Big Ten, Basketball and Beer!
Hey there Big Ten basketball fans. Around the blogosphere, you will often see guides for visiting fans for the best local restaurants, bars and activities. I have very little to offer for restaurant advice, but I know breweries.
Wanted to give a quick guide to fans in town who also love some good beer. This is not an exhaustive list of breweries, you can Google that. But this is a short list of the best
DOWNTOWN
These are the breweries that are within walking distance of Target Center. So if you are staying downtown or just have some time in between games, these are easy to hit.
Modist Brewing – Probably a 10-min walk from Target Center, just on the other side of Target Field. Modist makes some of the best beer in the state. If you only go to one brewery this weekend and aren’t going to drive anywhere, this is the one. Their lagers and their IPAs are always good and if you’re lucky they will have a stout on tap, but that’s less frequent.
Bricksworth – just so happens to be across the street from Modist and they make great Detroit-style pizza. They DO have a great stout on tap currently and their IPAs are always great.
Fulton and Inbound are also a couple blocks away from the two mentioned above. You can make a quick little brewery tour in between sessions.
A REASONABLE UBER AWAY
These breweries are a little further out, but if you have the time and want to take an Uber for an afternoon, these are the breweries that are highly recommended.
Falling Knife – again, if you’re only going to go to one from this group, Falling Knife is the one. Verbal Tip IPA is always delicious and you can currently get a yummy barrel-aged stout called Shakey Hands.
Fair State – These guys always have a great mix of all styles, and all are done well.
Blackstack – You like IPAs? They have all the IPAs. This is one of my favorite spaces in the area. Blackstack is basically located between Minneapolis and St. Paul downtowns.
Barrel Theory – Now you’re having to travel all the way to downtown St. Paul, but Barrel Theory is one of the best.
WORTH THE DRIVE
These are a little further out, but worth it.
Back Channel – On the shores of Lake Minnetonka and probably 25 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. A great atmosphere, great service and better beers.
Elm Creek – Again, probably 25 min away, but you’re heading to the northwest burbs. Elm Creek has quietly been making better and better beer.
There are many more that are worth checking out, but this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list.