456415 Thu Nov 01 16:29:02 -0700 2007 10 35 Beer 0 3087473 summit?? page?? others?? Thu Nov 01 16:29:02 -0700 2007 15732 MarkG 1 3089271 Page is no longer brewed in the state. It was bought by Stevens Point. For MN Beer it has to be Surly for me. I had their Darkness last night at Buster's and all I can say is wow. That was a nice glass of sit down by the fire and sip. Schell's, Summit and Flat Earth are all good too. Cold Springs/Gluek is gross. Fri Nov 02 10:19:03 -0700 2007 3087473 87015 bigchow 2 3090407 I'm not from Minnesota but the Surly beers are fantastic. Fri Nov 02 15:13:41 -0700 2007 3089271 10395 brentk 2 3090990 I've only had one Surly Furious in the can at Grumpy's Bar downtown Minneapolis. It was good but out of a can did not bowl me over. I'll have to try some more. But I will have to be honest when I read the brewmaster came from the Rock Bottom Brewery I was not overly excited. Rock Bottom has to have to worst brew pub beers in the Twin Cities. One problem with Surly is it is not well represented in the far western suburbs (Lake Minnetonka area) so I don't have easy access. Flat Earth sounds interesting. Fri Nov 02 19:53:29 -0700 2007 3089271 10675 Davydd 3 3096207 Did you drink the beer from the can? ;) That would have had an effect. Seriously though Darkness, Furious, Bender, Cynicale and Surly Fest are imo world class. We are lucky to have them here. Rock Bottom MPLS has had many different brewers over the years. Some of them have been good and others not so much. I would not judge Surly based upon an experience there. The Hoops bros. are my vote for best brewers in the state, one is up at fitgers and the other is at town hall. Mon Nov 05 09:07:49 -0800 2007 3090990 87015 bigchow 1 3090273 I vacillate between Summit and Schell's brands depending on what I am in the mood for. Fri Nov 02 14:29:46 -0700 2007 3087473 10675 Davydd 1 3097544 Surly is the bomb-diggity! It's available on tap at many of the nicer indy restos in town, and in the can at many others. It's also available in 4-pack cans at Surdyk's and other fine beverage stores. You can also get growlers at the brewery, which now gives tours! The owner of the brewery is married to the woman who owns Cafe 23 in Linden Hills. www.surlybrewing.com August Schell is a nice collection of robust beers (not counting Grain Belt), available on tap lots of places, and in bottles everywhere. They offer four year-round (I like their Firebrick a lot) and half a dozen seasonals, along with their three "original series". Watch for their seasonal offerings, and note that their winter Bockfest will be at the New Ulm brewery Feb 2. And yes, they make Grain Belt Premium in New Ulm, now. Yay! www.schellsbrewery.com www.grainbelt.com Summit is probably the best known local, available on tap pretty much everywhere. They have a five year-round good to excellent beers, especially their EPA, and they have four seasonals including a maibock, oktoberfest, winter ale, and Scandia summer beer. The Oktoberfest was a huge hit at the State Fair this year, where for the first time you could buy real beer (not 3.2). www.summitbrewing.com The Gluek's clan has a weird mix of what-not. The more-or-less generic Gluek's cans are just that - generic. The have the usual pilsner/light/ice, and they have a honey bock and red bock that don't suck. About as good as Leinie's - maybe. They also sell their Norther golden pilsner - again generic. They are also responsible for the Stite alumabottles. And, the do some ex/im stuff involving San Miguel, James Stoats, and this weird series of Colonial Pub Pints 4-packs of pale ale, brown ale, and hefeweizen, that are actually quite drinkable. Mostly, the beers on tap at their bar downtown are nice. www.gluek.com One great brew pub is Minneapolis Town Hall. They sell growlers to take away. DON'T EAT THERE! Their food sux. It wasn't always like that. Another great brew pub is Herkimer. Beer is not as good as Town Hall, but the food is infinitely better. www.theherkimer.com We also have Great Waters, which is delectable. They serve at the Taste of Minneapolis on Nicollet Island during Aquatennia. This and Surly may be the two best in the state, followed closely by Minneapolis Town Hall. www.greatwatersbc.com Flat Earth is the new brewery in town, with supposedly tasty tasty beers. I haven't tried any yet. flatearthbrewing.com (no www.) And I've heard of Fitger's in Duluth MN, which makes their own beer. They also have growlers to go. www.brewhouse.net And yes, James Page is now a Wisconsin beer. Sigh. As for which is my favorite? The one in my hand! Enjoy! Mon Nov 05 14:00:43 -0800 2007 3087473 13136 Loren3 2 3100006 I've had good meals at Town Hall and quite recently too. Perhaps the beer was so good it made my palate forgive the chow. You rank GW over TH? I like their cask mild, and their imperial wit last year was superb, but their regular offerings don't pwn me like that Masala Mama at TH. Tue Nov 06 09:53:56 -0800 2007 3097544 87015 bigchow 3 3101003 I'm biased against the food at TH for a reason. When I first moved here, the food was amazing. Excellent mains, terrific sides like fresh aparagus roasted in a white wine garlic sauce. Now it seems like a typical dumbed down bar menu. And the few things we ordered weren't even very good versions of run of the mill bar food. I'm sure I could find some good things on there, but even one of the the brewers that I met at the Mill City agreed that he doesn't eat there. I do agree that the Masala Mama is truly memorable. And in retrospect, I don't think I would rate either TH or GW above the other. They both have good offerings. Tue Nov 06 13:35:27 -0800 2007 3100006 13136 Loren3 2 3101918 It has been a while since I was there but I was super impressed with Barley John's brews in New Brighton. Fitgers last summer was good but not memorable. Tue Nov 06 18:52:13 -0800 2007 3097544 10675 Davydd 1 3104093 see also: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/449788 fresh surly on tap is a fantastic thing. i'd also like to say that some of the stuff from lake superior brewing co in duluth is stellar. Wed Nov 07 12:44:05 -0800 2007 3087473 46030 soupkitten