Barrel Theory Beer Company

Barrel Theory Beer CompanyBarrel Theory Beer Company
Barrel Theory Beer CompanyBarrel Theory Beer Company
Brewery, Bar

248 E 7th St
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55101
United States

(651) 600-3422 | map
barreltheory.com

Why "Barrel Theory"?
Our name is derived from Liebig’s Law of the Minimum which explains that the capacity of a barrel is always limited by its shortest stave. Picture a barrel on standing upright with varying stave lengths, the content that the barrel can hold isn’t determined by the taller staves, but by its shortest.

At Barrel Theory, we don’t define our brand by our best-selling or most successful product, but by the overall quality of our beers and customer service. Our quality-control philosophy is simple: If the beer isn’t something we are proud of, we won’t serve it to you.

Barrel Theory’s founders Brett Splinter, Timmy Johnson, and Todd Tibesar bring years of combined industry experience and knowledge. There’s an understanding among the owners that it is a team effort to run a successful brewing operation that produces real quality and that no one channel of the business can reach a high level of success without the others.
BEER STATS
Average:
4.18
Beers:
288
Ratings:
1,755
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.47
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
64
pDev:
8.05%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by gatornation:
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

4.46/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
The taphouse is sunlit with huge windows with a sunny side outdoor seating patio(open soon). this former magic shop has been transformed into a beautiful space complete with renovated/original turn of the century floors,limestone and reclaimed wood, A beautiful L shaped old wood bar top frames the tanks behind the bar even the lighting fixtures are period perfect. Now the brew its Stouts,sours, and Ipa's, to start. The quality of the inaugural brews are superb with the Berliner Weiss and NEIPA being the best. Service is very good you dont have to wait the folks direct you and want to serve up the brews. The owners Timmy & Brett are usually here visible and approachable, looks like they will have a pass thru restaurant service (wall cut out) available at some point to Dark Horse . In the future a basement below the brewery will house Barrels for Stouts, Saisons, and wild fermented offerings, This is what they will excel at IMO
Jul 09, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Located in Lowertown St Paul MN, in a refurbed warehouse building. No parking lot; look for street parking and there is a pay for parking ramp on the opposite side of the block. Within a couple of blocks of Mears Park and CHS Stadium (baseball for the Saint Paul Saints). Lots of windows on the front (north side). Patio area on the west side (not covered). Inside is all refinished wood and industrial steel. Large L-shaped bar sits on two sides of the visible brewing equipment. Tables and chairs ring along the outside walls. Cooler for take with crowlers. No food offerings, but food can be brought in. Selection of beers is mostly within the IPA style, with the remainder being stouts, sours, or perhaps a pilsner. Very professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff. Occasional special releases of barreled aged beers. More for dedicated hop heads or those who like a higher ABV% stout.
Mar 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.78 by craigbelly from Iowa

Nov 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.17 by socon67 from New York

Nov 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Oct 08, 2022
Photo of eithne
Rated by eithne from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
20220619
Aug 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.41 by strat21311 from Minnesota

Jun 21, 2019
 
Rated: 4.47 by REVZEB from Illinois

May 17, 2019
 
Rated: 4.62 by penickc from Minnesota

Apr 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.48 by 322wingedfoot from Pennsylvania

Mar 30, 2019
Photo of ElizKarr
Rated by ElizKarr from Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
This is one of the best places to go for a good beer and relaxing atmosphere. Never had to wait long for a beer. The quality is the best in the area.
Mar 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.65 by kbaker91 from Minnesota

Jan 29, 2019
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.96/5  rDev -11.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
It is on the east end of Downtown St. Paul near the Saints Stadium in an old building that used to house a luggage store (I think). It is rehab chic with exposed brick walls and feels warm and comfortable. The place is full on a Sunday afternoon. The crowd is mixed and friendly, the service is decent and the beer is good.
Jan 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.83 by Burgy from Minnesota

Dec 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by GreenBayBA from Wisconsin

