“Is this the season for bottle releases?” Katie asked recently.

To be honest, we really don’t know if there are bottle release seasons. But it sure seems like everyone and their mom is releasing a bottle of some dark, delicious beer! Not that we’re complaining, mind you. Pryes Brewing Company in NE Minneapolis is one of those breweries, recently making their Lost Moon Russian Imperial Stout and Lost Moon Barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout available in bottles and on tap.

We opened both bottles at the same time to compare, beginning with the non-barrel-aged Lost Moon. Coming in at 12.8% ABV, we thought this one felt like a swift kick to the mouth…until we tried the barrel-aged. Though potent, we could detect the smooth quality, rich chocolaty taste and notes of dark fruit and — after a few more sips — actually came to really enjoy this one.

The barrel-aged is much like the former save for the even boozier 14.6% ABV that had us puckering our lips and gasping for air (alright, maybe a little melodramatic with the writing here, but you get the point). While we appreciate a good barrel-aged beer, we found this one just a bit too strong for our taste, preferring the decidedly smoother original.

Still, we appreciate that Pryes made both Lost Moons available and highly recommend grabbing a bottle of each — or trying both in the taproom — if nothing else for the sake of comparing for yourself!

Cheers!
– Ale Adventures, Adam & Katie

On December 6th, Inbound BrewCo. in NE Minneapolis will release their RIS — Russian Imperial Stout — in bottles.

We got our hands on a bottle a week early and sipped it on a snowy Saturday night in. It was the perfect kind of night for a beer like this — or perhaps it was the beer that was perfect for the night. Either way, as the snow fell softly outside, we cracked open our bottle of RIS and decorated our flat together for the holiday season. Inbound BrewCo tulips were never far from reach as we hung ornaments on the tree, placed our Christmas decorations, and sang along to classic Christmas songs spinning on a record player in the corner.

Inbound BrewCo’s RIS comes in at an impressive 11.4% ABV and 77 IBU. Don’t let its simple bottle design fool you, though — the specialty beer inside is complex and robust. Described as “dark as the Siberian night” and “featuring rich and smokey malt flavors…the bold malt presence is complemented by a mild hop bitterness and a fruity-estery character.”

RIS is dangerously smooth and subtly potent; between the two of us, we finished off the bottle a lot sooner than anticipated. Whether it was the ABV or just the holiday season, we were feeling considerably more festive by the time our decorations were all up.

In short, Inbound BrewCo’s Russian Imperial Stout is another standout specialty beer from another standout Minnesota brewery. Available in limited bottles and on tap, make sure you don’t miss out on this one; we suspect it’s going to go fast! Or follow us on Instagram THIS week as we’re giving away a bottle!

Cheers!
– Ale Adventures, Adam & Katie

They say a lot can happen in a year.

Boy, they weren’t kidding.

The idea of starting a beer blog first crossed our minds early fall of 2017. We had just gotten married a couple months before, were still living in NE Minneapolis and were enjoying the local craft beer scene together. Like so many others, we were taking photos of the beers we drank and posting them to social media; occasionally, Adam — a photographer — would bring his camera along and photograph the taproom. One day Katie voiced, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a place where we could keep all of our photos and stories?” Nothing more came out of it at the time, but a few months later we moved to the NorthWest suburbs. The move required Katie to leave the job, and — in-between hours spent looking and applying for a new one — found herself thinking about the whole beer blog again. Mental gears started turning, and we came up with our beer blog name, logo and mission! That was one year ago — November 2017.

We never could have imagined where that beer adventure blog would lead us or what sort of opportunities the next year would have in store for us! Of course, you’re welcome to read through all our previous blog posts for yourself, but here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights of our first year ale adventuring and beer blogging:

Our First Ale Adventure

The first brewery we visited as an “official” beer blog was Spilled Grain Brewing in Annandale, MN. We still remember that visit — it was a quiet, chilly Thursday night. The taproom was nearly empty save for one other  couple — a rather apathetic man and the very drunk woman with him. We did get to spend some time chatting with the woman behind the bar — the social media manager Anastacia — learning more about Spilled Grain and taking photos for our blog. It was a simple visit, but one we’ll remember as the beginning of it all.

Cider Fest ’18

Our first craft festival — funny enough — was the MN Craft Cider Festival in St. Paul. We sampled ciders from over 40 local, national and international cideries at Como Park Pavilion and got our first taste of “VIP” status with early access! We also learned the importance of pacing yourself!

