Barrel Theory Beer Company | Beer with the Brewer

It’s rare to find a brewery that can pump out so many different styles, and do it well. When you do though, it is one of the best feelings.

In the Twin Cities, that brewery is Barrel Theory Beer Company. Located in the heart of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, it has spent the last six years brewing spectacular beers of all varieties, from crispy Pilsners to decadent Imperial Stouts, with a knack for making Hazy IPAs. It’s been doing it humbly, making the brewery somewhat of a hidden gem. Until now.

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Ultimate 6er | Six MN Breweries to Pair with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

I’m sitting here drinking a beer and counting down the minutes until my Eras Tour bound flight departs for Minnesota. After canceling her 2020 tour due to the pandemic, the last time Taylor Swift toured publicly was in 2018. So you might say this tour has been a long time coming. Despite being in the game for nearly 20 years, Taylor Swift continues to reinvent herself tapping into new channels of creativity and producing banger after banger. A similar thing can be said about the craft brewery scene in Minnesota. So grab a glass with me and let’s toast to Taylor as we journey through the land of 10,000 lakes. 

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56 Brewing | ‘Ssippi Squeeze IPA

With the warm summer months coming up, it’s time to take a closer look at a light, refreshing, citrusy IPA that is readily available in the Twin Cities for those long days on the lake. The IPA in question? ‘Ssippi Squeeze IPA from 56 Brewing.

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Ultimate 6er | Road Trip Regional Edition: Midwest

Join us as we road trip across the United States in what is to be a follow-up article to the Craft Beer Across America article. In that article, we explored a craft beer from every state (excluding districts and territories) to showcase some of the unknown, or lesser-known, craftier beers that the U.S. craft beer scene has to offer. While that article focused mainly on the beers, this article focuses on specific breweries from a region we think would be fun to visit. We’re going to sprinkle in a couple of bigger craft breweries in each six-brewery regional section just to help spread the word for some of the not-so-big breweries in the mix.

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The Complete Guide to the Best Breweries in the Twin Cities

So, you’re coming to Minneapolis in May for the 2022 Craft Brewers Conference.

Awesome! If you’ve never been to the Land of 10,000 Lakes before, you’re in for a treat. … Read More

Burning Brothers, Minnesota’s Only Gluten-Free Brewery, Celebrates Sixth Anniversary

What do you get when two fire-eaters trade in their torches for mash paddles? You have Burning Brothers Brewery, Minnesota’s only gluten-free brewery.

Dane Breimhorst, head of brewing operations and Thom Foss, head of business operations, formed the St. Paul, MN-based brewery, which is celebrating its sixth anniversary in April. The duo, who are life-long friends, was working at Minnesota’s Renaissance Festival but decided to embark on a passion project when Breimhorst was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

“Now, instead of eating fire, they run a dedicated gluten-free facility where they mix their own blend of quirkiness to brew great-tasting gluten-free “Craft Beer for Everyone,” said Dom Liljenquist, sales and marketing manager.

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Drinking Through the 2019 Surly Darkness Barrel-Aged Variants

For the second year in a row, Surly Brewing Co. will be releasing a series of barrel-aged variants of their popular Russian Imperial Stout, Darkness. The different barrel and adjunct beers were released at Darkness Day last year and will follow suit this year.

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22 Northmen Brewing Company | A Fresh Take on Minnesota’s Viking Heritage

When I stepped into 22 Northmen Brewing Company, I felt like I was in that scene of Beauty and the Beast when Gaston is singing his song.

We don’t always liken a brewery to our favorite Disney movie, but when we do it’s our highest form of flattery! Read More

Minnesota Legislature Stems Future Growler Sales for Breweries

The ability to sell growlers in the future looks bleak for some Minnesota breweries as a critical piece of legislation failed to move forward in the Minnesota Senate this year.

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Small Batch Pins: Supporting Craft Beer One Enamel Pin at a Time

Well before we met Sam and Libby, we were familiar with the pair’s brand and products.

Their enamel pins are some of the most creative, unique and wear-able beer-related accessories … Read More

Bent Paddle Brewing Company | Cold Press Black Coffee Ale

Everyone has different reasoning for what separates a good beer from a great one. For me, it comes down to the human connection. Aside from physical characteristics like color, crispness, body, and finish, beer can be elevated from good to great when what you’re consuming distinguishes itself by a higher sense of meaning. Bent Paddle Brewing Company’s Cold Press Black Coffee Ale does just that.