Oct 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.68 by U2Chaser from North Dakota

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by Hopstout from Minnesota

Sep 25, 2018
Photo of GeneralBurden
Reviewed by GeneralBurden from Minnesota

4.74/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
Great taproom vibe. Music is always kickin’. Lots of indoor seating and a great place to watch the Vikes if you aren’t attending the game. Usually not too crowded. Outdoor patio. Kids are allowed for ill or good depending on your point of view.
No food served only beer but plenty of great food joints nearby.
Service is top notch. Always plenty of styles to choose from on tap. IPA’s and berliners is where this brewery really shines.
Sep 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.65 by Submerged_Brewing from Hawaii

Sep 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4.73 by DissentFatsquirrel from Minnesota

Aug 20, 2018
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3
Beer nerd and a bit hipster atmosphere. Taproom is not as big as I was thinking it was going to be. The brewery is a 1/2 and 3/4 wall away. Large bar with an ordering station on the end opposite the entrance. I guess there is a patio but I was not about to explore that area in the 90 F day. Service was good and professional. I was a bit letdown by the beer selection. A bunch of hazy NE-style pale ales,, a couple adjunct infused milk stouts, and a couple fruited kettle sours. No real IPAs or anything that shows off anything but hype generating beer ability. If you had one of their pale ales, you have had them all. They are well done, but, yea. If you like your beers on the drier side, skip this joint.

May 2019 visit: I knew what to expect at this place but I was still disappointed with the beer. Of all the beer they had available, there was only one that I would drink again, a pale ale. Even the pilsner was too damn sweet.
Jun 15, 2018
Photo of Minnesotamatthew
Rated by Minnesotamatthew from Minnesota

5/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Making some of the best beer in MN
Jun 10, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by frasergrove from California

May 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.62 by jera1350 from Minnesota

May 28, 2018
Photo of fitzy84
Reviewed by fitzy84 from Massachusetts

4.61/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
Visited the metro region and wanted to visit this place since i heard good reviews. The brewery is conveniently located in Lowertown, right near a park and among other bars and restaurants. The brewery has multiple tables to ones left and right and a huge L-shaped bar stretching across the brewery space. A big screen TV was on, but it was so packed with patrons that you could not hear the TV. The bar was mostly brick inside and it was probably an old mill space. Lots of pictures, mostly album covers, adorned the walls including some art.

I sat down at the bar and appreciated the 4 oz samplers. From when i got in there until i left, i had 11 of their beers in their 4 ounces and was amazed at how good their beers were. Beyond that, the customer service was great. At least 4 different people would come over and ask me how i was throughout the night; providing me with a steady stream of water, my next beer selection, or info on the brewery.

I found this to be a pleasant brewery experience. Great beer, but great vibe, feel, and customer service. I am shocked it was not more busy on a Saturday night; i hope this brewery expands and grows further in the future.
May 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4.72 by Jewcemane from Minnesota

May 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by bsp77 from Minnesota

Apr 23, 2018
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana

4.39/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
What a cool place - downtown St Paul prime space, the vibe is a little hipstery, but the service is phenomenal, and the selection is phenomenaler. What a fantastic addition to the MSP beer scene.
Apr 19, 2018
Photo of Powderhornphil
Rated by Powderhornphil from Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
A must-visit in the MSP area. Lots of well exacuted IPAs. Solid to excellent for other styles as well.
Apr 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.4 by needMIbeer from Virginia

Apr 03, 2018
Photo of Sludgeman
Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

4.27/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.75
Visited on a Tuesday evening around dinner time. Not too crowded and never filled up.

Barrel Theory reminds me of Veil in Richmond, VA. A beer drinkers tap room with knowledgeable staff and patrons. A place that makes good to great IPAs and even Berliner Weisses but that has trouble with the dark beers (e.g. the two stouts that were on tap during my visit - note Veil has the same problem).

