The 2015 Visit to the Uecker's Cabin is coming up on August 14th. Can you believe they've been nice enough to invite us every year since 1987? That's 29 years of fun in the sun and the Lake!
Category: Fun
USS Nokomis and Summit join forces to launch a beer!
Calling Nona, Korob, Sylvia, Kirk, Losira, Bela Oxmyx, Elaan, and all other characters we know.....
We are helping Summit Brewing Company with the launch of their new Star Trek themed beer. Please come to the event on August 1st at 910 Montreal Circle in St. Paul. We will be there setting up our props early and the party starts at 5pm. See the Summit event description below. How fun it that? Let's all show up and show them how we do it.
We have also been asked to participate in the release party at Muddy Waters on August 5th. We will show up at 5pm and populate the place with characters. There is no formal program here, but we'll have a beer and some fun.
Join us for a very special event as we celebrate the release of our newest beer, Unchained 19: Make It So, an Extra Special Bitter infused with Earl Grey Tea. Crafted by brewer Nick Hempfer, Make It So is a tribute to one of Nick's other favorite things, Star Trek: The Next Generation. See this Summit Blog post for more information on the beer, ingredients and inspiration:
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The party is going down at the Summit Beer Hall & Patio on Saturday, August 1. Be one of the first beer lovers to try this unique beer, dress up to compete in a Star Trek themed costume contest and interact with life-sized Star Trek props from local fan club USS Nokomis. Plus, sci-fi spinning by DJ Nemo. Our friends from TeaSource - the source of our Earl Grey Tea - will also be tea sampling and demonstrations.
[Unchained 19: Make It So will be available at bar/restaurants and in stores beginning the week of August 6.]
We Journeyed. We Drank. And We Babbled!
Eighteen Nokomis members participated in our "Journey To Babble" through Twin Cities craft breweries on Saturday, May 2, 2015, to see what all the foodie fuss is about. Turns out that there was plenty.
We lucked out big time with the perfect weather: clear sky, warm-but-not-hot temperatures, light breeze. Wow, who planned that?
Our four-stop adventure commenced at Northbound Brewpub where we grabbed a bite to eat along with our first beer samples. This place was a hit and deserves repeat visits with its excellent, innovative food at reasonable prices, gregarious and attentive waitstaff, and flavorful brews and cocktails. If nothing else, the idea of a smoked egg salad sandwich has piqued more than one participant’s interest, and I’m sure we will make Northbound another Nokomis after-meeting dining destination.
Next was a visit to Roseville’s Bent Brewstillery, which offered nice al fresco sipping and, surprisingly, dining courtesy of a food truck in the parking lot. We were surprised by the quality of the beer here and the variety of styles. Bent also offered a flight of craft sodas as well as cocktail-like coffee offerings. It also supplied a variety of card and board games. It did not take long for our lively group to find the “Cards Against Humanity” deck. Like Northbound, many members may seek this place out on their own, now that we know where it’s hidden, camouflaged in an ubiquitous industrial park. (Who knew?) Two thumbs up!
The idea was to challenge participants’ ideas and tastes, so that’s where the next stop, Burning Brothers Brewing, came in. Was it the best beer? Hmmm, maybe not for most tasters, but for anyone on a gluten-free regimen, Burning Brothers provides nice viable options.
Rounding out our day was a Twin Cities’ up-and-coming hotspot: Bauhaus Brew Labs. This place had a definite, young vibe, but one that welcomed everyone to its big, open-air party. Full tables of enthusiastic, friendly beer enthusiasts populated Bauhaus’ expansive warehouse and generous outside covered patio. The beer was good, but the greater appeal of this place is its social energy. Like Bent, there was a food truck available. It also had an popular bean bag toss game going on the patio. If you’re looking for a social experience, this is the place to go.
I think everyone had fun. While not every stop was stellar, all of them were worthwhile. After all, our goal was to sample and learn something new. And we did. And will again!
No Road Rally this month…
I'm sorry to say this, but there won't be a Road Rally after this month's membership meeting. A very large project at work has eaten up just about all of my free time, so I haven't been able to get out and run the course. I will reschedule this for the fall, when I'm more likely to have some free time -- assuming my employers don't find some other huge project to dump on me...
Again, I'm so, so sorry. My apologies to all who were looking forward to the Road Rally; I place myself at your mercy.
-- Scott
Journey To Babble: Maps & Last-Minute Info
Well, it's coming up, our Nokomis Beer Crawl! On Saturday, May 2, 2015, we're going to see what Minnesota’s burgeoning craft beer industry has to offer.
