Best breweries in MSP?

A few friends and I are headed to the Cities this weekend to hit up as many breweries as we can. What is your favorite? Which one do we NEED to get to?


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Surly is of course at the top of the list, and Pentagram is out now.


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Oops, hit send too early...

Steel Toe, Indeed, 612 and Fulton are others to hit up. Then for brew pubs you have to hit Town Hall Brewery.


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I love Surly (all time favorite brewery) and it's a don't miss.

Summit is nice, if you like their beers. The tap room is nice.

One with an H, can't remember the exact name, something like Herkimer(?) is mediocre at best. Barley Johns has a cool outdoor bar, but the beer is "meh".

My favorite beer in Minneapolis is at Town Hall Brewpub- I love the masala mama IPA and the food is good too.

Rock Bottom is a little better than a typical Rock Bottom, but I wouldn't go out of my way. If you're staying downtown, it's an easy walk to hotels.

If you get tired of breweries, for beer bars, there is one across the street from Town Hall called "Republic" with cheap Happy Hour prices, and a great selection. Of course, the Muddy Pig is a don't miss for great selection, as is the Happy Gnome.

Steel Toe is extremely close to one of the best bottle shops in town: Four Firkins. And if you're not coming from WI already then think about running out to Hudson WI and stopping at Casanova Liquor. They have Toppling Goliath on tap right now and do growler fills. That is a MUST if you like IPAs.


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Yes, what Yooper said re Happy Gnome. It's over in St. Paul and has one hell of a tap list. And if you're a foodie it's the best place on earth as they have stellar food and great beer. IMHO don't bother with Herkimer. That's a brewpub in uptown that is somewhat mediocre.


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Couldn't pass up this thread! + whatever to the Happy Gnome...outstanding beer and great food! That's if you're in St. Paul...also on that side of the river is the blue door pub...great hole in the wall but it rocks! Ale Jail is a great bottle shop on st. claire too. In Mpls town hall is very good. Breweries are all spread out but for sure Surly and Lucid is cool too. If you have the time I second the trip to Casanovas in Hudson...only 30 min but boy do they have a great selection that you can't get in the cities...and they're open on Sunday!

I hear 612 brew is pretty good.

Surly in BP of course.

Lucid is good too.

Try excelsior brew co if you are in that area.

Minnesnowta has a surprisingly good selection. Where are you coming from?


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I love Hammerheart. It's kind of up there in the northern suburbs, but it's worth the trip. A lot of their beers are smoked and most are pretty high abv.

I'm surprised Fulton was only mentioned once. It's one of my favorite stops after a baseball game.


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aryoung1980 said:

I'm surprised Fulton was only mentioned once. It's one of my favorite stops after a baseball game.

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Yeah, Fulton is great. I'm surprised 612 got mentioned twice. This may be blasphemy but I have not been impressed. The lager tastes like creamed corn. I ordered a Rye IPA that tasted very mash-like (underattenuated). The beers they have have been mediocre. Small selection of not great brews that barely rotate. That said, they're outdoor space is great. They are young still, I'm holding out hope that they improve.

Harriet, Boom Island, Dangerous Man, Indeed, Sociable Cider Werks, Town Hall, Northgate are all tasty. I'm new to the cities and am still working my way around to all the breweries.

Also....Barley John's has a good Wild Rice Brown and a Ryewine.

I completely agree with your review of 612. I found their beers to be bland and all sort of taste the same. Although it has be a long time since I've been there. Maybe they have improved.

That's a bummer to hear. I've been meaning to check them out.


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geoffey said:

That's a bummer to hear. I've been meaning to check them out.

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As with many things, go and decide for yourself. I'll go to every brewery I can...no matter how ****ty other people say it is, just to see for myself. Do a Northeast brewery crawl/bike ride. Start at Dangerous Man, head east and end at Sociable. 612 is worth a stop, if only for the outdoor space.