Minneapolis

Our Top 10 Twin Cities Breweries

/ kcole126 / 1 Comment

There are so many great local craft breweries in the Twin Cities area that it can be a real challenge choosing which ones to visit! Some create more traditional, European style beers, while others concoct some creative brews for the brave! Whatever type of beer you enjoy, there is a brewery for you to enjoy in the Twin Cities metro area.

NOTE– This list is in no particular order. We had a hard enough time narrowing it down to our top 10, and we didn’t dare rank it any further!

Insight Brewing

2821 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Insight has a large indoor taproom with a lot of tables and booths to choose from. There is also a small seating area outside for the few months in Minnesota that it is nice enough for sitting outside.

This is one of those breweries that offers a wide variety of ales for you to try. Our favorites from here are the Dankbot IPA and their seasonal Doe Eyes Saison.

Clockwerks Brewing

25 N 4th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

A few short blocks from Target field, you will find Clockwerks Brewing. They have a small taproom that has a steampunk vibe. There are tables, couches and a bar area with plentiful seating. They also have their own custom cribbage boards available to use while you are trying their beers!

Our favorite brews from here are the Clockwerk Orange Witbier, the Amber Alt, and the Equanaut IPA.

Finnegan’s Brew Co.

817 S 5th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404

Finnegan’s is a great brewery that donates 100% of its profits to charities that work to alleviate hunger!

They have a large taproom with an Irish sports bar theme. There are many large tables and many TVs, which a lot of breweries don’t have.

Try their flagship Amber Ale while you are visiting! The Dead Irish Poet stout is also very good.

Bad Weather Brewing

414 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102

Not only is this brewery in a great location- by Cosettas in St. Paul and not far from the river- but they have great brews too! They have a very large, open taproom and lots of outdoor seating when the weather is nice (if you will pardon the pun).

There are a lot of good brews from here including the Sun Pillar Belgian blonde ale. If you like IPAs, try the Green Sky double IPA while you are here.

Summit

910 Montreal Cir, St Paul, MN 55102

Opened in 1986, this is one of the older craft breweries in the Twin Cities. They have had a lot of time to perfect their beers and have done a fantastic job!

This is another brewery with a large Ratskeller (taproom and patio) so it is a great place to visit if you are with a large group.

There are so many great beers here!!! The Keller Pills and the Extra Pale Ale are always good choices from here, but you can’t really go wrong.

Sisyphus Brewing

712 Ontario Ave W, Minneapolis, MN 55403

This is a small brewery that is sort of hidden by the highway, but be sure to stop! It is only a short walk from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, so you can enjoy crafts and craft beers! The taproom is pretty small, but they also do have some outdoor seating available.

Did I mention… they have pinball machines??

The Neverlasting Gobstopper is not only a great name, but is a fruity, flavorful sour beer that I have never had anywhere else. The Peanut Butter stout is also worth a try!

LynLake Brewery

2934 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Located in Uptown right off of Lyndale and Lake street, you will find LynLake Brewery.

If you stop here, you will find a cozy little taproom that is decorated with bikes, Edison light bulbs and lots of board games to play while you are visiting.

This brewery has so many good fruity, seasonal beers it is really hard to say what our favorites are. The Rubbish Red Ale is one of their flagship brews and is a great choice, otherwise the Take 6 IPA is good if you are looking for something a little different.

612 Brewing

945 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

We like 612 because they have a nice large parking lot (free!). They also have a big open taproom and a cute outdoor beer garden with a fountain and lots of seating.

One of my favorites from here is the Honey Blonde. It is crisp, light and refreshing- perfect for the short Minnesota summertime!

Utepils

225 Thomas Ave N #700, Minneapolis, MN 55405

Utepils is one of our favorite breweries of all time. They have a large parking lot, great food truck rotation and an extensive (but very good) tap list.

The style of the taproom is German/Czech old world and is decorated with flags, posters, and huge windows that let in a lot of light. There is also a firepit outside that is usually lit- even when it is freezing outside.

The Czech style pilsner here is fantastic. Paul really likes the Skölsch which is hard for him to admit because he is a huge Green Bay Packers fan.

