HammerHeart Brewing Company

Pros: Unique theme, attention-grabbing beers Cons: A bit of a drive compared to other Twin Cities breweries Number one reason you should go: HammerHeart Brewing Company offers up a well-executed, one-of-a-kind concept in a backwoods, log cabin space. Every good Minnesota Viking should go experience it, especially if you like smoky beers. If you ever …

Modist Brewing Co.

Pros: Solid beer, active brewery doing interesting things Cons: Expect crowds and noise (or try them at 6 p.m. on a Sunday) Number one reason you should go: FOMO Though the next brewery on the list was technically Indeed, we decided to skip ahead and hit up Modist Brewing Co., both because it completes the …

Inbound BrewCo

Pros: Pleasing design and layout; congenial staff Cons: Unpredictable beer quality Number one reason you should go: Inbound is a brewery you don't hear mentioned a lot in Twin Cities craft beer conversations, or if it is, it's tucked behind "Insight, Indeed, and that other one..." Go see the other one. What is Inbound BrewCo? …

Finnegans

Pros: Chic venue, great beer, even better karma Cons: Probably going to be pretty crowded and loud, at least for a few months Number one reason you should go: Do you hate the hungry? No? Well go do your part as a charitable human and have a beer at Finnegans House. On St. Patrick's Day …

The Herkimer Pub & Brewery

Pros: A haven for Badgers, Packers, and Wisconsin fans of all stripes Cons: Beer that's good, but not quite Wisconsin-level good Number one reason you should go: If you're a Packer fan, it's a necessity. If you're not a Wisconsin fan, it's a way to get a taste of Wisconsin without actually having to go there. Having …

Craft Beer Hops the Shark

As the market for craft beer exploded over the hops business boomed. Until it didn't. If you're a podcast person (or even if you're not) check out this 6-minute episode from Planet Money's The Indicator, all about the changing and shifting market for hops.

Dual Citizen Brewing Co.

Pros: Conveniently located on the green line, cool branding concept, a couple good beers Cons: Chilly space, a couple "meh" beers Number one reason you should go: Dual Citizen seems especially to committed to its concept, location, and identity. But as with any new brewery, they are still finding their footing. Give it a couple …

Gary Nicholas of Bell’s and Surly: “There is no craft brewery bubble.”

Last week, I attended "It's Just Beer...Or Is It?" as part of the Urban Currents events series put on by the Cuningham Group. The speakers were: Gary Nicholas, craft brewing consultant, former Project Manager at Surly Brewing Co., and former Quality Manager at Bell's Brewery Sarah Bonvallet, Co-Owner and Creative Director at Dangerous Man Brewing …

Great Waters Brewing Company

Pros: Comfortable atmosphere, cool location Cons: Relatively bland beer, nothing-to-write-home-about sandwiches Number one reason you should go: Great Waters is the only brewery in the Twin Cities we've seen so far where cask-conditioned ales are offered so consistently and under such strident quality standards. If you're interested in trying this style, Great Waters is a …

Fulton

Pros: Great location, vibes, and space; friendly staff; food in-house Cons: Middling beer Number one reason you should go: Having been around for almost a decade, Fulton is coming close to a Minneapolis mainstay. And with such a great location, you've got no reason not to go. Hit them up before your next Twins game …