32 Fun Facts, Thoughts and Opinions After Visiting Every Brewery in Minnesota

For anyone who hasn’t been following us, we are Jesse and Rachael Alger, we moved to Minnesota from Iowa in July of 2017 and soon after gave ourselves the goal to visit every brewery in our new home state. Sunday December 8, we finished this task. 194 breweries in the state of Minnesota. We’ve documented nearly the whole journey and a bunch of other “beerventures” on Instagram @algerbeerventures We plan to occasionally post here as well from now on too but that is the primary source of our “beerventure” content.

I (Jesse) am writing this the morning after getting back from Fergus Falls for our last two breweries, Fergus Brewing and Outstate Brewing, so we’ve had around 14 hours to process this. I’m so thankful for everyone who has reached out to us and congratulated us, it really means a lot. Driving home last night it was a bit surreal, not having a closure kind of event makes it almost feel like nothing happened. But once I got home and opened up Instagram to the hordes of congratulations it started to sink in more that we finally finished this crazy goal that’s taken us almost everywhere in our new home state. We’ve seen its large cities, we’ve seen its small towns, its forests, its farm land, its lakes and rivers. After two and a half years I feel like I know Minnesota better than I ever knew Iowa. I’ve traveled Iowa but not in the same way. I’ve gone mostly to the same places in Iowa all of my life. But that was part of the goal, to get to know Minnesota. We really only knew that stretch of Minnesota that we’d drive going to and from the cities from our old home.

But since we’ve finished the crazy task of visiting every brewery in Minnesota (for now, Iron Exchange in Maple Plain opens up Friday 12/13), I wanted to do something more than just an Instagram post announcing our triumph. I was inspired by Joel Geier, or @brewery_travels on IG, he hit the crazy milestone of visiting 500 breweries and wrote a piece called 50 Thoughts After 500 Breweries. https://sommbeer.com/2019/08/16/50-thoughts-after-500-breweries/ I liked the idea of wrapping up our journey with something like that but 50 is a lot of things to think about and to make it more our own I decided to throw in as many fun facts as possible. We landed on the number 32 because Minnesota was the 32nd state to join the union.

One other thing to mention, since Jesse works at Modist we didn’t include Modist in most of our lists because I’m sure reading that Modist is our favorite brewery and Dreamyard is our favorite beer could come off as self promotion or disingenuous. So we decided to talk about other breweries and beers we love, because Minnesota has a lot of great beer anyways. But Modist is the best.

And before I get to the list I just want to say I’ve had so much fun doing this, Minnesota’s our home now. We’ll always love Iowa but I’m glad this is where we live now. It’s treated us well. We’re very happy in our home in the North Loop with our cat Sansa. I’m at my dream job at Modist, we’ve met some awesome people thanks to beer. From the industry and from Instagram. Some of them we’d even call friends. And we’ve seen several parts of Minnesota we would never have gone these past 2 years if it hadn’t been for beer. It’s been a great way to see places and meet people. It’s been a great way to bond for the two of us. After all, we got engaged at a brewery (Barrel Theory) and had our reception at a brewery (Inbound) and went and visited 30 breweries (wow!) for our honeymoon in New England. We might be obsessed.

So, here’s 32 thoughts, fun facts and opinions about and from our journey to visit every brewery in the state of Minnesota

Fun Facts

1. It took us 864 days or 2 years, 4 months and 11 days to complete this journey
2. We traveled 16,705 miles to accomplish this
3. We took 1,362 photos for this
4. We’ve each had over a keg of beer total just as part of this tour
5. Smallest town we visited was Reads Landing (population 164) for Reads Landing Brewing Company
6. Longest drive we made was for Revelation Ale Works in Hallock (384 miles 5 hr 35 min) and shortest trip we made was a 984 foot walk (4 minutes) to Modist Brewing
7. We only stayed overnight for 3 nights of this entire journey, two in Duluth and one in Warroad. We drove there and back the same day for 185 breweries.
8. 64 breweries have opened since we moved here and started this journey
9. Four of the breweries we’ve visited have closed their doors; 12welve Eyes, Gull Dam, North Gate, Great Waters
10. We’ve also managed to visit 47 out of state breweries since we moved to MN