Fulton Brewing

414 N 6th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Last, but not least, we have Fulton Brewing! This brewery is one of my favorites to visit on warm summer evening. The outdoor patio is so cute and the food truck cooking right next to the patio always smells so tempting.

The Lonely Blonde is a very popular choice and you can find it at a lot of restaurants all over the Twin Cities. In addition to beers, they also make a variety of hard seltzers.

If you do find yourself in the Twin Cities and are looking for some budget friendly things to keep yourself entertained, check out our guides for free things to see and do in Minneapolis or Saint Paul!

Cheers!

10 Free things to do in Minneapolis (Spring/ Summer/ Fall edition)

/ kcole126 / 1 Comment

If you find yourself in Minneapolis and are looking for some budget friendly (free!) things to do, it is your lucky day! We compiled a list of some of our favorite free things to see and do in Minneapolis, MN. This list is in no particular order, we just added the items as we thought of them.

1. Visit the Sculpture Garden

The sculpture garden is part of the Walker Art Center, but its free! You can stroll along the paths and marvel at the art. The sculpture garden is home to the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry. There is some free parking available, otherwise there is a lot nearby that you can pay to use.

2. Stone Arch Bridge

The Stone Arch Bridge is an old railroad bridge that crosses over the Mississippi River. Now it is only available for pedestrians or bikers to use. From the bridge, you can get a great view of the St. Anthony Falls or the skyline of Minneapolis.

3. Shop at the Mill City Farmers Market

If you are visiting on a Saturday and are free in the morning, stop by the Mill City Farmers Market! There is a large variety of vendors- meats and cheeses, pastries and flowers, arts and crafts and much more. There are usually food trucks or stalls that are selling fresh hot foods for breakfast or lunch too. If you haven’t visited the Stone Arch Bridge yet, now would be a great time to go because you will be right there after visiting the market!

4. Visit Minnehaha Regional Park

This area is a huge park with a lot going on. First, there is Minnehaha falls that is beautiful to see any time of the year. There are bikes that you can rent, miles of trails to walk on, disc golf, picnic areas, gardens, restaurants, and more! If you take the stairs down from the waterfall, you can follow a walking trail along Minnehaha falls all the way to where it meets up with the Mississippi River!

5. Bike the Midtown Greenway

Minneapolis is a very bike friendly city. There are miles of trails dedicated to biking or walking throughout the city and the surrounding metro area. If you didn’t bring a bike, thats OK- there are stations all over they city were you can rent a Nice Ride bike for a few hours and explore they city by petal. The Greenway itself is a little over 5 miles long, but it connects to many other trail systems so you can take a nice long bike ride if you wanted to.

6. Visit Lake Bde Maka Ska

This is a very popular spot where people like to spend the day. It is not far from uptown and there are biking and walking trails that go around the entire lake. In addition to trails, there is fishing, kayak rentals, a beach area and a lot of space to put up a hammock or have a picnic. If you don’t mind walking a few blocks to get to the lake, there is free street parking available, otherwise there are pay lots available much closer to the beaches.

7. Smell the Roses at Lake Harriet

Right by another one of the lakes in Minneapolis is the Lyndale Park Rose Garden. The best time to visit is when the roses are in bloom and the fountains are on, but there are usually different kinds of flowers blooming throughout the late spring to early fall.

8. See the Midtown Global Market

The global market is collection of small local shops where you can find anything from food and coffee to art and souvenirs. There are some very nice murals and art inside the global market and the building is right off of the Greenway, so if you decide to bike the trail, it will bring you right here!

9. Stop by the Minneapolis Institute of Art

If you stop here, you will get a chance to see art from all eras from all over the world. There are 3 levels to this museum, so be sure to spend some time here! General admission is free and they have special exhibitions that cost a small fee to see.

10. Stroll along Nicollet Ave and check out the Skyways

Nicollet Avenue has all sorts of shops to visit and restaurants to try. If you are visiting in the winter and it is too cold to be outside, you can go explore downtown Minneapolis via the skyway system! If you can figure out how to read the map, please let me know because I am still puzzled by it. There are even free busses that go along Nicollet Ave so you don’t have to walk the whole way.

If you decide to visit Minneapolis and try out some of the things on this list, be sure to let us know what you think!

Happy Travels!