Surly Beer Hall at Surly’s new brewery in Minneapolis

Reads 1635 • Replies 17 • Started Friday, December 12, 2014 11:53:11 AM CT

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arminjewell
beers 9756 º places 10 º 09:20 Sat 12/13/2014

Probably will check it out at some point, but not incredibly high on my list at this point either. I agree, Surly will always have that place of the new upstart of craft beer in MN, but they have most certainly moved on.

 
Bacterial
beers 3140 º places 134 º 09:36 Sat 12/13/2014

I want to see it soon, probably the first Monday that they are open. They are both incredibly consistent (I enjoy every one of their regulars and seasonals) and experimental. The last 3 anniversary beers were way out there, with the last one really hitting the mark. I’m not a homer, nor am I from MN, so them moving out beyond the MN market does not bother me. I’m extra excited to have an awesome beer source just a few minutes from where I work.

 
islay
beers 3622 º places 18 º 09:29 Sat 12/20/2014

I did end up visiting Surly for the grand opening. I was able to leave work early, and, while there were many people there, it wasn’t nearly as chaotic or uncomfortable as I feared. In fact, I’d say it was orderly and comfortable (and fun and enjoyable), one of the best executed large beer-related events I’ve ever attended. The beer lines looked long but moved quickly. There was a wait for tables to eat food, so I didn’t even attempt to do so. The second floor, in which they weren’t serving beer (save for cans of Abrasive that I was told were canned that morning but which I did not consume), wasn’t crowded at all. I had a Todd the Axe Man, which I think may be Surly’s best IPA (or double IPA) yet, and my first Eight, which I think may be Surly’s best anniversary release yet, so the beer was top notch, as expected.

The space is enormous and looks great, inside and out. I counted 120 tap lines in sets of 20 spread throughout the building (including 20 serving the outdoor beer garden, which I expect to be a huge hit come spring). They did a great job of being consistent with their edgy, industrial brand while remaining comfortable and accessible. To my knowledge, there are few food-and-alcohol-serving venues in town that approach the overall size of Surly’s Beer Hall, restaurant, and event space until you get into large nightclubs, theaters, and music venues (or sports arenas and stadiums, obviously).

The sentiment of the people who joined me (who like beer and have been to a few taprooms but aren’t deeply into the scene) was 1) this place is awesome, independent of the beer, 2) Surly jumps to near the top of the list of where I’d take visitors to the Twin Cities, and 3) why go to any other taproom now that this exists? I’m with them on the first and second points, not the third, although I wouldn’t hesitate to rank it as the best taproom or brewpub in the Upper Midwest. Omar certainly fulfilled his vision of creating a legitimate destination brewery.

 
CLevar
places 23 º 09:40 Sat 12/20/2014

If they can keep Todd the axe man on, I will be there. One of my favorite ipas of recent memory. Stubs on campus has had it recently, but it’s been fairly hit or miss

 
BVery
beers 13631 º places 750 º 15:54 Sun 12/21/2014

"Taproom" doesn’t do this place justice. Event Center is a much more accurate representation.

 
Bacterial
beers 3140 º places 134 º 10:36 Tue 12/23/2014

Place is legit. They should stop making Overrated and put Todd the Ax Man in cans. Pizza was nice. Hog Frites were awesome. Surly Beer Hall wins.

 
TheHOFF43
beers 2045 º places 169 º 13:29 Tue 12/23/2014

Todd is grate. That is their best IPA and its not close.