Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota are home to a large number of breweries, with a few of them brewing tens of thousands of barrels of beer annually. There is something to be said for a place that churns out so many barrels each year and a visit to one of these larger breweries is worth it just to witness what goes into the operation of something so massive. But there is also something to be said for the smaller breweries in the Twin Cities area and one that I visited and liked is Steel Toe Brewing, located at 4848 W. 35th Street in St. Louis Park, a Minneapolis suburb.
Head to the ‘Burbs
Steel Toe Brewing is just minutes away from Minneapolis, not far from state highway 100. It is located in an industrial park, which I found appropriate for a brewery named “Steel Toe.” The surrounding buildings have a similar look, and you might not even notice Steel Toe Brewing at first for that reason. Depending on the time of day, just look for the building with the most cars in front of it and you have likely found the brewery.
I pulled into the parking lot at Steel Toe Brewing in the late afternoon during my three- day Minneapolis/St. Paul brewery tour and I was anxious to get inside and try some beer. I knew that Steel Toe Brewing had won awards at the Great American Beer Festival, picking up a Gold Medal in 2014 for their Wee Heavy Scotch Ale and a Silver Medal in 2015 for Size 4 Session IPA. Armed with this knowledge, along with the recommendations of so many satisfied local beer drinkers, I made my way inside, ready to try more beer and see what Steel Toe Brewing had to offer.
It turned out that Steel Toe Brewing is a little larger inside than the outside would lead you to believe. When you enter, the first thing you see is the bar and surrounding space and it may not seem like much. But walk a little further and you will come across a larger back room with abundant seating. There is an outdoor patio, too.
Let’s Try Some Beer
I managed to get my lips around six different Steel Toe Brewing beers during my visit. Here are the six I tried, listed in alphabetical order by name, followed by the style and my Untappd rating on a 5 point scale:
Dissent Dark Ale, Stout, 4
Provider, Golden Ale, 3.75
Rainmaker, Imperial Red Ale, 4
Size 4, Session IPA, 3.75
Size 7, American IPA, 4
Sommer Vice, Hefeweizen, 3.75
Overall Average Beer Rating: 4.00
Steel Toe beers were all solid, well- rounded, and remarkable examples of their respective styles. I think I would have to give a slight edge to Size 7 IPA and declare it my favorite one sampled, but the truth is that all six beers I tried were memorable and I had a difficult time rating any one of them better than the others.
Steel Toe Measures Up
Steel Toe Brewing is a cool place for beer and chill moments. The brewery was opened in 2011 and takes its name from the fact that the shoes you wear, whether they are steel toed or something else, take a good deal of punishment each day and are symbolic of a hard day’s work. They signify what we all go through each day to make a living as well as the rewards we deserve at the end of the day, like a glass of delicious beer.
A visit to Steel Toe Brewing should always include a tasting of the year- round offerings plus any seasonal beers or barrel- aged beers that happen to be available. One thing that makes Steel Toe a little different from other breweries I have visited is that they don’t have an overwhelming number of beers on tap at any given time. I have visited breweries that had 20+ taps of their own beer flowing freely and while the variety was certainly nice, it made it difficult to choose. At Steel Toe Brewing, one can expect to find maybe 6 or 7 beers and if you go with a flight, you can try them all and still remain safe. When I was there, the Size 4 Session IPA and Sommer Vice were the seasonal offers and I tried and liked them both. I would have loved to try the award- winning Wee Heavy, but alas, it is only offered as a Fall seasonal beer. This provides me with the excuse I need to plan another visit to Steel Toe Brewing shortly.
As for food, there is no kitchen at Steel Toe Brewing, but it’s common to see food trucks on site serving different foods to guests. I learned that they will also reserve space for birthday parties and other events, perfect for the craft beer lover who would like nothing more than to celebrate an important day surrounded by great beer and good friends.
Steel Toe Brewing is a brewery worth getting to know; a smaller venue with personal attention and service that go above and beyond. One thing I didn’t get to do when I visited was take a walk through the brewery- something they apparently don’t do at Steel Toe, at least not at the moment. That could change at any time, but for now, guests will need to be content with spending time in the bar and back room, drinking beer and conversing with friends.
Minnesota’s Twin Cities are awash in great craft beer. Steel Toe Brewing may not produce barrels in the tens of thousands, but they do produce beer of distinction and while they may not measure up in terms of quantity, Steel Toe proves that a size 4 or a size 7 can be every bit as imposing as something much larger and more noticeable. Wear your favorite work shoes, walk on over, and treat yourself to some excellent beer after a hard day’s work. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.
Love your site. Very informative. Look forward to future stories