New Beer

One of my beer standbys, whenever I go to the liquor store, is to get Schell's Sampler Case. The brewery produces a variety of good beers; and it is usually a pretty good price. (At Surdyk's right now, the case of 12 sells for $11.99.) The sampler includes their approachable MaiFest and Pilsner; and the tasty Firebrick lager and Caramel Bock. My favorite is the seasonal Snowstorm. It varies year-to-year, but true to it's name, is always great after some snow shoveling.

The MNBeer blog recently reported that Schell's is about to release a new brew: a standard stout. I'm not a big stout snob, but I do enjoy a good luke-warm stout from the tap now and then. Since I'm not able to go out to the bar with much frequency and I'm not going to go to the trouble of creating a tap in my house, I have to settle for some bottled version of stout. That Schell's is coming out with an affordable stout raises my hopes. It should be available in liquor stores very soon.

On a related note, I haven't received any indications that Phillips Distilling Company is jumping on my idea to take over the old Washburn 'A' mill's grain elevator and make it into the world's largest cask of whiskey or vodka. Perhaps, Schell's can adopt this concept and fill it with beer! The empty grain elevator is just down river from the landmark Grain Belt Beer sign on Nicollet Island. Schell bought out Grain Belt a few years ago and is the producer of Grain Belt Premium and Grain Belt Premium Light beer. A huge tank of vodka would probably pose a fire/massive explosion risk, so maybe beer is the way to go. I'll await a call from Schell's thanking me for this fabulous idea.

What to do with the grain elevator?

Let's fill it with bean dip!

According to the community newspaper, The Bridge, the Mill City Museum is trying to figure out what to do with the empty grain elevator at the former Washburn 'A' Mill in Minneapolis. The empty grain elevator is at the location of the Mill City Museum, which is truly a great destination if you find yourself in the area.

Lots of ideas are floating around, including condo conversion (of course) and the unique thought to turn it into a giant musical instrument. Something similar was done in Montreal that includes the ability to "play it" online.

I think they should do something more akin to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, which had the biggest six-pack of beer in the world.

Beloit, Wisconsin claims the largest Hormel can of chili in the world.

Since it was made for grain, one might think that would be appropriate. I assume that there are much larger grain elevators in the world than this 106 year-old one. The next best thing is to go with a product made from grain. There are probably more voluminous storage sites for corn-based ethanol. But what about the kind of alcohol people drink versus fuel their cars?

The Phillips Distilling Company is based in Minneapolis. How about filling the grain elevators with the world's largest cask of vodka or whiskey? It would be great advertising for Phillips. Just up the river is the famous Grain Belt Beer sign on Nicollet Island. You could put a pair of "Phillips Vodka" or whatever right below the historic Gold Medal Flour signs facing downtown and the Guthrie, and visible from the riverside. The top could be converted to Phillips cocktail lounge with a fabulous view of the river, the new Guthrie building, and the downtown skyline.

I think it's a phenomenal idea! Who cares that it may cost millions to do? The Phillips company should hire me right away.