Minneapolis taproom day advice

Dangerous Man is in NE too, it is a manageable walk (depending on weather) from Indeed, but I personally would add it to your list.

I heard that Fulton is better now that they are brewing all of their beers. They did seem to have consistency issues when they contract brewed their staples. War and Peace and Worth are out, not sure what exactly at the tap room right now, but those are solid,and great fresh.

Also keep an eye on the what's on tap thread or check Untappd for a possible great to epic tapping.

 

Surly has no TVs. Can't remember about Indeed, Dangerous Man, Bauhaus specifically, but don't think they do or just one. Fulton is your best bet for TVs.

 

Town Hall also has tv's and would be a short train ride from Surly if you checked into your hotel first.

 

I'll just throw out Bang Brewing and Urban Growler. Both of them are just on the other side of Highway 280 from Surly. Bang is worth it just because the taproom/brewery is so small yet cool with what they did converting an old grain bin. If you're at Bang you might as well hit up Urban since it's literally right across the parking lot so no need to "move" between breweries. Urban also serves food so if the lunch at Surly doesn't pan out you can get your beer/food combo without having to go too much further.

 

dangerous man has 1 TV. I don't recall Bauhaus having any. Indeed might have 1 but i'm not sure. Fulton has 1 TV also.

 

Just a thought....cancel your hotel room reservation (granted you can without a penalty) and come up NEXT Saturday...which is the culmination of town halls barrel aged week (8 amazing barrel aged beers) and if you want you can make a quick stop at surly and indeed! Just my .02

 

I highly recommend Fair State. I've been making my way through a few of the new ones and they have impressed me the most. To answer your question they do have TV's as well.

They also have a nice array of beer styles available including lagers and "everything" I have had from them has been good or better. Much preferred to several of the other new ones. They're all worth trying as none are horrible except Maple Island in Stillwater but it doesn't sound like you are going that direction. My choice for new place though is Fair State. Not real far from Bauhaus. Maybe a mile. I like Bauhaus too but would recommend Fair State before it.

 

Day Block is only a couple blocks from Town Hall so your hotel should be close to them too. They are a brewpub that specializes in pizza so they could also be an option for dinner or late night snacks.

Also, definitely hit up Bauhuas.

 

Solid but nothing outstanding. If memory serves, I believe they pour half pints too. Like I mentioned, just a stone's throw from Surly and you can get the gist of the place in about 20 minutes and a half a pint. No need to dedicate a good chunk of time there.

 

All of Fulton's seasonal/garage series beers are great IMO. The year-round stuff is just average though...

My top 5 suggestions would be:
Surly
Indeed
Dangerous Man (Get food from Anchor Fish & Chips and bring it to the taproom)
Fulton
Townhall

Also, don't plan on walking. Its going to be too cold on Saturday. Do yourself a favor and try out Uber and Lyft if you havent already. They usually have free ride offers for new customers that sign up.

 

Fair State is indeed (sorry) very good. I probably would rank it above Indeed and maybe just a touch below Dangerous Man. I think Sisyphus is at least as good as Fair State, and I truly don't understand those who are unimpressed by it. Those two are the most exciting of the many breweries to open in Minnesota in the last year. If you're going to skip Sisyphus, do so because it's on the western side of downtown Minneapolis while everything else you're talking about is east of downtown, but not because of the beer. Bauhaus also is solid, and its pilsner is one of the best I've ever had. I believe that all the "cider" at Sociable actually is graff (i.e., beer/cider hybrid), and I'm not a big fan of it, nor is anyone else I've encountered who is knowledgeable about either cider or beer, so that's something to keep in mind. Bang brews very well made, subtle beer in the English tradition and has a remarkably cool taproom, so I would say, yes, it's worth a stop if you're otherwise interested. Fulton's okay but no better than other options in the area like Insight, Day Block, Urban Growler, and NorthGate. I think its fame derives from the fact that it has been around for a few years, had the first taproom in the state, and bottles.

My current ranking of the top Minneapolis-proper breweries is as follows:

1. Surly
2. Town Hall
3. Dangerous Man
4. Sisyphus
5. Fair State
6. Indeed

I probably would put Bauhaus at number 7, but, for me, there's a sizable gap after the top 6.

 

I second Day Block for both beer and food. It's on Washington, and very walk-able.

 

Yeah Sociable doesn't server pure cider. That is wine under MN law, so they brew graff. Never had a chance to get there and try it yet, but it does sound interesting.

 

I'm kind of doing what @Iowan is doing but I'm coming up on the 21st of this month and I'll only be in town for 8.5 hours.

I've been wanting to check out the new Surly joint so I figured I'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone and hit up the last day of TH BA week as well (the main reason I chose the 21st to come up). Very excited for this.

These are the exact 5 places I plan on squeezing in on my trip (just not in that order). I'm very familiar with all of them but for some reason or another haven't been able to make it to Indeed or Dangerous Man in my previous visits.