With the itinerary below, I have attached a PDF of maps of our destinations. I got the directions and travel times between stops from Google Maps, so I take no responsibility. I suggest you study the maps beforehand and make any adjustments to the directions you need to feel comfortable traveling during the day.
Our first stop, Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub, does not take reservations, so if you're going to join us for food and a brew, please be there at 11 a.m. SHARP so our large group (20+) will be able to be seated together. If you arrive late, we cannot guarantee that you'll be seated with us. I did e-mail Northbound that our horde is coming, so maybe they'll make a space for us, but, again, no guarantees.
If you need a designated driver, both Dave Morem and Jane Dusek have offered their services. Please contact them directly if you would like to ride along with them.
The long-range forecast for May 2 is sunny and in the low 80s. I hope that prediction holds, LOL! It's going to be a fun day.
—Lynne
Journey To Babble Brewery Tour Tentative Itinerary
Welcome to my tentative Nokomis Beer Crawl itinerary! Yes, we’re taking a jaunt through the Twin Cities on Saturday, May 2, 2015, to enjoy what Minnesota’s burgeoning craft beer industry has to offer.
I hope that I have put together a fun beer-tasting tour. I tried to keep this roster full of interesting, off-the-beaten-path brewers who offer something unique. On our four-stop adventure, we’ll start off at a brewpub where we can also grab a bite to eat before embarking on the rest of the tour. Beer-tasting on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea, after all.
Even if you’re not a beer drinker (like me), I believe you’ll find this daytrip interesting, at least from a beverage production perspective. In any case, I’m sure your beer-enjoying comrades wouldn’t mind having a designated driver along.
Below are 2015’s selected stops and their philosophies, all in their own words. Who better to tell their stories than the brewmasters themselves?
In the meantime, if you have any questions, be sure to let me know. Hope to see you there!
—Lynne
MarsCon 2015
We will have a room at the convention this year on March 6th through 8th. Since the theme of the con is "Heroes and Wizards and Fae, OHhh MYyy!", what would be better than a reboot of our very successful Wizard of Oz room? We have many characters so far, including Dorothy, the Wicked Witch, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, Glinda and others. We really could use a Tin Man, so if you're interested please let me know ASAP.
St. Pi’s Party is March 14th!
For quite a few years, Jack and I have hosted beer tasting parties. First, they were at my house with food and beer. Then, we upgraded to the Barn Tasting Beer Dance and enjoyed several years of bonfires and dancing with our food and beer. Recently, we've hosted the parties at hotels where a soak in the hot tub was substituted for the dancing with the food and beer. This seems to be working pretty well, so we're at it again this year. However, our traditional date is a pretty big deal this year. Why? Think about the date. 3.14.15. Sound familiar? It should - it's PI! Therefore, instead of having a St Patrick's Day party, we're calling it the St Pi Day's party.
You are invited to the Residence Inn Roseville at 2985 Centre Pointe Drive, Roseville MN 55113 any time after 4:30 pm on March 14th (the day of our March meeting). Please bring some food to share. Let's see how many people can bring Pi-themed food. Think about it all of the possibilities: anything round will work, including anything in a round bottle or bowl, meatballs, cookies, etc. You could even bring a square pizza, since Pie Are Squared! I can guarantee that we will have a special toast at 3.14.15.9:26. It will only come once in our lifetimes!
And then, of course, there's the beer. Please bring at least a six-pack of your favorite to enter. We will taste in elimination rounds and the tasting will be blind. Two winners will be chosen, along with the winner of the coveted Bad Beer Board. The decisions of the judge will be final. Don't forget to eat between rounds!
If you'd like to get a room at the hotel, visit www.marriott.com/mspro . Studio rooms start at $103 and "sharable" rooms start at $113 (today's rate). See you there.
Mary
January Dance – Disney Style
We had a great time at the Fort Snelling Officer's Club on the 17th of January at our 14th annual dance. Our lovely meals of Champagne Chicken or Strip Loin of Beef were delicious and we topped them off with Peach Cobbler. We were so fortunate to have both our favorite bartender, Gary, and our favorite DJ, Rob, to celebrate the night with us. The music was perfect for our Disney theme, reminding us that there are lots and lots of danceable songs in the movies! We had villains like Cruella de Vil and Narissa, leading men like Bert the Chimneysweep and Prince Charming, beauties like Snow White and Fantasia Fairy, and assorted other human and animal characters. Sometimes you even had to guess! It was quite lovely and I hope that everyone had a great time. See you next year!
Mary
Join Us For V-Day Tacos & Movies
Everyone knows that tacos are the food of romance, right...? Well, maybe not, but they're yummy, and they're on the menu this Valentine's Day. More inside...
