Hello all!
Like the most steadfast of armies, time marches on. Is it truly mid-May already? Are we in actuality on the threshold of summer? Yes, and as evidence of that, we’ll be hanging out with our friends at Rapids Radio tomorrow at their Kick Off to Summer BBQ, where we’ll be giving out samples and enjoying burgers from S&S Meats! If you want to know more or just have an affordable lunch with some decent company, swing by Rapids Radio at 507 SE 11th Street in Grand Rapids between noon and 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. You can chat with the DJs, and if you’re lucky, get to talk to Nathan from Klockow Brewing while he pours you a sample.
Also looking forward, this being the third week of the month, it is time once again for Storyteller Sunday at the brewery! For those who are unfamiliar, Klockow has teamed up with Michael Goldberg, producer of KAXE’s weekly Stay Human radio show, which shares stories from local and regional writers on a host of different topics. And each month on the third Sunday (part of our Sunday Funday series), we open our stage for a live version of the show from 1 to 3 p.m. This month’s topic: Growth! So think flowers, then think about yourself, and all the ways that you’ve grown as a person professionally, personally, and periodontically (sorry, couldn’t think of another P-word; though if your teeth are in fact growing, please consult your local periodontist). And once you’ve done that, come to the brewery to share with the community your achievements so that we might celebrate them with you!
Unless, of course, it’s the teeth thing.
The late great Aaron Wenger. Before his recent passing, he was a regular favorite on Stay Human and Storyteller Sunday.
NEW BEER ALERT:
Well, not exactly “new,” as we’ve been making Siduri’s Garden Saison for some time now; it’s just coming back again! As winter turns to spring and spring to summer, there are fewer things better than an easy-drinking, flavorful, spritzy saison, and Siduri’s Garden is a fine example of what you should be reaching for.
And for those of you who don’t know what a saison is, we hope your life outside of beer nerd-dom is healthy and fulfilling. But if you want to know, it’s a style of beer that originally hails from Belgium, influenced by the farmhouse ales born out of the pastoral settings of northern France around the Belgian border. Those beers were often made out of what just happened to be around, which was largely malted spelt with only a small amount of barley. For added flavor, other ingredients such as ginger and orange zest were common.
Modern practices have changed some of the ingredients, but the flavor profile has remained the same. Our Siduri’s Garden continues the tradition of added ingredients and uses ginger, coriander, rosemary, and grains of paradise.
It’s not out yet, but keep your eyes peeled for this delightful brew on tap and in cans soon!
We Barley Know You, But We Hop to Change That. It’s the Yeast We Can Do: Zach Wood
Question: How long have you worked here?
Zach Wood: Ooh, that’s a really good question. I wanna say 4ish years, but I think I’ve been full-time now for about a little over 2 years.
Q: And in that time, what is your favorite Klockow beer?
ZW: I don’t have to think twice about that: Supply Line (Hazy IPA). Well, Double Dry-Hop Supply Line. I’ll get a little fancy on that; I like that. Also, it’s kind of a way of hinting to Andy that we need to do Double Dry-Hop Supply Line again if he reads this.
Q: When you’re not drinking Klockow beer, what do you like to drink?
ZW: (Sigh) How much time do we have? So much. There’s so many good breweries that I feel terrible if I’m going to leave half of them out. Um, lately it’s been a lot of Ursa Minor; big Drekker fan; Junkyard, who I wish was in the area, but when I can find it is phenomenal; Bemidji Brewing is awesome. It’s awesome that they are here. I’m going to say “awesome” so many times, so edit “awesome” out if you would.
Q: Or I’ll just include that sentence.
ZW: You could. You definitely could. Um, yeah, there’s just so many good ones. Falling Knife! Oh, and RBC (Rapids Brewing Company).
Q: Sticking with the theme of things we like to ingest, what are some of your favorite foods?
ZW: Again, how much time do we have? As much as needed? So like anybody in their late to mid 30s, you have to pick something that you’re going to get really into, and smoked meats became my thing. So pretty much anything on the grill. I love grilling in the summer, in the winter, it doesn’t matter what time of year it is.
Ribs, pulled pork, brisket… Supper underrated: smoked cream cheese! Fantastic. Super easy, and people always love it.
Can’t go wrong with tacos either.
Q: So what do you do at the brewery?
ZW: Whatever they need me to do! I do a lot of the local sales here. I’ll bartend when needed. Driving Max and Andy insane in back trying to learn how to brew. Yeah, just whatever needs to get done that week or that day.
Q: Are you trying to learn the brewing side because you want to become a brewer?
ZW: Yeah, that’s the ideal situation, for sure. No secret on that one. You can ask Andy and Max on that!
Q: What do you like for fun?
ZW: I like to grill a lot! (Laughs) Recently picked up the game of golf. I am absolutely terrible at it, but so far I’m just enjoying it with the summer coming. So I’m learning the ins-and-outs of that.
Q: What’s a fun/interesting fact about yourself?
ZW: Oh, that’s a good curve ball. Wasn’t ready for that one.
The first thing that comes to my head — it was so long ago — but I used to play music all the time and was fortunate enough to go and do a small U.S. tour with a bunch of really good friends that I grew up with. We were on the road for 32 days and played 28 shows… to maybe 29 people. (Laughs) But it was still just an absolute blast. Just terrible punk rock music. Hopefully we were in tune. But it was a lot of fun. Lot of great memories from that.
Q: When was that?
ZW: Probably 2008 or 2009, I believe.
Q: The last question, if you could commit a non-violent crime with impunity, which one would you pick and why?
ZW: Ooh, that’s a great one. I mean, the low-hanging fruit is to rob a bank, but I don’t need that. That’s not my style. But the first and the stupidest thing that comes to my mind is to smuggle illegal fireworks for the Fourth of July! (Laughs) I don’t know why, but that was the first… I mean, because the state of Minnesota won’t let you have the fun fireworks and so it’d be like “hell yeah, we’re gonna have good fireworks this year!”
~
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 -
Sugar Lake Lodge - Cohasset
Timberlake Lodge - Grand Rapids
Municipal Liquor Store - Remer
Smoke on the Water - Coleraine
Red Eye - Swan River
Boulder Taphouse - Grand Rapids
Pickled Loon - Grand Rapids
Eagles Club - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquors - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods North - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods South - Grand Rapids
Dutch Room - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Lake Store - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Liquors - Grand Rapids
Frontier Liquors - Grand Rapids
Twin Cities & Surrounding Areas -
Ombibulous
South Lyndale
Stinson
Isanti Municipal Liquor Store
Vintage Pub - Askov
Brainerd Lakes Area -
Jack Pine Brewery
SuperOne Liquor - Baxter
SuperOne Liquor - Crosby
St Cloud Area -
Westside Liquor - East St. Cloud