DRAFT Magazine

Ken Hunnemeder

Beer Runner: What are your beer runner credentials?

Ken Hunnemeder: I’ve become a beer collector, traveling outside of my distribution ring in order to try beer I can’t get in Chicago. I take a photo each time I add to my collection, and right now I have over 1,000 beers. Around a year ago I also began to practice home brewing. It’s been wonderfully educational, because it allows me to become familiar with the ingredients that go into making a specific style. It has expanded my palate and develop an even greater appreciation for those who make exceptional beer on a larger scale. To balance the drinking, I make running and biking regular activities. I used to be one of those people who hated running, until I tried building up to a good routine. My initial tactic was a combination of running and walking. But eventually, the walking intervals got shorter until I was running at a steady pace.

BR: How did you get involved with the Hop-Cast podcast?

KH: My co-host, Brad Chmielewski, has been a good friend for years. He used to host a Chicago food and drink podcast called ChiHookah. When that ended, he came to me with the idea of a show dedicated to sharing our love for craft beer and discussing it at length. We have a great time on the show, and it’s our goal to not only keep in informative, but entertaining as well. If we do a few shows in one night, by the end, we are definitely more than entertained.

BR: What can we look forward to coming up on Hop Cast?

KH: We’re expanding from a basic review show and starting to do more interviews with home brewers, professional brewers, and authors in the brewing business. In the near future, we’ll be covering the Three Floyds beer pairing dinner at Small Bar on Division Street in Chicago. We’ve also teamed up with Man B Que, a group of guys that specialize in all things grilled. We’re now their in-house beer pairing experts for all the barbeque aficionados. Because great beer paired with great food equals one hell of a time.

BR: What type of beer guy are you? What are your favorites?

KH: I like to think I have an appreciation for all styles. Good beer is good beer, no matter what the variation. That said, I do have some favorites. I’m a big fan of IPAs (Founders Double Trouble, Piece Camel Toe). I also love sour/wild ales, (Cantillon Classic Gueze, Russian River Consecration) and I’m currently on a big Pilsner kick. There’s something to be said for taking a big gulp of a sessionable Pilsner. Especially after a run.

BR: Who are the #gents behind your hashtag on Twitter?

KH: The Fellowship of Gentlemanly Gentlemen, a.k.a #gents (Twitter shout-out!) are a group in Chicago that gets together to experience the finer things in life– craft beer and delicious cigars. What started as a get-together between co-workers slowly turned into a group of people who love sharing craft beer. Each meeting has a beer-theme, and everyone brings something from that category pot-luck style. A common misconception is that it’s for guys only — women are absolutely allowed (and encouraged!) and we’re always open to new members, whether a beer expert or someone who just wants to learn more about craft beer. Those interested can follow #gents on Twitter.

BR: How would you describe yourself as a runner and biker?

KH: I really enjoy getting out and being active. Of course there are days when I’d much rather be lazy and have a beer sitting on my couch watching the Real Housewives of Orange County. Or football. But there’s no better reward after a sweat-worthy workout than a nice craft beer. One notable example of how I brought the best of both worlds together is I took a bike trip with some Gents from Chicago to Flossmor Station Brewing Company in Illinois and onto Three Floyds in Indiana. It’s roughly a 70 mile trip. It definitely kicked my ass, but it was one of the highlights of my year. Highly recommended.

BR: How would you describe Chicago as a beer and fitness city?

KH: Chicago is lucky enough to house some prominent breweries including Goose Island, Metropolitan, Rock Bottom and Piece. Then there are the beer bars that not only have an impressive beer selection, but have a solid menu of quality food as well, such as Hopleaf, Map Room, and Small Bar. To work off the extra calories from all that eating and drinking, Chicago offers accessibility to get exercise while taking in great scenery. The path on the lake front is always a great option to run, bike or skate. I also like to run though the neighborhoods and take in my surroundings. Much more exciting to me than running on a treadmill.

BR: You just attended the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer. Any highlights to share?

