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Category: Brewery Review

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, MT (July 9th, Brewery Stop #34)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, MT (July 9th, Brewery Stop #34) (recovered post) The 34th brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) was Big Sky Brewing Co. in Missoula Montana. After visiting family in Bismark North Dakota, we hit the road west and crossed the great barren north, or ‘Fly-over’ country as most call it. We got into Missoula in the afternoon and checked into our hotel, and to refridgerate the beers we had in our trunk. The brewery scene in Missoula wasn’t totally unfamiliar to us as we had visited it a year prior for a few days while on a work trip. We knew that tasters were limited and the amount of beer they could serve a person was restricted per visit, so we planned on just hitting a few breweries for tasters and then finding dinner and going from there. The first brewery we hit as it was closest to the hotel we stayed at was Big Sky. It’s located on the edge of town just off the freeway and it’s pretty easy to find. The production facility and tasting room look like a big …

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2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #33)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #33) (recovered post) The 33rd brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) and last brewery visited in Minneapolis was Dangerous Man Brewing Co. We are really happy that we found this brewery was open, as it really had more of the environment we were looking for during our roadtrip. There were a few other breweries in the downtown area that were closed the day we were in Minneapolis, this just gives us reason to go back some day to try the one’s we missed. After leaving Surly, we headded back towards downtown to the Northeast Arts District, were we admired this historic neighborhood with really cool with a local vibe. The stark contrast between the two brewery settings is like comparing a small mom-and-pop shop to that of wallmart. It’s a reality of being successful in that you grow, succum to the drive to produce more with increased demand, expand, produce more, then cycle repeats. This is how the industry works, unless you actively choose to stay smaller and keep your quality high. There are a few examples …

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2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #32)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #32) (recovered post) The 32nd brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) and second in Minneapolis was the Surly Brewing. After spending an hour or so at Fulton Brewing in downtown, we decided on driving out to Surly next. We had only heard of Surly through reputation, be it that they do distrubute around the mid-west and east coast and have a pretty large production as compared to smaller ‘micro’ breweries. They are located out in an industrial park, sort of off the beaten path. You need to use navigation or have a good map to find them. When we pulled up, we found that they have ample parking and lots of warehouses and a humongous production facility. We figured they would be busy, but we had to park almost a full block away they were so busy. The parking lot(s) are really big. After walking up, we realized they were a bit more ‘corporate’ than we anticipated, in that it looks super slick, overproduced, and expensive when you go inside. They have lots of artwork up along the …

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2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Fulton Beer Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #31)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Fulton Beer Company, Minneapolis, MN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #31) (recovered post) The 31st brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) and first in this city was the Fulton Beer Company in downtown Minneapolis Minnesota. After driving up from the Chicago area, we were ready to take a break from the car find some lunch and a few beers. We first stopped by the YardHouse outside of downtown so Gary could meet up with one of his former students and to sample some of the local beers and grab some food. We were able to try a few local brews at Yardhouse that were pretty decent that were from breweries that were not open that day, which was a bonus. After eating, we headded back into downtown and stopped by Fulton, hoping they would be open (typically they are not unless there is a ball game that day, which there was). Luckily they had just opened so we grabbed a nearby parking spot (which is not easy in that neighborhood) and made our way in. We chatted briefly with the hostest about their establishment as we were curious …

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2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: 3 Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #30)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: 3 Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN (July 7th, Brewery Stop #30) (recovered post) The 30th brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) was 3 Floyds Brewing Co. in Munster Indiana. After a great lunch stop we hit the road and made it to the Chicago area, specifically stopping for dinner and samples at 3 Floyds Brewing. The brewery is located off the beaten path, way back in an industrial complex. We saw that they served food, so we figured we’d give them a try. There was a bit of a wait for us to get a table, and they don’t have open bar seating, it’s all reserved except the bar seats themselves. So, we ended up hanging out outside (as there is no indoor waiting area) for about 20 minutes until we were sat. The front ‘bar’ area and main restaurant aren’t really that big, so it’s not surprising there was a wait. We were sat in the back area, where there are some windows into the production section of the building. There is a ‘pickup’ side room where you can get swag and some kegs/bottles to go. …

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2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH (July 7th, Brewery Stop #29)

2015 BEER DISCOVERY TOUR: Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH (July 7th, Brewery Stop #29) (recovered post) The 29th brewery visited during our cross-country beer discovery tour (click to read about the whole trip) was Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland Ohio. We did a considerable amount of driving after leaving Boston the day prior stopping at Rochester NY. We continued through NY state up to Niagra Falls and then made our way west along Lake Erie to Cleveland where we stopped for lunch at the Great Lakes Brewing Company. Their production facility is quite large, located across the street from the restaurant/taproom and we were able to find parking in that lot. Lots of semi-trucks and loading docks speak to the amount of distribution they do. I’ve had their beers in the mid-west, but not quite to the west coast yet. You’ll find that during the summer months, they have a lot of people eating at the restaurant/patio that takes up almost the entire front of the block. We decided not to wait for a table there and went inside and were pleasantly surprised to find a table available shortly after walking around. They have a couple of different …

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