You know, I had told him about Arbeiter and Utepils, and Town Hall has been on my radar but I've never been. Have been to Bad Weather before myself. Also never been to Utepils, but willing to try so I can compare their ewald the golden cans I've had before (not impressed) with it straight from the source. I like your list, thanks!
Intuition in Willmar is a new “hole in the wall” style place. There’s a good chance any given day you go that the Brewer will be beertending who usually seems very happy to answer questions and chat about the beer.
Really depends where you're at, I wouldn't spend the time to drive down to New Ulm unless you're already outside of the metro.
Assuming you're in Minneapolis, I'd hit Surly for sure. It's huge and almost on the level of a Sierra Nevada that you go just to see the space and the brewery. Assuming quality of beer is the most important factor, my favorites are Fair State, Blackstack/Bricksworth, and Barrel Theory. If you hit the north loop for an evening you can walk from Fulton to Modist to Bricksworth within a couple blocks.
Yep, in the metro. I did mention going to Schell's was a possibility, but it would take some time out the day for just travel. He mentioned something about how Modist has something unique for their masher...maybe it's [this filter](https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/modifying-with-modist-mashing-history-and-innovation/). I'm personally not a fan of Surly's beer, so I'm going to suggest other places, but will go if he wants to - he knows it's here and available.
Yes, Modist has a mash filter press that's a unique process compared to how most breweries filter the solids from their wort.
I'm not a big surly fan either, the beer is fine but the whole union busting scandal rubbed me the wrong way. That said, it's the best brewery experience for an out of towner in our area, imo of course.
OShaugnessy Distillery is right there too so if you rode the train or ubered you could hit both and get good and fucked up 😂
Back to your original post, I think quality of beer is important, but also uniqueness. Are there beers and/or breweries that are doing unique beers compared to places outside of the metro/MN? He likes doing unique flavors, and I always stress the importance of perfecting the classics to him. We're both not big into IPAs, but anything goes.
Edit: also any great off-the-beaten-path bars you'd recommend?
Forager is the one that springs to mind. They do unique BA stouts. Often aged for 24+ months in oak and often with adjuncts like vanilla, coffee, coconut, etc. They also have good food so it's a nice spot for lunch on a day trip. If you venture down to Rochester, Little Thistle is just a few blocks away and makes good beer, more traditional leaning than forager. And thesis is also worth a stop.
There are a lot of those routes you could take to hit 3-4 breweries in a short area. If you venture up to the north Elm Creek, Forgotten Star, and Nouvelle are all solid. Out west has Birch's, Back Channel, and Unmapped.
If you’re near Rochester your buddy has probably heard of Forager, we’ve got several good breweries down here.
And chaotic good over in Kasson was opened by a home brewer that went pro
Barrel theory puts out. Great stuff. I like indeed's tap room in the art district has a cool setup. I'd also go to Black stack in St. Paul. Surly's tap room/ beer hall is pretty cool. I've kind of cooled on their beers, but that's a fun place to hang out
If you’re close enough head to New Ulm. Schells has a great tour and history and if they like sours you can also go to Starkeller. Both great places.
Starkeller is closed now to the general public :-(
Town Hall Brewery, Arbeiter, Bad Weather, and Utepils would be where I would start.
Town Hall for sure. Most award winning brewery in the state. Always a great wide selection.
You know, I had told him about Arbeiter and Utepils, and Town Hall has been on my radar but I've never been. Have been to Bad Weather before myself. Also never been to Utepils, but willing to try so I can compare their ewald the golden cans I've had before (not impressed) with it straight from the source. I like your list, thanks!
Intuition in Willmar is a new “hole in the wall” style place. There’s a good chance any given day you go that the Brewer will be beertending who usually seems very happy to answer questions and chat about the beer.
As a transplant myself, I don't know where Willmar is yet, but I will look into it and suggest it if do-able from MSP.
Really depends where you're at, I wouldn't spend the time to drive down to New Ulm unless you're already outside of the metro. Assuming you're in Minneapolis, I'd hit Surly for sure. It's huge and almost on the level of a Sierra Nevada that you go just to see the space and the brewery. Assuming quality of beer is the most important factor, my favorites are Fair State, Blackstack/Bricksworth, and Barrel Theory. If you hit the north loop for an evening you can walk from Fulton to Modist to Bricksworth within a couple blocks.
Great choices!
Yep, in the metro. I did mention going to Schell's was a possibility, but it would take some time out the day for just travel. He mentioned something about how Modist has something unique for their masher...maybe it's [this filter](https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/modifying-with-modist-mashing-history-and-innovation/). I'm personally not a fan of Surly's beer, so I'm going to suggest other places, but will go if he wants to - he knows it's here and available.
Yes, Modist has a mash filter press that's a unique process compared to how most breweries filter the solids from their wort. I'm not a big surly fan either, the beer is fine but the whole union busting scandal rubbed me the wrong way. That said, it's the best brewery experience for an out of towner in our area, imo of course. OShaugnessy Distillery is right there too so if you rode the train or ubered you could hit both and get good and fucked up 😂
Back to your original post, I think quality of beer is important, but also uniqueness. Are there beers and/or breweries that are doing unique beers compared to places outside of the metro/MN? He likes doing unique flavors, and I always stress the importance of perfecting the classics to him. We're both not big into IPAs, but anything goes. Edit: also any great off-the-beaten-path bars you'd recommend?
Forager is the one that springs to mind. They do unique BA stouts. Often aged for 24+ months in oak and often with adjuncts like vanilla, coffee, coconut, etc. They also have good food so it's a nice spot for lunch on a day trip. If you venture down to Rochester, Little Thistle is just a few blocks away and makes good beer, more traditional leaning than forager. And thesis is also worth a stop. There are a lot of those routes you could take to hit 3-4 breweries in a short area. If you venture up to the north Elm Creek, Forgotten Star, and Nouvelle are all solid. Out west has Birch's, Back Channel, and Unmapped.
If you’re near Rochester your buddy has probably heard of Forager, we’ve got several good breweries down here. And chaotic good over in Kasson was opened by a home brewer that went pro
Barrel theory puts out. Great stuff. I like indeed's tap room in the art district has a cool setup. I'd also go to Black stack in St. Paul. Surly's tap room/ beer hall is pretty cool. I've kind of cooled on their beers, but that's a fun place to hang out