KH: It was by far the best beer festival I’ve ever been to. What I loved about it was the experimentation level that each brewer brought to the table. There was an incredible amount of creativity involved and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Some of the beers that really rose to the top were Rock Bottom Chicago’s Clares Thirsty Ale, Firestone Walker’s Black Xantus, Three Floyds’ Barrel Aged Moloko Milk Stout aged with chiles, and the Duck Duck Gooze from Lost Abbey.

BR: Anything else to add?

KH: Can you help me get a solid beer to drink at a professional sporting event? Come on Draft, little help here?

Fresh on the heels of the Dogfish Dash, Dogfish Head barely took a breather before launching Paddle, Pints and Pedal.

The occasion was the opening of the new Dogfish Head Canoe and Kayak Launch, as well as a benefit for Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park.

“The idea was one of our devious schemes to get folks out and about in our little corner of the world!” the brewery proclaimed.

As the title of the event foreshadowed, participants kayaked the Rehoboth canal, ate lunch and drank beers at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and then pedaled on cruisers via the Breakwater-Junction bike trail.

For each participant the brewery donated $10 to the Friends of the Cape Henlopen State Park, as part of their Beer & Benevolence mission.

It must have gone well, because before even finishing their post-beer ride, they were already promising another go of it next year.

Race to the finish Deschutes

The Indy 500 has milk. Ironman has Deschutes beer.

The Oregon brewery will be the official beer of the Ironman World Championship taking place on October 10th in Kona, Hawaii.

“We would like to raise a glass to these iron-willed triathletes and say, Bravely Done!” proclaims the brewery.

See if you can find some Deschutes cycling jerseys in the pack when you’re watching on Saturday.

Meanwhile, at the brew pub, Deschutes has a triathlon of its own. The Fresh Hop Triathlon will produce three fresh hop brews, including the Tiki Tiki Fresh Hop Strong Pale Ale.

“This beer will see you at the finish line,” is how it is described.

And for those beer runners not making it to Kona this year, Deschutes is also rewarding several other endurance and outdoor events, including the recently completed Cross Crusade. Here’s a list of upcoming events:

Lakefront on Tap

When you think about it, there’s some degree of physical activity inherently built into beer drinking culture.

You have your beer pong, brewery tours, keg stands, even home brewers.

Beer seems to inspire movement. You don’t find such activity quite so prevalent in, say, wine culture.

Alyssa Feuerer, as you can see, is no passive imbiber herself. She comes from a family of home brewers, occasionally takes shots from skis, and is approaching nearly 100 breweries tours under her belt.

BR: What are your Beer Runner credentials?

Alyssa Feuerer: I live an active lifestyle, play volleyball a couple nights a week and exercise often. I’m in the advertising industry so unfortunately my schedule is often hectic and doesn’t allow for daily exercise, so I walk to and from work every day. I have a lot of local favorites like Rock Bottom Belgian Tripel, Lakefront Cattail Pale Ale and Holiday Spice. I am a big IPA fan and my Dad and brother both brew their own beer, so I am able to take advantage of that.

BR: You said you’ll never turn down a brewery tour. What’s your favorite one you’ve been on anywhere?

AF: I’m a sucker for Lakefront Brewery. I can honestly say I’ve done their tour well over 80 times. I also went on a tour of Carlton Brewery when I traveled to Australia a couple years ago. In the bottling area they actually mention Milwaukee because someone here many many years ago patented the long neck style of beer bottles.

Boots up

BR: Where did you find your drinking boot?

AF: I actually found two. My first one I got in March from Lakefront Brewery. They sell them for $10, I believe. A great drinking tool. Allows you to go hands-free and do more important things while your beer is close by your side. Unfortunately I broke my first boot. They are made of plastic, so dropping them doesn’t result positively. Luckily, I went to German Fest this summer and they were offering $15 boots with $7 refills. I have since taken better care of my boot.

BR: Is it true you were on a volleyball team called Where’s the Beef?

AF: It is true. Where’s the Beef is one of my volleyball teams I play on this fall. We’ve got team T-shirts and each person’s back of their t-shirt displays a different form/cut of beef that suits their personality. We have a Porterhouse, Rump Roast, Manwich and I am Cheesy Beef-a-roni (can you tell I’m from WI?). It’s not the most serious team I’ve played on, but we always have a fun time playing - and beer is always involved. We are actually doing pretty well too.

