While traveling between Minneapolis and St. Paul, you can make a stop in the Midway are of St. Paul, and swing by Blackstack Brewing, located a short distance from Allianz Field, home to the Minnesota United FC, of the MLS, and in the same building as Can Can Wonderland, a gaming place where you can drink beer and play arcade games.
The Atmosphere
Blackstack is a very open concept brewery. You can tell that it was once a warehouse. It was very busy when we went, and the group next to us was being very obnoxious, so we weren’t able to get a true feel for the place. It does seem like it would be a really good place to be at when you’re not being bothered by really drunk people.
The Beer
Blackstack has a diverse portfolio of beers. They have a lot of IPAs, but they also have lagers, stouts, sours, and saisons.
Local 755 6.6% ABV
A dry hopped NEIPA with Amarillo, Azacca, and Citra hops. It also has hints of mango and white peach.
Will- I thought it was fine. Definitely hoppy. I noticed more mango than anything.
Sami- I thought this was a very mediocre beer. I didn't really think it jumped out to me.
Chain Wallet
Another NEIPA, this one with Citra and Idaho Gem hops
Will-This was solid. I definitely tasted the various hops in it. It went down nicely.
Land Line 6% ABV
A pilsner with Ella hops from Australia
Will-Another solid beer. The Ella hops didn't make much difference in the taste.
Back Woods 7.3% ABV
Another NEIPA, this one with Simcoe, Cashmere, and Idaho 7 hops.
Will: Like the Chain Wallet, it was solid, but a little more hoppy than the other. It was still good.
Fjords 7.5% ABV
A Farmhouse Ale with Citra, Mosaic, and Azacca hops
Will: I've had a love-hate relationship with saisons/farmhouse ales. I'm back on the love side because of this one. I really enjoyed this. The fennel spice was not overpowering. It was the perfect amount.
Product Placement 4.5% ABV
A pomegranate passionfruit sour
Sami: This was really good and flavorful. I enjoyed it.
Parallel Parking 4.5% ABV
A pineapple and pink guava sour
Sami: I loved this one. It was full of flavor. It was nice and sour.
The Verdict
I think our experience here was skewed a little by the fact that it was extremely busy, and we had some really obnoxious people who were doing things that would get the brewery in a lot of trouble. The one thing that can't be changed is the parking situation. The parking lot is extremely narrow, and it's no more than 1.5 lanes wide. There is also a parking garage that is only one lane entering and exiting directly below the brewery. Even though we didn't have the best experience this time, we are looking forward to another trip there, just to give it another chance. We both feel like the experience is a lot better there than what we felt.