We don’t feel old, but we’re certainly no spring chickens anymore. I mean, 7!?! It was exciting coming up to our anniversary last week, but now that it’s passed, all we have is the realization of the indifferent passage of time, and the cold comfort that we’re wizened from our years as we ignore the inevitable decay of our bodies.
Which is why we went for a group bike ride last night! We’re not giving up without a fight!
Our Biking for Beer: A Spooky Spokes Bicycle Pub Crawl was, dare I say, not scary at all. In fact, we all had a lovely time! Especially as we looked at the forecast the week prior and saw cold rain projected for yesterday, odds seemed good that the ride was going to be cancelled. And sure enough, it did rain in the morning, but it gave way to mere overcast skies that even broke up a bit in the late afternoon, and the temperature hovered around the mid-40s. Honestly, one could ask for waaay worse weather for a bike ride.
And what’s more, about half of us dressed up for the occasion. A special thanks to Jon from Ardent Bicycles for being our repair and tire pump guy, and for doing the whole ride in a hot dog costume!
But still we must look forward. The past might be pretty and sparkly, but we can’t dwell on it lest we miss the present and fail to prepare for the future. Good thing we planned ahead and got our order in for the Minnesota Beer Day annual limited edition pint glasses!! It may not be a major holiday. It might not be cause for people to gather around the table and say what they’re thankful for. We may not spend a month putting up decorations for MN Beer Day, or sing Beer Day carols. But it’s the day that we hoist a glass, literally and metaphorically, to the “brave” men and women who go to work every day to bring that glorious craft malt beverage that we all love into the world and into your hands. That alone sounds like something worth celebrating. And if it’s not, you can just come on in for our day-long happy hour! In addition to the $10 pint glasses that come with a free first fill, we’ll be doing $5 pints all day! So c’mon in on Friday, Nov. 1 for MN Beer Day!
Now someone just needs to work on some MN Beer Day carols. Perhaps “Oh IPA Oh IPA, how hoppy are your bubbles.” Or maybe “On the first day of Craftsmas my true love gave to me, a Pale Ale that’s not too piney.” No? Ok, we’ll keep working on it.
In the meanwhile, if you just wanna do some fun group sing-a-long, perhaps we can tempt you here this Saturday for our Rocky Horror Picture Show night! We’ll be doing a full audience participation viewing, with all the cursing and jeering and toast throwing one has come to expect from a respectable Rocky Horror night. We’ll have short cue scripts so that y’all know what to do, but let’s face it, there are plenty of people who know the movie like the back of their hands, so we’re not exactly gonna stop you if you wanna sing along or throw out your favorite jeer.
Movie will be at 10 p.m., and prior to that, we’ll be having music from The Time Warp, a GR based psychedelic groove band that is not actually called The Time Warp but are temporarily named that for the night. See, we’re all getting in the spirit of things! Music at 8 p.m., movie at 10 p.m., and then we just set you nuts loose on an unsuspecting world.
THEN GO VOTE ON TUESDAY!!
We Barley Know You, But We Hop to Change That. It’s the Yeast We Can Do: Chad Yost of Chad’s Meat Wagon
Question: As the owner of Chad’s Meat Wagon, how long have you been running the trailer, and how long have you been coming here?
Chad Yost: Funny story, I started this seven years ago. My first year in operation was also Klockow’s first year. I was brand new, they were brand new, and I would say we just entered into an incredible partnership, business owner to business owner. We actually did the soft opening, the day they opened with the family, friends, and employees that helped turn this into the brewery. And the following day we were here for the grand opening for the public. So we’ve been here since day one!
Q: Fortuitous timing! So in all that time, do you have a favorite Klockow beer?
CY: I’m not a big beer drinker. But I do like that Upwind (Irish Blonde Ale). That’s my favorite.
Q: When you’re not drinking the Upwind, what do you like to drink?
CY: I drink whiskey mostly, as my choice of alcoholic beverages. If it’s a beer and I’m at home, I’ll usually just drink a Mich Golden Light. I’m not a very robust connoisseur of darker, heavier beers. [laughs]
Q: This might be a silly question to ask, but what’s your favorite food?
CY: You know, gosh, people ask that, but I don’t know if I have a favorite! Everybody loves pizza. My go-to, at a restaurant, if I can get fried chicken, that’s probably my favorite.
Q: But you are famously known for your barbecue. Do you have a favorite thing to make that you sell in the Meat Wagon?
CY: My ribs, on the bone, that’s my favorite. I take the most pride in my ribs because that’s the reason I started cooking barbecue was because I like ribs and I could never find a rib place around that was consistently giving me what I want. I’m not a competition cooker. I cook for my customers and what I like, and that’s for the ribs to fall off the bone and be tender. So I started that, and that’s my number one favorite thing that I do.
Q: Well you do a good job with that!
CY: Thank you!
Q: Obviouosly you are the owner of Chad’s Meat Wagon as well as its namesake. Tell me a bit about what the day in the life is like in the Wagon?
CY: A lot of people think that owning a food trailer would be fun. Your get to sit outside and sell. And that’s the culmination of our day, when we’re sitting out with the window open. But there’s so much work that goes on in my driveway at home, all the meat prep and the smoking and the pulling and constantly cleaning inside. So there’s a lot of work that goes in to sitting for a day.
A lot of our pork butts will cook prior the day we sit. And then I’ll put the meat in, get it hot and ready to serve that day. But our ribs and everything else on the menu is prepared fresh the day that we sit. Our morning starts off with getting everything prepped and ready to go so that when we show up here at the brewery, the food is hot and ready to be served so customers aren’t waiting.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
CY: I’m an avid hunter. I fish a little bit in the summer, but not much. The fall is my time. Many people out there might recognize my email address as duckaholic68@yahoo.com. I took that email address way back when email first started because I’m an avid duck hunter. I go to North Dakota every year and spend time out there duck hunting. And November is rolling in so I’m getting ready for deer season. That’s pretty much what I like to do. I work my summers so I can live in the fall.
Q: What would be fun/interesting fact about yourself that people might not know?
CY: The people that know me well just know that I love being around people. I’m a very outgoing person and I really enjoy the interactions with my customers and visiting. One thing that people may not know about me is how passionate I am about my business. If I meet someone new, or if I’m talking to a couple on the phone about a wedding, I talk very fast, I get very loud, I get very excited about what I believe in and what I do with my business. I guess the more I talk, the louder I get! [laughs]
That and I’ve done stand up and I write poetry! I did it about four times at the Joke Joint Comedy Club in the cities. And that dream’s not dead. So we’ll see.
Q: Last question: If you could eat barbecue with anyone, living or dead, who would you pick and why?
CY: My mom. My mom passed away back in 2020, so she’s never really got to see what I’ve done as far as the cooking aspect of my life. My mom cooked at various restaurants in the area and was a fabulous cook - always cooked our meals growing up. I would like her to see what I’ve done. Part of her lives on in me through my cooking. So I would love to share one of my meals with my mom.
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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
Itasca Curling Association - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids
Smoke on the Water - Coleraine
Sammy’s - Grand Rapids
Pickled Loon - Grand Rapids
Eagles Club - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods North - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids
Raven Stone - Coleraine
Ron’s Korner Market - Bovey
Hollywood Bait - Bovey
Duluth, etc -
New Scenic Cafe - Duluth
7 West - Duluth
Boulder Tap House - Superior
Wussow’s Concert Cafe - Duluth
SuperOne Liquor - Duluth
SuperOne Liquor - Pike Lake
Dovetail Cafe - Duluth
McGregor -
Big Zandy Zorbaz - McGregor