I have a particular affinity for river towns. I’m not talking Paris, although I love that city for many reasons and the Seine is one of them, I’m referring to small American towns. Most of these places followed a similar trajectory. They were born from the marriage of commerce and convenience. In the modern era of unparalleled freight options most have lost their identity and forced to strike a new course. What’s left is a stock of historic brick buildings and a whisper of the past. It’s a place for us to visit to be nostalgic for a time we never lived. Hastings, Minnesota is one such town, home to Spiral Brewery.
Continue Reading…Marble Brewery
June 29, 2018
I do a ton of research before traveling to a new place, and these days a fair chunk of that research is devoted to breweries. When we decided to visit New Mexico and I learned that we were flying into Albuquerque, my first thought was Breaking Bad. What I’d soon discover is that there is a relatively robust craft beer scene in the city, and I ended up with far too many breweries on my list for the two days we’d be in town. We had a full afternoon to visit a pair of breweries but we needed to stay near the airport so that we could pick up another couple that was arriving that evening. With the sun high and our throats dry we set out for Marble Brewery.
Continue Reading…Brewster Bros. Brewing Co.
June 24, 2018
Chippewa Falls on a cold winter’s night leaves you with only a few options. That’s why we’d found ourselves on a brisk walk along the Chippewa River. Our plans were to end the night at a local bas, a wish we would grant for someone’s 60th birthday. But before a local dive, we wanted a trendier option. We would soon spot the blue and yellow signs of the Chippewa River Distillery & Brewster Bros. Brewing Co.
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It’s that time of year again. Time to reflect upon the breweries that I visited in the past year and identify some of my favorites. Since this is the second time I’m doing these awards I added some ground rules. I’m only assigning an award to somewhere that I visited in 2017. If you don’t see one of your favorites then let please let me know. Rest assured that with the amount of breweries now in Minnesota there is a great chance I didn’t make it there. In an effort to shake things up, I decided to ensure there were no repeats from last year. Lastly, to recognize the best of the breweries that opened in 2017, there is a new category called Best New Brewery. Let’s get started!
Continue Reading…Gun Flint Tavern
November 8, 2017
Earlier this spring I mentioned to my wife that this could be a good year to hike the entirety of the Superior Hiking Trail. A crazy suggestion, yet just a handful of months later we were pulling into Grand Marais with one sleep left between us and the trail. In the morning my parents were going to drop us off on the Canadian border and to temper our nerves we had planned our last meal at the aptly named Gun Flint Tavern.
Continue Reading…LynLake Brewery
August 5, 2017
Summer was well under way when our friends contacted us about their desire to visit a brewery in the metro area. They’d made it through the first few months of raising a newborn and finally felt like they earned a night off. Before we knew it we were halfway through our yum yum rice bowls from World Street Kitchen discussing our next stop: LynLake Brewery.
Continue Reading…Revelry Brewing Co.
July 23, 2017
With our first full day in South Carolina behind us, we sat at Charleston’s Prohibition trading stories about our day. Some of our group had spent the day collecting sun on the beach outside our condo in an attempt to forget their Michigan weather at home. The others, ourselves included, had taken the day to tour Charleston, visit the Charleston Tea Plantation, and gaze in wonder at the Angel Oak. The next order of business was the question of which brewery we’d be visiting that night. The answer, Revelry Brewing Co.
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