Friday Drankin’: Day Block Brewing Company

Now that we are in conference season Friday Drankin’ is going to have to change slightly. For most of our opponents I already did a brewery in their respective cities last year. For example, I did Surly Brewing last year for the Minnesota game. Fortunately, Big Ten schools love good beer and there are plenty of other breweries in Big Ten towns to explore. This year for Minnesota lets go on the other side of the river to Day Block Brewing Company.

Day Block Brewing Company

1105 S. Washington Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55415

Day Block’s location in downtown Minneapolis combines two of the greatest things on earth: Pizza and Beer. It is located roughly two blocks from the new Vikings’ Stadium in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, and is just across the river from Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. The building was built in 1883 in a former flour mill, so of course they have great pizza. They have some great choices available with a taco pizza, a Carolina barbecue pizza, and even a Beyond burger pizza that sounds interesting.

Let’s get to the beer though.

Frank’s Red Ale – 5.4% ABV, 21 IBU - Our tribute to the history of the Day Block building, this amber-colored ale is balanced and refreshing with hints of toast and caramel. A slightly citrus hop flavor comes through toward the end, leaving a sweet finish.

Stadium Blonde – 4.4% ABV, 11 IBU - Golden Hue very approachable. Crisp fruity aroma with a slight bready mouth-feel and a slight hop character throughout.

Happy Pils – 4.8% ABV, 30 IBU - Happy Pils is a clear crisp lager showcasing Huell Melon hops. These hops are unique in that they give off flavors reminiscent of honeydew melon or even strawberry. With an upfront kick of hops that doesn’t linger, finishing clean, this pilsner is definitely crushable and welcome at any party here in the Block.

Shandy Day – 4.2% ABV, 10 IBU - Cool down with the Shandy Day, a porch pounder, dock lounging shandy. This orange forward effervescent ale with a hint of almond will have you firing up the grill and putting on your boat shoes. All the juicy flavors without the bitter hop characters; this hazy shandy bucks the craze, but still leaves you wanting more.

Those all sound really, really good, and they do have some seasonal and specialty beers that change all the time. This sounds like a great place to stop before a Vikings game and a worthy inclusion to Friday Drankin’.