Big things are a brewin’. And I ain’t just talking about beer.
Ok, so maybe that’s over-selling things a bit, but wouldn’t you be all wide-eyed with excitement after such an amazing weekend? Riverfest was a great success, not to mention we sold a crap-ton of beer. But let’s back up a little bit; this is supposed to be the recap portion of the blog, after all.
Ardent readers may recall how we were excited to see Brothers Burn Mountain on Friday. Well, we got the news early in the day that they were sadly having to cancel the show last minute due to an injury. So if you came into the taproom for anything other than a beer and/or to see Nathan behind the bar, you were out of luck. But on Saturday, we loaded up the Klock-Box with kegs and plenty of shrubbery to bring over to the library where our beer trailer was sitting in wait for the day ahead. We tapped the lines and iced it all down while listening to the Riverfest line-up do sound tests in the distance. And then the floodgates opened and… we were never bogged down because we were set up to be a well-oiled machine from the very beginning.
Sorry, if you were looking for a story about how we got our asses handed to us by the Spoon fan club, it just didn’t happen. Takes more than thousands of thirsty festival goers to get us down!
But as we bid adieu to Riverfest, we can now look ahead to other things. I did say things are brewing, after all! Of course, we’re continuing our preparations for Klocktoberfest! It’s one of our biggest days of the year, and the release of our Münchkin Märzen is a hotly anticipated event in its own right! Well, first step is done, and now we await the big event (with a pint of Münchkin in hand at least).
First though, we here at Klockow Brewing are excited to be hosting Iron Range: Radiance Drag Show! If you liked them at Itasca Pride, you’re going to love them at the brewery! We’re doing one of our rare after-hour, cover-charge events for the show this Saturday, Sept. 14. So starting at 9 p.m., be here to see Range-area performers such as ThatQueerIsa, Dixie Diamond, Spectrum, IzzySain, and Clint Toures! Tickets are $15 and are available at the door.
As a side note, some of you may be aware of the push back we’ve received regarding this show. You’ve maybe also noticed a lack of response from us, but that’s only due to our proud policy of not feeding the trolls. For anyone who has a problem with the existence of drag performers, all we can say is just don’t come. For as odd as it is to have to remind people of this, there is no existential threat due to flamboyant costumes coupled with dancing and lip singing. I dunno, just remove the stick and try to find some joy in your lives or something.
Everyone else, we’ll see you on Saturday!!
We Barley Know You, But We Hop to Change That. It’s the Yeast We Can Do: Kyle Lussier
Question: How long have you been a regular here?
Kyle Lussier: Since the first time coming here, which I would say December of 2020, when you could only be outside. Yeah, pretty much ever since then.
Q: What do you think of the inside then, now that you’re allowed in?
KL: I like it. I like the new tables. Missing the pews, but you know. Entropy is underlying, everything is going to break down and change at some point.
Q: Sorry, they were too full of church farts. [Laughs] But in all this time, what’s your favorite Klockow beer?
KL: I’ve been thinking about this all day. I’ve got two. I’m going 22 Hop Road (Fresh Hop Pale Ale), and Absence of Light (Black IPA), which I feel like has only been here once. But it needs to be here more. [Laughs]
Q: Well one of those is coming back soon! But when you’re not drinking Klockow beer, what do you like to drink?
KL: I drink a lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon. I drink kind of a rotating domestic beer. So it might be Old Style. It might be Hamm’s. Might be PBR. And from there, anything local, pale ale, IPA. Bent Paddle, Summit, Fulton, all the hits. All the classics.
Q: Widely available and easy to choose. Sticking with the general theme, what are some of your favorite foods?
KL: Favorite foods. Hmm… That’s tough. I think more, I guess, in cuisines and ingredients. So Thai food, for sure. Raw fish, whether that’s sushi - Japanese, or crudo - Mediterranean. Um, cilantro… like bowls of it. [Laughs] Citrus… Acidic foods. Spicy foods.
Q: This basically leads into the next one: what do you do for a living?
KL: I’m a chef by trade. Currently I get paid to cut grass. So my heart’s in the kitchen; my wallet’s on the golf course.
Q: But you may be doing that temporarily, but you’re in the process of starting a restaurant.
KL: Yes, in the process of opening a restaurant (The Pines). Been working on it for four years, and it should be open, hopefully, in the next six months.
Q: So going back… maybe some of the favorite foods will lead into this, but tell me about some of the food that will be at this restaurant?
KL: It’ll be casual fine dining. Upscale but not stuffy. So sustainable seafood, local agriculture as much as possible, seasonal rotating menu, and whatever else pops into my mind!
Q: So just as loose as your favorite foods.
KL: Yes, exactly. All the good stuff! That’s the best way to put it.
Kyle Lussier happily at the Pabst brewery.
Q: So if it’s good, it’ll be there. No doubt opening a restaurant is a lot of work, and you have a side job in addition. What do you like to do for fun though?
KL: What do I like to do for fun? I golf. I consume a lot of YouTube media. Movies. Been crushing podcasts for the last four or five months, so that’s been fun. Mostly history podcasts. Um, hanging out with my dog and my wife. And bellying up to bars. That’s a passion! Something I’m pretty good at too. [Laughs]
Q: So what’s a fun/interesting fact about yourself?
KL: Let’s see here… I played drums for 20 years in a variety of crazy, weird, experimental rock bands. I was also in a Harry Nilsson tribute band. Spent many, many years thinking that I was going to make it in the music world. But then I realized I could make it in the cooking world instead. And they actually pay you! [Laughs]
Q: Oh yeah, people will pay good money for food! But last question: Michael Bay is directing a movie about you. What kind of adventure are we going on?
KL: We’re definitely going on, like, a whirlwind, 3-day bender across the entire planet where you try to eat as much delicious food and drink as much local beer as possible. But there’s explosions everywhere I go, because it’s Michael Bay.
Q: How’re you saving the world by doing this?
KL: Because there’s such an abundance of good food and beer that it needs to be dealt with, and there’s only one man who will take the job. [Laughs]
Q: One man with the gumption!
KL: Yeah, that’s right, one man with the appetite and the thirst!
Q: I’d see that. I may not see it twice, but I’d check it out.
KL: And it’ll be Matt Damon playing me also. He’s got the blend of seriousness, dashing good looks, and also a little silliness.
~
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 -
Raven Stone - Coleraine
SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids
Dutch Room & Mad Dog’s Pizza - Grand Rapids
Frontier Liquors - Grand Rapids
Hotel Rapids - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods North - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Foods South - Grand Rapids
Smoke on the Water - Coleraine
Pokegama Grill - Grand Rapids
Bemidji, etc. -
Liquor Lodge - Turtle River
Beehive Offsale Liquors - Bemidji
First City Liquor - Bemidji
Lakeview Liquor - Bemidji
Keg n’ Cork - Bemidji
International Falls, etc. -
Gateway General Store - Kabetogama
The Rocky Ledge - Kabetogama
SuperOne Liquor - International Falls