When our friend Dustin expressed interest in coming to a brewery with us I asked him to pick his favorite and I’d wait to find a time to go with him. He said Dangerous Man which was fine by me. So on a late January evening we got a group together, swung by The Anchor Fish & Chips, and headed to their taproom in Northeast Minneapolis.
Established in early 2013, Dangerous Man has solidified itself as one of the top breweries in the state. They opened with the theory that if you wanted their beer you’d have to pay them a visit. Besides the recent addition of growlers they’ve held true to their word. Their taproom is located inside an old bank, with tall white columns flanking a long farm table. High tops fill the remainder of the seating area alongside a large wrap around bar. Unique art adorns their walls and a combination of wood and concrete tie the room together. Sound dampening panels helped to quiet the busy space.
I’ve never had any Dangerous Man beer but I had heard great things so I was anxious to give them a try. One thing that surprised me was their lack of flights. I always like to try as many beers as I can especially on my first visit. They did however have 10z tulips which gave me the opportunity to have one extra beer that I wouldn’t be able to get with 16oz pints.
They had eleven beers on tap along with one craft soda, coffee, and kombucha also available. If you want to give their beers a taste you’re going to have to visit their taproom because it’s not available anywhere but there. This is very different than most breweries in the state, but it simplifies their business model and makes them truly a destination brewery. It’s a model that must be working well because the taproom was extremely busy for a Wednesday night and several times we had to wait in a long line for refills. I had heard they had limited the growlers that they would refill per day but my friend Mitch was able to get one without any trouble. I know they were planning to expand their production facilities so I’m not sure if that has happened yet or not.
After all the hype you might be wondering if the beers lived up to their reputation. I can absolutely and wholeheartedly say that they do. I was able to taste several of the beers and had three glasses of some others and they were all excellent. The House IPA was brass red with flavors of citrus and tropical fruit followed by a mild bitter finish. The aroma was particularly good. I had their Kolsch on nitro and the straw yellow beer was smooth with flavors of lemon and wheat. There was almost an apple tartness to the aroma. The last beer I tried was one that everyone mentions when they talk about Dangerous Man, their Peanut Butter Porter. I’ll be honest I expected this one to be a little gimmicky but it really blew me away. The peanut butter flavor is very subtle and balanced. Samantha would say it reminded her of Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, and it reminded myself of a Nutter Butter. Honestly one of the better beers I’ve had recently and I can’t wait to try it again.
Our visit to Dangerous Man was great. It was very busy which is one of the only bad things I’ve heard about them. If you’re planning a visit be sure to come early and take your time. Their logo is excellent and I’m currently in the process of trying to to grow my beard to match. The beer names are just the styles, nothing flashy. An interesting decision but ultimately doesn’t matter if their only selling them in their taproom. Each beer was excellent and their lack of flights only means that I’ll have to visit a couple of more times to get the full experience. That definitely won’t be a problem.
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