This March we were given a rare chance to start patio season a little early. My wife’s family had rented a house on Anna Maria Island. We went down for a week, and my parents visited the week prior. Since we arrived on a Friday night and my parents weren’t leaving until Saturday afternoon, they wanted to take us to lunch before they hit the road for the long drive home. It didn’t take too much to convince my father that a brewery was a good idea, and as long as there was food my mother was happy. I’d done a little pre-trip research so I figured what better way to kick off our trip than a visit to Motorworks Brewing, Bradenton’s first craft brewery.
Continue Reading…Giesinger Bräu
March 20, 2017
We ascended the steps of the Silberhornstraße U-Bahn station on a crisp winter evening in Munich. The sun had long set on our merry band of down coated travelers. We’d braved brisk February days and nights by jumping from biergarten to bierstube drinking refreshing Helles (bright) and malty Dunkles (dark) in the homeland of the famous Bavarian potation. On this night, as the warm glow of the underground station disappeared behind us, the neon glow of our destination appeared: Giesinger Bräu.
Continue Reading…Union Pizza & Brewing Co.
March 8, 2017
On an early December evening Samantha and I were in our car headed northwest to knock the last couple of breweries off of our Northern Ale Guide list. That day the destination was Fergus Falls where the furthest brewery that remained was located. It was a long drive and under the darkness of the night we arrived at Union Pizza & Brewing Co.
Continue Reading…Forager Brewery
February 22, 2017
During our effort last year to complete our Northern Ale Guide we knew we’d have to make a trip or two to knock a bunch off the list. We set aside a weekend with our friends Megan and Mitch to hit the southeastern Minnesota breweries. So on an early October evening we started our journey at Rochester’s Forager Brewery.
Continue Reading…Lakeville Brewing Company
December 30, 2016
We are always looking for breweries that are closer to our home in the outer suburbs. So when we heard that Lakeville added two breweries we had to check them out. Then I learned they were next door to each other, how convenient! So we planned a weeknight to visit and headed to Lakeville Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…Big Axe Brewing Company
October 14, 2016
As I mentioned in my previous post about my visit to Jack Pine Brewery, I was in the Brainerd lakes area for a bachelor party at the end of August. Mid-day on Saturday I had to leave early to get to a wedding, but I took a slight detour into Nisswa, MN to get one more stampy in my Northern Ale Guide. So, on a windy overcast day, I pulled into the parking lot of Big Axe Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…Pivovarský Dům
July 25, 2016
After our visit to Klášterní Pivovar Strahov we took a trip to U Fleků. Having brewed beer continuously for over 500 years it was great to visit. While they have a taproom akin to a german beer hall, they only brew a single style of beer so I didn’t feel a full blog post was necessary. After enjoying some excellent dark lager and tasty honey apéritif we strolled through Prague’s New Town to our final stop of the night, the craft brewery of Pivovarský Dům.
Continue Reading…Klášterní Pivovar Strahov
July 17, 2016
I recently went on a trip with my wife and my parents to eastern Europe. Our first stop was Prague, near the birthplace of the pilsner. I did a little research before hand to find some craft breweries within the city and the top brewery on my list was Klášterní Pivovar Strahov. Easily the the most beautiful setting to any brewery that I’ve visited it’s located near the castle complex situated on the west side of the Vltava River overlooking the Old Town in Prague. After taking a tour of the castle grounds we were ready to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a cold beer on a very hot day.
Continue Reading…Grand Rounds Brewpub
April 17, 2016
My family had planned to visit my brother in Rochester for Easter, and one of the choices for dinner was the Grand Rounds Brewpub. It was suggested as a good place for food but I was also curious about their beer. After driving down and spending the afternoon with family we made the short trip from my brother’s house into downtown Rochester for dinner.
Continue Reading…Canal Park Brewing Company
January 16, 2016
The last stop of our north shore brew tour was in Canal Park at the aptly named Canal Park Brewing Company. All of us had been there before so we knew what to expect. We had planned to take it a little slower, and luckily it was quiet when we arrived.
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