Local Brews (Minneapolis, Bock: cities, brick, granite)

[Ghengis]

Only thing worse than a wine snob is a beer snob.

[kcitti]

I've tried them all and like a few (especially the red), but I think they've overextended. You're right, I was exaggerating when I said it's like Budweiser, but I think, in my eyes, they've lost the "small/craft" brew, which is why there is a market for things like Surly and Rush River.

I'm not a beer snob. I've drank the beer, I've visited the brewery. It's just getting very sterile and commercial. There is nothing wrong with that because their point is to run a business and make money. Often, to do so, you end up marginalizing the product to appeal to a mass market.

[Dontbewillful]

I love Surly Bender, and I have recently developed a great fondness for Lift Bridge Cross Cut as well. We had a keg of it for our housewarming (I'm in my 30s and I've never done a kegger before, I swear -- it was just more economical this way!) and it got rave reviews from everyone including the beer snobs. It's my new #2 beer, and a close second behind my beloved Bender.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

Only thing worse than a wine snob is a beer snob.

Just because he doesn't like Summit doesn't make him a snob!

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

Only thing worse than a wine snob is a beer snob.

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Just because he doesn't like Summit doesn't make him a snob!

Sorry, wasn't directing my comment to anyone in particular. It's just that a beer snob killed my brother! He happened to be operating an electric chair at the time, but I find it hard to separate the man's occupation from his hobby. Stupid beer snob.

[whoopsie goldburg]

PBR isn't local but it might as well be...the cities seem like the PBR capital of the world. i love the stuff, and i am aware of how most of you feel about it, so go ahead and save the PBR bashing for your next beer club meeting. i swear i will be buried with a 6 pack of PBR in the casket.

grain belt is also great stuff, but a little too sweet for my palate. i know a guy on hague ave in st. paul who homebrews the tastiest stuff ever....my favorite local beer by far, whatever he calls it.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Although PBR doesn't have much for taste, there are plenty of worse tasting beers out there. I find PBR to be 10X better than any Miller product. When a local bar has a special on PBR Tallboys I usually always partake.

[west336]

I thought PBR was a Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit thing moreso than a Mpls thing? But hey, more power to anyone who prefers a cheap piece of crap to some of the expensive micro brews out there! I personally am a Bud Light hound, but there are days (esp. with this economy) that I wish I loved Coors Light, High Life, PBR, Schlitz or Strohs instead because they are all much cheaper here than Bud Light, but I still imbibe ;-)

As far as local Micros are concerned I think Granite City makes a decent few, Surly is becomming an obvious choice, but it seems like micro brews are few and far between around here, which really sucks! I keep waiting for somebody to post something about a micro-brewery that I've never heard of because I'm always on the lookout!

[uptown_urbanist]

I think PBR has become the hipster's brand of choice in cities nationwide. The Twin Cities seem to have an awful lot of hipsters (although I don't know if any more per capita than other cities?), so I'm not surprised that it's practically everywhere you look. (plus, I suppose, enough of the traditional non-hipster PBR crowd is still around to buy it)

[whoopsie goldburg]

PBR is palatable, affordable, and effective. not everyone is a rich yuppie. and i know plenty of folks who can afford whatever they want to drink and still remain loyal to PBR