Get Gruntled
by Steve Heriot, photo provided
The word disgruntled means angry or dissatisfied. However, patrons and visitors to Disgruntled Brewing would hardly describe themselves in those terms. After all, beer has been associated with good-humored socializing since the Mesopotamians first consumed the drink through reed straws and a communal bowl over 6,000 years ago. In fact, a Sumerian poem honoring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing the production of beer from barley.
Today, Disgruntled’s brewers use the same basic principles to concoct an array of tasty varieties that bring smiles to the faces of their clientele. The equipment has been modernized and the control of the process has been perfected, but brewing beer is still a balance of both art and science. A creative approach allows a brewer to invent new and interesting creations. Science is important in the repeatability of a great beer recipe.
Disgruntled Brewing starts by adding hot, reverse osmosis purified water to grist, a crushed barley malt, which releases the fermentable sugars. The equipment is set up to produce seven barrels to a batch, with a barrel containing 31 gallons. After the beer is done fermenting it is put into “bright beer tanks” where it gets carbonated. From there it goes into kegs, gets poured into a glass, and then is tipped onto the taste buds in your mouth, which is the entire point of the process!
However, Disgruntled Brewing is more than just beer. They curate a steady schedule of eclectic live music, group painting and craft classes, costume parties, fundraisers for various good causes, (including the annual Disgruntled Daze Beer 5K Run/Walk/Crawl), food vendors, and other surprises.
Part of the fun of the artisanal brewing scene is in the classification, description, and naming of beers. Varieties of beers include ales, lagers, stouts, wheats, specialties, seasonals, German, Belgian, Russian, you name it– it gets crafted at the Perham-based production brewery and taproom. Year-round brews have intriguing monikers such as Toasted Blonde, Reaper, Guvnor, Double Trouble, Blueberry Cancakes, Bulletproof, Creeper, and Cakey Breaky Heart. Seasonally, you might be able to order selections with names such as Barberry ‘N Tart, Contaminated Lemonade, Squeeze the Day, Snowpants, and It’s Pecan, NOT Pecan.
Not sure what to order? A sample paddle offers six three-and a-half ounce glasses of beers of your choosing. Half pints and pints are the main offerings. The brewery also offers off-sale beer in 25-ounce cans, 750 ml bottles, or four-pint ‘growlers,’ a refillable glass jug. The word growler is thought to date from the late 19th century when fresh beer was carried from the local pub to one’s home by means of a small pail. It’s claimed that the sound of carbon dioxide escaping from the lid as the beer sloshed around sounded like a growl… but probably a satisfied growl and not a disgruntled one!