1. FINNEGANS Brew Co.

817 5th Ave S
5 Blocks from U.S. Bank Stadium

Most taprooms choose either an industrial or restaurant atmosphere. At FINNEGANS, the exterior is modern and urban but, inside, strained woodwork and an intricate bar set the tone as they pour house made beers, Irish-inspired and otherwise. The core lineup focuses on sessionable, lower ABV beers, but with a variety of styles available and something for everyone, including THC and the Hairless Dog line of nonalcoholic beers, plus sour ales and barrel-aged heavy-hitters. FINNEGANS beers are also sold in area liquor stores and bars throughout the region. The brewery began with its Irish Amber and a mission: “Turning Beer Into Food,” which means that a portion of each sale is donated to a local organization to help feed the hungry.

What to Order

While the Irish styles are plentiful on tap, their top seller is Blood Orange Pilsner, and for good reason. This beer is a light body lager with a unique fruity twist. It begins with a big boost of fresh-squeezed citrus, followed by mildly tart blood orange which merges with a cracker-crisp Pilsner body, finishing with a big, jammy flavor and a clean, dry finish. It’s very fruity, but it’s also “beer that tastes like beer,” offering a perfect marriage of classic flavors and unique ingredients that keeps you coming back for more. Flipping styles from light to dark, Dead Irish Poet is another flagship that is always on tap. This is a traditional Irish-style dry stout with a big, roasty first impression that softens over time, revealing milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and coffee notes. It’s very balanced and accessible without overdoing it. Oat Milk Stout is another dark beer, this one made in collaboration with Caribou Coffee.

The brewery also sells multiple IPAs, a berry blonde ale, and Armory Laker Blonde, a collaboration with the nearby music venue (where it is also sold). Food trucks are common, and delivery is available from Tavola Italian Kitchen and Broadway Pizza.

FINNEGANS opens early for Sunday or Monday Vikings games and offers $5 pregame pints.

2. Day Block Brewing Company

1105 Washington Ave S
5 blocks from U.S. Bank Stadium

Located in the Day Block Building (built in 1883) at street level, this pizzeria and brewpub has a full bar and roughly a dozen house taps. The house made beer lineup remains consistent, with specialty and seasonal variations. The pizza itself is worth a visit, and the beers cover a variety of classic American craft and traditional European styles. With two open rooms of seating, there is ample space with a pizzeria meets sports bar atmosphere, complete with TV-facing seats at the bar and more isolated booths for dining. Their beers are available onsite only, with take-home options.

What to Order

Game day recommendations include Czech One, Two, a light-body Pilsner lager. The beer is very smooth with bread and cracker flavors and light floral hop notes for balance. Another highlight is Daylight Kolsch, a unique pairing of a German-style light ale with a touch of coffee. Daylight is a light body beer first, with light berry and fruity notes, but it finishes with a smooth lightly-roasted coffee finish. Since most football games start at noon, it’s a good way to get the day going.

Other noteworthy beers are Stadium Blonde, a “small” beer with big flavor, Vikingberry Sour, made with marrionberries, and Dope, Man!, a West Coast-style IPA. The lineup leans toward classic styles, but creatively adapted to make them stand out. Check out their happy hour specials.

3. Town Hall Brewery

1430 Washington Ave S
9 Blocks from U.S. Bank Stadium

Town Hall is both an elder of the Minnesota beer scene while also highlighting the city’s eternal youth, sandwiched between the University of Minnesota-West Bank and downtown proper. The brewpub was established in 1997. Over the past two decades, it has won numerous awards, pouring pregame Masala Mama IPAs back in the days of Randy Moss and Kent Hrbek, and continuing that tradition as visitors flock to see Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson today.

Town Hall offers a relaxed pub feel, with different sections for different moods: from sitting at the bar and watching live sports, to a fireplace dinner in back to the middle point in between. There is a full kitchen with a modern gastropub menu, plus a notable whiskey selection and a full bar for your cocktail needs. They have multiple locations around town, with this central location having the biggest beer selection, a rotation of cask, Belgian, and barrel-aged beers, and more. You’ll find a wide variety of beer styles that adhere to traditional techniques while testing new ingredients and processes.

What to Order

Masala Mama IPA is perhaps the quintessential Minneapolis beer. The recipe has evolved with the times, offering flavors of citrus, pine, marmalade, and toasted malt, along with subtle resin and floral elements. Parkway Java Porter is a balanced coffee porter that’s perfect for football season, while Black H20 Oatmeal Stout and Hope & King Scotch Ale offer more dark beer options. Super Strike is an accessible light lager that’s crisp on the tongue with earthy and bready flavors.

Town Hall hosts an all-you-can-eat brunch from 9am to 12pm before noon home games.

4. Sisyphus Brewing

712 Ontario Ave W #200
2 Miles from U.S. Bank Stadium

Sisyphus can feel a little out of the way from the big destinations, as it’s located just west of the I-94 underpass along Lyndale Avenue. This hidden gem is a small scale brewery with pinball, shuffleboard, and a separate comedy venue next door. The style is American craft, from different IPA style to sour ales and stouts. Sisyphus isn’t afraid to experiment, making an annual Cake Beer, but they balance that with traditional styles like a Belgian blonde ale and an ESB in a modest but welcoming setting. Their beers are available onsite only, with take-home options. Sisyphus Brewing is also home to a comedy club and hosts free open mic nights and touring comics.

What to Order

The exact beers change frequently, but a few flagships are almost always available. The First Beer We Named is an old school IPA with a malty base plus pine and resin flavors, but with a restrained bitterness that’s softer on the tongue and less resinous than the IPAs of yesteryear. The sweet and bready malt bill sets the tone, which is complimented but not overpowered by dank and pine notes. Flipping flavor profiles, Peanut Butter Jackpot is another popular beer: a black in color, bold stout. Peanut butter dominates the aroma, but the beer itself is more balanced. Take a mildly bitter, roast-heavy stout, then add a scoop of sweet, cream peanut butter to balance it out. Jackpot is a stout that tastes like beer, rather than dessert. It’s a dynamic beer that gives nuanced flavors as you sip.

Other top sellers include Belgian Blonde Ale, a light-bodied single with notes of spice, banana, and clove, and Uf Da Pils, a light and crisp easy-drinking beer. They have an ongoing barrel-aging series, frequently selling limited edition high ABV beers, plus a hard seltzer and a house cider option for non-beer fans.

Even More Pre & Postgame Options

You’ll hear the legends about Metrodome era Hubert’s Sports Bar (closed in 2015), but Downtown East still offers endless options for pre-event gatherings and making new memories. Sports bars such as Maxwell’s, Off The Rails, Crooked Pint, The Pourhouse, and Tom’s Watch Bar have something for everyone. Pog Mahone’s adds Irish flair to your outing, and the West Bank and Cedar-Riverside are a reasonable hike away, with a curated tap list at Acadia Cafe, the reliable Corner Bar, and down the road, Palmer’s Bar, where you can get a true slice of life dive bar experience. Within a short rideshare or public transit ride, those options increase exponentially. The North Loop has a diverse beer and dining scene, as does the East Bank neighborhood where Stub and Herbs near the University of Minnesota has introduced new generations of students to craft beer with their wide selection of taps. And if you’re looking for more local beer, breweries such as Pryes, HeadFlyer, and Surly aren’t far away. Minneapolis Cider Company (across from HeadFlyer) is a destination for unique ciders and THC drinks.