Road Trippin' to the Twin Ports Brewfest

(Twin Ports Brewfest in Action)

Last month, My friend Chris and I made the ridiculously icy trek from Saint Paul to Duluth for the Twin Ports Brewfest at the Black Bear Casino. It was cold and the roads sucked, but once we got there and the beer started flowing we had a blast!

One thing that struck me was the fairly small brewery turn out. I have been to a lot of beer events and this one had the least amount of breweries. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty. And actually I am not sure this was a bad thing.

The smaller amount of breweries, while it limited variety a little bit, made it possible to actually hit every booth to sample every brewery. With most events having 30-70 breweries, this is impossible. Sometimes that leads to missing out on some pretty good beers. This time I was able to hit every booth and sample a beer from every brewery there.... although I didn’t hit up the wineries and of course skipped the Coors Light booth and the booth that had the Hard Mike’s and Hard Teas. What were those last two even doing there?!?!

It was nice to be out of town and trying some local breweries I haven’t tried before. Different area, different local breweries, right? One that stuck out, and actually was my favorite of the day, was Thirsty Pagan out of Superior, WI. They had one of only a few “special beers”, a sour! I love sours, and this one was good. Tart, a tiny bit funky, and not covered up with fruit. I like fruit sours, but I love a sour that can just stand on it’s own. This was my favorite of the event.

 

(Thirsty Pagan)

Chris’ favorite was the Apricot Wheat by Fitgers. Chris is somewhat new to the craft beer scene. It’s awesome when someone somewhat new to craft beer finds a beer that they say they could drink all day. This beer was a little malty, kind of fruity from the apricot, and really smooth. I swear he hit up that Fitgers stand so many times he was probably close to being on a first name basis with them by the end of the day!

 

(Fitgers)

There was a bit of a downer during the concert portion of the event. There was a small break where they got rid of all the brewery booths for the concert. The Dropkick Murphy’s totally rocked the house! But when we decided we wanted a beer, all they had for sale were a few national brands.

 

(Dropkick Murphys Rockin' Out)

It was the casino that was handling the beer and alcohol sales at this point. But seriously, this was a craft beer event! You have a huge room full of craft beer drinkers! After spending the day drinking awesome craft beers all you can offer me is a Bud or a Miller Lite? Ugh! We had mixed drinks instead.

 

(Crap Beer... C'mon Man!)

All in all this was a pretty fun event. A couple small tweaks and maybe another couple breweries and this event will be top notch. I’m always up for a road trip, so I am sure I will be back!

http://thirstypaganbrewing.com/
http://fitgersbrewhouse.com/
www.twinportsbrewfest.com
 

Confessions of a Sober Cab

You’ve got your phone, wallet, and I.D. – everything needed for a great night out drinking beer. Whether it’s at a taproom, beer event, or bar, you’re set to have an awesome night out with friends, new and old. Hopefully you’ve also thought about your way home for the night (or early morning as it usually happens in my situation). Of course I’m talking about a sober cab!

Sober cabs, or designated drivers, serve an important role in every drinking situation. The main goal of a sober cab is of course to get everyone home safe and free of shackles. Believe me, nothing kills a good craft beer buzz faster than seeing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror. If that doesn’t sober you up, spending a night with a stranger in a cell will clear your head right up. Did you know that those things don’t have any privacy? None at all! Have you ever had to use a toilet in front of what is essentially a room full of strangers? I guess it would be the quickest way to break down any barriers between you and your new roommate. Nothing says “Hey roomie, nice to meet you!” more efficiently than taking care of business in front of your new friend. Although it’s best to get that hurdle out of the way since you’re probably sharing the scratchiest blanket on Earth for the rest of the night. Hmmm….are you a little spoon or a big spoon?

But I digress. We’re all adults here and know the importance of sober cabs and the consequences of drunk driving. The purpose of this series – Confessions of a Sober Cab – isn’t to preach to you or reprimand anyone for their actions. I’m neither your mom nor Officer Friendly. Instead I want to help you enjoy your nights (days?) out and encourage you to be the best sober cab or peanut gallery member that you can be. And let’s not forget the fun parts that come along with the end of the night. Some of my best nights out haven’t ended at the bar. They’ve ended in laughter in a cab ride home, or with the occasional house after party. Just because you’re heading home for the night doesn’t mean your night is over. Unless of course you’re the peanut snoring in the back seat. Then it’s probably best that your night end soon with a soft blanket and private toilet facility.

In this series I’ll share my tales from the driver’s seat and the peanut gallery with you. This friends, is where the confessions come in. I love a good story and am happy to share my hijinks with you. We’ll look at the unspoken rules sober cabs and peanut gallery members should abide by. We’ll also look at options for sober cabs and ways to get safely home. And while I may touch on serious points at times, I intend to get down to the funny side of drinking life and expose what happens when the lights go off downtown.  So hop in. My name is Vicky and I’ll be your driver. See you soon!