“They changed locations recently,” I said to my wife. We were on the Blatnik Bridge, Lake Superior lay calm to our left with the St. Louis Bay on our right. “Oh really, I don’t remember their old location. Where did they move?” she replied. “They’re in an old train depot, it looks neat,” I said. Our goal was an easy dinner, we had begun a winter trip to Duluth. Pizza sounded the ticket, and craft beer wouldn’t be bad either. Thirsty Pagan it was.
Continue Reading…Sawmill Pizza & Brew Shed
May 2, 2022
“I see a sign, right there,” I said to my wife. We were returning from a weekend at my sister’s cabin in Hayward, Wisconsin and had decided to take a different route back. “Oh yeah, I see it,” she replied. An old brick schoolhouse sat on the corner; a hand-painted wooden sign pointed the way. “Pizza and beer, sounds like what we’re looking for,” I said. Sawmill Pizza & Brew Shed awaited.
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…The Brewing Projekt
October 28, 2019
We had checked out. Our road trip took us through along the entire north shore of Lake Superior. Through Ontario, into the upper peninsula of Michigan, and then the heart of Wisconsin. We’d been going downhill the past couple of days, putting miles behind us in our quest to return home. Eau Claire was our final night and The Brewing Projekt was a “bucket list” brewery that we had to visit.
Continue Reading…Brickfield Brewing
September 21, 2019
It’s a long drive to my sister’s cabin in Hayward. Our usual strategy is to break up the drive by visiting the Drive In in Taylor’s Falls. It’s nearly halfway but, more importantly, they have cheese curds. My sister says they stop at the location in Grantsburg on their way home. In August we put the town on our agenda. No food for us though, our trip was for craft beer at Brickfield Brewing.
Continue Reading…Oliphant Brewing
April 25, 2019
Most of the focus of this blog has been centered around Minnesota breweries. Occasionally, I dip my toe into the craft beer scene across the border into Wisconsin. When I heard the weekend was bringing warmer weather after an extremely long and cold winter I decided that I wanted to drive somewhere, even if it wasn’t quite warm enough for a patio. The taproom of Oliphant Brewing seemed a world away in Somerset, and their adventurous beers would be the perfect compliment to our newly lifted spirits.
Continue Reading…Earth Rider Brewery
November 15, 2018
Dinner at Va Bene Caffe has become a tradition that we perform every time we visit Duluth, which is usually a couple of times a year. Towards the end of each meal the conversation leads to a discussion on where we will go for drinks afterwards. Only a pair of brewpubs remain that I’ve yet to visit but I’d heard about a spot across the Minnesota Wisconsin border that I had to try: Earth Rider Brewery.
Continue Reading…Hop & Barrel Brewing
September 6, 2018
I don’t think it would be a shock to anyone to learn that I visited a brewery for my birthday. Though, it may be a surprise that I went to one in Wisconsin. My wife and I tried something different this year. We each decided on a miniature road trip and I decided I wanted to have lunch in Hudson and then work our way up the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix river. While we were in town, it only made sense to follow our lunch with a couple of drinks at Hop & Barrel Brewing.
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.
Continue Reading…Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
June 15, 2018
My father in-law isn’t a big craft beer drinker. He suffers through the endless breweries trips that the family likes to take fairly regularly, and only he has recently found a couple of beer styles that he can be familiar with. There is one craft beer that you can consistently find in his fridge, which led us to take a road trip for his birthday. That drive took us over the border into Wisconsin and ended at the Leinie Lodge, the birthplace of Honey Weiss, and the home of Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company.
Continue Reading…