Photo Credit: Pearl Street Brewery (La Crosse, Wisconsin)

Breweries on the Great River Road

There are so many!  The choices are daunting when picking a craft brewery to visit when traveling the Great River Road.  But here’s a few we think will be worth the stop.

~Minnesota~

Beaver Island Brewing (St. Cloud, MN)

Beaver Island isn’t big. In fact, you won’t find it on most maps. But, now that you’ve arrived, sit back, relax and join us for a round of Dam. Fine. Beer.

Lupulin Brewing (Big Lake, MN)

Lupulin Brewing is a brewery and taproom located in Big Lake, MN. Dedicated to crafting unique and compelling beers, with attention to quality and flavor.

Surly Brewing (Minneapolis, MN)

Tours, tap room, and a tasty menu.  45 rotating taps every day in the beer hall and upstairs  check out Surly Pizza Upstairs. Pizza and beer… a classic combo.

 ~Wisconsin~

Potosi Brewery (Potosi, WI)

This tiny town got together to make something magnificent!  The brewery, the brew pub, the restaurant, and two museums make for one fun afternoon!

Pearl Street Brewery (La Crosse, WI) 

It’s an exbeerience!  Lots going on with two stages in the tasting room.  Take a tour and settle in at the handcrafted bar to try a few.

~Iowa~

Toppling Goliath (Decorah, IA)

It’s worth the quick jaunt off the Road for these award winning beers.  Their IPAs and barrel-aged stouts knock it out of the park.

Contrary Brewing Company (Muscatine, IA)

Microbrewery for bold and beautiful beers.  Small batches for high quality. Find something unique to try.

 ~Illinois~

Big Muddy Brewing (Murphysboro, IL)

Take a tour and meet Larry, Moe, and Curley, the brewing vats the beer is made in.  And the ‘Big Muddy Monster’ is a thing in Murphysboro, let the cryptozoologist in you get curious.

Bent River Brewing Company (Moline, IL)

It’s flagship beer, Uncommon Stout, is a coffee-infused, oatmeal stout, plus they won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Mississippi Blonde. Not bad credentials.

 ~Missouri~

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (St. Louis, MO)

German style beers in a traditional bierhall or grab your bubespitzel and step outside to the biergarten.  (Justy fyi – bubespitzel is a type of dumpling, their German food is awesome.)

Jackson Street BrewCo (Perryville, MO)

Small batch, experimental, and New Brew Tuesdays is the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.  Try something new and grab a wood-fired pizza to go with it.

 

~Kentucky~

Dry Ground Brewing Company (Paducah, KY)

Funky little microbrew in an old industrial building.  Twenty-eight craft beers on tap.

Paducah Beer Werks (Paducah, KY)

Award winning brews at this brewpub and music venue where touring bands and local acts take to the stage.  A locally sourced artisan menu rounds it out.

 

~Tennessee~

WISEACRE Brewing Co (Memphis, TN)

The crew at WISEACHRE aim to create a top-notch brewery experience in their hometown of Memphis, TN, and are committed to top quality, uniquely flavorful beer. Grab one of their seven year-round beers, such as the Tiny Bomb Pilsner, or choose from their rotating seasonal lines and specialties.

Meddlesome Brewing Company (Cordova, TN)

Great beer with always something new on the horizon.  They even have house-made root beer and cream soda.

 

~ARKANSAS~

Arkansas is a bit unique with fewer breweries than you might think.  It’s the brew frontier with newbies paving inroads to introduce the populace to the deliciousness that is a craft brew.  But for now, the Great River Road is a bit dry. If you gotta check out each state, I suggest a site trip to Little Rock where the brew scene is going strong.

 

~Mississippi~

Mighty Miss Brew Company (Greenville, MS)

Breweries in the Delta are few and far between, and this one prides itself for brewing beers that “flow steady and strong like the river they grew up on”.

Natchez Brewing Company (Natchez, MS)

Beer with a southern drawl.  Take a tour or enjoy a brew in the tap room where you feel right in the midst of the brewing operation.

~Louisiana~

Tin Roof Brewing Company (Baton Rouge, LA)

For a true Southern beer with ingredients harvested in the south ranging in a variety of lagers, blondes, IPAs and stouts. 

Brieux Carre Brewing Co (New Orleans, LA)

Beers as weird and interesting as the city they call home.  Always a good mix of tastes on tap.