“I’m not ready to take that hike again, should we stop somewhere else?” my friend asked. We were at the tail end of a craft beer marathon session in north central Minnesota. The threat of a hike back to camp loomed heavy in our minds. “We should stick close, it’ll be night soon and I’d prefer not to walk back in the dark” I replied. “Has anyone been to Rendezvous Brewing?”
Continue Reading…Jack Pine Brewery
March 21, 2022“Should we stop somewhere on the way up?” my friend Sean asked. Everyone knew the answer before he finished. It’s one of those quirks of conversation that seems required regardless of the circumstance. We had finished loading our gear into the car and were about to settle in for a long drive. Our destination was north central Minnesota, near the source of the Mississippi river. And when you’re traveling with a handful of craft beer lovers, you make pit stops at every brewery you can find. “How about Jack Pine? I haven’t been to their new taproom yet” I responded. There was no protest.
Continue Reading…Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery
February 7, 2022
“Should we go do lunch somewhere with the kids?” I asked my wife. “Where were you thinking?” she replied. It was tracking to be the hottest day of the summer. We made the decision to forego working on our farmhouse renovation (no air conditioning), and instead spend a weekend afternoon with the kids. Despite the thermometer fixing to top out, I was still itching for a patio. It’s the Minnesotan in me. “How about Waldmann? They have a ton of shade.”
Continue Reading…
We build our lives around travel. On a given year we plan at least two trips. The pandemic forced us to cancel a large one last summer and made winter trips pointless. We are lucky that we can keep our sacrifices small. The older I get the longer (and colder) winters feel. Travel of any kind helps knock me out of funks I get into as the temperatures are frigid. This year came with extra stressors: the pandemic, a new child, a full home renovation, and no outlet to relax. With restrictions lifted and vaccinations completed our feeling was the nation was back on the table. “What about Denver?” my wife asked. Denver it was.
Continue Reading…Lazy Monk Brewing
December 3, 2021
“There is a brewery down the street, we can wait there” I said to my wife. The pandemic had thrown a wrench at my habitual planning. Some friends had planned a trip to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to check out a few local breweries. We were meeting them at their second stop, but we discovered children were no longer allowed in their taproom. “Can we walk, or do we have to drive?” she replied. Our son Arlo was starting to fuss, annoyed at the lack of motion. “We can walk, I’ll get the stroller” I said. Onward to Lazy Monk Brewing.
Continue Reading…Outstate Brewing Company
June 25, 2021
“I think it’s back here” I said. Gravel crunched beneath our car’s wheels as we rolled towards an industrial corner of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. “Where are you taking us?” my wife questioned. For as good as Google Maps is, there are times when scouting your destination draws dead. According to street view we were in the right place, but also according to street view it was a dead end. “There it is!” I spotted a gray wooden sign pointing our way. A riverside patio awaited us at Outstate Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…Copper Trail Brewing
June 21, 2021
The first brewery we took our daughter Ellen to was Copper Trail Brewing. She was a week old. Any parents reading know that you can’t drive too long until they get hungry. One of our stops lined up with Alexandria and the brewery wasn’t far off the highway. The old location was in strip mall, nothing remarkable but warm and inviting. When I saw pictures of their new taproom downtown we wanted to return. This time we had two newborns: our son Arlo and his cousin Henry.
Continue Reading…22 Northmen Brewing Company
June 8, 2021
“We’re going to have to stop soon” I said to my wife, my eyes darting into the rear view. When I was a boy scout we learned you should hike at the slowest person’s pace. Another adage could be that you can only road trip at the pace of the weakest bladder – our potty-trained toddler dictated our stops. My wife flipped her visor and peered into the mirror. “Yah, she’s squirming and he’s waking up” she responded. “What about there?” She pointed to a billboard for 22 Northmen Brewing Company. Kismet.
Continue Reading…Surly Brewing Co.
June 3, 2021
When you are parents of a toddler, you take advantage of the rare night alone. We were one month away from welcoming another little one so those nights were about to get rarer. Pair that with the pandemic and you can understand our headspace. It was likely that a late night in June would be the last chance we’d have to spend a night together. It’s was a date night at Surly Brewing Co.
Continue Reading…Portage Brewing Company
June 1, 2021
I stepped out of the car, the sun beating on my skin. The mask added a few extra degrees of heat to my bearded face. As my wife wrestled my daughter out of her car seat, I gazed across the street at our destination. A brilliant blue building rising from the street, with a glimpse of Leech Lake on the horizon. It took close to four hours in the car – an eternity with a crabby toddler – but we’d made it. It was time for craft beer from Portage Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…