Instameets

As we explored the local craft beer community online, we began discovering other Minnesota-based bloggers, social media influencers and craft beer enthusiasts like ourselves. Eager to meet them in person, we hosted a couple Instameets during the summer. They weren’t exactly smashing successes, but we did meet some other great members of Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s craft beer community.

Europe

One of the biggest highlights of the year — and perhaps our most exciting ale adventure yet — was our summer trip to Europe. Over 11 days in early August, we explored the craft beer scenes in Iceland, Ireland, London and Paris, drinking great craft beer and making new friends we still stay in touch with.

Our First Instagram Takeover

Mid-September, 56 Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis hosted their annual Harvest Fest complete with petting zoo, vendors, live music and new beer releases. We were thrilled when they invited us to takeover their Instagram account for the day!

Dells on Tap

Shortly after getting back from our Europe trip, the Wisconsin Dells sent us a DM to invite us out to their upcoming annual craft beer festival Dells on Tap. Unbelievably, they even offered us a nearly all-expense paid trip! We had an absolute blast sampling fantastic beers from over 60 of Wisconsin and the Midwest’s best breweries!

Pryes Brewing’s Can Release Party

At the beginning of November, Pryes Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis celebrated the release of their Miraculum Midwest IPA and Royal Raspberry Sour in cans. As much as we enjoyed the free beer and great hospitality, we especially enjoyed meeting so many bloggers, social media influencers and other members of the local craft beer community that we’d only interacted with online (think one of our Instameets but successful!). Again, we made some wonderful new friends we’ve continued to stay in touch with and explore Minnesota’s craft beer scene together.

5K Instagram Followers

Mid-November — nearly one year to the date we kicked off this whole beer blog thing — we passed 5,000 followers on Instagram! While we recognize some degree of superficiality to social media and know full well that numbers aren’t everything, there’s still a sense of satisfaction and reward in hitting such a milestone number. Follows don’t come easily, and we’ve put in countless hours literally working at developing our social media strategy, growing our followers and increasing our engagement. Social media really could be — and for some is — a full-time job! Our one-year goal was to hit 5K Instagram followers, and we’re proud to say that we did it! The perks and opportunities that have come along the way have kept us motivated when it seemed tough.

Our first full year of ale adventures has been one filled with wonderful people, unexpected and incredible opportunities and some of the best dang craft beer out there. We’ve worked hard, but we don’t take anything for granted. We’re humbled and honored. We’re having fun. Thanks for sharing this adventure with us.

Cheers,

Adam & Katie,
Ale Adventures

When we moved to Monticello, MN just over a year ago, there were no breweries in town.

Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake and Hayes’ Public House in Buffalo were within a 20 minute drive in either direction, but we missed the convenience and countless options of great breweries we had before when we lived in NE Minneapolis.

A lot can happen in a year, though, and this weekend’s soft open of The Nordic Brewing Co. makes for the second brewery to open in Monticello in nine months! Needless to say, we’re pretty thrilled.

Nordic Brewing is tucked away in a little business strip mall located not far off I-94. We didn’t even know it was there until just a week ago! Chatter and buzz around town has been very quiet, and had Katie not spotted Nordic’s big, bold-lettered name in passing we may not have even known they were opening this weekend at all!

Friday night’s soft open was equally and refreshingly quiet. People trickled in and out, laughed and conversed with each other, played board games over food they brought in, and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. The staff was warm and competent, things appeared to run smoothly, and, really, there was no indication that it was literally Nordic’s opening night!

The taproom is large and spacious, with high ceilings that only seem to add to the depth and room. The theme is, predictably, Nordic, albeit slightly ambiguous and scattered — ski poles, sports rackets and other Nordic-inspired pieces decorate one a section of wood-paneled wall while the remaining walls are painted solid shades of white, brown and green; a single tree — presumably pine or fir — stands in an alcove near the front; natural-looking wood and stone frame the bar; and the brewery’s apparent mascot — an ibex — is stamped on every glass. Round tables and chairs dot the taproom, while one long wood table with benches provides room for a larger group and a handful of stools provide additional seating at the bar.

There were only three beers available on tap when we visited — a cream ale, fruit beer and brown ale — but they were all fantastic — great taste, true to style and a solid selection to start with! With nearly 20 taps behind the bar, there’s room for a whole lot more, and if these three are indicative of anything — there’s a lot more great beer to come!

We left feeling impressed and confident that Nordic’s off to a really strong start. If their soft open is anything to go by, we’re going to be frequenting Nordic Brewing Company a lot more in the future.

