Chicone's Liquor Mart (Hudson, WI)

One of three beer coolers brimming
beyond the stacks of macrobrew

One of the bonuses of living in the Twin Cities is being able to drive to Hudson to pick up beer that's not distributed in Minnesota. I've pick up Dogfish Head before their retreat from this part of the country and a drive over the river was my go to source for Stone before they finally moved into Minnesota.  Also, during speech season, when I work Saturday's for three months in a row, trips to Hudson are necessary to replenish the beer fridge because of MN blue laws.

There are two choices in Hudson from my experience: Casanova Liquors and Chicone's Liquor Mart. Both are better than good; I've switched back and forth over the years, but I slightly prefer Chicone's, especially after some of their recent changes.

New single bottle case

My main reason for going to Chicone's is that they generally are a good bet for picking up New Glarus Belgian Red (or Serendipity this year), my wife's favorite that I stock continuously. Normally, I would go to Chicone's for Belgian Red and a few standard six packs from a smaller selection; Casanova's would be for more variety in spite of a higher cost. However, on my latest trip, I was hunting Serendipity and found a re-vamped store. Chicone's seems to have added variety to its coolers, repacking them a bit more efficiently.

Plus, they've created an extensive single bottle case to take home mixed six packs.  Despite (or maybe because of) my 5000 plus beers I've tried, I'm becoming more conservative in my choices, tolerating a mediocre or worse beer less than I used to early in my beer quest.  A large variety of out-of-market singles makes the risk of a new brewery palatable.




The high point of the single bottles were both New Glarus: Black Top, a Black IPA, and the Thumbprint series IIPA, a double IPA.  Not a surprise and fun additions to my New Glarus collection. Tommyknocker Hop Strike Black IPA and Perkulator from Dark Horse were just fine, but a bottle each was good enough.  I added two breweries to my tally as well: Milwaukee Brewing and 3 Sheeps. I won't be going out of my way for either of them, but some times new for the sake of new is enough.

I just like dedication to the beer quality of Chicone's and, more importantly, having the entire beer stock in coolers (except single bottles) gives me confidence in what I buy. Just like any store that sells a fair amount of macrobrew, every beer drinker needs to be wary of how long the beer's been on the shelf (pass up on the summer ales in December, etc); however, between their normal movement of stock and extensive refrigeration, I have no complaints about my purchases over the years. Chicone's is one of my go-to beer stores and, happily, it just got better.

The Boulder Tap House (St. Cloud, MN)

9/15/12

Recently, the last day of CTAM has conflicted with Autumn Brew Review.  Last year, I went to the morning meetings in Bloomington and quickly headed down to the fest.  With CTAM in St. Cloud this year, I finally capitulated and missed my first ABR since it started.  In reality, it's a relief to break the string and I'll go again when I'm motivated in the future.  For a re-cap of this year's festival, read my friend Al who continued his string.

However, this left me with the urge for a beer score and The Boulder Tap was going to be it.  Across the street from the hotel, the Boulder Tap taunted me through the weekend and I headed over under the guise of checking it out for next year's conference to replace the disappointing beer of our stop at Granite City.  I announced my intention and nearly a dozen folks joined me for some convention afterglow before heading our separate ways.

I took point, got a table set up for the gang and perused the 41 taps for something new. Hard to pass up a beer named Super IPA, so ordered the New Belgium, which arrived in a small goblet and had a great nose and pleasing bite.  A very "super" start.

With very little in the way of vegetarian offerings on the menu, I settled what turned out to be tasty fish tacos.  Being distracted by good conversation, I hastily ordered the next unfamiliar beer when asked by an attentive waitress: Lucette Brewing's Shining Dawn. Very light pale yellow Belgian ale. With a mouthfeel slightly more full than it appears, it's a solid Belgian that has some assertive spice but won't scare the neophyte.  Wrong beer to go with fish tacos, but that's my fault.  Favorable reports on the food from the gang, so I'm guessing we'll return during CTAM next year for one of the evening meals. We ordered two desserts to share for the dozen of us, but a bite of each was enough.

