Bad Weather combines both, with this special brew, kickoff
Craft beer and Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt lovers, I have some great news that I can finally share!
The Pioneer Press is partnering with St. Paul’s Bad Weather Brewing to release a very special, limited-release Treasure Hunt beer.
The Dark Cream Ale will be released in the brewery’s St. Paul taproom at an event Jan. 19, the day before the annual Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt officially begins.
The event, which will run from noon to midnight, will include an outdoor ice bar, Treasure Hunt trivia, all-day raffles and a viewing of the 2005 documentary about the Treasure Hunt, “No Time for Cold Feet.”
Tiki Tim’s food truck will be onsite, and likely a pop-up from a nearby restaurant — details on that are still to come.
Bundle up and hit the ice bar, which will reside on the brewery’s patio and will include 100 mugs — made of ice! — that you can pay a little extra to drink from.
Hunters are encouraged to stop by the brewery and share their stories and visit with some special guests, including Rob Brass, a three-time finder of the medallion; Jesse Anibas, author of the official “Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt History” book and Steve Worthman, the “MapGuy” and author of “The Treasure Hunter’s Guide,” which is filled with maps of Ramsey County public spaces. Our official Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt reporter, Lisa Legge, also will be in attendance, and Pioneer Press Marketing Vice President Lori Swanson and I will each take a turn guest bartending at the ice bar.
Treasure Hunt trivia will run from 3 to 5 p.m., and the special guests will be available after 5 p.m.
The beer, also known as a Kentucky Common, is a delicious copper-colored number, brewed with 35 to 40 percent corn. It has light aromas of sweet corn, oak and some pear and orange marmalade fruitiness. Spicy/floral American Cluster and Czech Saaz hops helps balance things out. It’s a very reasonable 5.2 percent alcohol by volume, so it should be easy to drink a few.
The brewery makes the beer with whole corn kernels, which they have to grind and cook separately, at a lower temperature, to extract the sugars from, I learned while visiting on brew day.
“Cooking the corn is an extra step, said lead brewer Ryan Kartes. “But you can taste it. It’s definitely worth the extra work.”
This style has been on tap at Bad Weather intermittently, and it’s been one of my favorites over the years. Which makes this next part of the announcement really exciting: The beer will be available for a limited time in 16 ounce cans. Look for it in retail liquor establishments starting Jan. 21. It will also be on tap at a few Twin Cities restaurants and bars.
We are all excited about this collaboration, which pairs one of our favorite events with one of our favorite breweries.
“The Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt is the best-kept secret in the Twin Cities,” Swanson said. “It’s quirky, it’s cold and uniquely local, just like Bad Weather Brewery. There’s no better time for Bad Weather … and the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt. It’s a perfect match!”