BR: How was your experience with a shotski?

Shotski!

AF: Shotskis area always a riot. There are some things I have learned through my practices though that can make or break the experience. I think there is one Cardinal Rule - make sure everyone is at the same height when doing the shotski, otherwise if someone can get the shot poured in their face! Also, Shotskis are best taken with booze that isn’t sticky — not Goldschlager!

BR: What’s the last great craft beer you had? How about the last great workout?

AF: Flying Dog Dogtoberfest. Tried it at Blatz Liquor when they were doing an Oktoberfest beer sampling. It was delicious - very smooth and quite sweet! And I actually had a volleyball game on Monday that lasted about an hour and a half - it wouldn’t end! It was a good workout. I had a great run a few days ago…one of those runs where you just don’t get tired and realize you have been crusiing for 50 minutes. I felt great that day.

The Potosi Brewery story is one of those classic triumphant underdog tales, except with beer.

Small Wisconsin town of 700 restores a defunct brewery founded in 1852, starts brewing Good Old Potosi beer, and beats out brewing giant towns like St. Louis and Milwaukee to be the home of the National Brewery Museum.

Founded in 2003, the museum resides in Potosi, Wisconsin, just across the Mississippi River from Dubuque, Iowa. Today the historic brick building displays three floors of decades-old brewery memorabilia.

The 18th Amendment wiped out most of those once-ubiquitous small town breweries. But long-gone brewers like Effinger and Ziegler live on with the neon signs, bottles and advertising they left behind.

And no Cinderella story would be complete without a celebratory bike ride with beer. It’s kind of like the glass slipper, except not.

It started when local cyclists met for an impromptu tour in 2007 that started and ended at the yet to be completed brewery.

In 2008 it morphed into a full-fledged ride paralleling the Mississippi River with distances up to 100 miles. The post-ride party included an authentic German “Oom-Pah” Band, German food, and (of course) Good Old Potosi.

This year will feature approximate ride distances of 20, 40, 65, and 100 miles, each loop along the Great River Road. The brewery is even creating a special Oktoberfest batch just for this occasion.

The ride takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19. You can sign up here.

Traffic jams, explosions and gluttony is kind of the American way — at least when it comes to celebrating our nation’s independence.

OR you could celebrate America’s revolution with some nice New Glarus Organic Revolution.

Organic Revolution is made with organic Pilsner and Caramel malt, organic German Hallertau Hops, and nothing else. The use of 100% organic hops is even more than what’s required by the USDA, and it was just recently re-certified as organic.

Sounds like the perfect pure beverage for after all the July 4th neighborhood races.

Viva la Revolution!

I can’t say I ever thought about tricking out my bike with “handlebar alloy end caps.”

I barely even know what they are, and they may not exactly be a necessity.

But I just *might* be willing to plunk down 6 bucks for a beer stein on my handlebars. If I’ve had a few beers first.

Sold by the good people of Milwaukee Bicycle Co., the 22.2 mm end caps show off an engraved beer mug on your bike. I could see this being a hit with bike customization cultures.

They’re also sold individually, according to the company, in case you wanted to mix and match with MKE Bicycle Co bar ends.

5 Days. 13 brewers. 426 miles. 42,000 vertical ft

Here’s reason No. 42,000 a brewer’s job is better than yours.

At Avery Brewing Company, 13 brewers will take a paid week off work to bike from Boulder to Durango in Colorado — as part of their job. (Which we first wrote about here.)

“It’s not every day,” Avery’s C.V. Howe writes in the Monthly Mash newsletter, “that your boss asks you to ride across Colorado, stop at brewpubs, drink some beer with your bros and raise money for charities along the way.”

The purpose of this 5-day, 426-mile journey is to “encourage the fledgling spirit of collaboration and camaraderie that has taken hold in the craft beer industry.”

