A recent fishing trip found me traveling through northern Minnesota. As we entered Grand Rapids, I told my brothers to find a brewery to hit for lunch. Just off the main road through town was Rapids Brewing. The facility is bigger than it looks on the outside. They have a nice outdoor patio as well as a big indoors bar and seating area and more room above and off to one side for events. Like all successful breweries, they are run by all Grand Rapids natives who did other things before gravitating towards their passion. The head brewer spent time in Alaska with Alaskan Brewing and I think my brothers and I all agree that the time he spent there paid off in good beer. We all enjoyed what we were drinking.
I had the She Gone Rye Lager. My first sip I immediately tasted the honey notes. The beer was smooth and had the biscuity, malty flavor I like so well. I thought this was a solid beer and could see myself drinking it all night. IBU's were 14 and it had a darker blonde color. My brothers had the Noble Pilsner and the Wheat the Hefe. The Noble is a Czech pilsner and brewed from one single noble hop, which is fermented for 28 to 30 days. The Hefeweizen is a German beer made with German wheat and yeast. My brother mentioned banana notes and their description of the beer indeed includes banana and cloves. Both said their beers were solid. Rapids Brewing has a rotating tap of about 7 or 8 beers. They had two IPA's, a Cream Ale, and a Belgian Quad going when we were there. They also have a collaboration with a local distiller to offer an array of whiskey and bourbon.
They also serve some pretty decent food. I had the Smash Burger as did one of my brothers. The other had the Birra Tacos. They have a pretty good selection of pizzas as well as some salads, bbq ribs and some appetizers. The food was good, but since I call it like I see it, I thought the $15.50 for the burger was a lot. In fact, all the food prices seemed awfully high. Thanks to Bidenomics, this is what you get, but for Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a nearly $16 burger was unexpected. I truly hope we see prices take a dip in the near future. It's no reflection on the brewery, by the way. It' a fact of life currently. I think with the quality of the beer and the food coupled with the ambiance they provide that the brewery is a keeper. I'd go there again and I bought a t-shirt, so that is my stamp of approval.
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