Midwest is a great source for home brew suppliers! I also use them as a source for glass gallon…read morejugs for water refills!

Midwest Supplies needs a massive overhaul on their on-line ordering system. Customer support is…read morehandled via email. They claim to return an answer to your email within 48 hours. Trying to have a meaningful dialogue on any subject with a 48 hour delay between questions, answers, and follow-ups is super frustrating. Most companies use a live chat and accept phone calls, especially for complex questions. My issue dealt with using 2 gift cards that I received. One was a gift and the other was a card for a store credit. I cannot get them to work in their billing system. After several 48 hour delayed conversations, I have no resolution. I cannot access $300 sitting in their accounts. Back to the 48 hour delay. When I tried their fixes on how to use the gift cards, they did not work. So, I had another 48 hour delay to explain that their fix did not work and await comments on what to try next. Still no resolution. Finally, their policy of -- NO REFUNDS, only store credits -- is exceptionally difficult to deal with.

This is basically last man standing brick-and-mortar homebrew supply store in the Minneapolis area…read more From the outside it looks like it's operating out of an extra truck loading bay that the mattress store next door rented out. Inside it pretty much looks exactly like a truck loading bay with shelving built in, but you will find what you need. The guys working here are quite helpful but the fellow behind the register will scold you like a kid if you break any rules. I'm giving it four stars instead of three because once this place disappears I'm going to have to drive an hour to the next nearest supply store, or (worse) order grain online.

Lots of cool toys. Very much like an old fashioned toy store. Some RC stuff and an expert that…read morerepairs RC stuff. Good selection of parts. Balsa wood stock and paints on hand. There is a home brewing section that has started sets and refill stuff. They have a decent selection of beer brewing mixes and various bottles. Not much for model railroads, but a little bit of stuff and they have various scratch building supplies.

Traxxas fans will find that this is their local shop. No Arrma products except maybe a few parts…read more Good for RC cars and other hobbies

I FINALLY made it to the new(er) brewery in the Twin Cities, Brew Lab 101. This is a second…read morelocation of the brewery, the first being in New Mexico. They are bringing that south of the border flair with them with Mexican Food and beers that pair well with the spices. I had a flight of a handful of their beers to see what is going on in this small brewery. Sexi NuMexi: A Mexican Lager that is light bodied and subtle, but has a nice sweetness on the finish that clings to the palate in just the right way. Ope: An India Pale Ale that they call a "Midwest-Style IPA". Super drinkable with a nice malty backbone that is heavier in caramel and biscuit flavors than the Hazys and West Coast styles that are predominantly making it around the States. 505: A Mexican Lager dosed with Chile, Lime, and Salt. I don't get a lot of salinity or lime, but there is a mild chile flavor on the finish that leaves as fast as it comes - which is exactly what you want from a Chile beer. Pressure Drop: A Coconut Milk Stout with some sweet coconut flavors that are not punching you in the mouth, but just enough to keep you interested. _________

Minneapolis' newest brewery has opened! Brew Lab 101 has…read moretaken over in the former Clockwerks space in downtown Minneapolis. The space is bright, open, and relaxing with modern lighting, exposed brewing equipment, and a fun downtown Minneapolis skyline painting on the back wall. I popped in on a Monday evening durning the soft opening. The place was quiet as it is still very new and not well known, if known at all. Every single one of the staff/owners were incredible. Super friendly and fun. Tons of passion and love for beer. I ordered a number of beers and was pleasantly surprised for a new brewery. I especially enjoyed the 505 Green Chili Mexican Lager. They also offer up some small bites including authentic Green Hatch Chili Stew, queso, pizzas, and soft pretzels. The stew is legitimately some of the best I have ever had. I am going to say it again, best I have ever had. It alone is worth a visit. Definitely check out this new brewery. Have a few pints and a bite to eat.

My best buddies and I went to Birch's and it was packed!…read more I ordered a hazy IPA, it is award winning, and it was awesome! Hoppy, yet not overpowering. The chocolate and coffee golden ale was spectacular as well! I ordered the side salad to go with my London broil sandwich and it came with homemade coleslaw. The coleslaw wasn't too rich and the Caesar dressing homemade I think, because it was spectacular. The London broil bun was perfect and lots of great flank steak. I dipped it in the Caesar dressing, WOW! They also give to some dip and bread stuff to start off for free. The dip was almost like an artichoke dip. My wife got the bread side and loved it, especially the wild rice bread! She thought it was amazing! The oil and pesto dipping sauce was top notch! My friend said the cobb salad was good and my buddy said the fried chicken entree was a winner. We had lots of laughs and our service was fantastic to go with the awesome view of Long Lake! A true supper club atmosphere!

Amazing service. Excellent food and drink. Ambiance is…read moregreat with view of lake . Will be going back again. Pub pass is also accepted here

The food was amazing. There were gluten free options that were as good as the regular food…read more We ate on the patio with Bradbury (our dog). They were welcoming and provided water. This was one of the best dining experiences we have had in a while.

Delicious brunch spot with a cute interior. There is outdoor seating which is nice on a warm sunny…read moreday. We had a reservation at ~09:45am, and the restaurant was decently busy. There were still some empty seats around, so perhaps the earlier the better. The Tiramisu Cold Press was pretty good. I didn't think it was anything special though since it didn't seem to give the "wow" factor that would make me want to come back just to have it. Biscuits and Gravy were okay too. The gravy was delicious, but same sentiment as the Tiramisu Cold Press in which I didn't feel like it was anything too special. It is still good, and a beautiful brunch spot to catch up with friends Service was alright. Our server was nice! Though we were a bit confused since we had like 2-3 people asking to take our order? And towards the end I had asked for a to-go box and wasn't brought one, until another server asked if we wanted the check and I had to ask again for a to-go box. Nothing crazy though, I can overlook it since the service we received wasn't bad at all. Overall, food was good, interior was beautiful, and service was okay. It is a solid brunch spot!

Wow! This is such a fun and delicious spot right in the heart of Aitkin. Came here after a day of…read moreboating and was pleasantly surprised with amazing service from Beth, with her upbeat personality, excellent menu recommendations, and adorableness. The food was fresh, prompt, and super tasty. What more could you ask for? Will definitely be back!

Where do I begin? The atmosphere is so cute and welcoming. We were a group of 5, started out with…read morethe most delicious enormous pretzel I have ever had, the cheese sauce was also the best, so flavorful and creamy! I had a lobster grilled cheese, super delicious and lots of lobster. My fiancé and brother had the highly recommended elk burger which was very good and unique tasting. My sister in law loved her Bahn mi sandwich. We had a great attentive waitress also. Beer was only $3.50/glass and finance said wished he would have tried another he liked the first one so well. Fun shaped hot fries too. My brother just bought a cabin in Aitkin so I am sure we were make many more trips back for more great food from here. Fun place to find out in the boonies.