Well, we hope you’re happy. Talking specifically to the skiers and snowmobilers amongst you, for we finally have achieved a good half-foot of snow and therefore are properly situated for a bit of winter recreation! Of course, that’s all thirsty work, so we’re doing our part by having a few cold pints waiting after all your cold play (is that how they got their name? Are they skiers?).
So when you’re done “viva la vida” in the great outdoors, under “a sky full of stars” while dodging the “yellow” snow, come to “my universe” where the beer flows like “magic” (apologies to all non-Coldplay fans. Heck, apologies to everyone). What I’m trying to say is we got some awesome beer, and a few decent reasons to swing by the tap room as well.
First reason is, well, the taproom is just a nice chill place to hang out with your beer. We’re told this all the time, how people like the cut of our jib. Between that and the wide selection of beer styles, you don’t really need another reason.
But we’ll give you some anyway. Second reason is this Sunday, Jan. 19, is Storyteller Sunday! Starting at 2 p.m., the theme this month is Transitions, where we hope to hear tales on all the ways we’ve made it onto the next chapters of our lives. As per usual, Micheal Goldberg will be on hand to record the speakers, all of whom will be candidates for inclusion on the weekly KAXE show, Stay Human.
On your average Storyteller Sunday, you can expect a few people with prepared pieces, plus a couple people who take the stage to tell a story off the cuff, usually inspired by previous stories. It’s all open mic this month, so come tell us of a transition in your life.
And yet another reason is Third Tuesday Trivia on Tuesday, Jan. 21! It’s bar trivia, so what more is there to even say?! I suppose I could add that the Trivia Master this month will be from Itasca Indivisible. That we’re once again doing trivia “auction style,” so you best practice being quick with your name paddle! Also that there are five categories, each with three levels per game, but it’ll take wild horses to get the category names out of me. For that, you’ll just have to show up on Tuesday (and because everyone asks, no, the categories don’t necessarily have anything to do with the participating non-profit each month). And furthermore, it should be said that teams can be comprised of up to six people, and the winners of each game get a free round of beer.
First of two games starts at 6 p.m., so get here early to sign up and be ready to answer obscure questions on life, the universe, and everything.*
EAT YOUR BEER!
We’re about due to check in with Zach to see how he likes to cook with beer. The dude didn’t disappoint. We’re talking Smoked Chili levels of didn’t disappoint! So without further adieu, here’s Zach Wood’s “Over the Top Chili.” First, the ingredients:
2 lbs beef
1 lb sausage (Zach prefers hot Italian, though breakfast sausage works great, too)
1-3 jalapeños (if you like more heat)
3 medium red onions
3 tablespoons garlic minced
5 cans tomatoes with juice (14 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
7oz Chipotles in Adobo sauce
2 cans Lundr’s Lager Smoked Lager (1 for the chili and 1 for you.)
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
3-5 tablespoons of your favorite chili seasoning to taste
Cayenne pepper if you'd like more heat (optional)
Zach uses a Dutch oven for everything, but you can use whatever works best. First, on the stovetop, sauté onions, garlic, and Chipotles until onions are translucent. After about 10 min, add in all your cans of tomatoes, beer, and chili seasoning and bring to a simmer.
For the meat, mix the beef and sausage together into a meatloaf to cook over the top of the chili for the day on a smoker. The meatloaf goes on a second rack or a cooling sheet above the chili (see picture below). Be sure to salt the meat and/or use a BBQ seasoning of your choice. If you don’t have a smoker or a grill, you can also just brown your meat and add that right into your pot and let it simmer two to four hours (or all day. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors come together).
Back to the smoker, set the smoker to 225 until the meat hits 165, which could take up to four hours. Once finished, crumble the meat into the chili and then let it simmer for a few more hours
Make sure to stir the chili every 30-40 minutes, especially in the smoker to help integrate any amount of “smoke crust.”
From there, as the French say, c’est done. Garnish however you prefer but to do it the Zach way, use shredded cheese and some jalapeños.
*42
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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 drops this past week:
Local, etc. -
Raven Stone - Coleraine
Boulder Taphouse - Grand Rapids
Pokegama Plaza Liquor - Grand Rapids
Pickled Loon - Grand Rapids
SuperOne Liquor - Grand Rapids
Dutch Room & Mad Dog’s Pizza - Grand Rapids
Timberlake Lodge - Grand Rapids
Smoke on the Water - Coleraine
Sugar Lake Lodge - Cohasset
Itasca Curling Association - Grand Rapids
Gosh Dam Place - Deer River
Westward, etc. -
Lakeview Liquor - Bemidji
First City Liquor - Bemidji
Northern Off Sale Liquor - Bemidji
Beehive Offsale Liquors - Bemidji
Bemidji Curling Club - Bemidji
Remer Municipal Liquor Store - Remer
Boulder Taphouse - Baxter
SuperOne Liquor - Crosby
SuperOne Liquor - Baxter
Westside Liquor - Baxter
Northward, etc. -
SuperOne Liquor - International Falls
The Rocky Ledge - Kabetogama
Ash Trail Lodge - Orr