Today is June 12th, or another way of stating it is that it’s 6/12. Those three numbers are significant because one of the original taprooms in Minneapolis is called 612 Brew, and therefore today was declared 612 Day in the city of Minneapolis. For me, the numbers 612 have some other significance as well, as someone who grew up in the Twin Cities. Before our metro was broken into multiple zip codes, everything was the 612 area code. When things got broken up, Minneapolis got to keep 612 (hence the name of the brewery), which made all of us Saint Paul folks a bit miffed. But hey, we got to really enjoy our 651.

612 is also significant for us as it was one of the first taprooms that my wife and I went to when we were seeing each other. We went there often enough that we decided to make 612 Brew a stop between our ceremony and reception on our wedding day. The brewery is built into an old brick warehouse with TONS of character and charm. The photos we got there were amazing and beautiful. Despite our long history with 612 Brew we don’t often find ourselves there anymore. When the Twin Cities taproom boom started, it was apparent that many of the brews that were coming out were the product of home brewers who were still learning how to make production grade beer. 612 was no exception, and it’s certainly taken them some time to get their legs under them when it comes to quality. However, with so many other good quality choices available now, we often found ourselves hitting other breweries.

Today, being 612 day, meant that for a single hour this afternoon they were giving away free pints of beer. I decided to knock off work a little early and go collect my pint in a familiar setting, and enjoy a nice beautiful summer afternoon. I need to make a concerted effort to hit 612 again and give their beers another shot sometime, the one that I had today was really quite good and refreshing. Below is a pic of how I enjoy spending a nice quiet Summer Friday afternoon.