Tag: beer fest

Places and Events to Check out Over All Pints North Weekend

All Pints North is one of the best beer fests held here in Minnesota for a few reasons. The first reason is that Duluth is one of the most picturesque cities in all of Minnesota, and there isn’t a better city to host such an event. The second reason is that Duluth is home to my favorite bar scene, partially due to all of the music that takes place on stages big and small across town. The third reason is that the beers that breweries bring to this event are some of the best being made here locally.

While the main event is always going to be the beer festival, you owe it to yourself to make a weekend out of it and check out the town on Friday. If you see me around, be sure to say hello. I’ve highlighted some of the events going on the night before the big event.
All Pints Eve Hootenanny at Bent Paddle – This event starts at 2 pm on Friday and will feature some rare beers which will of course include Double Shot Double Black. There will be a happy hour (3-5 pm) with 90.9 The Current which will be followed by bands from 7-11 pm.

Fulton Beer Presents This is a Cool Party at Pizza Lucé Duluth – Admission to this event (9:30 pm until midnight) is free and it will feature the bands Reflectivore and Dem Atlas. Grab a few beers and some pizza and prepare to party.

All Pints Eve at Sir Ben’s Tavern on the Lake – Live music, a restaurant pop up, and special tapping highlight this event on Friday from 4 – 9 pm. Beers from NorthGate, Bauhaus, Surly, Indeed, Castle Danger, Schell’s, Fair State, Dangerous Man, 612Brew, Beaver Island, and Bent Paddle will all be available for purchase. There will also be games and a kombucha station.

The Rathskeller at Tycoon’s – It’s no secret that this basement hangout is the place to be over the weekend. The Rathskeller is where people in the beer community hang and with good reason. The beer selection is top notch, and the whiskey is some of the best you’ll find around town. One thing to note is that the fire code dictates that only a certain number of people can be down there (it’s in the basement of Tycoon’s) so you may have to wait in a line to get in.

Places to eat over the weekend include Duluth Grill (fantastic breakfast), Northern Waters Smokehaus, Fitger’s Brewhouse, New Scenic Café, Tycoon’s, and Taste of Saigon.

And finally some pro advice: Don’t overdo it on Friday night or Saturday might be daunting. I’ve done this a few times. Perhaps I’ll never learn…

Cheers!

Stanley’s NE Craft Beer Festival and Block Party

stanleysartStanley’s NE aims to make your Art-a-Whirl experience just a little better. Okay, perhaps a lot better. On Saturday, May 18th, they’re blocking off Lowry and planning a day filled with beer, music, food, photo booths, hand rolled cigars, pretzel necklaces, hammerschlagen and more. Doors open at 1pm and the beer festival portion of the event runs from 2-5pm with live music from Orange Whip from 4:30-9:30pm in Stanley’s parking lot. Tickets are $59 and include the requisite sample glass as well as a glass lanyard, signature photo w/ your friends, $15 Stanley’s gift card and build-your-own pretzel necklaces.

Breweries include Summit, Schell’s Brewery, Fulton, Finnegans, Indeed Brewing, Northgate Brewing, 612 Brew, Surly, Cold Spring Brewery, Lucid Brewing, Founders Brewing, Fox Barrel Cider/Crispin, Odell Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Alaskan Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing, Bells Brewery, Goose Island, North Coast Brewing and more.

Click here for more info and tickets.

Border Battle Beer Fest July 13th & 14th

Thirsty yet? Given the number of summer beer fests this year, you really don’t have an excuse not to go to one, two or five… Border Battle Beer Fest is a two-day event in Somerset, Wisconsin that promises something for everyone, including whiskey, wings, beer, live music and camping. I’m hoping it’s nothing short of awesome.

The beer fest portion of the event is on Saturday, July 14th from 3-7pm. Over 100 Minnesota & Wisconsin beers are pitted against one another in a knock-down, drag-out beer battle (or something like that) with “celebrity judges” picking the winners. Music follows. Tickets are $30 advanced/$40 at the door.

Whiskey & wings? Why not? On Friday, July 13th from 6-8pm the event will feature a sampling of  20 different single malt, blended and designer whiskeys with wings available for purchase & pairing. $20 advaned/$30 at the door.

If you’d like to make a weekend of it, camping is available for the weekend in several different packages. You’ll be on the Apple River, so tubing might be a nice daytime option as well.

Visit the Boarder Battle website for tickets and complete information.

Monticello Lions Brewfest, August 18th

Here’s another new brewfest,  thirsty beer fans. The Monticello Lions are putting on their first fest on August 18th at Westbridge park in Monticello. Advanced tickets are $25, and day-of tickets available for $35. Breweries represented at the fest will include Purity, Schell’s, Bell’s, Boulevard, Cold Spring, Finnegans, House of Shandy, Fullers, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and others. Terri Traen from KQRS will be appearing at the event and music will be provided by Blue Hazard Band. Food vendors include Von Hanson’s Meat Markets, The Station, River City Extreme, Primo Pizza, Cornerstone Catering & Buffalo Wild Wings.