Thoughts

11. Every brewery somehow manages to have an original Trivial Pursuit from 1981
12. We want to talk about the hazy IPA. When we first moved to MN and started this journey we quickly became fans of hazy IPAs from the select few that were already making them. But we kept seeing and hearing other breweries say it was just a fad and it would go away. Like they don’t welcome a new style of beer to come around in this day and age. And it felt like brewers were trying to “gate-keep” customers according to what kind of beer they enjoyed and turned us away from certain places. But, like the rest of the country it’s taken over as king in the beer market in MN. A lot of breweries that said they’d never make a hazy have since made some.
13. People like to talk about market over-saturation with breweries and in our opinion there aren’t too many breweries. Almost anyone that makes decent beer can be successful as a destination brewery. However liquor store shelves seem to be struggling to hold all of the beers being released into the market these days.
14. If a brewery has closed its because businesses sometimes fail, not because there’s too many breweries. Or even too many in close proximity to each other, we’ve been to a building in Portland, ME that has 3 breweries and all 3 were busy, along with the brewery next door and the brewery across the street. On a Sunday.
15. In the case of breweries, being close to competition actually helps your business, and this is one of the only industries where competitors will make an effort to help you succeed. We see and hear people make comments about there being to many breweries too close together but “brewery rows” seem to always help unknown and start up breweries get attention and business. A lot of the time we meet up with people at a brewery after one beer they’re wondering which brewery to hit up next.
16. The MN beer IG community is a great and welcoming group of people. We’ve definitely made some friends along the way thanks to this journey and documenting it to IG
17. Not everyone knows women like beer too. It’s almost 2020 and we still have people suggest different beers to us without us saying what styles we like. We still have people that only want to talk to Jesse about beer and breweries. Rachael is not being dragged along, she loves beer as much as anyone else, just like a lot of women out there. Rachael doesn’t need her own menu.
18. Breweries in MN should be able to sell beer to go in any size containers. Being restricted to 750 ml and 64 oz is a terrible restriction to put on brewers and customers.
19. The journey of visiting all MN breweries has strengthened our relationship. If you can sit in a car with someone for a combined amount of time of over 250 hours and not hate them, you’re probably closer to them than before
20. Not one trip has been a disappointment (having good company more than makes up for bad beer)
21. Minnesotans are some of the most seasonal drinkers. Coming from Iowa where it seems like nearly every brewery has a good stout year round, a lot of MN breweries are afraid to have a stout on tap if it gets above 50
22. The brewing industry has a special kind of camaraderie that is unique among competitors. Breweries love playing host to other people in the industry.
23. We’ve read about all of the good askreddit threads to pass time on long trips
24. Small town breweries are a good place to go to meet and talk to brewers/brewery owners and they’re always excited to talk to customers
25. Themed breweries seem to be going to the wayside, younger entrepreneurs seem to think it’s too cliche or worn out

Opinions

26. Favorite experiences 
    • Jesse
      • Forager
        • Forager has everything. And it’s all great. Great beer, great food, great service, great vibes. The whole menu is great, the burgers, the pizza, the brunch, I highly recommend the Cast Iron Mac N Cheese. And they always have some top notch pastry stouts/porters, some tremendous sours and great hazy IPAs.
    • Rachael
      • Surly
        • If you know, you know. This is one experience that is really hard to beat. From the amazing food (both the upstairs pizza and the regular food hall), to the giant “SURLY” across the bar being one of the first things you see when you enter the food hall, it’s a fantastic place to take people from out of town, or even your friends and family who just have never been.

27. Favorite Beer
    • Jesse
      1. Spirit Foul (Fair State Brewing Cooperative) NEIPA with Strata, Mosaic and Citra hops
         • This is the beer that seemed to put a spark under the butts of a lot of MN breweries. Because of this beer a lot of places, including Fair State, realized how much people love this style of beer and that it isn’t just a fad.
      2. Pudding Goggles (Forager Brewery) Pastry Porter with coconut, cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon
         • The texture of this beer is pretty crazy, like actually reminiscent of pudding. A sample of this made me change plans and visit Forager sooner than planned originally.
      3. Green Fluff (Junkyard Brewing Company) Golden Ale with pistachio, pineapple and marshmallow flavor
         • I’ve never been so excited and reluctant about a beer simultaneously as this one. I love green fluff salad but I wasn’t convinced you could capture it in a beer. Junkyard proved me wrong.
      4. Peach Milkshake IPA (Dangerous Man Brewing Company) Milkshake IPA with peach
         • We visited Dangerous Man on a trip to the cities for one of Rachael’s job interviews. It blew my mind about what a beer could be.
      5. Humble Mumble (Drastic Measures Brewing) Double Milk Stout with Oreo’s
         • I love Oreo’s. This beer is liquid Oreo’s. I love this beer.
    • Rachael
      1. Rain Drops (Barrel Theory Beer Company) NEIPA with Mosaic and Citra hops
         •  There’s a reason this is recommended to newcomers to Barrel Theory so often. It’s a classic NE IPA that is so soft on the mouth.
      2. Local 755 (BlackStack Brewing) NEIPA with Amarillo, Azacca and Citra hops
         • Another classic NEIPA. Always so soft and creamy. This is one that I can call my go-to. 
      3. White Elephant (56 Brewing) NEIPA with Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops
         • White Elephant was one of my first experiences with 56 and I was so happy to find out we had yet another brewery so close to us putting out such good beer. This was also one of my first forays into hops other than the usual NEIPA hops (Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Azacca, etc)
      4. Chunka Chunka Peanut Butter Love (Waconia Brewing Company) Porter with peanut butter, banana and chocolate
         • I was very hesitant to try any beer with banana in it, as I am not a huge fan of that flavor in beer. However, this one blew my mind. So, so good, and still remains one of my favorite Peanut Butter beers to this day.
      5. Strawberry Guava Milkshake IPA (OMNI Brewing) Milkshake IPA with strawberry and guava
         • This one came around right around the time of the milkshake beer boom in the Twin Cities, and it was one of my favorites. So thick, great flavors, and an excellent mouth feel.

