Ursa Minor- Duluth . Here ' s a little gem . Small , cozy space , wood fired pizza oven , great beers . Yes , the " za is spectacular . Just a cool place to relax . Nice patio . Hike Ely ' s peak first ( near Sprit Mountain ) and after you can quench your desires here . Corktown deli is nearby or OMC Smokehouse , if you are still hungry . Down the street is Bent Paddle brewing , another 2-fer .
Take 16- Luverne . This place and town are special to me . In a way , it ' s sort of my second hometown . I received a heart transplant May of 2012 and my donor is from here . That said , I ' m obviously biased , but that ' s ok . We like this little brewery and town ; the beers taste great to us and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming . Ride bicycle to Blue Mounds state park from here and do some hiking . Eat at JJ ' s drive inn for a treat and go see the Palace theater for a step back in time .
Spiral- Hastings . This is in spitting distance to the Mississippi river and bike trails nearby . This place has that " it " factor for us . We sat in a little cubbyhole / nook in a window , no chairs just some pillows to relax . We watched the people walk by , looking at us like mannequins . Such an enjoyable evening . Around the corner is a small local restaurant , The Onion Grille . WE highly recommend eating here . Love the beers , malty . Not an IPA heavy brewery , which is to our liking .
Roundhouse- Brainerd . This place is an old train depot / roundhouse , hence the name . Very historic , lots of buildings , seems sort of like a cute dystopian landscape to me , huge outdoor area and tucked away in a little space is the brewery . Just so cute . Love basking in the history and thinking of those who passed through here . Bike trails nearby .
Forager- Rochester . Small brewery but , they are hitting on all cylinders here . Food is hyper local and absolutely outstanding . The beers are exceptional , some are Belgian styles , which are my wheelhouse , love it .
Little Thistle- Rochester . The first thing that caught our eyes , were the large flock of plastic pink flamingos lining the front of the building . I thought to myself , I ' m going to like it here , and I did . A happy welcoming place , great beers , artsy , colorful . Located right next to a bike trail , which is how we arrived . Love it .
Starry Eyed- Little Falls . This place is in a pole shed type building , sort of away from town , seems kind of in the country . Open and spacious , large bar area , very good beers , live music and a fantastic patio . This is located right next to old highway 371 , which back in the day I drove five-ton bridge trucks and various other Military vehicles , to Camp Ripley for our annual 2- week training . So , I guess I ' m biased here , but I sure enjoyed relaxing on the patio and having the memories flow thinking about old highway 371 .
Wabasha- St . Paul . This place is the quintessential friendly neighborhood bar , where everyone knows your name . Reminds us of the Cheer ' s TV Series . Tin ceilings , small , quaint , great beers and an orange Wabasha neon in the front window that ' s says to us , come on in . Across the street is an old Schmidt tied house , on which , is a large mural that says Schmidt , circa 1970 , and if you look close enough , underneath is a " ghost sign ", you can make out , Schmidt ' s City Club circa 1940 . Brau Brothers- Marshall . This place has the old Lucan ( Brau originally started in the town of Lucan ) fire truck as the back-bar piece . The truck has several taps which dispense that liquid gold that we all love so much . Food is great and so is the beer .
Broken Clock- Minneapolis . Located in an industrial area . Old building , spacious and friendly . We bought into this place as it is a cooperative , so we are biased again . I have brewed a couple of batches here with the Brew master . Love this place and the people . Bicycle trails nearby .
Revelation Ale Works- Hallock . The building is an old gas station . Very welcoming and friendly . The bartender took us next door for a brewery tour . The town is about 900 population and a food truck from Warroad was on site . Food was served starting at 4pm and we swear the whole town showed up to eat . The line never went down till they were sold out . Crazy .
Steel Toe- St . Louis Park . The beers here , in our view , are some of the best in the state . Just plain delicious good ! The place is kind of tucked away , small , cozy and inviting . Bicycle trails nearby .
Bank- Hendricks . Very small town . Still has an operating phone booth on the main drag . The taproom was originally an old bank . Beers were good and this place has a great feel to it . Lake Hendricks just down the street . A great stop .
Forbidden Barrel- Worthington . Small town , very diverse population . The brewery is just off the main drag , small and quaint . Really great beers and a small kitchen with fantastic food . There is an enlarged newspaper clipping from 1872 on the wall , the short story goes like this . Apparently , a Professor Humiston was a teetotaler and disliked those who partook of the “ juice ”. After breaking open a keg and dumping the contents , some of the locals drank a fresh keg and burned Mr . Humiston in effigy . On his front lawn .
Boom Island- Minnetonka . Just recently moved from northeast Minneapolis . Always have loved the beers here , Belgian inspired . The new place is much bigger and plenty comfortable . Lots of windows .
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