V - This place has a great beer vibe with still coming across as bright, clean and friendly. The cool wooden bar is a beauty. 4.5

Q - No complaints. Great glassware. Maybe the stouts were served a bit too cold. 4.0

Ser - Barret was great. Great service. Very helpful, knowledgeable about both the BT beers as well as others. 5.0

Sel - Barrel Theory had almost exclusively IPAs, with two Berliner weisse and two stouts also available. Having a beer not so far to the extreme would be nice. A porter, a steam beer, a pilsner - something in the middle for those who are less adventurous or who just need a break from the hoppy, bitter, sour, darkness of the other beers. 3.75
Mar 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.44 by tylerstravis from Colorado

Mar 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.54 by StoutSnob40 from California

Mar 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.23 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Feb 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.47 by Richie_C_Johnson from Minnesota

Feb 16, 2018
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.86/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
All around a great spot. Great vibe that is open and bright. Very beautiful space. The staff is super awesome and friendly. Very helpful and easy going. Lots of great IPAs and berlinners on tap. A few stouts as well! Best brewery in the state.
Feb 13, 2018
Photo of SporkleHawk
Reviewed by SporkleHawk from Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2
BT straight up knows what they're doing - they're easily in my top 3 in the Twin Cities, and they're 1) not even a year old yet and 2) haven't released ANY of their barrel-aged work as far as I'm aware.

The tap room is great - maybe a little small, and it's in a downtown area, so parking ain't free - but they've got a great building and are in an awesome spot in St. Paul. The taproom has a great vibe - right next to a great restaurant, plus the wood they've got in the room really just looks spectacular.

The beer though...man, THAT BEER THO! Seriously, they haven't had a miss yet as far as I'm concerned. Black Lotus is fantastic, their IPAs are excellent, and I've never had Mexican stout quite like El Gato Diablo. The only thing I'm not in love with is that they really have two beer categories they're rolling with - IPAs and stouts, with some occasional sour/Berliner types. A little more variety would be great but 1) they've got time to get there, 2) their current lineup is just fantastic period and 3) their barrel-aged stuff is gonna be killer anyway.

Basically, if you're in the Twin Cities and don't hit Barrel Theory while you're here, you're screwing up badly.
Feb 12, 2018
Photo of Vidblain
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota

4.62/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Barrel Theory exemplifies a lot of things that I want in a brewery - the space is fairly open and friendly, with decent lighting and easy access to the bar. You can order a beer just about anywhere, not just at one designated spot. There are nearly always a few crowlers to be had. The beer selection is quite deep, particularly for a newer brewery, and the variety of styles is always a pleasant surprise. The place does get quite crowded, and is occasionally closed for private events - but there's nearly always a seat to be had at the bar.

The beers are where Barrel Theory truly shines - they're probably one of five breweries in the state producing great, juicy, hazy, fresh IPAs... that haven't just been sitting on a pallet in a warehouse for the last month. Since Barrel Theory opened, I think I've been to Surly all of two times... both times, to close an in-person beer trade. I've been to Barrel Theory almost weekly - for all of the above reasons, and one more: they allow sharing. So I've met a few friends there (new and old) and opened bottles to share with them (and the bar staff, who are super cool about it and will sometimes even share with you). Huge perk, in my opinion. The only other place I'd been doing so is Ansari's, which is quite a drive away from me.

I'm really looking forward to Barrel Theory releasing some barrel-aged stouts or sours one of these days - but, even as of now, they're one of the very best breweries in the state. Highly recommended.
Feb 08, 2018
Photo of gudbrande
Reviewed by gudbrande from Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Going to Barrel Theory always makes me happy. The taproom is quintessential old school St Paul lowertown warehouse. They produce some of the best IPAs and Pale Ales in the region. The beertenders have always been very kind and it's clear that the patron experience is something that they're focused on. If you're visiting the Saintly City this place should be at the top of your list.
Jan 26, 2018
Barrel Theory Beer Company in Saint Paul, MN
Brewery rating: 4.18 out of 5 with 1755 ratings