Visiting MN for work, what to drink?

todd the axe man cans.. if you are looking for something to-go. maybe psuedosue, if we see distribution by then.

 

Hit up Fair State and Dangerous Man. Go to the new Surly brewery. Personally, I love Harriet Brewing. How much do you feel like driving? There's a couple I'd recommend that might have you doing some extra driving.

You'll miss the Minnesota State Fair, but if you like baseball, go to a Saint Paul Saints game and a Twins game.

 

Those are all great recommendations! Might as well make it a Northeast (Mpls.) tour and hit Indeed and Bauhaus Brewlabs as well. There is a lot to offer in a close proximity!

 

I will always recommend Town Hall Brewery in 7 Corners.

 

$3 HH pints, yes please...

 

$2 for the last hour of HH on Wednesdays. It's wonderful.

 

Try Sisyphus Brewery

 

Check out steel toe!!!

 

I second this! and steel toe

 

Dang, I didn't even know about that one!

 

If you go to Town Hall, be sure to cross the street and hit up the Republic Bar. They have a fairly robust tap list.

 

And killer food

 

OP, were you looking more for bottle/can recommendations or bar/brewpub/taproom recommendations?

Among the latter, I agree with the suggestions others have given (Town Hall, Sisyphus, Fair State, Dangerous Man, Steel Toe). All of those would be in my list of best ten breweries in Minnesota. I personally wouldn't put Harriet in that company, but it makes decent Americanized Belgian beers (its taproom, however, is pretty dingy and in a rather rough part of town). I'll add in Indeed, Bauhaus (Edit: I now see those too already have been mentioned), and Bang (the last one mainly because the taproom is so unusual and cool; it's in a grain bin) as a second tier. All of those are in Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the first ring suburb of St. Louis Park. If you're willing to venture further, I can give you some outer-metro recommendations.

Of those mentioned, only Fair State, Steel Toe, Harriet, Indeed, and Bauhaus bottle or can for distribution in liquor stores, but the others all sell growlers, growlettes, and/or 750 ml crowlers at their respective breweries.

My top recommendation, however, definitely is Surly's taproom in Minneapolis (either the large Surly Beer Hall or the Brewer's Table "finer dining" restaurant upstairs), opened in December 2014, if you haven't visited it already. Surly surely will have a ton of good options that you'll have difficulty finding outside of the brewery, it's a very impressive venue, and its food is on another level from that of any other brewery I've visited.

Among bars, Republic Seven Corners (by Town Hall) has the best selection in town, but Republic Calhoun Square is no slouch itself and is closer to Bloomington. Red Cow in southwestern Minneapolis is a good beer bar that may be closer still (Red Cow has two other locations in the Twin Cities as well). Happy Gnome and Muddy Pig are great beer bars within blocks of each other in St. Paul.

For liquor stores, your best nearby options are South Lyndale Liquors and France 44, both in south Minneapolis.

 

To follow up off of Islay's post, Red Cow on 50th Street is also a very short walk away from The Pig and Fiddle, a sister bar to the Muddy Pig. Generally a very good tap list there, though I'd recommend eating at Red Cow before heading over. Never been crazy about the food at P&F.

 

Really?

 

Lol, Harriet is not even remotely located in a rough part of town. Come on man. What in your opinion makes it rough?

 

By "rough part of town," do you mean "less white part of town?". I've lived in that area for 11 years and have never, ever, had an issue.