Ahh, living in the shadows of my DINK friends . I watch them take EPIC Beercations, go to great beer fests, and go to great breweries. All while I am at home changing diapers. But fret not my fellow Mamas and Papas, you too can take the ultimate Beerstaycation. In our first article in a five part series we’ll teach you how to explore the craft beer scene with out leaving your home state! For these articles I will be going to my cabin (with my family in tow), in Aitkin, MN:

My theme for my Beerstaycation is “Welcoming in the Fall”. But before we can say hello, we have to say good bye to the summer!

As summer seasonals begin to sell out to make shelf space for the oncoming pumpkin beers, the seasonal transition of beer is as common place and natural as the changing of leaves. As one last send off to the summer lagers, pale ales, and kolschs, I have to have one last nod to summer.

Castle Danger is one of those breweries that are kind of a hidden treat. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of visiting their old facility in Castle Danger (north of Two Harbors on the North Shore). It was a blink and you miss it facility, but boy did they brew some great beers. I look forward to going to their new facility soon. I was very excited to see their canned line come to the cities, and as a fan of cream ales, I had to take this one in as my last hurrah of summer.

Castle Danger Castle Cream Ale: This hazy beer is slightly reddish gold in color. It pours with a thick white foaming head. The head lasts several minutes. The aroma in punctuated with a fresh foliage scent, and a hint of apricots, and maybe a good honeycrisp apple. Castle cream ale is smooth, with a medium mouthfeel. Not too thick, not too thin, just perfect. This beer is smooth and malty with GREAT balanced hop notes. It is not heavily carbonated, and there is a slight fruit/apricot present in the aftertaste.

Castle Cream Ale is a much more robust then other Cream Ales, like New Glarus Spotted Cow, and Third Streets’ Rise to the Top. It is still an easy drinking beer, and will pair well with Tex-mex, Thai, and other spicy fair. This beer is also an excellent beer to introduce non-craft beer drinkers to. Cream ales have a lot in common with lighter lagers, so feel free to grab your pints, tumblers, and nonics glasses. Just make sure to display the awesome head on this excellent beer.

Cream Ales have often been some of my favorite summer beers, and this one is no exception. Even though the tempertures are falling as fast as the leaves outside, this is an all year round beer. So grab a six pack of cans from your local bottle shop, or take a nice fall drive up to Castle Danger and bring home a growler of Castle Cream Ale. Either way, there are worse ways to say goodbye to long days, and carefree summers!

Until next time, PROST!