FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[DuffMan]

For anyone living in the metro, there is a specialty craft beer store in St. Louis Park called "The Four Firkins" that has a TON of craft beers.  Lots and lots of stuff I've never heard of, and I'm pretty much always happy with a new selection from there.

http://www.thefourfirkins.com/

TC Craft Beer in New Hope is similar.  He's my go-to guy for just about any beer or beer-related questions.  Just the owner works there.  He's top-notch, and I highly recommend his store.

[2115 Summit]

Thanks to all for the warm welcoming. 

I was hoping I'd be able to get in a few posts before everyone figured out I was a Tommie!   Guess the address of the University gave it away....Hmmm??  So naive of me to really think the free advertisement of my favorite beer would throw some off!

Oh well!  IMHO, I think I have been reading these boards long enough to not only understand most everyone's humor, but that of their opinions as well. 

So let the chatting begin!!

Sounds good.   A few weeks back I asked the board why UST football was so dominate in the MIAC this year.  What are your thoughts?  Is it the coaching, recruiting, facilities, teamwork, leadership, general excellence, a combination of these things, or something else all together?

As an aside, Summit Pale Ale is my beverage of choice that isn't widely available in the DC area.  It's like a free-for-all of consumption when I make it back to MN.  I'm not embarrassed to say that I served as the president of the History Club while at UST.  One of my minor successes was the establishment of the annual UST Summit Brewery Tour.  Of course the whole thing was about gaining a deeper understanding of brewing history in St. Paul.  However, a few free pints in the Summit Brewery Pub did make for an intoxicating experience.

Okay... I will indulge! 

HMMMM??? 

Not sure, could be recruiting, it could even be the amount of $ everyone is donating to UST for its excellence?

Okay..never mind. It most likely has to do with Caruso and his coaching staff.......

ALRIGHT ALREADY!!!....It's the cherry lockers!

Enough about that....I do remember hearing about the Summit Brewery tours while at UST.  Nice touch!  I never took one which is surprising considering my deep appreciation for their beers.  Their EPA is my favorite as well.  The 25th anniversary is actually better IMO.... Hopefully they will stick with it and label it Summit EPA – the better version!

[Mr.MIAC]

A few weeks back I asked the board why UST football was so dominate in the MIAC this year. 

Holy ****!  Can you not wrap your over-infated head around the difference between dominate and dominant?

Do you really think I don't know the difference?  It's called quickly cutting and pasting while posting on an online forum and being human.  I like it better when you come back with witty, cutting retorts, not this petty BS.   

[DuffMan]

In a different direction, what do people think of the Surly Brewing Company?  I hear it's really popular, but I haven't tried any of their beers.  They came around after I left MN and it doesn't seem to be available out here.

If you like bold and interesting beers (which I do), Surly is awesome.  You pay heavily, though.  $10-$12 for a 4-pack of 16-oz cans for their year-round brews.  Their limited releases fetch more (I paid $25 for a 750-mL of Surly Darkness last year).

The owner/founder is a Macalaster grad.

I'd avoid the Surly Hell, though.  It's very blah.

[DuffMan]

Do you really think I don't know the difference? 

For the number of times you have f'ed it up an been corrected, I am pretty confident that you don't know the difference. 

[DuffMan]

I am one of the few Minnesotans who does not like Summit.  I can't nail it down, just something about it that I don't care for.

[GoldandBlueBU]

I am also a big fan of Summit EPA.  I had a glass of their seasonal "winter" a couple of weeks ago also, and found it to be quite tasty.

[OzJohnnie]

Also, you better present yourself as unsophisticated and dirt poor because any sign of success or social status will be responded to with references to "cake eaters" attending fancy cocktail parties.

*See NESCAC board for specifics:

WHOA TURBO....

Pot meet Kettle, Kettle meet Pot...

A Union guy calling out the NESCAC for something like that is a bit ridiculous considering at the Union they serve Brie and Wine at their concession stands...

From the run up to this weekend's game I would have expected that to be brie and whine.

[2115 Summit]

I am also a big fan of Summit EPA.  I had a glass of their seasonal "winter" a couple of weeks ago also, and found it to be quite tasty.

Summit - Great Northern Porter is real tasty!  Not enough to pound a bunch but to have a couple on tap can be refreshing.

[tommiegun]

I prefer Summit IPA.  But I generally prefer IPAs.

[Mr.MIAC]

I am also a big fan of Summit EPA.  I had a glass of their seasonal "winter" a couple of weeks ago also, and found it to be quite tasty.

My best Summit EPA story...

So one summer in undergrad I took a job delivering blocks of ice in the Twin Cities.  One of my regular deliveries was Summit Brewery.  A couple of us built up a relationship with the contact at the brewery and he offered what turned out to be a spectacular deal.  Apparently through the bottling process there are occasional labeling problems.  Bottles with faulty/no labels get collected and don't go back for relabeling.  Long story short, the contact at the brewery regularly offered them to us at a discounted rate.  That summer at my place we enjoyed about 15 cases of Summit EPA at $5 a pop.

[DuffMan]

IPA = Good!

Have you had Rush River Double Bubble Imperial IPA?  Tasty, and at 9.2% ABV, it'll get you nice and toasty 

[USTBench]

Us Upstate NYers would recommend a 'hearty' Genesee Cream Ale (it whistles on the way out  ) or Utica Club (different from the Utica FOOTBALL Club that is the perrenial E8 doormat)....

My old man is from Port Henry, NY off of Lake Champlain and tells stories about getting a 6-pack of Genesee and heading out to Burlington or Plattsburgh to watch wrestling.

[WashedUp]

The only positive I've found so far from living in Wisconsin is the abundance of Spotted Cow.  I'd recommend it next time you find yourself in the state.

[OzJohnnie]

I just did a Google image search.  Pretty much the German beers are my favourite, but one Korean beer caught my eye and Guinness had an unexpectedly surprising argument that had to be thought about twice.  No Aussie beers came up on the first page, which is surprising and a disappointment.  I may have to refine the search...