As always, when I’m traveling I like to engage in some beer tourism. Last week when I was in International Falls for the start of the Arrowhead 135 I took advantage of the fact that I wasn’t running the next morning, and hit the local brewery. Technically, Loony’s Brews is in Ranier, which is a […]
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This past weekend I was at 10K Brewing and got to sample their Maple Black Ale. I’ve had maple stouts before, most notable Sugar Shack from Third Street, and found them to be enjoyable. However, because maple syrup is pure sugar, and yeast eat sugar, you have to be very careful in how you brew […]
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On Saturday, I spent the morning running and volunteering at a local half-marathon with good friend Mike B. The race was held at Gear West in Long Lake which is right near a brewpub that I had never been to, Birch’s on the Lake. Despite not running a half marathon, we were both ready for […]
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(photo credits: Lisa K.) We had the day to ourselves, so we decided to go exploring in an area of Saint Paul that I haven’t spent a ton of time in since I was a child, West 7th. I know there’s been a lot of new things popping up around there, and so we decided […]
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This past weekend, while in Duluth for a race, I took a brief break in the action to stop by the newest taproom on the North Shore, Blacklist Artisan Ales. I only had about 45 minutes between activities, and so we walked down Superior Street for a quick taste of what they had to offer. […]
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Last year I did a 50 mile solo bike ride around a bunch of breweries near the SW metro area. This year I turned it into a bit of an event, and was joined by 4 friends. We started the morning around 9:30am at Lake Calhoun, and from there jumped onto the Cedar Lake Trail. […]
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I recently got to sample the latest brewery to open up in downtown Saint Paul: 12welve Eyes Brewing. This is a new brewery started by three gentlemen who all wear glasses, hence the name about 12 eyes. They are located in the historic Pioneer Endicott building, in the garden level. Because of this, they are […]
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Thursday night I got a chance to sample the latest new brewery in downtown Saint Paul, Barrel Theory Beer Company. This is a new brewery that went in next to the restaurant Dark Horse, which opened last year. If you’re from around the Twin Cities and know where the Gopher Bar is, that’s where Barrel […]
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This weekend we’re up north again, and I had the opportunity to check out the newest taproom in Duluth, MN; Hoops Brewing. The ownership of this brewery has a pedigree with Fitger’s in Duluth, and so I was excited to see what they had to offer. We called ahead to Grizzly’s Woodfire Grill across the […]
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One our way across Iowa last weekend, we stopped in at a place just north west of Ames called Alluvial Brewing. This is a beautiful little taproom that sits among vineyards and organic farms. You feel like you’re truly out in the country as you drive up to the front door. We went in and […]
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Since we were traveling this weekend, I had to hit some new breweries. After we spent some time at the Omaha zoo on Saturday, we decided to hit Farnham House Brewing Company in downtown Omaha. This is a brewpub with a full menu, and specializing in European beer styles. We arrived and I ordered up […]
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Blue Mounds State Park, where we were camping, is only a few miles away from the town of Luverne, MN. As the craft beer boom continues to explode around Minnesota, small towns are getting in on the action by creating local breweries that highlight really good beer for an audience that might not have experienced […]
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Second Runnings 