For some, Labor Day is the official beginning of fall. For others, it’s Sept. 22. For us, it’s after Klocktoberfest is over.
There’s a solemnity to the brewery this week, as if we’d completed some grand quest. Even in the brew house itself, Zach and Russ are just canning the ol’ standbys Travelin’ Jack and Itsa Seltzer today. There’s been a return to normality, our basic lives. The monotonous work of make beer, sell beer, and repeat has taken hold. Much like how the philosopher Albert Camus speculated that Sisyphus found peace in his daily toil, so do we here at Klockow. After all, the only thing we really want to do is make beer for y’all.
But before we settle into this new routine, I gotta say, what a weekend!! If you didn’t make it here last Saturday, you missed a hell of an event. We started off quiet and gradually cranked up to full volume as more than 500 people filed through our doors over the course of the day! We sold out of our annual ceramic mugs, which was no big surprise, and put an enormous dent in our KFest glass inventory as well. Our Münchkin Märzen flowed like water into the glasses and steins of the many patrons, and the music kept people in a festive mood long into the night! And, to borrow a well-deserved cliche, a good time was had by all.
And now we’re all tired. Many of us got here early on Sunday morning to tear down the tent and put the taproom back together. And now that that is over, we’re scaling our hours back to fall and winter times: 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Though the weekends are staying the same: noon to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
So what’s next, you may ask? Well, I suppose there are some things. I’ll have yo know that we’re damn close to our anniversary week, where we’ll be celebrating seven glorious years of beers! And before that, the return of Books & Brews, our partnership with Wildflower Bookshop! And now that it is in fact fall, that means that Sunday Funday is back in full swing too. We’ve, of course, maintained Open Mic with Ditty Wish and Board Games and Records all summer, but the glorious return of Storyteller Sunday will start again on Oct. 20. Drink and Draw is sadly off the calendar, but keen-eyed viewers of our Facebook page and website will see that we’re doing a wire wrapped ring workshop this Sunday, Oct. 6! Seating and supplies are limited, so be sure to sign up in advance!
Looking ahead, maybe things aren’t so monotonous and bland after all. Maybe that mindless repetition we were looking forward to is merely an illusion, and that each day brings with it their own unique surprises. Maybe there’s no such thing as the predictably zen toil that Sisyphus was condemned to. Maybe, just maybe, the only thing certain is uncertainty.
Whew… don’t know about you, but I need a beer.
We Barley Know You, But We Hop to Change That. It’s the Yeast We Can Do: Lee Reiners
Question: Mr. Reiners, how long have you been a regular here?
Lee Reiners: I moved here in 2019. So I’d say 2019!
Q: In all that time, what is your favorite Klockow beer?
LR: That’s a hard question, but really, any of the barrel aged beers: the Hays on Tay (Scotch Ale), the (Magic) Roundabout (Vanilla Stout). I also love the Guardians of the Beam (Imperial Brown Ale with Wild Rice). But if I’m looking for something a little bit lighter, Stranger Ranger (American Style Light Lager).
Q: Oh, so you just go for the complete ends of the spectrum when it comes to beer?
LR: Yeah, pretty much everything but a sour is what I’m interested in.
Q: And when you’re not drinking Klockow beer, what do you like to drink?
LR: Like I said, anything but a sour when it comes to beer. Otherwise I’m a bourbon drinker. If we’re talking non-alcoholic, water and coffee!
Q: Looks like we’ve covered the grounds here.
LR: Gotta have water. Gotta have coffee. Gotta have bourbon.
Q: What are some of your favorite foods that you like to wash down with these various beverages?
LR: I mean, I just finished eating Singing Chihuahua tacos; almost every time that I can get those tacos, I will. Otherwise, burgers.
Q: You’re a burger fan?
LR: I’m a burger fan. A good burger fan.
Q: What constitutes a good burger to you?
LR: That’s a tough question. I don’t know if I could tell you exactly what it is. Something you feel. [Laughs] I don’t have an answer.
Q: I like that. Like it’s a burger with soul.
LR: A burger with soul.
Q: So what do you do for work?
LR: I work remotely for a cybersecurity company based out of Minneapolis. So I do tech support for that company, and I’ve been doing it for eight years.
Q: Cybersecurity. So I imagine you can’t go into too many details or you’ll have to kill me?
LR: Yeah, something like that. [Laughs]
Q: What do you like to do for fun when you’re not protecting the cyber?
LR: Honestly, when I’m inside, I love gaming. Board games, card games, video games. I’m just really into that. Outside, I just like being in nature.
Q: Once again, the ends of the spectrum.
LR: Opposite ends of the spectrum. I do spend a lot of time outside, just sitting in a lounge chair, just enjoying the breeze, bourbon in hand, enjoying the sounds of nature.
Q: So what’s a fun/interesting fact about yourself?
LR: I once broke my kneecap in a competitive dodgeball league.
Q: What?
LR: Yeah. I tried to dodge like Neo, and I was not able to.
Q: First off, I did not know there were competitive dodgeball leagues.
LR: They exist. They’re out there.
Q: And you broke your knee? Like your kneecap?
LR: Yeah.
Q: I’m still having troubles picturing this. This is an aggressive game of dodgeball.
LR: I zigged when I should’ve zagged, and I dislocated my knee. I thought it was just a dislocation, but when I got it X-rayed, the kneecap was broken.
Q: That is definitely a fun fact. It’s horrible, but it’s very fun. Ok, last question: you’ve been kidnapped by terrorists. You need to pick the main characters from a video game to save you. Who are you picking and why?
LR: [Thinks pensively for some time] Probably a character like a Tom Clancy character. I don’t have an exact answer though. Wasn’t ready for this one. [Pensive thoughtfulness continues] Yeah, I still stick with my answer, a character from Tom Clancy. Maybe Master Chief from the Halo series.
Editor’s Note: After the recorded interview ended, Reiners shouted, “Jack Reacher! I should’ve said Jack Reacher!”
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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 and Shrubbery Drops this Week:
Local, etc -
Frontier Liquors - Grand Rapids
Raven Stone - Coleraine
Hotel Rapids - Grand Rapids
Bottles & Brews Liquors - Grand Rapids
Locker Room - Coleraine
SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids
Eagles Club - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Lake Store - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids
Boulder Taphouse - Grand Rapids
Sammy’s - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Grill - Grand Rapids
NoPo Coffee - Grand Rapids
Rocket’s - Cohasset
Duluth, etc -
SuperOne Liquor - Pike Lake
SuperOne Liquor - West Duluth
SuperOne Liquor - Cloquet
DECC - Duluth
Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace - Duluth
7 West - Duluth