1. 56 Brewing

Brewgrass Festival
Annually in September

Bluegrass music and the Mississippi River, which is just one city block away from 56 Brewing, are a perfect pairing – just add a cold Crispy Business pilsner or Acre THC beverage for the perfect trifecta. Since this event takes place at the end of the summer, a Märzfest also fits the mood, as it has the malt-forward notes of a traditional German Märzen merged with the crisp body of a Festbier.

Brewgrass highlights local and regional artists, including Turn Turn Turn, Pert Near Sandstone, Adam Greuel & The Space Burritos, Roe Family Singers, and The Pistol Whippin' Party Penguins in recent years. It takes place in the courtyard-style brewery parking lot, with an indoor space that offers climate control, seating and a selection of pinball machines.

Brewgrass is open to all ages, practically all day long, with multiple food trucks onsite and many neighborhood restaurants nearby. While the neighborhood itself is industrial, 56 is surrounded by open greenspace, which adds to the event’s laid back, let-the-good-times-roll vibe.

56 Brewing regularly hosts live music, including other larger scale events, such as Art-A-Whirl in May and Nershfest in August.

Tickets required: Yes
Parking: Street (limited), alternative transportation recommended

2. Insight Brewing

Wort Tour
Annually in June

You’ve likely heard of Warped Tour, a punk rock and skateboarding festival that primarily ran 1995-2019 bringing baggy pants-wearing teenagers to large amphitheaters for sunbaked adventures in their formative years. Wort Tour is a beer-themed local variant that highlights the same rebellious energy while adding a distinct Minneapolis stamp. In collaboration with youth skateboard organization Co-Vert, a limited light lager, aged on frozen lemons and lemon zest, is served, offering something crisp and refreshing to beat the heat. Banshee Cutter, a flagship golden ale with coffee, is another light option with a unique coffee depth, and Avant dry-hopped pilsner would fit the mood as well.

Taking place outside on the parking lot asphalt over a full day, the line-up leans ska, punk, and metal with skateboard vendors, a skateboard barrel-jumping competition, food trucks, onsite tattoos, and more. Performers have included Gully Boys, Quarter Life Crisis, Cheap Bouquet, Umbrella Bed, Linus, Nur-D, HEYARLO (Hippo Campus members), and others.

Relive your youth, but with a cold beer (or related drink of your choosing) in hand and a distinctly local flavor to both the beer and the music on the stage. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “wort,” it is the liquid brew that, once fermented, becomes beer.

Insight hosts live music on their patio, spring through fall, wrapping up the season with their annual anniversary party, A Trip Around The Sun, which is features their American imperial stout, Gravity Well.

Tickets required: Yes
Parking: lot (limited), alternative transportation recommended

3. La Doña Cervecería

Anniversary Party
Annually in October

In an industry that leans into barn wood and stainless steel aesthetics, La Doña is a welcome respite, with bright Latin American colors and themes decorating their cozy yet simple taproom space on Fremont Ave N. The party matches the mood: festive, welcoming and celebratory. It is upbeat and uplifting: the perfect atmosphere to toast a beer in cheers with friends.

The party takes place indoors – La Doña has their own event space – and features local cultural acts. Previous years have featured Malamanya, Salsa del Soul, Baila Venezuela, Colombia Live!, and Nuestra Lucha, among others. There is an in-house kitchen with tacos, small bites, and more. Doña Fría Mexican Lager is a versatile and crisp corn lager that pairs naturally with their food menu and any dance floor.

The cerveza at La Doña follows modern craft convention: a core of traditional styles, but with unique Latino-inspired flavors. They brew an annual special release, which has ranged from hazy IPA to a peanut butter porter in style, to high ABV sippers like Ocētōtl Barleywine, Prince Namor Barleywine, and Cuāuhtli Imperial Stout (aged in mezcal barrels).

You’ll find music and other activities, such as a Spanish language conversation club and a 3v3 indoor soccer league, throughout the year.