With most of a pint left when everyone left for home, I drifted over to the bar to watch the rest of the Purdue football game on a big screen TV to finish my Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA.  I love the name of this beer, but I wasn't crazy about it: stark white head that falls with a film over a hazy amber hued yellow ale. A little watery but bright hops blended with fruity yeast esters redeems the beer a bit.

Two things I love in a bar: comfortable bars stools that aren't too tall and under bar hooks for my bag, both of which contributed to nearly two hours of reading while sipping at the beautiful U shaped granite bar.  One of our group noted that this building used to be a Timber Lodge. A bartender confirmed this and added that it was abandoned for a couple of years before being reborn on Jan 16th of this year as The Boulder Tap House.

Final draft of the trip: Dark Horse Plead the Fifth

Sitting at the bar, I noticed a lot of macro brew and hard drinks besides the craft brew. The bar conveniently puts the tap date on every beer; for example, the Hop Session had been on since 6/23 and it's mid September now. Looking over the other dates, this was an anomaly.  I admire the honesty--a lot--but it seems that they may be ahead of the curve for the clientele.  However, as counterpoint, the Tallgrass 8 Bit with it's assertive to harsh hop bite had already blown the keg.  So, maybe the locals are breaking the hop curve.

Overall, The Boulder Tap House is an excellent stop that was a suitable salve for missing ABR and a bar that I'm looking forward to revisiting again, especially since CTAM is planned for the same location for the next two years.  Cheers to us!

Thirsty Trout Porter (Dark Horse Brewing, Marshall, MN)

First draft on site at Dark Horse, and it's a pretty good start. Poured in a pint glass right up to the rim with very little head, yet it lingers a bit. Solid coffee and malty roast in the nose with a bit of light hop as well. Very easy drinking, even in the heat of the summer swelter: mouthfeel is chewy and light at the same time; malt, coffee and roast settle and linger in the mouth; some hop spice on the tongue. Nice beer that would be better on a cooler day or with a bit more AC in the bar. This pitch black 7% porter is more than worth the effort but moved on for the next pint.

Dark Corner (Dark Horse Brewing, Marshall, MN)

Copper brown ale when back lit sun with an off white to brown, thin head. Big biscuit and caramel in the noise with a solid hop—floral and spicy. Mouthfeel is light, almost watery, instead of the chewy I was hoping for when the bartender said it was an Imperial Brown Ale. Tastes like a buffed out Newcastle. Strong caramel on top of biscuit in taste. Smell and taste identical—simple and clean. Good in the heat, but I would be disappointed drinking this at home.

Dark Horse Brewing (Marshall, MI)

7/21/11

Entrance to Dark Horse

Mug club as decor

Not sure what I was expecting when I showed up at Dark Horse Brewing. On a road trip, stopped in Marshall specifically to try Dark Horse on site after years of sampling them at Great Taste and once at the Michigan Guild festival. Lines at the Michigan festival were always crazy long, so samples were limited. But, I'm been a pretty consistent fan of the Double Crooked Tree when I can get it. Finding that the brewery is a rustic looking building in a small mall named Dark Horse (including tattooing and groceries, if need be) wasn't what I pictured. 



Walking in, one thing is obvious: the mug club is extremely popular. Entire ceiling, walls, windows, all had handmade ceramic mugs hanging with numbers and sometimes names on the bottom. Very homey feeling. Clearly a pub that does well on the support of the locals. Full on a Thursday night for dinner, but thinned out a bit around 8 pm. DH reminds me of local joints near my small farm town in Iowa--not fancy and where everyone meets. I did like the glass washer on the bar used for every pint--mug or glass. They really seem to care about the beer and everything was well served. I had dinner--a veggie pizza made in the back and cooked in a mini oven. Fresh made, good, but nothing overly special. 

Overall, a nice place to have a well served pint. Since I've had the flagships of DH, I stayed away from the regulars and had lesser known (to me) Dark Corner and Thirsty Trout. Both strong, but not up the reputation I had in my head. Didn't have time to check if Crooked Tree is as good locally as when I had it in bottles. If in Marshall, I'd make the attempt to get back here, but would probably have pizza at Arcadia instead.  If I lived in Marshall, I would definitely have a mug.  

Reviewed on: 07-28-2011 18:09:39