Upcoming events:
There’s good news and bad news. Or if you want to abide by the old saying, “no news is good news,” then by that rationale all news is bad news and these blog posts are just a litany of horrible notifications! In which case, I guess we have more good news since blog posts will be coming with less frequency? What I’m getting at is that I, Nathan Bergstedt, event coordinator and beertender and blog writer, am soon to be done working at Klockow Brewing Company. In fact, this is my last blog post.
But tradition dictates that we get to the good news first! And what better news could there be (besides a new beer reveal) than the announcement of The Cause for Paws Concert Fundraiser this Saturday at Klockow for Great Tails Animal Rescue! Perhaps you’ve seen the posters. Perhaps you’ve seen the Facebook event. Perhaps you heard it through the grapevine because your favorite local artists like The Beat, Jason Waldron, Ditty Wish, and/or McKeon Roberts are performing on the Klockow stage throughout the day. Or maybe you’re hearing about it for the first time right now, in which case you’d better clear your weekend schedule stat. Regardless, it’s going to be a day not to be missed, especially if you’re an animal lover! Just showing up and buying a beer that day helps the Great Tails mission, but there are other ways too. Perhaps you can donate via the silent auction. Maybe you’re a split-the-pot type of person. Or maybe you just like showing up to be counted amongst all the people who love the work they do and just hand them a donation. Regardless, we’re excited to see you this weekend for a day of great music and a few furry friends! Music starts when we open at noon and goes until close at 9.
Though where would good news be without a little company, like the fact that Ditty Wish Ventures to do a GAME SHOW is back today, Thursday, May 15, from 6 to 8 p.m., with the return of The Newlywed Game! For those of you not familiar with the premise, real-life couples, all pre-chosen by our host, will take to the stage to answer questions about one another to see just how good they know their beloved spouse! Do the husbands know if their wives would want to vacation on the beach or a city? Do the wives know if their husbands would rather have a mountain bike or a motorcycle? Do any of them know if their spouse prefers creamy or chunky peanut butter? Only one way to find out, and that’s by coming to the brewery today for a few pints and some good ol’ fashioned entertainment.
Man, just so much good news! No sense in stopping now, so I might as well tell you about the fact that this Sunday is our monthly Storyteller Sunday, where local writers take to the stage to tell stories on a given theme. Being May, we gotta talk about flowers, so the theme this month is “flora.” As always, stories will be recorded by Michael Goldberg from Stay Human on 91.7 KAXE for potential airing on the weekly radio show. Stories start at 2 p.m.!
Heck, it keeps going, because next week is Third Tuesday Trivia on May 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.! So many great things happening! Why would anyone leave?…
I suppose there’s no getting around the inevitable. It’s been a great past few years working at Klockow Brewing, from all the time behind the bar with the regulars and the new faces, to writing this weekly blog, to organizing different events, to trying all the new brews. I’ve seen beers win awards and the brewery have bumper sales days, and I’ve said goodbye to beloved regulars who’ve moved and even passed away. Klockow has been a huge part of my life, and I’m immensely thankful for the opportunities they’ve given me and for all the time I’ve spent here.
But “goodbye” seems like too strong a phrase for a time like this. Perhaps, “auf wiedersehen,” which is a bit more formal way to say “see ya later.” I’m not going far, after all. I’ll be bartending and helping to create the drink menu at The Pines in downtown Grand Rapids, scheduled to open at the beginning of June! It’s a brand-new casual fine dining restaurant “featuring from-scratch cooking” with “ingredients and the bounty of northern Minnesota combined with global flavors, blending modern and traditional techniques.” And one of those flavors from the bounty of northern Minnesota just happens to be a brand new Klockow beer, In The Pines Pale Ale! Made with juniper berries, just the kind of brew that will be easy drinking, food pair-able, and still delightfully complex. It’ll be on tap exclusively at The Pines and the Klockow taproom, so be sure to stop by either place to have a pint! PROST!
And auf wiedersehen.
~
Thanks for checking out our humble little brewery! As long as you keep coming by, we’ll do our part by making the best damn beer possible and serving it in our always inviting atmosphere.
The Klockow Staff
Beer drops this past week:
Local, etc. -
Pokegama Grill - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods South - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids
Boulder Tap Houses - Grand Rapids
Raven Stone - Coleraine
Rocket’s - Cohasset
Pickled Loon - Grand Rapids
38 Outpost - Grand Rapids
Sammy’s - Grand Rapids
Zorbaz on the Lake - Grand Rapids
Unwind Up North - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids
Smoke on the Water - Coleraine
S&S Bottle Shop - Deer River
Woodland Bank - Grand Rapids
Timberlake Lodge - Grand Rapids
Deer Haven - Remer
Westworld, etc. -
Spirits of Nisswa - Nisswa
First City Liquor - Bemidji
Lakeview Liquor - Bemidji
Boulder Tap House - Baxter
Liquor Lodge - Turtle River
Beehive Offsale Liquors - Bemidji
Tara Bemidji - Bemidji
Duluth -
Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace - Duluth
St. Cloud, etc. -
Westside Liquor - Waite Park
Westside Liquor - Sartell
International Falls, etc. -
Gateway General Store - Kabetogama
The Rocky Ledge - Kabetogama
Ranier Municipal Liquor Store - Ranier
Rainy Lake One Stop - International Falls
SuperOne Liquor - International Falls
Ash Trail Lodge - Orr