Best Beer Shops - Brainerd, Baxter, Nisswa area?

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by BottleCaps80, Jun 19, 2013.

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  1. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    My family has a cabin in Pequot Lakes and we are going up there to stay for a week in July. Every time I've been (the last time was 2 summers ago), the liquor stores in the nearby area have had zero to little craft beer options.

    Question: are there any bottle shops in the area that carry good craft selections? I'm pretty much banking that no place up there carries Surly, right? How about a place that just some Odell, Lagunitas, Founders, Bells, Stone, Deschutes etc? Or would my best best just be to hit up Blue Max on my way up?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
     
    #1 BottleCaps80, Jun 19, 2013
  2. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (4,048) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Things have changed much for the better.....Cashwise Liquor and Westside Liquor both in Baxter will have all those including Surly and much more. Cashwise is smaller but has better prices. They also move out beer close to experation at close out prices. That is good for two reasons. One you can score some great deals sometimes.....and two you pretty much know you are buying fresh beer off their shelves..

    Westside may have a few more brands overall....in fact I'm pretty sure they do have more options and they also have sales weekly that are decent. It's a much bigger store.


    Also in Nisswa on the right side off of 371 there is a place that has some decent craft offerings....might be called "Nisswa Liquor"
     
    #2 ZAP, Jun 19, 2013
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  3. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Great info, ZAP. Thanks! Sounds like my best bet it stop in Baxter and check out those liquor stores. Stoked that they even carry Surly! It really does sound like things have changed for the better since 2011. Any beers up in the Lakes area you might now find down in the cities that I should look for?
     
    #3 BottleCaps80, Jun 19, 2013
  4. jkwikkel

    jkwikkel Crusader (415) Mar 18, 2008 Iowa


    Nisswa Liquor is right next to one of my company's offices, lol.
     
    #4 jkwikkel, Jun 19, 2013
  5. shawnp

    shawnp Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2010 Minnesota

    What lake specifically? My in laws just bought a place on Pelican.
     
    #5 shawnp, Jun 19, 2013
  6. StarRanger

    StarRanger Crusader (482) Nov 27, 2006 North Dakota

    #6 StarRanger, Jun 19, 2013
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  7. millah

    millah Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2008 Minnesota

    Surly is/was carried at the liquor store in the same lot as Reed's Market in Crosslake. For a nice place to drink with a few good taps, try Andy's right on the corner in Crosslake. Cheers!
     
    #7 millah, Jun 19, 2013
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  8. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (4,048) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Pass on Brainerd Lakes Brewing beer...contract brewed and not very good......maybe give Leech Lake a try if you feel like gambling on their quality control issues....Jackpine is decent and on tap at a few places in town....they have them listed on their website I think....they are solid but seem more geared for mass appeal at this point although he seems to have some decent recipes listed as future ideas on his site...
     
    #8 ZAP, Jun 20, 2013
  9. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (4,048) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Oh also Cashwise's closeout deals are on the left immediately when you come in....they can be hit or miss but worth checking to see...then their other craft offerings are on the other side of the store...
     
    #9 ZAP, Jun 20, 2013
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  10. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Ossawinamakee...which I think is technically Breezy Point, but the address is Pequot.
     
    #10 BottleCaps80, Jun 20, 2013
  11. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    This is good info, as Crosslake is very close!
     
    #11 BottleCaps80, Jun 20, 2013
  12. millah

    millah Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2008 Minnesota

    Ossawinamakee is on the same chain as my family's cabin: Osawinamakee then Kimball then Bass (our lake). Ideal Corners is a great little restaurant on the corner of 39 and 16 - not a great tap list but decent bottles and fantastic pub food. 5 min. from your place. Nisswa Liquor and the liquor store across from Reed's in Crosslake are your closest and best "to go" options. Andy's had Bell's and Deschutes on tap as well as a liquor store which I haven't actually checked out yet for craft offerings. Great area, cheers!
     
    #12 millah, Jun 20, 2013
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  13. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Just ate at the Old Milwaukee Supper Club at Ideal Corners tonight. Always a close, solid option for dinner.

    There was no Surly to be found at either Westside or Cash Wise Liquors in Baxter today. A lady told me they don't get Surly up here anymore. Other craft offerings were OK, but nothing great. Picked up some stuff from Lift Bridge, Big Wood, Lucid and Lagunitas, which will do me alright for the week.

    Will have to check out that liquor store in Cross Lake, as that is very close to me.
     
    #13 BottleCaps80, Jul 7, 2013
  14. MNPikey

    MNPikey Pooh-Bah (1,693) Feb 27, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Last August 2012, we stopped at Cashwise on the way to Breezy Point and they still had Darkness from the year before.
     
    #14 MNPikey, Jul 7, 2013
  15. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    Are their bombers in a different (non-refrigerated) area from the rest of their beer? I couldn't find bombers there or at Westside.
     
    #15 BottleCaps80, Jul 7, 2013
  16. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (4,048) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Wow..surprised by that (no Surly) but haven't been there for about three months.....
     
    #16 ZAP, Jul 8, 2013
  17. jackdaddy

    jackdaddy Devotee (347) Apr 10, 2010 Minnesota

    #17 jackdaddy, Jul 8, 2013
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  18. mnphish

    mnphish Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2012 Minnesota

    #18 mnphish, Jul 9, 2013
  19. jackdaddy

    jackdaddy Devotee (347) Apr 10, 2010 Minnesota

    Unfortunately when you click on the "Lake Nitez" link and then click on the "Check out our beer menu" link, it says "Temporarily Unavailable" It does it for both sites.
     
    #19 jackdaddy, Jul 9, 2013
  20. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (4,048) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    It hasn't been working for most of the summer for some reason
     
    #20 ZAP, Jul 9, 2013
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