28. Favorite taprooms 
    • Jesse
      1. Barrel Theory
         • This place quickly became one of our favorites after trying their beer at the summer dabbler our first summer in MN. In fact, it ended up being the place where I proposed to Rachael.
      2. Revelation
         • Set in an old service station this place is absolutely adorable. Huge patio out front where the gas pumps used to be and a ton of windows for a lot of natural light.
      3. Starkeller
         • Not many places allow you to drink right next to where the beer is fermenting. But at Schell’s Starkeller you can, and they’re not stainless steel. They’re large cypress wood fermenters that house their sour beer. Like really large.
      4. Thesis
         • The newest taproom in Rochester, it has a nice relaxing color pallet and a cute art style. It also doubles as a coffee shop during the day.
      5. Forager
         • This brewpub has a very rustic farmhouse aesthetic. It currently shares the building with a donut shop and the kitchen makes great food as well. There’s really no good excuse for not having been to Forager.
    • Rachael
      1. Bent Paddle
         • I love the amount of space in this taproom. It also feels very Minnesota, with gorgeous wood tables, great lawn patio chairs, and decorations that remind you that you are in the Great North.
      2. Wild Mind
         • One word: COLOR. If you’ve been, you know this place is a gorgeous little taproom just popping with bright colors. From the wall, to the tap list on the wall that is color-coordinated, there is so much color in here. It is even better in the summer (as most breweries with taprooms are!) as the garage doors get to come up, opening right on to the lawn. 
      3. Portage
         • We really enjoyed Portage’s original taproom when we first visited. It was cozy, and fit the vibe of the northern Minnesota lakeside taproom. However, after rebuilding after the fire that destroyed their original taproom, the new taproom is quite a sight to see. It still fits the northern Minnesota lakeside theme, but has so much more space and a huge patio, where you can sip on some tasty brews and enjoy the lake life in Walker. 
      4. Drastic Measures
         • I would say this takes the cake for cutest small(er) town brewery. Everything looks so chic and modern. We were so impressed that we even commented on it while talking to Ashley, one of the co-owners of the brewery, who was working the bar at the time. She told us that she had a large part in taking charge of the decor and style of the taproom. We were even further surprised to learn that she was not professionally an interior designer, and had a completely different profession in the Ag industry. Another one that feels like home.
      5. Dangerous Man
         • As I think most MN craft beer fans who have visited the Dangerous Man taproom know, the taproom is located in an old bank. This is one of the taprooms that has a definite unique feel to it, and can get quite packed, which actually makes it feel quite cozy sometimes, especially on those cold winter nights.

