twin cities metro area
12welve Eyes Brewing
Just opened in the summer of 2016, 12welve Eyes is located in the popular Lowertown part of Saint Paul, just a couple blocks from CHS Field. This makes it a good option for a beer before or after a ballgame. With just a 5-barrel brewing system, they have the ability to turnover a lot of different styles and variety quickly. 12 taps flow from their basement location of a skyway-connected building. There is no outdoor patio of food served here but you can bring in your own food from numerous nearby locations. There is also an occasional food truck parked in the alley. Location: 141 E 4th Street, Suite LL2, St Paul Updated: Sep '17
|
12welve Eyes Brewing
Bar Area
|
Omni Brewing
Omni brewing is the only brewery in this northwest suburb of Minneapolis. Open since 2015, Omni has slowly built a reputation for producing solid beers as I can attest to when I drank a flavorful Scotch Ale, which was smooth and rich with malt. Apparently, they do multiple versions of this, including barrel-aging. They have a large, 30-barrel brewing system, so you can also find their beers in various Twin Cities locations. A food truck is there most days of the week and always on weekends. Location: 9462 Deerwood Lane North, Maple Grove Updated: Sep '17
|
Bar Area
Fermentors
|
Flat Earth Brewing Company
The first time I went here almost 3 years ago, Flat Earth Brewing was just a small brewery and offered free tastes of their beer for a few hours on Saturday. They have become so much more now. With a huge new taproom and larger brewing capacity, they can easily handle large crowds in their taproom as well as support distribution to numerous local bars and liquor stores. Great place to get together with friends, enjoy some of their numerous activities and drink some good beer. Location: 688 Minnehaha Avenue East, St Paul Updated: Oct '17
|
St Paul's Flat Earth Brewing Co
|
Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery
Waldmann Brewery opened in early October 2017, 160 years after the original Waldmann Saloon was built.This resurrection of the original lager-house is decorated with period decor, including wood stoves and oil lamps, but has the feel of an old German restaurant with multiple rooms spread among 2 levels. It's fitting, because Waldmann's focuses on traditional German-style lagers and the beer is supplement with a variety of house-made sausages. This brewery has unique lateral fermentors which provides a better fermentation for lagers. I really enjoyed the beers I tried and they were some of the best I've had outside Germany. Location: 445 Smith Avenue North, St Paul Updated: Oct '17
|
Lateral Fermentors
|
Unmapped Brewing Co
Western Minneapolis suburb brewery which opened in the summer of 2017. There is a spacious interior with plenty of beer hall style tables that easily supports large groups of patrons. Up to 12 taps pour a variety of beer styles so there is bound to be something for everyone. Expect to see several Belgian-style ales. Food can be brought in from neighboring restaurants and they also have an occasional food truck. Location: 14625 Excelsior Boulevard, Minnetonka Updated: Nov '17
|
|
Alloy Brewing Company
Much like the name implies (multiple metals combined into one), Alloy Brewing combines multiple brewers (four, in this case) into one really good brewery. Each of the brewers has a different brewing background which provides a diverse selection of beer in the taproom. Each brewer creates their own core recipe and home brews it. It is then a collective endeavor to refine it and bring it to fruition. There is a nice outdoor patio behind the taproom. Meat and cheese snacks are available in the taproom and there is also an occasional food truck on weekends. Location: 2700 Coon Rapids Boulevard NW, Coon Rapids Updated: Jan '18
|
|
Venn Brewing Company
Venn, is Norwegian for friend. And in this South Minneapolis brewery, you will find a nice-sized taproom with plenty of room to gather with friends and enjoy conversation over a few beers. Open since December 2017, they had an impressive 16 beers on tap, which is a little unusual for a freshly opened brewery. There was a solid selection of styles to choose from, including sessionable ales and a Sahti, which is a Finnish beer and one of the world's oldest, continually-brewed styles. They have a good truck stop by on weekends. Location: 3550 East 46th Street, Suite 140, Minneapolis Updated: Feb '18
|
|
Back Channel Brewing Co
Back Channel Brewing has a great location on a channel of Lake Minnetonka on the west side of the Twin Cities. Only open since the fall of 2017, they are well on their way to a very successful tenure with an inviting taproom and great beer in this small town brewery. Very nice beer selection with a variety of beer types, and some wonderfully big flavored IPA's. They have a large patio overlooking the channel which will be great in the non-winter months. Nearby restaurants will deliver food, weather permitting, and food trucks will also be available. While drinking at this 7-barrel brewery during our many visits, we have also enjoyed nice conversations with the owners; Matt, Melissa, and Josh. One of the best new breweries in the Minnesota. Location: 4787 Shoreline Drive, Spring Park Updated: Oct '19
|
|
Hayes Public House
For some great Irish culture and old world-inspired ales, Hayes Public House, in the Northwest end of the Twin Cities metro area offers a great option. The pub is decorated with a large amount of Irish decor. Having been to Ireland several times, I can vouch for the authentic Irish pub look and feel. They even serve the ales in authentic glassware, such as the thistle glass shown on the right. (Sure wish they would have sold me one!). An outdoor patio looks toward Buffalo Lake, located across the street. When I was there, they were in the process of upgrading to a new 7-bbl brewing system, which is now operational. There is occasional live music as well as an occasional food truck. You can also bring in your own food from a nearby local restaurant or even order it and have it delivered. Great beer and great atmosphere! Location: 112 1st Street South, Buffalo Updated: Mar '18
|
|
Aegir Brewing Co
The name of the brewery comes from Norse mythology where Aegir was the brewer to the gods. I made it to this small nano brewery on their opening day last month. They have just a 2.5 bbl brewing system. The taproom is also fairly small but comfortable and adequate to support local business in the smallish city of Elk River, north of the Twin Cities. They produce traditional beer styles so there should be something for everyone to enjoy! Location: 707 Main Street Northwest, Elk River Updated: Mar '18
|
|
Dual Citizen Brewing Co
Community brew-house located in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood in Northwest St. Paul. It has a large taproom in full view of the brewing tanks as well as a nice outdoor patio. Food options consist of bringing your own, ordering from local establishments or from the occasional food truck. Located just a block off the light rail line and nearest station. Location: 725 Raymond Avenue, St. Paul Updated: Apr '18
|
|
Invictus Brewing Company
Invictus is a recent entry into the North suburb brewery scene, having opened in the summer of 2018. Great location in the midst of the National Sports Center and adjacent to lots of retails shops and restaurants. This location is a gold mine for traffic (the sports center alone supports more than 4 million visitors per year). Inside the large taproom you can order your beer from one side of the brewery and on the other side, you can order food from a somewhat eclectic menu of burgers, pizza, appetizers and more. Ample beer hall seating and an outdoor patio provides a pleasant atmosphere for beer-drinking. Location: 2025 105th Avenue NE, Blaine Updated: Sep '18
|
|
Clutch Brewing Company
Excellent new brewery in St. Paul opened Sep 2018. We were there just a week after opening, which I typically don't do. I like to give a brewery time to fine tune their craft. But this one far exceeded expectations. With a great location in the renovated old Schmidt Brewery keg house, they really created a unique second-floor layout. The center-open taproom has a large seating area near the bar and additional seating is spread around the perimeter of the building. It looks down to various retail shops on the first floor. The beer was exceptional for only being open 1 week. We thoroughly enjoyed this visit. Location: 928 7th Street West #201, St Paul Updated: Sep '18
|
|
