TDG Offseason, Off topic - Let’s talk about beer

With little happening in the world of Gopher athletics in the month of June, lets take a stroll off topic and chat about Minnesota breweries. This is a passion of mine and I’m going to make the assumption that many here also enjoy the explosion of craft beer and fantastic breweries in the state.

While obsession into craft beer is more recent after spending years obsessing over bourbons, none the less I certainly have jumped all in on craft beer. I may or may not make decisions daily to prioritize beer purchases or brewery stops over things like family and work.

While the actual number is a moving target there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 150-200 breweries in this state with approximately 90 in the Twin Cities metro. I have a personal goal to get to every brewery in the metro and to date I’ve hit nearly 60 local breweries (along with several that are outstate). Am I some craft beer & brewery expert? Not remotely, but I’ve been to quite a few, I have an understanding of the game and I feel like I can speak intelligently on this topic while really just giving my own personal opinion.

I’m starting with a basic introduction here before I dive deep into my own personal brewery rankings, the best venues, the best beer and whatever else I feel like chatting about in the local brewery scene. To be fair, I am a bit of a snob and just because something has more flavor than Miller Lite and it’s a fun brewery close to your house, does not mean it is a a good brewery or elite beer. We need to have standards people.

Also to be fair, my pallet sucks but I’m going to give my opinions anyway.

Planned TDG posts on this topic...

• GopherNation’s Top 10 Minnesota Breweries
• Top 5 Venues (even if the beer is lame)
• Top Beers (probably by style)
• Breweries to avoid like the plague - just kidding, I don’t want to disparage anyone publicly for following their dreams, even if their beer kinda sucks (but hit me up privately and I’ll tell you!)
• Breweries in the surrounding states that are worth a road trip.
• Individual Brewery Reviews - perhaps as I go to breweries throughout the summer, an individual review may be in order

Take some time to comment here. Tell me what you want to see written about. Tell me your favorite breweries and why. Tell us all your beer journey. Tell me your favorite brews.