11 Minnesota Bike and Beer Pairings You Should Try This Year

Apr 13, 2021News

Pair Your Ride with a Pint

Reap your reward for all of the hard work you do on the bike and treat yourself to a post-ride, barley-based electrolyte drink. Here’s some of our recommendations.

The Hop Bandit

Bank Brewing and a Border Crossing

This was the first Trail Pairing we ever did back in the day. The combination of open road, convenient campground and tasty beers made this visit to Hendricks, MN extra special.
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The Parks and Trails Council's mission is to acquire, protect and enhance critical land for the public's use and benefit.

pouring beer in the Brau Bros Tap Room

Brau Brothers and Camden Regional Trail

There’s a beer-dispensing fire truck in this Marshall, MN taproom. What else do you need to know?
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The Blue Mound Trail connects Luverne with Blue Mounds State Park

Take 16 and Blue Mounds State Park

Take a trip to Luverne, MN and ride the short and sweet Blue Mound Trail to Blue Mounds State Park. The weekly block party at Take 16 is your reward.

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11 for Jacob Sign along the Lake Wobegon Trail

Bad Habit Brewing and the Lake Wobegon Trail

There are as many church steeples along the Lake Wobegon Trail as there are beers on the menu at this central Minnesota taproom. Go ahead and count ’em at their new place in downtown Saint Joseph.
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Two cyclists ride on a riverside path with trees and water in the background. Text highlights activities: Trails, Brews, Music, Shopping. A purple button reads Cedar Falls. Cedar Falls tourism logo is in the corner.

 

Mineral Springs BreweryMineral Springs Brewery and the Almost-State Park

You can do this bike and beer combo year round if your tires are fat enough. Or, you can do après ski at this Owatonna, MN brewery. Your choice.

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A cyclist wearing a helmet and red shirt rides across a bridge with a water bottle attached to the bike. Several people walk in the opposite direction, enjoying the scenic view of Minnesota trails that overlook a large body of water and a distant shoreline.

Stillwater: Two Breweries and Three Trails

This one is epic. A combination of the Gateway, Browns Creek and St.Croix River Crossing Loop Trail pair well with Lift Bridge and Maple Island Brewing.

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A woman rides a bike in front of a building covered in graffiti

Sleepy Eye and New Ulm: The Open Road and a Couple of Trails

There’s a gravel road in southern Minnesota that connects Sleepy Eye and New Ulm. Find a reward on either end at Sleepy Eye and Starkeller Brewing and keep an eye out for mustachioed men.
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Exterior of Rendezvous Brewing in Hackensack, MN

Rendezvous Brewing and the Paul Bunyan Trail

A loop ride on a point-to-point trail? It can be done and paired with a visit to Hackensack’s first ever brewery.

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Five cans of beer

LTS and South By Southeast Brewing and the Douglas State Trail

Another epic ride, this time between Pine Island and Rochester in southern Minnesota. Maybe you’ll find out where the mystery trail goes.

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Two people bike by a sculpture of a bicyclist

3BC Brewing and the Luce Line State Trail

Hutchinson, MN is home to a brewery and a bike trail. A winning combination for a summer ride.
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Trout City Brewing-Exterior

Preston: Two Trails and Almost Three Breweries

Another epic weekend of trail pairing, this time on the Root River/Harmony-Preston Valley trail system. Make sure you go for the triple crown and visit Trout City, Karst and Sylvan Brewing when you go. Your itinerary is at the end of the story.

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Two cyclists ride mountain bikes on a narrow dirt trail through lush green woods. The bottom of the image reads, Explore Alexandria Minnesota.
Two people stand on a leaf-covered path in a forest with fall foliage. Text promotes Minnesota state parks, fall colors, and the Department of Natural Resources.
Person riding a bicycle on a paved path through a sunlit forest, with the text “Visit Brainerd Baxter, MN. Minnesota’s Playground” and a website link at the bottom.
The Parks and Trails Council's mission is to acquire, protect and enhance critical land for the public's use and benefit.

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A person wearing a yellow helmet, sunglasses, and warm winter clothing smiles while outside in a snowy Minnesota landscape. They are pointing at something, perhaps one of the scenic mountain bike trails nearby, as the sun shines brightly overhead.

I’m Jan, the publisher of Minnesota Trails Magazine. I’m looking for that one trail, the next ride, a new discovery and other reasons to never sit still in Minnesota.

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