Road Trip: Beer suggestions in MN, SD

Rochester has Forager and LTS which are worth stops. Short detour off if 90. Sioux Falls has Fernson. Buddy of mine owns that one. Well worth a stop. HyVee grocery stores in SD do growler and half growler fills in their liquor stores so keep that in mind.

 

Forager is a must. You could also check out Grand Rounds while in Rochester. Take 16 in Luverne has decent ratings but I've never been or really heard about the place so maybe someone else can comment on it.

 

Forager and Grand Rounds also do crowler fills so that will be easy to transport. Also check out LTS Brewing in Rochester. It is just a taproom with no food unlike the other two. Plenty of decent liquor stores in Rochester.

Also in MN off of I-90 is Oswald Brewing in Blue Earth. The beer is nothing special but if you want to see a small town MN brewery/taproom, this is just minutes of the interstate.

 

Take 16 has decn beer, and their Hay Loft is pretty damn good. They do have limited hours for growler fills, but you can find bottles of their stuff around.

There's Oswald Brewing in Blue Earth, but I know nothing about them.

Depending on how far off 90 you want to go, a stop at Schell's Brewery in New Ulm is a must stop, but be aware: MN15 through town is torn up right now. Schell's runs the Starkeller taproom in New Ulm, which features their Noble Star beers.

One other thing about Rochester - if you see Kinny Creek Brewing, RUN! Their beer is horrible.

Hope this all helps.

 

My wife is from Central Mass! I'd route south of the Twin Cities and focus on Decorah. The beer at Toppling Goliath and Pulpit Rock will surpass what you'll find here. The landscape is nicer and you can stop for some Amish snacks.

 

West O in Okoboji (Iowa) makes good beer and is about 20 minutes south of I-90. Plus, you can get Taco House.

Can't go wrong with stops in Decorah or Rochester. Decorah isn't that convenient, but worth the drive.

 

If you have a chance, there is an area of downtown Sioux Falls that has several breweries and taprooms within a few blocks. Most of them are in a three block stretch of 8th St, but a brewery/taproom and an independent taproom are on nearby Phillips Ave. A good place to spend a day or two sometime. There are couple of decent new hotels right there also, plus plenty of restaurants. Specific places you can look up are JL Beers taproom, Woodgrain brewery/taproom, Gandy Dancer Brewing/Monk's taproom, Prairie Berry wineroom/Miner taproom, and Fernson taproom. Another brewery/taproom is opening this summer within that same stretch.

 

Woodgrain and Hydra are ok in Sioux Falls honestly don't get the Fernson thing at all their beer is mediocre at best. Their first releases of the IPA had to have something wrong with it and never went back again.

 

I know nothing about Fernson, but this would SEEM to indicate you have not had a beer of theirs since 2015, shortly after they opened.

 

Yep not going back not worth it with so many better options not local in the market now. Had the farmhouse, ipa, and lions paw and all nothing i need again.