The Blog

Fast and loose. Up for anything. That’s our Derailed Series. It’s a breeding ground for new ideas, and a welcome chance for our brewers to break out of their everyday routines and recipes. These guys are experts at brewing the beers you know and love, but they’ve each got their own backgrounds and taste and technique they bring with them; Derailed offers them a chance to test, to play, to create. If our flagship beers are our foundation, and the seasonals are our four walls, then Derailed beers are the personalized touches around the house, the things you don’t really need but which fill a place with personality. Like a vintage tiki bar in the basement. Or taxidermy.

Thanks to the Derailed Series, and our adventures in infusion and casked beer, we were able to represent at an event like the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild’s Winterfest 2015 with 12 different styles of beer poured over the course of two nights, almost all of which were rare, limited release, or otherwise unique to the festival. It was a treat for us to share these beers with this group of craft beer enthusiasts, beers like the previously retired Derailed BeCherry aged in port barrels, our newly released Derailed Bock, and big hits of the weekend like our Margarita Mexican Cousin infused with lime and salt, and the wildly popular Apricot Saison. We had a blast, and being voted Best Brewery on Friday, February 27 of Winterfest 2015 was a happy bonus! Cultivating Derailed and its spin-offs embraces exploration, and allows us to fill out our line-up with out-of-the-box brews.

So, what’s on tap for Derailed right now? Let’s revisit that Bock. Toasty and nutty, with aromas of caramel and juicy raisins, our Derailed Series Bock was masterfully crafted by brewer Dan Stavig with an all-German malt bill, German hops, and “the power of the Reinheitsgebot [German beer purity law].” Dan comes to us by way of Schell’s Brewing Company, and as he puts it, “Working at Schell's for a couple years gave me a passion for German lagers. There's never a shortage of hoppy ales at Indeed, so I figured a big but balanced lager would be a nice change of pace, both from a brewing/fermentation standpoint and from a drinking one.” Malty and satisfying, Dan’s Derailed Bock pours a deep mahogany brown and goes down smoothly with a luxurious mouthfeel. Round-bodied, well-balanced, and warming, it’s just the kind of liquid bread we need to see us through to Spring.

Thirsty yet? Then come see us in the taproom! With the exception of festivals and special tappings around town, our taproom is often the only place to get a taste of the latest Derailed Series offerings. We're hearing whispers of Derailed beers to come, from an oatmeal stout, to a session IPA, to an homage to a local donut shop's much-loved maple stick (fingers crossed). Stop in, see what's new, and stay awhile. You might just be shoulder to shoulder with the brewer behind that beer in your hand.