Visitors Guide: Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN)

[sacrelicio]

Happy Gnome is right down the road from there as well.

Breweries in STP:
Blackstack
Barrel Theory (if open by then)
Surly (destination brewery just over the border in MPLS)

Surly is a must stop for anyone. The food in the main hall is great, the Brewer's Table upstairs is an excellent fine dining spot, with vintage bottles of Darkness and anniversary beers, nice space, tons of fun.

 

[beerindex]

I'll be arriving in the evening on June 29, flying back out on July 4.

Appreciate any info about:
* Special beer events going on during that window
* Bars/brewpubs with the best sour selection
* Places serving flights and/or short pours (5 oz or less) - I'm hoping this is the norm like in GR, but several cities have taught me otherwise before

For reference I'll be staying in Golden Valley.

 

[Dbijnagte]

I'll be arriving in the evening on June 29, flying back out on July 4.

Appreciate any info about:
* Special beer events going on during that window
* Bars/brewpubs with the best sour selection
* Places serving flights and/or short pours (5 oz or less) - I'm hoping this is the norm like in GR, but several cities have taught me otherwise before

For reference I'll be staying in Golden Valley.

Fairstate Brewing is probably your best bet for sours. They are pretty damn good and tend to have a decent variety. Being a taproom they can only serve their own stuff though.

For bars I would suggest Grizzleys or New Bohemia if you're looking for convenient to you with good beer. Grizzleys has a few accounts with some great outstate breweries that only like 2 other bars in the metro have. RePUBlic (7 corners) is your best bet for variety and flights though. They have 100ish taps and allow for flights on all of them. Town hall Brewing is across the street as well which doesn't hurt either.

Taproom wise there is a good concentration of them pretty convenient to each other in NE Minneapolis and the north loop of down town with very few that will disappoint.

 

[Fingolfin]

Saw this thread surge to life and might as well stick my head in.

Went to college in St. Paul. Will be back in town for my 10yr reunion. In college, I lived at Muddy Pig. I realize its been uhhh ten years, but any reason to change habits? Just looking for local ticks.

Groveland Tap

 

[axeman91821]

Hey all, so I'll be flying in tomorrow for the National Homebrewers' Conference. The conference doesn't start until Thursday though, so I'll just be bouncing around Surly, Town Hall, and probably a couple other places if anybody wants to grab a beer.

 

[Dbijnagte]

Come to Steel Toe brewing. They have some great beers on tap and I'll be there for bags league. Maybe get sacrelicio Sender1 or Minnesotaryan and a few other guys to swing through

 

[Minnesotaryan]

Hey all, so I'll be flying in tomorrow for the National Homebrewers' Conference. The conference doesn't start until Thursday though, so I'll just be bouncing around Surly, Town Hall, and probably a couple other places if anybody wants to grab a beer.

How long you in town for?

 

[axeman91821]

Come to Steel Toe brewing. They have some great beers on tap and I'll be there for bags league. Maybe get sacrelicio Sender1 or Minnesotaryan and a few other guys to swing through

Definitely a possibility, my plan tomorrow is pretty fluid beyond grabbing lunch at Hell's Kitchen since it's pretty much next door to my hotel.

How long you in town for?

Land at noon on Wednesday and leave at noon on Sunday. Not a ton of downtime during the conference, so most of my free time is either tomorrow or after the conference ends late afternoon/early evening on Saturday.

 

[capnmike]

Say a hypothetical FIB was visiting next week...what would be your top 2-3 4-6 packs (pref to cans, but open) to grab? Any style...also open to larger formats if there's something can't-miss only available in big bottles.

 

[Dbijnagte]

Say a hypothetical FIB was visiting next week...what would be your top 2-3 4-6 packs (pref to cans, but open) to grab? Any style...also open to larger formats if there's something can't-miss only available in big bottles.

Make sure you stop at Barrel Theory in St. Paul to try what they have. Only been open a couple weeks, best taproom in MN already.

Cans
Lupulin - Blissful Ignorance, Hooey (both IPAs)
Modist - Dreamyard (IPA, cans not dated)
Fairstate - hefeweizen
Dangerous man - peanut butter porter (crowler, brewery only)
Schells - Pilsner, hefe (bottles)

Big bottles
Steel Toe - before the dawn, lunker (ba barleywines brewery only)
Steel toe - size 4 (session)
Schells - Tidal Disruption (blackberry Berliner)
TG - DDH pseudo sue (don't buy cans)

 

[capnmike]

Make sure you stop at Barrel Theory in St. Paul to try what they have. Only been open a couple weeks, best taproom in MN already.

