In an ongoing effort to nurture our relationships with people that, like us, lack children we called our newlywed friends Mattie and Sara up for a night out. They were looking for a night to unwind so we decided to visit a brewery in the cities. We had initially planned on using one of our Groupons but during the drive Samantha identified that it wasn’t good for that day! After some quick pivoting we decided to venture into St. Paul to the relatively new Bad Weather Brewing Company.
Bad Weather has been brewing beer since early 2013 via a shared proprietorship with Lucid Brewing (now North Loop BrewCo). In early 2015 they identified a site for their future brewery and taproom and had their grand opening in October of that year. That’s quite a turnaround for what is one of the nicer taprooms we’ve been to.
I’d visited Bad Weather before, but this was the first time that the weather was good enough for the patio to be in use. I believe this was one of the first nights it was open, and it gave a great look at the complete vision that Bad Weather has for their space. Upon arrival I noticed a patio with picnic tables and beanbag boards framed against two large openings into the interior of the taproom. These openings house large glass garage doors when the weather isn’t as cooperative. On one end of the patio was a food truck, and in our case that was the excellent Sasquatch Sandwiches. Upon entering the taproom there was a mix of community tables, high tops, traditional square tables, and a bar running the length of the room.
On one end of the taproom I couldn’t help but notice their eerie yet beautiful mural done by Lucas Gluesenkamp. Lucas also does the illustrations for the labels of their beers and his art hangs on their other walls. It pictures aliens on a planet overrun by gigantic hop plants. The mural sets the tone for an underlying theme in their beers and branding which straddles science fiction and fantasy.
The tap list above the bar is made of individual wood frame chalkboards hanging from a pipe. This causes the fermenters to be partially visible behind the bar which makes a nice backdrop for the taproom as a whole. They also have an event space attached to the main taproom that acts as an overflow when it’s not in use. All in all it’s a dramatic change for a building that used to be a Michelin tire shop!
I’m also happy to report that the beer matches the quality of the taproom. I had a flight of five beers during our visit, and I’ve tried several of their other beers at other times as well. The flight was composed of the Nitro Irish Cream Ale, Nitro Galactic Tide, Hopcromancer, S.M.A.S.H. IPA, and Sour Ominous. All were tasty, but two were especially good. The Sour Ominous was clean, tart, and slightly sour. It was refreshing and very easy to drink. The S.M.A.S.H. IPA is a single malt single hop recipe. It was balanced, clean, and had a floral aroma with tropical fruit flavor. The unique names of their beers are a great touch.
I see myself returning to Bad Weather many times in the future. The atmosphere and ambience of the taproom is bordering on perfection. With high quality beer, housemade sodas, arcade games, and an excellent food truck lineup, there is little left to be desired for someone wanting to enjoy a taproom with friends and family alike. It’ll be especially nice when things warm up and the patio can be enjoyed fully. If you’re planning on eating there check the website for which food truck will be available. You can also order in food or bring your own. I’d recommend this place to anyone, and I can’t wait to go back!
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