When we divided up the breweries into different areas of the state the first thing we noticed is how strong NW Minnesota is compared to the other regions of the state outside of the metro area. We had a very difficult time picking our five and one honorable mention for this. We probably could make a second list for NW Minnesota if we wanted to. So we think it’s a great and necessary thing to say that NW Minnesota has way more to offer for great breweries to visit than just what we talked about in this blog. I think some people may feel like they’re missing out if they don’t live in the cities but if you end up living in this part of the state you’re pretty well set for great beer.
For this we’re calling NW Minnesota West of 169 and North of St Cloud.
Junkyard Brewing Company – Moorhead
Our first visit to the Moorhead/Fargo area was one of the first times we can remember being so excited to be making such a long trip for some beer. We had already heard so many great things, and it exceeded our expectations. It was one of those trips that made us happy we made the trek. The taproom is unique (really, they put the art from the beers they put out on their taproom walls) and there is plenty of space to kick back and enjoy some of the best beer the state has to offer (in our opinions). You won’t be disappointed with this one! One of the more memorable beers we’ve tried from Junkyard was Green Fluff, a golden ale with pistachios, pineapple puree, and natural marshmallow flavor. It blew our minds how much it actually tasted like green fluff AND it was super delicious.
Portage Brewing Company – Walker
If you follow the Minnesota beer scene much you may have heard a year ago that Portage’s original brewery was lost to a fire. This shut them down for 11 months before coming back strong with a revamped taproom that is one of our favorites in the state. The beer was outstanding before and they didn’t miss a step being out of the brewhouse on the regular for 10 months. When we visited on the grand re-opening there were so many people excited to have their local brewery back it really warmed our hearts.
Revelation Ale Works – Hallock
Okay, we can’t talk about making the trek for beer without mentioning Revelation. Coming in at a whopping 5 hours and 45 minutes from where we live, this beats out other breweries for the most distance we’ve gone just to visit a brewery. We did break up the drive with an overnight stay, but it was still quite the memorable journey! We had heard good things, but naturally we were nervous we would come all the way to Hallock to be disappointed. Of course, we weren’t! The beer was delicious and was seriously impressive and the people working at the taproom were so kind to us. We hope more people get the chance to either visit the taproom or at least try some of their beer because it is worth it!
Drastic Measures Brewing – Wadena
There are some personalities in the beer industry that become pretty well known among beer fans. One of those people is Drastic Measures head brewer and co-owner, Brett Doebbeling. He garnered a reputation while brewing at Disgruntled Brewing in Perham for making some awesome beer so when he decided to open his own brewery with his wife Ashley people were excited. And the beer quality made the trip with them from Perham to Wadena. One of our favorite beers to come out of their brew-house is Humble Mumble, a milk stout made with Oreo’s that literally just tastes like liquefied Oreo’s!
Bad Habit Brewing Company – St Joseph
We love when breweries we love open a new taproom, because that gives us an excuse to re-visit, not that we ever really need an excuse to visit a brewery. Our first visit to Bad Habit was in their old taproom, where we got to enjoy some great beers with some pizza from a local shop nearby. We were impressed with the beer then, but upon our return to St Joseph to visit the new place, we felt even more impressed with the beer. Now, it’s not uncommon to see them doing collaborations with other breweries and continually bringing some great beers on tap. We visited the new taproom on the 4th of July, and it was so fun to see everyone enjoying time with loved ones and playing yard games in their seriously big open lawn area. We love when re-visits of breweries leave us wanting to go back yet again!
Honorable Mention – Lupulin Brewing Company – Big Lake
Alger Beerventures 