The Blog

Indeed is a growing brewery, and things are getting a little tight round these parts, especially in the taproom area.  As Co-founder and Director of Operations Tom Whisenand told reporter Clare Kennedy at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, "The demand for taprooms has grown like crazy and ours has only gotten busier. Our biggest complaint now is that people can't get in." Now, we're not whining! This is a great problem to have. But we thought, why not work to make a little more room for everyone to enjoy if we can?

Enter our as-yet-unnamed second taproom! It's a work in progress, but we've got big plans for the space, housed on the first floor of the Solar Arts Building down the hall from our current taproom. Not only will we pour and serve beer at our newly installed 17-foot bar and accommodate overflow from the busy taproom, but we'll also have a gift shop for guests to peruse our latest selection of Indeed merch, and an increased capacity for private events, currently only held on Mondays and Tuesdays when our main taproom is closed.

The crew has been chipping away at this major project behind the scenes; construction, wiring, plumbing, and all the technical details of the space are well underway. If everything goes swimmingly, we expect to open the new space to the public by July. Stay tuned for developments along the way! We can't wait to throw the door up and welcome you in.

Freewheeling on two wheels, sun on your face, wind in your hair; it's all fine and dandy until someone gets a flat due to an improperly-inflated tube.

Friends don't let friends ride unprepared. So grab your biking buddies and stop in to the Indeed Brewing taproom this Sunday, May 31st, from 12-3pm for a free bike check-over from the folks at Varsity Bike & Transit! Where else can you enjoy a cold Let it Ride IPA on the patio while the pros from Varsity complete a complimentary inspection on your bike? Check out the event and RSVP on Facebook.

Swing by this Sunday and get your bike a clean bill of health so you can 'hop on' all summer long.

Let it Ride IPA, two ways: Hazy, turbid beer on the left; clear, bright beer on the right, after a spin in the centrifuge.

The topic of beer clarity can get a little, ahem, hazy. So we sat down with Indeed Brewing Company's Quality Manager Daniel Howell to see if he could shed some light on a cloudy subject.

Daniel Howell, Quality Manager

What is beer clarity? Why does it matter?

Clarity is simply how clear a beer is or, in technical terms, a lack of turbidity. Chefs often say that you eat with your eyes first, and I would contend it is the same for beer. The clarity of a beer is the first impression that we, the brewers, get to make with the consumer. The desired clarity of our beer can vary from brand to brand from hazy, like Shenanigans Summer Ale, to very bright, like Let it Ride IPA. Whatever the style, we strive to achieve consistent clarity in every can or pint of Indeed beer consumed.

What causes haze?

When fermentation is complete, all beer is hazy and turbid. The overall turbidity of the beer can have contributions from all the ingredients that go into making beer, including yeast, malt, and hops.

Does Indeed filter their beer?

Most of the beer produced worldwide is filtered. However, at Indeed we have decided not to filter our beer. Filtering strips some of the natural character from the beer, and we've decided that we would prefer to present a beer to our customers that has the maximum possible character. Filtration also creates a large amount of waste. After filtration, the filter medium must be disposed of and, while compostable options do exist, this disposal typical means more refuse that is destined for the landfill.

What does Indeed do to reduce the haze in their beer?

Without filtration, there are three primary options to reduce haze in our beer: time, temperature, and "accelerated gravity" from our centrifuge.

• After fermentation is complete, all of Indeed's beers spend time in the fermentation tank conditioning, which allows the haze-causing particles to form and settle.
• After fermentation is complete, our beer is cooled to approximately 32F (or colder) to encourage haze particle to settle.
• If left cold for enough time, most of beer would become exceptionally bright. But, for many of our beers, that means we would be selling an already aged product. Instead, we use a centrifuge separator that, in a sense, "accelerates" gravity. The beer passing through a series a plates that are spinning very fast such that the particles in the beer are thrown to the side and the clear beer passes through.

After all that, why do I sometimes get hazy Indeed beer?

After our beer is centrifuged, it is very clear. But after centrifugation, the beer packaged, and exposed to a rather harsh environment: turbulence, oxygen and heat. All these "enemies of beer" combine to promote the combination of malt proteins and hop polyphenols. These newly formed particles start small and get bigger as the beer continues to age. Initially, these new particles are only visible when the beer is cold and will re-dissolve when the beer is warmed. Thus, this is aptly named "chill haze". As the particle grow even larger, they no longer re-dissolve when warmed and are referred to as "permanent haze".

How does this haze effect my beer?

The simple answer is that it doesn't. Neither of these forms of haze are more than cosmetic. They do not affect the flavor, aroma, or mouthfeel of the beer at all.

Well, there you have it, folks. Beer clarity, clarified! Thanks, Daniel.

Hungry Creatures is a new feature about pairing, eating, and cooking with Indeed beer.

So, technically, summer starts on the solstice. But hey, it’s been a long, cold winter and we’re ready to roll with everything the season has to offer. It’s time for camping gear and lawn games, a hammock and a fishing pole. Oh, and parties. Lots of parties. Everyone you know is currently coming out of hibernation and ready to kick it in the sunshine with a beer.

Are you ready to be a backyard barbeque hero this summer? Hungry Creatures is here with a simple recipe for beer-soaked, slushy party treats to share: Frozen Watermelon Shenanigans. All you need is a watermelon and our Shenanigans Summer Ale. Ball or cube up the watermelon into a wide shallow bowl, soak with a can or two cans of Shenanigans, and let sit at room temperature. After an hour or so, spread the ale-infused fruit onto a sheet pan and pop into the freezer for at least an hour. Share, and watch the shenanigans unfold.

Just in time for your long weekend, our Shenanigans Summer Ale is now available in 12 packs! That means you can throw together a batch of Frozen Watermelon Shenanigans with plenty of beer left to throw in the cooler, too. Pick up a Shenanigans 12 pack or two and tote one along wherever your Memorial Day weekend takes you for double the summertime shenanigans.

Wow. Just, wow! Whirlygig knocked our socks off.

The music? First Avenue nailed it. The food? So tasty. The beer? Let's just say it was hard to pick a crowd favorite, but L.S.D. and the new Dandy Lager topped the list outdoors, while Wooden Soul #2 and Arnie Palmer-infused Shenanigans got some serious play in the taproom.

We had some fun with new additions to the party, including a 5K run from MN Brewery Running Series, a neat DIY whirlygig station created by our crafty friends at GetKnit Events, and Blue Goose Photo Booth capturing the Whirlygig shenanigans from inside their vintage VW van.

You know we have to shout out our staff, who worked their magic behind the scenes from every corner of the brewery. If you don't mind us getting a little sappy, the teamwork was really something else. And if you didn't notice how much work it takes to put on a party like this, good! We did it right.

Above all, Whirlygig was a hit thanks to you. You came out in droves and spent some of your Art-a-Whirl with us, between gallery tours, performance pieces, maker fairs, and everything else this incredible Northeast weekend has to offer.

Stepping back from the chaos and looking out over the packed parking lot as Saturday night headliner Mark Mallman played to a rain-soaked crowd of smiling, dancing people with Indeed beer in hand -- for us, it doesn't get much better than that.

Let's do it again next year, yeah?

Photos by Stephen Maturen