There are a lot of great past-times in the good ol’ U-S-of-A: Baseball, watching late night television, stampeding over each other on black Friday, and deep frying every food imaginable. But there’s one pastime that unites us all more than the rest, and that pastime my friends, is drinking beer. Admit it, you drink it anytime you have the excuse to, and so do I. And if you don’t… well then, I guess we can’t be friends, because you’re missing out.

Anyway, we all know the big names: Budweiser, Coors, Guinness (which I LOVE) but we often times overlook craft beers. You won’t see their brand names plastered all over super bowl commercials, but sometimes the big names pale in comparison to a well made local brew in terms of quality. Now, I’m not qualified to earn the title of “Beer Snob” just yet, but I’ve had my fair share of beer. I’ve consumed enough Guinness in the past year to intoxicate a small country, and various other brews along the way. But I recently strayed from my allegiance to mainstream beers and made a trip to “Beaver Island Brewing Company.” It’s a modest sized operation right here in St. Cloud. And, well… what can I say folks? I was left speechless.

I tried 8 different original beverages in my brief visit to “Beaver Island” and each one had more complexity and attention to detail than any name brand beer I’ve ever had. The flavors pop out in your mouth more than a handful of Skittles (and I’m a man who likes his Skittles.) I found their milk stout and IPA particularly scrumptious. A well crafted beer should serve as a meal in itself, and these brews don’t disappoint. Don’t worry though, if dark beers and IPAs aren’t your thing they have plenty of lighter beverages as well. There’s a beer there for everyone.

I can’t brag on this place enough. If you’re new to the craft beer scene, or even a seasoned veteran, a trip to “Beaver Island” is definitely worth your time. Stop by and have a cold one for me.
Cheers!

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