Like every other food and beverage category, organic beer has exploded onto the market, more than doubling in the past few years. Similar to the craft brewery revolution in the 1980s, breweries on the coasts paved the path for organic beer, and now even Anheuser-Busch has introduced its own line of organic brews.
With a few exceptions, organic beers in Minnesota generally come from Europe. Yet, bottles are expensive to ship and they require a lot of resources to get them from point A to point B. This is especially true when you have to ship them across an ocean and then truck them into the Midwest.
There is some good news, though. You can find a few tasty and local state-side organic brews in Minnesota — ESB (Extra Special Bitter) from Lakefront Brewery out of Milwaukee, WI, and the Anheuser-Busch made Wild Hop Lager and Stone Mill Pale Ale, deceptively brewed under the respective names of Green Valley Brewing Co. and Crooked Creek Brewing Co. Keep your fingers crossed that others will soon make their way to the North Star State.
While the supply of organic beer may somewhat limited in Minnesota, there is no shortage of quality brew pubs in the state, some of which brew organic styles now and then. If you can’t go organic, you can at least go local, right?
Brew Pubs In Minnesota
Barley John’s Brewpub
New Brighton, MN
651-636-4670
www.barleyjohns.com
The Brauhaus
Lucan MN
507-747-2796
Fitger’s Brewhouse
Duluth, MN
218-726-1392
www.brewhouse.net
Great Waters Brewing Co.
St. Paul, MN
651-224-BREW
www.greatwatersbc.com
Green Mill Brewing Co.
St. Paul, MN
651-698-0353
www.greenmill.com
The Herkimer
Minneapolis, MN
612-821-0101
www.theherkimer.com
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Minneapolis, MN
612-339-8696
www.townhallbrewery.com
O’Gara’s Bar and Grill
St. Paul, MN
651-644-3333
www.ogaras.com
O’Hara’s Brew Pub & Restaurant
3308 3rd Street North
St. Cloud, MN
320-251-9877
www.oharasbrewpub.com
Rock Bottom Brewery
Minneapolis, MN
612-332-2739
www.rockbottom.com
Wellington’s Backwater Brewing Co.
Winona, MN
507-452-2103
www.westgatewellingtons.com
Minnesota Breweries:
Gluek Brewing Company
www.gluek.com
Lake Superior Brewing Company
www.lakesuperiorbrewing.com
Mantorville Brewing Company
www.mantorvillebeer.com
Schell’s Brewing Company
www.schellsbrewery.com
Summit Brewing Company
www.summitbrewing.com
Surly Brewing Company
www.surlybrewing.com
St. Croix Brewing Company
www.stcroixbeer.com
Wineries & Breweries of Minnesota: Grapes & Grains of the Plains by Shane Weibel and Norm Ayen, Adventure Publications, 2005.
651-602-9515
www.solovinowines.com
The Cellar’s Wine and Spirits
St. Paul, MN
651-489-5050
www.thecellars.com