A Beer with a Friend

Minnesota has quickly (and quietly) become a hotbed of micro brewing in the country.  The scene here probably started with Summit Brewing back in the late '80s.  Since then, a gaggle of breweries have opened creating exciting, edgy beers that are as varied as our lakes.  One of the most vocal and prominent of these new breed of breweries, celebrating their 7th year, is Surly Brewing, Co.

My former supervisor has been a fan of Surly for as long as I've known him.  He even volunteers his time on behalf of Surly fixing bicycles and working with the community.  Because of his involvement, he gets invited to special events.  Tonight, he was invited to the soft opening of Surly's new tap room.  He was allowed a plus-one.  I got to be that guest tonight.

Until recently, breweries in Minnesota were not allowed to sell glasses of their product directly to customers.  They were allowed to offer small, free samples after tours, but they couldn't sell their beer out of the tap without involving a separate bar/restaurant via a distributor unless they decided to not sell their product in liquor stores.  (This allowed for brewpubs whose beer you couldn't buy anywhere but in their restaurant.)  Surly, and other breweries, thought this was unfair.  They worked to change the law.  The fruit of their labor is known as the Surly Law. 

Surly opens their doors to the public tomorrow.  From 3:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m., anyone can walk through the doors in the most remote corner of Brooklyn Center and order one of their favorite pints straight from the keg to the glass.  The lines can't travel further than 200 feet from where the beer is born.  Tonight, as I mentioned, was their soft opening.  It was a chance for a select few friends of the company to enjoy a pint while helping Surly iron out the kinks before they were in front of a demanding public.

What a great way/place to reconnect with an old boss, colleague and friend.  I hadn't seen him in about six months, an eternity when you each have young children.  The beer was delicious; the conversation was better.  I was able to reassure him that the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side, and he was able to reassure me that things haven't changed or gotten better than miserable at my old job.  We talked about family, about not having time to work on anything, and about the latest ghosts in our cars.

I encourage each of you to find some time in your schedule to visit Surly or any other local brewery as they open tap rooms in the coming months.  It is a great way to taste fresh beer, and it is a great way to support the beers/brewers you love without paying a middleman.