Here’s our full review (categories are rated out of five ):

1. Beer Selection (number and styles available): *Obviously, this one deserves some grace*
2. Beer Taste (expected of style): 
3. Location (find-ability/ accessibility): 
4. Atmosphere/Venue: 
5. Service (of staff): 

Cheers!
– Adam & Katie, Ale Adventures

Pryes Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis has been one of our favorite Minnesota breweries for nearly as long as we’ve been beer blogging.

Back when we lived in NE, Pryes was one of the closest breweries to us, and we’d frequent often. Not only do they have great beer (we’ll get back to that), they’ve also got a super warm, artsy and unique taproom — the kind of place you wanna hang out whether with friends or just solo to work.

We definitely found ourselves at Pryes on a cold January night drinking beer, romanticizing about a summer Europe trip and then committing to it and booking plane tickets (note: we wouldn’t necessarily advise booking flights over drinks…mistakes can be costly!).

In any case, Pryes is a solid NE brewery close to our hearts that’s about to be a little closer still to fans in the metro with their very own canned beers! Cans of their two best-sellers — Miraculum Midwest IPA and Royal Raspberry Sour — are officially available at liquor stores around the Twin Cities as of November 5.

To celebrate, they threw a can release party in their brewing space and invited a bunch of bloggers, influencers, foodies and other members of the local craft beer scene. Tall boys of both the Miraculum Midwest IPA and Royal Raspberry Sour were available just about everywhere you looked, platters of food offered snacks, and music pumped. Wristbands gave us access to free beer in the taproom, and when the party finally ended they sent us home with double four-packs of the Miraculum and Raspberry sour, Pryes-engraved drinking glasses and free-beer tokens for our next visit in. The folks at Pryes Brewing were more than hospitable and generous, to say the least.

One of our highlights of the night was finally meeting in person other bloggers, social media influencers and members of Minnesota’s craft beer scene who we’ve only ever interacted with online — people like @erins_table, @mnbeerwoman, @ilovebeerfromhere.mn, @danny_runsforbeer, @delightsoffare, and @johnweirick. It was fun to put faces to instagram handles, and we really left feeling like we’d made new friends. It’s incredible how warm and friendly the craft beer scene really is!

As we were leaving, Katie approached Pryes head brewer Jeremy Pryes and awkwardly thanked him for having us out: “We’re so blessed to be here!” Blessed or not, we had a blast!

Keep an eye out for Pryes Brewing’s Miraculum Midwest IPA and Royal Raspberry Sour in cans around the Twin Cities! You can find out where they’re specifically available here.

Cheers!

Adam & Katie
Ale Adventures

Hi!

We’re Adam and Katie, otherwise known as Ale Adventures. We’ve been invited by Running Tap to begin sharing our adventures through Minnesota’s craft beer scene here, so we thought we’d start off by introducing ourselves.

In November 2017, we decided to start a “beer adventure blog.” At the time, we were just beginning to explore Minnesota’s craft beer scene for ourselves and had no clue other people were already doing the same thing. If we’d known there were already so many beer blogs and social media accounts — locally and nationally — we may not have even bothered. But innocence played in our favor, and we dove in with gusto. Besides, another long and dreary Minnesota winter was starting to set in, and we had nothing better to do.

We began by visiting the little local breweries around us in Central Minnesota, places like Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake, Hayes’ Public House in Buffalo, Spilled Grain in Annandale and Beaver Island Brewing in St. Cloud. We found that we loved visiting new taprooms, meeting the people there and — of course — enjoying the beer. Along the way, we shared our experiences and stories on our blog and social media platforms. With our background in writing and photography, we really made an effort to set our content apart from all the other beer accounts. With taste so subjective, we also tried to shy away from beer critiques and reviews and instead really focus on the experiences and stories. It worked. Our following grew and people continued interacting and dialoguing with us.

It’s been nearly a year since we kicked off Ale Adventures. Our ultimate goal is to visit all of Minnesota’s taprooms and brewpubs, which is an ever-growing task. At time of writing, we’ve been to about half of the 170 give or take, and there are several more breweries on the way that we know of. We’ve also allowed ourselves some freedom to explore the craft beer scene beyond Minnesota, with several North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and even European breweries under our belt. You can check out our interactive ale adventures map below.

Beer aside, we’ve been married since July 2017. Adam is a radio DJ in St. Cloud, and Katie is an actress; by day she works in a clinic as a doctor’s and office assistant and will probably write a play about it one day about the crazy and ridiculous things she deals with. We have awful puppy fever but can’t seem to agree on a dog. So until we can, we drink and blog. Feel free to join us on Facebook, Instagram or at our blog, or continue to follow Running Tap for a more in-depth look at Minnesota’s craft beer scene. And if you ever see us at a taproom sometime, come say hi!