29. Best food
    • Jesse
      1. Pig Ate My Pizza
         • IMO this is the best pizza in the state of Minnesota. And if you know anything about the Travail collective you know what to expect. Everything on the menu is an experience and worth a try. Seriously, you’ll want to come back to try more food every time.
      2. Able (Animales Barbecue Co.)
         • IMO this is the best BBQ in the state of Minnesota. Am I repeating myself? I may be, but I’m not exaggerating. This is excellent BBQ true to the south, which is rare in the Twin Cities.
      3. Rapids
         • We saw Rapids was a brewpub before we went up there and did a small quick peek at the menu, saw wood fired pizza and decided it was just some basic brewery food. But luckily for us their general manager got us to take a 2nd look at their menu. That’s when I saw The Long Shoreman on their wood fired pizza menu: Three cheese blend, smoked trout, pickled mustard seed, dill, and sweet corn on herb white sauce. This isn’t just basic brewery food. The Growler did a write up on their chef in their December 2019 issue, I recommend reading that to learn more.
      4. Half Pint (Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm)
         • @kmlpeterson on Instagram let us know about the pizza available here and we’re glad she did. We didn’t know pizza farms were a thing before this but during the summer you can visit them at their farm and enjoy some locally sourced pizza. Kind of picnic style dining where they’ll make you the pizza. But you can also get this great pizza delivered to the Half Pint taproom.
      5. Invictus (Tipsy Steer)
         • I know I’ve talked about pizza a lot and you probably think I’m obsessed with pizza. But I’d rather have a great burger most of the time. Which is what you can find at the kitchen Invictus shares a space with, Tipsy Steer. Nice smash patties with some gooey cheese and some mayo. I’m in heaven. Just hand me a beer.
    • Rachael
      1. Surly
         • This one is a double-header. Both the pizza in the upstairs part of the taproom and the food hall food are incredible, and different enough to satisfy different cravings. I mean, who can beat good pizza?! The food hall impressed my out-of-town parents so much, that they want to go back to this place once in awhile when they visit. 
      2. Modist (Curious Goat [RIP])
         • Talk about some serious comfort food, at least for us. This food truck will always hold a special place in our hearts, in addition to having really solid food. We would go to Modist quite often when we first moved up here, since it was so close to our place, and getting food from TCG was always a routine part of most of our visits. A lot of family and friends that came to visit us and got to try TCG still say that their cheese curds with spicy honey are some of the best cheese curds they have ever had. Luckily for those of us who miss the food since it is now defunct, one of the owners of the food truck is the executive chef over at Kieran’s Kitchen in NE Minneapolis and slings up some very solid food over there as well.
      3. Northbound
         • Wings! We are always jonesing for some good chicken wings, and this place is known for them. In addition to their killer wings, they also have a solid menu otherwise. I think this one is a bit of a hidden gem. 
      4. Birch’s Lowertown
         • We had originally tried the beer and food at the original Birch’s location, and liked it so much that when Birch’s in Lowertown St Paul opened up, we decided to head over and also get some food while we were there. The burger is what they are known for, and I was very happy with their small, but crispy french fries that you can share with the table. 
      5. Forager
         • There is nothing else quite like Forager when it comes to breweries serving food in Minnesota. We had heard some buzz about the food before visiting, but as soon as we saw pictures on Instagram, we rushed to make our first visit. The food is high, high, quality. It is easily one of my favorite restaurants, and to top it off they make some of the best beer in the state. There is a reason we go back to get food every time we are in town – or we make excuses to get there!

30. Biggest surprise 
    • Jesse
      • Turning Waters Bed Breakfast & Adventure 
        • So normally if we don’t hear anything good about a brewery it’s a bad sign. Normally when you can’t figure out right away where the door to the brewery is it’s a bad sign. Normally when there’s a business that’s “also a brewery” it’s a bad sign. Normally when a bartender writes their customers tabs down in a notebook that’s a bad sign. None of that’s true with Turning Waters. They’re able to run a bed & breakfast and sling some pretty awesome beer. The owners, Brenda and Ford, were also some of the most hospitable bartenders we’ve had at all of the breweries we’ve been too. 
    • Rachael 
      • Portage
        • We definitely hadn’t heard much, if anything, about Portage when we went in the summer of 2018. Nestled close to the lake, we immediately got the feeling that it was a community-centered kind of brewery in a smaller town (which we loved!), but as soon as we sat down and had out first sips, we were blown away. I think this would have been one of, if not the first, of the small town breweries to genuinely blow us away. Now that they are re-opened after the #stupidfire, we have only been met with more surprise. Upon checking out the new taproom, we were so impressed with not only the new taproom, but the quality of the beer. It was already very good when we originally visited, but in the time since, it seems they had improved in brewing. Beers we had tried before and liked, we loved this time around. And the new beers we tried at the grand re-opening were so, so good! It made us so happy to know that not only were they able to successfully re-open after such a tough time, but that they had even managed to make some very solid and tasty new beers and further improve some of our old favorites.

31. FAQs
    1. What’s Next?
       • A break. We definitely don’t plan on visiting all of any other states breweries. We plan to keep up with new MN breweries but more at our convenience. For the immediate future, we’re going to wait to visit any new breweries that open up outside of the cities when it’s warmer out. And we’ll still beercation occasionally. We’ll still be active on IG just going to kind of transition to talking about places we’ve been before sometimes and continue posting pictures of beer we drink at home.
    2. Why did you start doing this?
       • A love for beer and a love for going to and seeing new places. But also because we had just moved up to Minneapolis from Iowa and we wanted a way to get to know our new home and it seemed like a great way to do that.
    3. Are you going to visit every distiller, cidery, winery in MN?
       • No, maybe some, but definitely not all
32. We really appreciate everyone who has followed along, met with us, visited breweries with us, drank beer with us and just been friends to us along this journey. It’s been so much fun. I don’t know if I’d recommend you do the same thing we did, it takes a certain kind of madness to not get tired of traveling across the state on a regular basis like we did. Minnesota’s kind of big actually. But, if you do, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for advice, I know there’s things we would have done differently along the way with our current knowledge. So once again, thank you for reading, thank you for following along, hopefully we get to talk over a beer sometime soon.