Minneapolis Brew Pubs & Breweries for Pub Crawl on Saturday?

July 1, 2016 5:39 AM

Hi, we have guests visiting us in Minneapolis for the 4th of July holiday weekend. We've got a minivan and designated driver and we'd like to drive around and visit a number of small breweries/brewpubs tomorrow. We took them to Indeed, Fulton, and 612 last time they were in town. Where should we go? Surly seems like an obvious possibility, but where else?
posted by Alluring Mouthbreather to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

I love Dangerous Man and Lakes and Legends. I think for Dangerous Man, we brought our own ice cream and then ordered hard root beer. Also, in Uptown, we've enjoyed Lynlake Brewery. They have games there too!
posted by buttonedup at 5:46 AM on July 1, 2016

Bang Brewing in Saint Paul would be open on Saturday until 8.
posted by gimonca at 5:52 AM on July 1, 2016

If your route ranges far enough east, Tin Whiskers in downtown St. Paul is worth a stop.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:04 AM on July 1, 2016

If you go to Bang, Urban Growler is right next door. And if you head downtown to go to Tin Whiskers, there's no reason you shouldn't make a stop at Bad Weather, as well. (Or cross over the river to go to Wabasha.)
posted by heurtebise at 6:59 AM on July 1, 2016

My beer-loving coworkers like to go to Insight Brewing.
posted by belladonna at 8:00 AM on July 1, 2016

If you want a pallet cleanser, consider adding Sociable Cider Werks to your list. Their shandy is fantastic on a hot summer day.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:00 AM on July 1, 2016

Hammerheart Brewing is a little bit of a trip, but worth it. They make some good interesting big beers and have a small cozy taproom.
posted by kpraslowicz at 8:42 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

If the weather is nice, Lynlake Brewing has a fantastic rooftop.

Dangerous Man is great.

Harriet Brewing has really superb beer. Super lowbrow space, but in a good way. Live music, often. Plus, Hammerschlagen!

Modist is new, near Fulton. Their beers are different (typically lower bitterness, lower ABU). Great space.

I really like Indeed and Bauhaus. Indeed is cozy. Bauhaus is wide open.

If you're going to have a meal, consider Day Block. Great food (bacon flights!), very good beer.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:27 AM on July 1, 2016

I should note, while Surly is great, has great beer, and is a Beer Mecca of sorts, it is an entirely different experience than all listed above. Surly is really, really huge.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:30 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Bent Brewstillery has interesting beers though the space itself isn't super inspiring. I've heard amazing things about Du Nord's Cocktail Room if you're willing to venture outside the bounds of beer.

The Indeed/Socialable Cider/Bauhaus/612 Brew quadrangle is something to consider as well, given their proximity to each other, but since 2 of those are already done, there's no need to complete the foursome.

Surly is quite the experience (and the food is legit great). You might also want to consider Summit if you want to round out the Big Boys.
posted by sparklemotion at 9:49 AM on July 1, 2016

Sheesh, forgot my favorites: Sisyphus and Steel Toe. If IPAs are your thing, these are your places to go. Sisyphus has tabletop shuffleboard. Steel Toe makes Size 7, my favorite IPA in town.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:50 AM on July 1, 2016

You can hit Indeed, Bauhaus and 612 without having to find a new parking place!
posted by mygoditsbob at 10:36 AM on July 1, 2016

Northbound Smokehouse? Town Hall?
posted by caution live frogs at 11:43 AM on July 1, 2016

Yeah, for me, Dangerous Man is hands down the best Twin Cities brewery.

LynLake is also fantastic.

I don't love Indeed as much as some people, but also good.

Surly is pretty cool. The beer is really good, but the best thing is the food. If you go, definitely eat there.

Town Hall is a little hit or miss, but I've had some excellent beer there.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:42 AM on July 2, 2016