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How An Instagram Post Led Minnesota’s Aegir Brewing Co. to Iceland for Their First Collaboration

“We thought it was, like, ‘oh cool, that would be fun, but never-mind.’ And then after a while, I was like, ‘We need to take a break, and we want to do a collaboration, and why not?’” – Tim Jones

We recently caught up with brothers Tim and Jeremy Jones of Aegir Brewing Co. in Elk River, MN. The two had returned from a trip to Iceland that we unwittingly played a role in. Eager to hear their version of the story and the series of events leading up to the trip, we joined them in the taproom on a recent Saturday morning. Before we could ask them anything, though, they had a question of their own:

“You guys want a drink?” Jeremy offered.

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An Authentic German Beer Fest in Minnesota: How Schell’s Bock Fest Came to Be

August Schell Brewing Company, now named Schell’s Brewery, is the second oldest family-owned brewery in the nation. Founded in 1860 by German immigrant August Schell, the brewery is rich in German tradition. Stationed in the historic town of New Ulm, MN, Schell’s has weathered the storms of Prohibition and today’s ever-changing craft beer market thanks to staples like Grain Belt Premium. But it’s one of its seasonals that often gets the most attention due to the festival that celebrates it. First started in 1987, Schell’s Bock Fest celebration is an event as rich in tradition as the brewery itself. Here’s what you need to know about the event, which takes place on March 2, 2019 from 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Schell’s Brewing Company.

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Ultimate 6er | Home in Minnesota for the Holidays

When most people hear the word Minnesota, I can imagine that a few stereotypes are top of mind. Some people might imagine a frigid Antarctic-like landscape. Others may have a vision of, Scandinavian men and women, blonde and blue-eyed, dressed in floor-length jackets and Vikings gear screaming skol. Thanks to the Coen brothers and their brilliant Fargo, some might immediately hear Francis McDormand’s spot-on accent in their ears and get a vision of an unfortunate woodchipper in their minds. But when I think of Minnesota, I think of my home and my wholesome, Midwestern parents and my not-so-little bearded brother – three people who enjoy nothing more than enjoying a craft, Minnesotan brew around our fireplace. Read More

5 Beer Instagram Tips and Discoveries for a Better Beer Blog

November marks one full year since we kicked off our beer blog, Ale Adventures. In that time, we’ve had a lot of incredible opportunities and highlights which we shared about in our last post. But we’ve also learned a lot about beer blogging and utilizing social media.

Here are five things we’ve learned in our first year of beer blogging that might just help you on your own journey.

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Surly Brewing | Darkness Variants

Surly Brewing Darkness has always been a highly coveted stout come the fall. The Russian imperial stout typically is available in a non barrel-aged version and a barrel-aged version. To change things up, Surly announced three variants, each in a different type of barrel and available only at Darkness Day.

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Lefse & Lingonberries, Uffda! The “Most Minnesotan Beer” at the State Fair

If there’s one thing Minnesotans are proud of, it’s the Minnesota State Fair! Though if you’d said hot dish, ice hockey, Bob Dylan, Prince, the Mall … Read More

Surly Brewing Upping its Chicago Presence With Three Summer Beers

Last year Surly Brewing made it clear — Chicago was a market they wanted to have a stronger footprint in. They switched distributors in January from Windy City Distributing to Lakeshore Beverage, AB-InBev’s High End distributor, and have subsequently made an immediate impact on the Windy City’s craft beer scene.

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We Threw a Beer Instameet… Here’s How It Went

Minnesota has a thriving craft beer scene.

With some 150 craft breweries from top to bottom of the state — and more popping up faster than … Read More

Hayes’ Public House | Where Irish Hospitality Meets Minnesota Nice

Located in the heart of Central Minnesota — a state known for its fierce Scandinavian pride — is a small Irish pub that almost seems out of place.

Hayes’ Public House provides the most authentic Irish experience some Minnesotans may ever have. And that’s the point. Owner and Head Brewer Pugs Hayes and his wife spent two months touring Ireland, absorbing as much of its culture as they could. With the help of friends and family, they recreated what they saw, heard, felt and tasted in a small brewery that has become the hub of Buffalo, MN.

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