Twin Cities Recommendations

Schells, Central Waters, Earth Rider
https://www.facebook.com/oliphantbrewing/
https://www.facebook.com/thebrewingprojekt/

 

Junkyard
Drekker
Brewing Projekt
Schells/Starkeller
Central Waters
Toppling Goliath

If you cross the river into Hudson, Wisconsin you can access a lot of other great beer from WI and Chicago area.

 

Castle Danger, Bent Paddle
https://www.osobrewing.com/
Are you flying in or driving coming in on 94?

 

Thanks! Driving on 94

 

You might want stop in Eau Claire, buy beer and eat, Low sales tax there, plenty of places to eat and drink.
woodmans in altoona/eau claire
Lazy Monk brewery
Brewing Projekt
https://www.thegrowlerguys.com/on-tap-location/eau-claire-wisconsin/
https://northerntaphouse.com/beer-list/
https://modicumbrewing.com/
https://milwaukeeburgercompany.com/eau-claire-beer-list/
http://www.eauclairebar.com/

 

Dave's BrewFarm will be open this weekend 3-7. Cash only

 

You all have been amazing help! One last question, since I am driving I would like to get some bottles to take home but don't have a ton of time, enough for one stop. In that case which shop should I go for?

 

Try South Lyndale Liquors or Zipps. Zipps is right off of 94.

 

Zipp’s does a great job with their grab-and-go singles selection.

 

Don't forget Lift Bridge at Zipps

 

Has anyone mentioned Zipp's yet?

 

So I’m getting the impression zipps is good, lol! Was at surly tonight and a guy from Colorado just came from zipps, couldn’t recommend higher!

 

Zipps is good but they don't have everything or get every limited beer. i was there yesterday (5-12-19) Almost walked out empty handed. I did get a Bottle of Summit Old Blaggard. by the way Tuesday is a big day in the area for the beer delivery trucks

 

Hi! I’m headed to Minneapolis this weekend for the first time in a long time. Really appreciate the ideas mentioned in this thread. Any advice about bottle shops, breweries, releases near Minneapolis Marriott City Center?

It looks like town hall, BlackStack and Barrel Theory are three I should check out. Any wisdom would be appreciated! Cheers.

 

Style preferences and how far you're willing to travel would help. Also, do you care about the venue or just the beer? Barrel Theory is ten miles from where you'll be staying. If your radius extends that far, then you have a ton of options for breweries (definitely over 50).

Town Hall has brewed every style under the sun and is a classic brewpub near downtown. I definitely recommend it, but it's about as different as you can get from the other two breweries you mentioned. My style-agnostic top recommendations within a mile of your hotel are Sisyphus to the west, Finnegans to the south, and Fulton to the north, in that order. If you're interested in the types of beers that built the reputations of BlackStack and Barrel Theory (mainly NEIPAs and to a lesser extent fruited kettle sours and, in the case of Barrel Theory, pastry stouts), then Modist (near Fulton) probably would be up your alley.

Zipps is the best bottle shop near downtown Minneapolis (about 2.5 miles from your hotel), but there certainly are closer options if you're fine with a more limited selection.

 

Awesome - thank you! Unfortunately, I like most styles. Kölsch to rauchbier, hazies to west coast, lambic to fruit bombs.

Concerning radius - I’ll have a car, but it is unclear how much free time I’ll have, so to-go options are important. If any of these spots have restaurants and are kid friendly for lunch, that would also up my chances.

 

I'll give some breweries-with-food recommendations: Most breweries around here are kid-friendly but most don't serve food, although the ones that don't serve food do allow you to bring in food from elsewhere and often have food trucks outside. Of the ones you mentioned, only Town Hall serves food. I definitely recommend Surly, which is about 4 miles from your hotel, for the beer, the food, and the experience (by far the largest taproom in Minnesota). If you do make it to downtown/Lowertown St. Paul, Birch's, which serves food, is my favorite now that 12welve Eyes has closed. Waldmann near downtown St. Paul serves food, brews superb German style beers, and has a unique historical venue that honestly qualifies as educational for your kid (restored 19th century German-American saloon). I'm not a huge fan of the beer at Urban Growler in St. Paul near the Minneapolis border, but it does serve food, and the very cool and good Bang Brewing is next door. I really like what La Doña Cervecería is doing not far northwest of downtown, and it has a little in-house taco stand (or something of that sort).

 

Thanks again for all the well thought-out recommendations! This is great, because I’ll be coming back in a few weeks for a bachelor party.

I’m looking in to Modist now, and it’s getting me excited - I can’t say I understand a 40 proof ale, but I can say I want it.

 

We have a four year old so this is my list of why they are kid friendly. Note that most of these places don't open until later afternoon during the week. Weekends should be no problem for lunch
:
1. Surly: Large open space, especially patio. Kids always love the solid cheese pizza. Just get it takeout (dont eat in the pizza restaurant upstairs) and bring it out on the patio. Free parking in the lot

2. Bauhaus: Open space with lots of room for kid movement. Has some toys/games there too. Free parking in the lot

3. Insight: Same as Bauhaus

4. Fair State: Fenced in beer garden in back that kids can run around. Get sandwiches/burgers at dipped and debris down the block. Free parking on the street (Central Ave)

5. Modist: Has a little nook/room that is good for kids if you can get in there. Meter parking

6. Not a brewery, but Sea Salt is awesome if it is a nice day. It's at Minnehaha Falls and they normally have a pretty solid beer list. Playground at the park and lots of walking/viewing to be had. Meter parking on street and in the park's parking lots

7. If you do Town Hall, I recommend doing Town Hall Lanes if you got a kid. Grab a lane, bowl, and sample all the same flagships that you would get at the original Town Hall. Town Hall's food is really good at all their locations. They have a kid menu IIRC

Breweries we avoid with children on the weekends (not b/c of unwelcoming, but space concerns):
Dangerous Man: Too crowded and very loud
Indeed: Crowded and not much for a kid to do
Tattersal Distillery: Not much to do and a more pretentious crowd

 

With the exception of Town Hall Station, in my experience. Town Hall makes consistently good burgers, but I've struck out straying too far off that portion of the menu. The beer is terrific, of course.