Cans
Lupulin - Blissful Ignorance, Hooey (both IPAs)
Modist - Dreamyard (IPA, cans not dated)
Fairstate - hefeweizen
Dangerous man - peanut butter porter (crowler, brewery only)
Schells - Pilsner, hefe (bottles)

Big bottles
Steel Toe - before the dawn, lunker (ba barleywines brewery only)
Steel toe - size 4 (session)
Schells - Tidal Disruption (blackberry Berliner)
TG - DDH pseudo sue (don't buy cans)

Thanks for this!

Looks like France 44 and South Lyndale are about equal from the hotel in Bloomington - any preference?

 

[Dbijnagte]

Thanks for this!

Looks like France 44 and South Lyndale are about equal from the hotel in Bloomington - any preference?

You're in my neighborhood! S. Lyndale has a better mix 6 selection if you want to grab singles. They both have pretty good selections overall though. Let me know if you're looking to grab a drink. I'm guessing you are staying within a couple miles of me.

 

[capnmike]

You're in my neighborhood! S. Lyndale has a better mix 6 selection if you want to grab singles. They both have pretty good selections overall though. Let me know if you're looking to grab a drink. I'm guessing you are staying within a couple miles of me.

Thanks again for the tour, the visit to Barrel Theory (highly recommended), and the bottle shop stops. Best first day of a work-trip ever!

 

[jacobbocce72]

Will be in Minneapolis today for the Twins game (visiting from Austin). Planning to hit up Fulton before the game. Also... Will certainly be finding a liquor store on our way out of town tomorrow. I'm assuming Fulton is walking/stumbling distance to Target field?

 

[sacrelicio]

Will be in Minneapolis today for the Twins game (visiting from Austin). Planning to hit up Fulton before the game. Also... Will certainly be finding a liquor store on our way out of town tomorrow. I'm assuming Fulton is walking/stumbling distance to Target field?

Yes.

 

[sacrelicio]

Will be in Minneapolis today for the Twins game (visiting from Austin). Planning to hit up Fulton before the game. Also... Will certainly be finding a liquor store on our way out of town tomorrow. I'm assuming Fulton is walking/stumbling distance to Target field?

If you like BA barleywines see if they have BA Patience. BA Libertine is a barrel aged imperial red ale but tastes like a barleywine.

 

[maximum12]

If you like BA barleywines see if they have BA Patience. BA Libertine is a barrel aged imperial red ale but tastes like a barleywine.

BA Patience is at the taproom?? If so, please let me know so I can go there & drown in it. One of the best MN beers in years.

 

[Dbijnagte]

BA Patience is at the taproom?? If so, please let me know so I can go there & drown in it. One of the best MN beers in years.

ON tap at butcher and the boar

 

[wuntrikpony]

Hey y'all, I'm heading to Minneapolis next Thursday for work. I don't really have to do **** until Friday so I was planning on brewery hopping. Staying downtown and trying to do uber/light rail.

I've been to Surly before and dug it, but was hoping to check out new spots. Barrel Theory is really the only thing I am dead set on hitting. Hazy IPAs, pilsners, saisons, and ciders are mainly what I'm after.

If anyone wants to touch tips/bottle share/etc... let me know. I may also have some free time on Fri/Sat night, but not sure yet.

 

[capnmike]

Hey y'all, I'm heading to Minneapolis next Thursday for work. I don't really have to do **** until Friday so I was planning on brewery hopping. Staying downtown and trying to do uber/light rail.

I've been to Surly before and dug it, but was hoping to check out new spots. Barrel Theory is really the only thing I am dead set on hitting. Hazy IPAs, pilsners, saisons, and ciders are mainly what I'm after.

If anyone wants to touch tips/bottle share/etc... let me know. I may also have some free time on Fri/Sat night, but not sure yet.

I was in TC for work this summer, though we stayed out in the burbs.

I really enjoyed Wild Mind Ales - great setting, they had many AWAs (I know, not on your list), but also at least several saisons, and one pilsner/one hazy IPA.

Their main site seems to be having trouble right now, but I bet some of the pics here will seal the deal:
https://twitter.com/wildmindales?lang=en

Looks like about a 15 minute ride from downtown (I don't know if rail goes anywhere near).

Barrel Theory was indeed excellent too.

 

[Fingolfin]

(I don't know if rail goes anywhere near)

It does not. Solid recommendation though! Quality has dramatically improved in the last year. They have had a fruity cider on the last couple times I have been there, too.

 

[sacrelicio]

Hey y'all, I'm heading to Minneapolis next Thursday for work. I don't really have to do **** until Friday so I was planning on brewery hopping. Staying downtown and trying to do uber/light rail.

I've been to Surly before and dug it, but was hoping to check out new spots. Barrel Theory is really the only thing I am dead set on hitting. Hazy IPAs, pilsners, saisons, and ciders are mainly what I'm after.

If anyone wants to touch tips/bottle share/etc... let me know. I may also have some free time on Fri/Sat night, but not sure yet.

