The Blog

Spooky season is in full force at Indeed. We're bringing back our popular Halloween Flight Night this year to both taprooms and a costume contest in Minneapolis.

It’s Spooky Flight Night season at our Minneapolis and Milwaukee taprooms. Try the following candy-inspired beers complete with their respective fun-sized treat.

How did you get into brewing?

My older brother, Chris, introduced me to homebrewing sometime around 2008. We did our first brew session in his kitchen in South Minneapolis (a Summit EPA clone I believe, while drinking many, many Summit EPAs) and I fell in love with the process right then and there. Brewing didn’t end up sticking with my brother, so a year or so later he gave me all his homebrewing gear and I hit the ground running. I had worked as an Assistant Chef throughout most of high school and college and I enjoyed the translations between brewing and cooking, something that would ultimately lead me towards a deep exploration into infusing finished beer with all kinds of ingredients here at Indeed.

I knew I wanted to pursue brewing as a career, but I didn’t have any money to attend Siebel Institute for a formal education. So, I decided to give up my social life for at least a year to study every brewing book I could get my hands on whenever I wasn’t at my soul-destroying day job. In 2013 I took the plunge and got a job at Northern Brewer in St Paul, which exposed me to all kinds of brewing professionals, textbooks, ingredients, and, of course, tons of homebrew and craft beer. It was simply a matter of luck when a year later the owners of a then soon-to-open brewery called “HammerHeart” waltzed into the shop one day asking if we knew of anyone interested in a part time assistant brewer job. My coworkers all pointed to me. I spent two years at HammerHeart learning how to brew on a larger scale, and was promoted to Brewer shortly after I started.

Long live The Queen.

Formerly known as Whiskey Queen, this whiskey barrel-aged Imperial Stout is now known simply as The Queen. Same beer, new name (and, in fact, same beer as Rum King—just a different barrel). At 10.5% ABV, The Queen starts her journey to the throne as a pitch-black Imperial Stout, aged over seven months in American whiskey barrels to develop complex vanilla, chocolate and coconut aromas and a signature boozy finish. Warm, yet authoritative, The Queen boasts an unforgettable silky mouthfeel backed by roasted malt and oak flavors. An iron fist in a velvet glove, she rules.

We’re commemorating the occasion in royal fashion.

• In cans: This is the first time we’re packaging The Queen for distribution; available in a liquor store near you. We've done the aging for you, so don't let her sit idle in the fridge.

• On tap: On tap now in bars/restaurants and in the Minneapolis taproom Thursday, Feb. 27

• Flight Night: We’re infusing The Queen with four flavor combinations on Thursday, Feb. 27: Dogwood NEON Espresso and Vanilla Bean; Cacao Nibs and Orange Zest; Cherry and Coconut; and Ginger and Lemon Zest. RSVP on Facebook.

• Royal Crush: To properly commemorate the occasion, we’re having a bottle release party on Saturday, Feb. 29. Beginning at 12pm, there will be 300 bottles available of The Queen Brewer’s Reserve ($30 a bottle, limit of two). Among the festivities to honor The Queen is a chess tournament; RSVP to the event on Facebook and sign up for the tournament here.

It’s about that time of year when we trade in our sunny shandys and summer ales for something we can really cozy up to on a chilly night. We’ve seen the aisles fill up with pumpkin spice & everything nice, but frankly – we’re bored with the gourds. Presenting your fall beer alternative, Yamma Jamma Harvest Ale, our ode to crunchy leaves, casseroles and sweater weather. Brewed with real sweet potatoes and a signature blend of spices, Yamma Jamma is your call to the fall.