of its double India pale ale and the start of brewing on its new equipment.

The Moorhead brewery has its double IPA called Whistle Wetter back on tap. The beer has an International Bittering Units rating of 135.

Junkyard also announced it started brewing on its new equipment last week. The first beer is a pale ale with Belma hops that's similar to its recipe for Hop Habit.

Dangerous Man announces expansion

Dangerous Man Brewing Co. announced on its Facebook that it will expand its Minneapolis brewing operation.

Dangerous Man will add about 1,600 square feet of space from its adjacent building.

The brewery recently released the ninth of its single-hop IPA series that features Chinook hops.

Maple Island re-releases maple bock

Maple Island Brewing announced that it has re-released its bock that features pure maple syrup in its Stillwater taproom.

The beer features syrup made by the Hastings-based Sanderson Family 100% Pure Maple Syrup that taps Wisconsin maple trees.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to research by Doug Hoverson for his 2007 book "Land of Amber Waters," Minnesota's first commercial brewery was set up by Bavarian immigrant Anthony Yoerg in 1849 near the current Science Museum of Minnesota's parking lot.

Yoerg made a lager and bock beers.

Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter @jacoblaxen

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