Barrel Theory is a must-try and light rail makes it easy. A lot of local beer traders hang out there, kind of a headquarters. Tim is one of the brewers, he's super cool, everyone else who works there is great, just a great spot to hang out.

Town Hall is easy to get to from anywhere in downtown, it's a short Uber,train stop nearby, and you can bikeshare/walk depending on where you're staying. They'll probably have something barrel aged on and they make excellent hoppy stuff and also do solid pils, Marzen, helles, wee heavy, porters, etc.

Fulton and Modist over in the North Loop are also good close stops. Modist has a very good hazy IPA, Dreamyard, and everything else they do is interesting and different.

Fulton has solid hops, and some barrel aged stuff if you're lucky, and they do a few saison/farmhouse beers. They have a vintage bottle list, BA Libertine is kind of like a lighter barleywine, really good barrel character. They also have BA saisons/farmhouse on that list from what I remember.

Wild Mind is very good, not as close but worth a visit and pretty close to my house.

I think I'll be pretty free if you want to hang out.

 

[sacrelicio]

Not sure if this has been mentioned but liquor stores can be open on Sundays now, it's either 10-6pm or 11-6pm.

 

[wuntrikpony]

I was in TC for work this summer, though we stayed out in the burbs.

I really enjoyed Wild Mind Ales - great setting, they had many AWAs (I know, not on your list), but also at least several saisons, and one pilsner/one hazy IPA.

Their main site seems to be having trouble right now, but I bet some of the pics here will seal the deal:
https://twitter.com/wildmindales?lang=en

Looks like about a 15 minute ride from downtown (I don't know if rail goes anywhere near).

Barrel Theory was indeed excellent too.

Barrel Theory is a must-try and light rail makes it easy. A lot of local beer traders hang out there, kind of a headquarters. Tim is one of the brewers, he's super cool, everyone else who works there is great, just a great spot to hang out.

Town Hall is easy to get to from anywhere in downtown, it's a short Uber,train stop nearby, and you can bikeshare/walk depending on where you're staying. They'll probably have something barrel aged on and they make excellent hoppy stuff and also do solid pils, Marzen, helles, wee heavy, porters, etc.

Fulton and Modist over in the North Loop are also good close stops. Modist has a very good hazy IPA, Dreamyard, and everything else they do is interesting and different.

Fulton has solid hops, and some barrel aged stuff if you're lucky, and they do a few saison/farmhouse beers. They have a vintage bottle list, BA Libertine is kind of like a lighter barleywine, really good barrel character. They also have BA saisons/farmhouse on that list from what I remember.

Wild Mind is very good, not as close but worth a visit and pretty close to my house.

I think I'll be pretty free if you want to hang out.

Thanks guys!

Wild Mind Ales looks awesome...hell just the taproom design alone is killer. Hopefully I can uber down there.

Modist/Fulton look like a great duo as well. My hotel is kinda in-between them and Town Hall, so if the weather holds up, I can walk it.

 

[Dbijnagte]

I have Thursday and Friday off wuntrikpony. Down to be your chauffeur/tour guide of you so choose. Guessing sacrelicio and a few others (Minnesotaryan Sender1) would be down to grab a few.

 

[wuntrikpony]

I have Thursday and Friday off wuntrikpony. Down to be your chauffeur/tour guide of you so choose. Guessing sacrelicio and a few others (Minnesotaryan Sender1) would be down to grab a few.

Hell of an offer, let's do it!

And yes...the more the merrier...

 

[capnmike]

I have Thursday and Friday off wuntrikpony. Down to be your chauffeur/tour guide of you so choose. Guessing sacrelicio and a few others (Minnesotaryan Sender1) would be down to grab a few.

I didn't want to offer your services, but, I can vouch... Dbijnagte is a great tour guide and a local through-and-through.

I haven't ticked too terribly many TBers, but I've been lucky enough to hang with both of youse.

Don't compare notes, I'm sure both of those days were eminently forgettable. "Kind of a bland guy, don't you think?"

Have fun all!

 

[wuntrikpony]

haha, thanks Mike! There is a chance I make it to Chicago in Nov...I'll let you know if it happens!

 

[Minnesotaryan]

I have Thursday and Friday off wuntrikpony. Down to be your chauffeur/tour guide of you so choose. Guessing sacrelicio and a few others (Minnesotaryan Sender1) would be down to grab a few.

Following

 

[wuntrikpony]

Back home after an exhausting weekend of work and I really want to thank Dbijnagte and sacrelicio for an awesome time! Minnesotans are just too damn nice. Had a blast hanging out with y'all and can't wait to get back.

So many good beers...Wild Mind and Barrel Theory are must stops for anyone coming to town. Make sure you get some Lupulin Hooey cans as well.

Dietrich/Justin - Holler anytime you need some fresh hops or anything else from my neck of the woods.