Best Breweries in the Twin Cities (Worth the Group Trip)
TL;DR: The best breweries in the Twin Cities for a group outing. Covers Northeast Minneapolis, North Loop, Saint Paul, and suburban breweries, plus how to plan a brewery day with group transportation.
The Twin Cities has over 80 breweries. You could spend a year trying to hit them all. Or you could pick the right five and do it in an afternoon with a group.
Here are the ones worth building a day around, organized by neighborhood so you can hit multiple stops without backtracking across the metro.
Northeast Minneapolis (The Brewery District)
This is ground zero. A 10-block stretch with more breweries per square mile than anywhere in the Midwest.
Surly Brewing - 520 Malcolm Ave SE. The flagship. Beer hall seats 300+, outdoor patio, full restaurant menu (the food is legitimately good, not just bar snacks). Surly Furious is the beer that started the Minnesota craft movement. Weekends get packed after 4 PM. Go early if you want a table.
Fair State Brewing Cooperative - 2506 Central Ave NE. Worker-owned co-op. Their lagers are some of the best in the state. Smaller taproom, neighborhood feel. Less tourist-heavy than Surly, which is part of the appeal.
Indeed Brewing - 711 NE 15th Ave. Big taproom, great patio, rotating food trucks. Day Tripper is the flagship pale ale. Good for groups because there's space.
Bauhaus Brew Labs - 1315 Tyler St NE. German-inspired beers in a Bauhaus-themed taproom. The aesthetic is dialed. Live music and events regularly. Probably the most "fun" brewery in Northeast.
Able Seedhouse + Brewery - 1121 NE Quincy St. More experimental than the others. If you're into sour beers and wild ales, this is your spot. Small but interesting.
The Northeast loop is walkable if you pick 3-4 spots within a few blocks. But if you're coming from the suburbs with a group of 6-8, driving and parking at each stop is a hassle. A car service does the loop for you - everyone gets in, hits 3-4 spots, nobody drives.
North Loop / Downtown
Modist Brewing - 505 N 3rd St. One of the more creative breweries in town. Known for their Dream series IPAs. Sleek taproom, good for a stop before a Twins or Wolves game since Target Field is two blocks away.
Inbound BrewCo - 701 N 5th St. Relaxed, unpretentious. Great core lineup. The taproom has a good vibe for groups without being overwhelming.
Saint Paul
Barrel Theory Beer Company - 248 7th St E, Lowertown. Small-batch, hype-worthy. Their pastry stouts and hazy IPAs sell out regularly. The taproom is small - get there early on release days. Located in Lowertown, which is walkable from Xcel Energy Center.
Warpigs Brewing - Coming soon to St. Paul (collaboration between Mikkeller and 3 Floyds). If you know those names, you know this will be a destination.
Summit Brewing - 910 Montreal Cir. The OG Minnesota craft brewery. Been brewing since 1986. The beer garden is massive and family-friendly. Summit EPA is a classic for a reason. Good for groups who want a relaxed, non-trendy experience.
Suburban Standouts
Lift Bridge Brewing - 1900 Tower Dr, Stillwater. Beautiful taproom overlooking the St. Croix River valley. Worth the 30-minute drive from the Twin Cities. Pair it with a walk through historic downtown Stillwater.
Steel Toe Brewing - 4848 W 35th St, St. Louis Park. Low-key taproom with a devoted local following. Size 7 IPA is excellent. Easy access from I-394.
Lupulin Brewing - 570 Humboldt Dr, Big Lake. 40 minutes northwest of Minneapolis. If you're serious about IPAs, Lupulin is worth the trip. Hooey and Blissful Ignorance are nationally recognized.
Building a Brewery Day
The best brewery trips hit 3-4 spots over 4-5 hours. More than that and you're just tired and drinking out of obligation.
The Northeast Minneapolis loop (3 stops, 3-4 hours): Start at Surly for lunch and a couple pours. Walk to Bauhaus for the vibe and a pint. End at Fair State for something different. Total walking distance: about a mile.
The cross-metro tour (4 stops, 5-6 hours): Start at Modist in North Loop. Cross to Northeast for Surly or Indeed. Head to St. Paul for Barrel Theory. End at Summit's beer garden. This one requires a vehicle.
The suburban escape (2-3 stops, half day): Lift Bridge in Stillwater, then explore the town. Or head to Lupulin in Big Lake if you want the best IPAs in the state without the city crowd.
Why Groups Book a Car Service for Brewery Trips
The obvious reason: nobody has to be the designated driver. But there's more to it.
Parking at 4 different breweries means 4 different parking situations. Northeast Minneapolis street parking on a Saturday? Good luck. And splitting an Uber 6 ways at each stop gets expensive and annoying fast.
A car service picks your group up, takes you to each stop, waits (or comes back), and takes everyone home at the end. One vehicle, one cost split 6-7 ways, zero parking, zero DUI risk.
It's also just more fun. Everyone's in the same vehicle between stops. That's where half the jokes happen.
NS Limo provides group transportation for brewery tours, winery visits, and anywhere else you'd rather not drive. Book online or call (320) 223-8146.