Good Beer in the Black Hills?

Smith's Liquor Gallery has a good selection of beer, as well as a growler fill station.

Sick-N-Twisted is in Hill City. I haven't been to the brewery and honestly haven't been too impressed by their beers, but it is an option.

Crow Peak in Spearfish. Has some good beers, but again, I haven't personally been to the brewery.

I've heard positive things about Firehouse Brewery, but can't lend any opinion there.

 

I went to Firehouse Brewery a few years back and it was forgettable. I wanted to hit up Crow Peak last time I was up there, but didn't have time. We did stop in at Dakota Shivers Brewery in Lead and it was a neat little brewery with some solid offerings.

 

My wife and I went to the Black Hills for our honeymoon last year. We stopped at Miner Brewing in Hill City. I was pretty impressed. I brought back a growler of their chokecherry brown ale.

 

Thrillist recently published a list of the best beer bars per state, and for South Dakota it was Independent Ale House in Rapid City. Never been there, and while it is may be the best on the left end of the state, I question whether the author even considered the five excellent taprooms in Sioux Falls. If you are in the Sioux Falls area, the two JL Beers taprooms, Monk's, Taphouse 41, and Old Chicago are all worth a visit (JL's being my goto taproom, and they have the best burgers and fries in Sioux Falls). As mentioned, Miner is worth a visit while in the hills (and they are on tap in Sioux Falls at the Prairie Berry East Bank wine room near Monk's). Have a good trip and please report back here what you find.

 

I can second Miner, and if you are into wine at all they are attached to a winery. Firehouse is a decent spot and the food is okay, but the beers I had were pretty average.

 

I was out there last weekend over Memorial Day. I'd also recommend Bitter Esters Brewhouse in Custer.

We tried a really nice house-Saison they had on. They have other local taps and bottles too.

We had a really good lunch there too. Everything seemed fresh/local-ish foodwise. I had a Reuben that was awesome, the pickled herring appetizer was AWESOME as well. G/F had the Southwest Black Bean Burger which was great too. Friend had the Cilantro Lime Salad which was killer as well. Lastly we had bread pudding for dessert which was really really good.

Service was a tad slow, be patient, but in their defense they seemed busy when we were in there.

 

Nah. None of the ones in the Hills are worth going to if you're expecting anything more than average at best beer. Hay Camp in Rapid City does most of the styles they try well, but I wouldn't say anything really stands out from them. Sick n' Twisted stands out in my mind because all of their beer's names were blatantly sexist and not at all related to their particular style. Do avoid them in particular.

My favorite place for beer/food in the hills is probably the Bugling Bull in Custer. They don't have too much in the way of specialty beers, but the ones they do make are all solid representations of the style and I've left extremely satisfied from my meal each time.

Independent Ale House is fantastic if you're looking for pizza/beer (they have 40 beers on tap), but you're probably not going to get a table if you come within an hour or so of peak dinner hours. They're always really busy.

 

Having lived in South Dakota for most of my life, the Black Hills are a tourist area. Once the season is done and you are not in Rapid, there is not a ton of population and it is hard to get around. You will be hard pressed to find world class beer there in general, it needs to be made for the masses and not the few. True, you can make/find a great hoppy or dark beers, but for the most part, you will find approachable beers. While many of them are good, and you will find some nice surprises.

I would agree with jwetter10 above that the Buglin Bull is a good spot, there is another spot in Custer...The Black Hills Burger and Bun Co. A couple of years back they won the best burger in America. We tried to eat there and the line was an hour. As for Sick n Twisted, unless you want to drink beers like Creamy Wet Spot or a Nut Hugger, be my geust.

If you like Boulevard Wheat and Amber Bock, I remember seeing that on tap almost everywhere. More places seem to have Crow Peak now, that is what I get when I am there.

 

These days you may want to include the Bonus Round on the list.

 

When my wife & I were traveling through the Black Hills in 2014, we had a Crow Peak brew with lunch at a place in Hill City. It was pretty good. And it was just our luck when we pulled the RV in to the KOA in Spearfish that evening to find the brewery was about a hundred meters down the road! The beers were good and the atmosphere nice.

 

I did a family trip in early October. Here's my experience:

Firehouse Brewing. A decent brewpub but nothing exceptional. I got a growler of their cider because that was the best beer we had. Although it's the first place I've been to with a 9-glass sampler.

Sick-n-Twisted. Some very good beers and a fun crew. Cozy and relaxing.

Crow Peak. Just stopped in for a growler of Pile-o-Dirt (touted as the best beer in the Hills). Has a mountain brewery feel with a touch of biker bar.

Smith's Liquors. West of Dino Park. Very good selection but not too many local picks because not many local breweries bottle their product.