FINNEGANS Releasing 8 New Beers Celebrating Darkest Week of the Year
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 4:12PM
Via a recent Press Release from FINNEGANS Brew Co.:
FINNEGANS Brew Co., long known as the first beer company to donate 100 percent of profits back to the community, is hosting Dark Week, a week-long spectacle wherein the brewery will release a new dark beer every day, starting on Sunday, January 13. Dark Week will culminate on Saturday, January 19 with an epic bottle release party for three of the dark beers.
Since joining the team as Head Brewer last year, Ryan Mihm has greatly expanded the FINNEGANS beer lineup. From easy drinking ales to barrel-aged brews with complex flavor profiles, Mihm and Assistant Brewer Logan McLean are showing Midwestern beer drinkers that FINNEGANS is more than an Irish Ale. Since opening their first-ever brewery in March 2018, Mihm and McLean have brewed more than 65 new varieties.
"We feel so lucky to have Ryan and Logan on the team. These guys clearly love what they do and have been exploring new flavors and brewing techniques since we opened," says Jacquie Berglund, Founder of FINNEGANS. "It’s post-holiday, the coldest, darkest, bleakest time of year. We wanted to do something to continue the brewing explorations while also breaking the cabin fever and encouraging Minnesotans to get out and have some fun."
The lineup of limited-release dark brews is varied and aims to please the palates of beer connoisseurs and casual sippers alike:
• Sunday 1/13: Smoked Baltic Porter – 6.5% ABV
Oak-smoked malt gives this beer a slight smoky flavor meshed with notes of chocolate and dark cocoa. This brew has a traditional lager mouthfeel with its fluffy body and creamy texture.
• Monday 1/14: Dark Rage Milk Stout – 6.66% ABV
This chocolate-forward milk stout was brewed with lactose sugar giving the beer a creamy silk-like mouthfeel and a smooth, slightly sweet finish.
• Tuesday 1/15: Black Tartan Scottish Stout – 8.5% ABV
This Scottish-influenced stout is brewed with maple syrup and hints of peat smoke, toffee and chocolate.
• Wednesday 1/16: Red Lodge Oatmeal Spruce Tips Porter – 6.9% ABV
Oatmeal porter brewed with Red Lodge, Montana blue spruce tips. Hints of lemon, orange, and two types of oats round out this porter to create a distinct yet subtle spruce flavor.
• Thursday 1/17: Dark Chocolate Mint Stout – 6.2% ABV
American stout brewed with dark cocoa nibs and mint leaves. This beer has hints of chocolate, mint, and roasted malt giving you a full-bodied dark beer option with a little something extra.
• Friday 1/18: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dead Irish Poet Extra Stout – 8.2% ABV
This is a smooth extra stout with hints of dark chocolate and stone fruit notes. Bourbon barrels impart oak, barrel vanilla, and a boozy finish.
• Saturday 1/19 – Two new dark brews:
Caorthannach Russian Imperial Stout – 9% ABV
Caorthannach is the name of the beast that St. Patrick defeated to get the snakes out of Ireland (and also the name of Satan’s mother!). This burly Russian Imperial stout is a full-bodied brew with complex malt, mild smoke and fruit notes.
Pinot Noir & Whiskey Barrel-Aged Caorthannach – 10.3% ABV
This Imperial stout was aged for 6 months in former pinot noir barrels that were then used for a 10-year-old whiskey.
“We’re always trying new things and dreaming up the next concoction,” says Mihm, who recently brewed a brown stout in an actual 1,600 pound gourd. “We typically turn to local farmers to source ingredients that go into our beers, but sometimes inspiration strikes when you’re on vacation! Logan foraged 9 pounds of spruce tips while in Montana this summer, which we used in our Red Lodge Oatmeal Spruce Tips Porter.”
Dark Week will feature a loyalty card of sorts, encouraging patrons to visit the brewery every day of the week to try each new dark beer. Beer drinkers with a punch for every beer will get a free 10 oz glass of Caorthannach Russian Imperial Stout on the final day of Dark Week – and the ability to hop to the front of the line to purchase bottles of the limited-release brews.
Partygoers attending the bottle release event on Saturday 1/19 can enjoy live music starting at 3:30 pm and will have a chance to meet the brewing team. In addition to the Dark Week beer offerings, FINNEGANS will have their core 3 beers (Irish Ale, Tile Factory Mosaic IPA and East Town Pilsner) on tap and tasty snack pairings available during the event.
FINNEGANS Brew Co. is located at 817 S 5th Ave in Minneapolis. Brewery hours are 2 pm-10 pm Sunday – Thursday and 12 pm-12 am Friday and Saturday, with the exception of Saturday 1/19 when they’ll open at 11 am for guests anxious to try the mighty Caorthannach.
About FINNEGANS Brew Co.
FINNEGANS – Turning beer into food. Founded in 2000 in Minneapolis, FINNEGANS is a self-sustaining and inspirational social business. Through sales of its ever-expanding roster of beers, FINNEGANS has created an innovative business model driving the company to create community wealth through the donation of all of its profits to the FINNEGANS Community Fund (501c3). The Fund supports hunger alleviation programs in every market where FINNEGANS is sold, which includes MN, WI, ND, SD and IA. Now, is there a better reason to raise a pint of FINNEGANS?
