Ranking MN Breweries (July Update)

New Visits: Spilled Grain, Urban Growler, Hayes Public House, Roundhouse, Goat Ridge, Foxhole.

- Urban Growler, Roundhouse and Foxhole were the pick of the litter. I’m confident in recommending all three. Spilled Grain was tough to get a handle on. They had a very nice hefeweizen and then a very poor dunkelweizen. I liked the Kolsch as well and thought the Old Ale was outstanding. Dubbel and IPA were average. Hayes was just OK for the most part but they had a really nice DIPA going when I was there. I thought Goat Ridge was kind of a cool place on the river but the beer needs work.

Other Adds: Mankato (left them off for some reason before but have had enough of their beers to place)

Return Visits: Bang, Hammerheart, 10-K, Lupulin, Omni (twice), Liftbridge, Gull Dam, Big Axe, Able Seedhouse

-Bang was a little better than the first time but still nothing memorable. Hammerheart hits their niche effectively. 10-K was just as bad as the first time. Scores for the beers I had I jotted at 1.6, 2.0, 2.6 and 3.3 (for Chocolate Moose Nuts). I was kind on that rating because they list it as a Baltic Hazelnut Porter and it tastes nothing like a Baltic Porter. Hazelnuts were not distinguishable, it had a nice chocolate milk stout like flavor and unlike the others nothings seemed terribly off. Lupulin is what I thought it was. Very good bordering on excellent. Omni I expected improvement and while not terrible, the beers I had did not make as good of an impression this time as last time I was there. 3.6, 3.8, 3.25, 3.1 for the four I had. Decent enough but I was hoping to see more improvement. Liftbridge is Liftbridge. Excellent beer. Gull Dam seems to be getting worse and worse after their original brewer left. Big Axe showed no improvement except for one beer (Mosaic IPA). The rest of their offerings may have regressed which is saying something. Able Seedhouse was decent enough but more good than very good so I’ve adjusted. I’ve got scores if anyone wants details for individual beers for Big Axe, Gull Dam, Roundabout, Foxhole, and Goat Ridge. I also slid a group from the bottom of the excellent category to the very good. Feel they are better fits there. Splitting hairs on categories.

So here is what I have now for my list. Was debating on adding border city places (Superior, Fargo, Somerset, Hudson, etc). Not sure. For now it remains all Minnesota.

BEST OF THE BEST:
Schell’s
Town Hall
Surly
Fitger’s
Summit
Indeed
Fair State
Liftbridge
Steel Toe
Junkyard
Dangerous Man
Bent Paddle
Castle Danger

EXCELLENT
Bemidji
Birch’s on the Lake
Sissyphus
Hammerheart
Badger Hill

VERY GOOD:
The Freehouse
Waconia
Bad Weather
Lake Monster
Northbound
Foxhole
Urban Growler
Lupulin
Mankato Brewing
Bauhaus
Enki
Beaver Island
Jack Pine
Roundhouse
Lupine
Insight

GOOD:
Lynn Lake
Disgruntled
Northgate
Schram
Barley John’s
Day Block
Harriet
East Lake
Bad Habit
Able Seedhouse
Spilled Grain
Great Waters
Canal Park

AVERAGE:
Rock Bottom
Tin Whiskers
Lucid (Northloop Brew Co)
Wabasha
Hayes Public House
Bang
Omni
Flat Earth

BELOW AVERAGE:
612
Big Wood
Excelsior
F-Town
Bent

POOR:
Gull Dam
Goat Ridge
Big Axe
Herkimer
10K
Maple Island
*Tavern Brewhouse in Detroit Lakes would fit here but they have revamped their operation entirely since I was there so I will just say they may have had the worst beer in the state when I tried it last winter. I will be revisiting this summer.

 

Yeah I'm constantly weighing my thoughts in my head and reshuffling. It's like my FFL draft board. Even now I saw a couple I would switch around a little. Maybe in a year I'll have it solidified.

 

Yeah hell if I know. Maybe they are inconsistent? I had four beers and thought all were good to very good. I just looked up a couple bloggers whose opinion I value and one thought they were very solid and the other thought they were good. I was planning on going there again since I liked their beer so they will be re-evaluated...just not likely in the next couple of months..

 

Thanks. Totally forgot them although someone brought up Fulton before and I could add them as I'v beers. Originally the list was for breweries that serve growlers and then it morphed into all breweries and these got missed in the transition. Next update I will place. Thanks again.

 

Well that is exciting to read. The fact that came from a new brewer and was his first effort is encouraging and definitely warrants a revisit later this summer from me. I did think the Mosaic was clearly the best of the ten or so I had there and really one of just a couple that were drinkable.

Any info on the brewer?