The Tour of Colorado, as it henceforth shall be known, kicks off on July 19 with a party raising money for Community Cycles (a local bike charity) at the Avery Tap Room. The next day, riders depart Boulder, bike over 9 mountain passes, and will stop at brew pubs and hold parties for charities in their wake.

Ultimately it will conclude with the tapping of Wheelsucker Wheat Ale at the Ska Brewing Company on Sunday, July 25.

For that beer, Avery and Ska teamed up for a collaboration brew that commemorates the inaugural Tour of Colorado — and celebrates “the fraternity of Colorado craft brewers.”

Howe summed it up this way:

We’ve come to realize over the years that despite supposedly being competitors in the marketplace, most all breweries in Colorado are fighting the same battle for good beer, preaching the same message of ‘quality over quantity,’ and living the same Colorado lifestyle. The Tour of Colorado is our effort to focus on those common threads and support the industry.

First it was Joe Stephenson popping up on the Urban Adventure Ride homepage after being featured on the Beer Runner.

Now the Beer Wench, aka Ashley Routon, has made her national daytime TV debut in a story on Twitter Tasting Live beer & food pairing events. You’ll remember her as the former Big Ten athlete, tomboy and beer drinker featured here.

She appears and gets a shout-out this clip, which aired on more than 90 stations across the country.

So, it would appear that the Beer Runner has become a veritable launch pad to 15 seconds of fame!

With that power, here are a few others I follow on Twitter who I deem deserving, at the very least, of daytime TV and/or homepage recognition.

@JoshMishell: He skis, designs labels for Flying Dog beers and curses a lot. Not necessarily in that order of frequency.

@MondayNight (nee @MondayNightBrew) keeps his followers updated about launching a craft brewery in Atlanta.

@JoeyTwoWheels writes a lot about Chicago sports teams and mountain biking, road bikes and riding his single speed in Austin.

@Draftmag: ‘Nuff said.

Search.Twitter.Com for Beer: When in doubt, it’s always entertaining to see in real time what total strangers and the occasional friend are drinking.

If for absolutely nothing else, Dave Hoops richly deserves the mantle of Beer Runner for one shining, brilliant innovation:

The Nalgene Growler.

The co-founder of Fitger’s Brewhouse in Duluth, Minnesota, introduced the “Adventure Growler” in response to the glass restrictions in the nearby Boundary Waters, a popular spot for canoeing, kayaking and camping.

“After hearing many complaints and folks asking how they could get our beer into their canoes, we thought of the Nalgene idea,” he said. “This has worked out very well. Our adventure growlers are about 35% of our total growler sales right now.”

Beer in water bottles is not his only claim to fame. Far from it. If you cruise on over to Yelp, you’ll see that Fitger’s enjoys near-perfect approval ratings. (”I wish I could give them six stars,” one reviewer writes, stymied by the 5-star rating system.)

Dave also gets five-or-maybe-six Beer Runner stars (a distinction I made up, just now) for being an avid outdoorsman as well as for his stellar beer. Here’s his Beer Runner interview.

As a camper, hiker, biker, and runner, which activity do you think has the biggest beer fans?

My personal experience would say bikers. Every rider I know in Duluth likes to drink beer. In fact we even have a Thursday night ride n’ pub crawl.

What’s your favorite beer to have after a run, bike, ride, or hike?

The Brewhouse produces around 120 recipes per year so there are many to choose from. I usually have a Starfire North Shore style Pale Ale in my hand.

You were inspired to open the brewery after taking a western states ski trip. Are you ever inspired to create a new brew after a ski trip, hike, run, or anything else like that?

Yes, pretty much when I run I like to think of beers I’d like to make and the names often come to me during these times. We live on Lake Superior the largest fresh body of water in the world. Much of my running and biking is right along the lake. I find that Lake Superior inspires me in all parts of my life. I could not live in Duluth without the Lake.

Dave and one of his two children enjoy the outdoors

Do you do anything to encourage an active lifestyle among the employees at the Brewhouse?

Yes, we offer heath club memberships to managers and discounts to all employees at our Yoga studio. We also put on the Brewhouse Triathlon each August and many of our employees participate.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I really believe that brewing good beer and inspiration from nature go hand in hand.