I've never been a beer connoiseur. I've always just drank whatever domestic piss was put in front of me. I'm not fancy nor choosy. I let my tastebuds and my wallet fight it out and decide who will win this battle.
In recent years, though, my tastebuds have been more adventurous. Sure, I still favor domestic brews but I've gotten away from the mass produced dreck that is heavily advertised during football games and NASCAR races. That stuff is fine if you plan on getting shitfaced in your garage while you tune up the lawnmower but a more sophisticated beer swilling lush demands a more sophisticated brew.
Last summer marked my full-on foray into beer experimentation. After our February trip to Hawaii and sampling more beer than I though one island could produce at the Kona Brewing Company, I knew that the discovery of beer was my destiny.
I already had a strong foothold in the Minnesota beer category with the Schell's brewery in New Ulm after a tour and sampling there the previous year so I began buying the brews that sounded best. I snapped up random six-packs of Schell's and Leinenkugel's through the summer months and quickly realized that having enough time each day to relax with merely one bottle of beer was tough. This experiment fizzled out by early September.
Now, though, I am reinvigorated and bored to death with winter. Sure, I am running on less sleep, doing more and have even less free time but that makes the desire for one bottle of beer each day consumed on my patio even more important. I've studied up on the local brews reviewed over the past year and my first sample which I will strategically start around my birthday in late April will be Lakemaid beer. It's described (basically) as light and refreshing and I'm all about supporting all things local - especially when it comes to beer.
The big question is where to find good Minnesota/local brews in the suburbs. What are some faves I should try?
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