New Brew

There’s yet another new brewery in Minnesota: Olvalde, from a farm in Rollingstone. But this isn’t just any brewery. Joe Pond—owner, brewmaster, and distributor—sources locally. Truly locally. The hops are grown in Pond’s own garden. Barley comes from neighboring farms. And this farm-to-bottle philosophy pays off—big time.

Olvalde’s first beer is called Auroch’s Horn, a name invoking fierce Vikings with even fiercer beards, gorged on rapacious plunder and fueled by mead brimming from, well, aurochs’ horns. Yet this complex ale is surely too refined for the barbarian palate (sorry, barbarians). Notes of honey evoke meads of yore, but the ale’s soothing hint of banana, crisp carbonation, and brisk sippability make it taste like nothing so much as the most modern of Minnesota ales— surly, burly, and bold. Pond advises drinking it at cellar temperature, about 55 degrees. But it’s also excellent right out the fridge, or just about any way you like. Even from an auroch’s horn.

Available at liquor stores, including The Four Firkins; 8009 Minnetonka Blvd., 952-938-2847; St. Louis Park; thefourfirkins.com