Tickets required: No
Parking: lot, street

4. Pryes Brewing

Block Party
Annually in June

The annual Pryes Block Party goes big, running Friday through Sunday on Pryes patio, which overlooks the Mississippi River on the edge of downtown and the North Loop, just north of Nicollet Island. Live music runs all day long, outside.

The Block Party is all ages and features a range of music styles, sometimes local and sometimes national, depending on the year. Acts have included Lissie, Tauk Moore, Funky Dawgz, Gigamesh, Kiss The Tiger, Nathan Graham, Mary Bue, and more. If there is a recurring theme, it is upbeat and accessible – a party that does not stop.

Keeping with the casual atmosphere, Pryes has an in-house pizza kitchen and sets up beer tents throughout the beer garden. Inside you’ll find shelter from the elements and seating, plus a feather bowling lane. Pryes’ summer slammer lemon-lime blonde ale, Main Squeeze, fits on a sunny day, as do Pragmatic Pilsner and Royal Raspberry Sour – all light-bodied beers with big flavors. Miraculum Midwest IPA balances fruity hazy IPA flavors with a crisp body that doesn’t ignore the malt bill of the beer.

Sandwiched between the Northeast brewing district and active North Loop restaurant scene, there are endless options to step away from the party for a bite, or even hitting Target Field for a Twins game, and coming back for a nightcap.

Pryes hosts multiple larger scale events throughout the year, the second largest being PryesFest in September-October and inspired by Oktoberfest.

Tickets required: free admission
Parking: lot, street

5. Surly Brewing

Darkness Day
Annually in October

Darkness is one of Minnesota’s best known beers, a high-octane imperial stout, released to the world with a big Surly bash. Bottles of the celebrated black-as-night beer are ordered in advance and picked up on the aptly named Darkness Day: with a loud and brash soundtrack to celebrate the moment. The beer is bold, rich and silky – recommended to sample in small pours at the party and bring your bottles home to savor. But they pour much more at the event: ranging from crisp lagers to puckering sours and hyper-hopped IPAs too, with many limited options exclusive to the Darkness Day celebration.

Musically, Darkness Day has marquee headliners, but it is ultimately a sum of its parts with a stacked lineup of national artists from the metal and punk worlds: extreme music for extreme beers. Recent headliners include Rocket from the Crypt, Carcass, Face to Face, and The Vandals, to name a few. The event began at Surly’s original production facility in Brooklyn Center, growing into the custom-built Surly Festival Field at the brewery’s base of operations in the Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Surly has two separate restaurants at their destination brewery near the Green Line light rail transit, plus their own line of THC drinks. Besides Darkness Day, Festival Field hosts live music throughout patio season.

Tickets required: free admission
Parking: lot, street (limited)

Ongoing

Throughout the summer you can also find large events at Utepils, unique block parties at Wooden Ship and Falling Knife, night markets and Backyard Boombox collaborations at Bauhaus, plus themed festivals including Flavor Fest and Francis Fest at Indeed.

Art-a-Whirl

A massive draw and ever-growing arts festival in Northeast Minneapolis, many local breweries feature local art – and musical artists on this weekend-long event in May each year.

A brief overview of live music options during Art-A-Whirl includes:

• 56 Brewing: Onsite live music and vendors.
• Bauhaus Brew Labs: The Liquid Zoo draws more than 25,000 over the weekend, taking place outdoors in Bauhaus’ biergarten.
• Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative: Live music, artist displays, live tattooing and a special beer release.
• Indeed Brewing Company: Whirlygig is a weekend-long live music extravaganza on Indeed’s rail-adjacent patio. Lineups have ranged from indie rock to jazz, with different themes each year.
• Padraigs Brewing: Live art and music over the weekend, paired with beer specials.
• Social Cider Werks: A music hub over the 3-day event, drawing more than 5,000 visitors for live music outside, plus artist/maker displays, fresh cider and beer. Historically, Friday and Saturday focus on a concert environment with a children’s theme on Sunday.