Elliot's Route Musings

The goal of every BBBT route is to strike a harmonious balance across all of the following factors:

1. Overall quality of breweries visited (this is a combination of beer quality and vibes quality)
2. Safety and ease of travel (dedicated trails, fully separated bike lanes, reduction in exposure to cars/deranged suburban drivers)
3. Scenic nature of the route (lakes, trees, rivers, various distinct areas of the city)
4. Ideal distance travelled per the expectations of all attending

2025 has presented some interesting challenges regarding items 2 and 4: 

• Northeast contains some of the best breweries in the city, however the Plymouth Ave bridge, Stone Arch Bridge and Bridge 9 are all currently closed for construction. Alternate river crossings are either less than ideal from a safety perspective, or would create quite a bit of additional distance to Northeast breweries of acceptable quality
• This year we have some lovely new faces joining us, which has introduced more variability amongst the crew in terms of level of experience, type of frame and requested distance (responses ranging from "less than 10" to "more than 25" miles)

With the above in mind, for 2025 we are staying on the south side of the river, and presenting a "base" tier (16 miles) and "bonus" tier (26 miles) in terms of distance. The route was also constructed such that the "base" tier makes a full loop back to 3447 Aldrich before the "bonus" route begins, to keep the crew together for safe depositing of those who want to get off Mr. Koch's Wild Ride.

Honorable mentions that did not make the cut: Steel Toe Brewing, Indeed Brewing, Bauhaus Brew Labs, Bang Brewing (my personal favorite but quite a hike) and Arbeiter brewing.

And so, the 2025 BBBT Route:

This year, we'll start at Casa de E+E and head up to the Midtown Greenway, turning west and then jumping off at the Dean Parkway exit to head north along the grand rounds, before turning east on Glenwood and stopping at Utepils Brewing. From there, we'll follow the Luce Line trail through the Bryn Mawr neighborhood a hop-skip to La Doña Cervecería. Next, we'll detour around the 4th (5th? 7th?) year of trail closures due to light rail construction, taking the new 2-way bike lane on hennepin past the sculpture garden and Loring Park. Hopping back on the Cedar Lake Trail we'll hit the river and turn north to end up at Pryes Brewing. Then just a quick skrrt back along the river and through a few North Loop back streets to land at Modist Brewing. Finally, we'll head back to the trail and take 12th St to Loring Park, then follow the edge of the park to hit the artist formerly known as Lakes and Legends, Brühaven.

Just can't get enough?

If your mileage and brewery thirst hasn't been slacked by the time we take Bryant Ave all the way back down to 3447 Aldrich, join us for the Bonus! We'll take the rest of the Bryant Ave greenway down to the Minnehaha Creek trail, where we'll turn east and then jump off on Pleasant Ave to end up at Wild Mind Artisan Ales. Then we'll loop back along the trail to Lake Harriet, and go around the lake to bring us to Wooden Ship Brewing. Will we head back from there? Will Mr. Koch's Wild Ride take us even further? Stay tuned....

NOTE: The Route is always subject to change day-of per the whims and wishes of the crew (ex. want to add on Inbound or Fulton? Pls tell me!).