Insight Brewing

This business has food trucks that serve food outside their facility. They should screen who they let serve food better, because it reflects upon them as a business. If the food outside is terrible, when they do not serve their own inside, why would I ever come back to this place?
Besides the terrible food outside, their selection of alcohol served was kind of ridiculous. There were like 6 taps & not a lot of variety. Not everyone likes beer, I would’ve enjoyed a cider on tap. And yes, I understand that it is a brewery, so why would I go if I don’t like beer? Well, sometimes you do not always have a choice for where you go & that was where my friends wanted to go.
Even my boyfriend who loves beer was not at all impressed with the selection. The atmosphere in the place was ok, clean at least… but not anything amazing or that I would go back for. Pretty run of the mill boring place. They said they had live bands sometimes, not sure if that would be an improvement or not.
Do not post a review solely based upon the food outside. The owner will contact Unilocal & have them remove it. #JOKE

Insight Brewing is as good as it gets! Great beer, great ambiance and really friendly staff. I was most recently in there on January 2^nd and the place was hopping. I loved that there was a mixed demographic from babies to 20-​somethings to folks with gray hair. This is truly a place for everyone. I was also a fan of their new branded merchandise and the cask beer they tapped at 5pm. With all the taprooms in Minneapolis, Insight is really something special. The bartender was chatty and knowledgeable and on of the owners was right on site to tell us a bit about the beers. I highly recommend this place for anything and anyone, as long as they like excellent beer or house-​made soda!

Love this brewery. Perfect place to grab a beer, and a bite to eat from the food truck. Nice, clean, and friendly atmosphere. And live music most ever Thursday night.

I adore this place! So, why do you ask did I only give it four stars and debated on three? I thought I had previously written a review where I had five stars. Several months ago my friends and I went in. We loved the space, the beer and the service! Tonight I went in and the woman behind the bar was totally rude. She essentially was pissed that I asked to taste two beers and was mad when I didn’t decide fast enough what I wanted. Another person was purchasing a flight and she was friendly to them. I don’t know why she made the decision to be so rude but it totally sucks and makes me not want to go back. I don’t understand why people think it is ok do that to other people, especially around the holidays. Come on Insight… I like you so much but corrientes like this make me sad and not want to return.

Found this little gem on Unilocal about 1 ½ miles away from Surly yesterday. I always try to hit all the brewery’s that are close in the twin cities and cross them off my list. When I arrived from the get go I enjoyed the friendly bartenders and the speed which they grab are beers so we could get settled into are comfort zone. We opted on a flight of Insights main six for 11.00, or I guess you could say their flagship beers. Pretty much everything we tried was had a great balance of hops and malts and rich flavors. The nice guy who took care of us at the bar also wrote down about 15 new brewery’s for us to try while up here visiting from South Carolina. So I would definitely come here if I lived closer as I saw 7.00 growler refills on Mondays which is a steal. Don’t forget to ask for some free stickers or coasters to add to your collection. Oh and parking was free and easy !

Went on a whim last Saturday night hoping they would have their Doe Eyes cherry saison on tap (they didn’t, but I’d highly recommend trying it, at several local restaurants). It seemed a bit empty for a rainy Saturday at 8pm but that just meant plenty of seats and board games to play. The prices were very good — only $ 11 for a flight of their «original six» — and there was a food stand that I assume is a rotating variety. My glass of Sunken City was very nice — and complimentary as I shared an exact birthday last month with the bartender! It wasn’t as sweet or fruity as I expected but it was a nice palate cleanse after dinner. I also sampled all of my friend’s flight and Lambton Dragon was my other fave. They’re open late and every day of the week so definitely check them out.

The beer here is ok. I love their Troll Way IPA but that’s about it. I’ve tried all their beers and I thought they were ok. The flavors were not prominent enough for me. My husband went to get a flight and they didn’t even ask him what beers he wanted, they just poured and gave it to him.
The taproom was great. It’s big and bright with lots of room. There is a big glass wall to see the brew room. There is no food served but there is always a food truck in the parking lot. Parking can be hard to find in the lot. It’s been busy every time I’ve been here.

Apparently there is around 28 brewpub/​taprooms currently in the Twin Cities. As I type this, that number has probably already gone up and I’m missing out on the latest and greatest. Took me a year to even figure out this one existed! I got lost in this no-​mans land area of Minni-​Paul a few years back, and this used to be part of Café Imports — which basically supplied all of your favorite coffee shops in the area with their beans, fun fact. I digress…
I already love the location, because the best spots are those off the beaten track. Kinda weeds out the hippest of hip, and what’s left is people who actually love beer. Right away, I loved that it was OPEN MONDAY! Can I get an amen? Too many taprooms close their doors on the day that we all need it the most. They have plenty of parking-​lot space, and food-​trucks (again, even on a Monday!). The space is big enough to hold all of your closest friends, and all of their closest friends. The vibe is perfect, without being in-​your-​face-​trendy. The lighting is dim enough that no one notices how much you’ve spilled on your shirt, yet bright enough to play one of the many board games they have available. The back section hosts leather couches for kicking back, and the bar top is wide enough that you aren’t stacked 5-​deep waiting to get your drink. There are flatscreens to watch the games, and the staff could not be more accommodating and pleasant.
The flights are $ 11, and pours range from $ 4-​$ 6 depending on the size. Oh, and growler refills are $ 7 on Mondays, yet another reason to head there after the worst day of the week. There is live music on Thursdays with no cover, Trivia Mafia on Tuesdays, and a few other specials throughout the week that I can’t remember. I tried the Wild Hunt, a smoked ale which tastes like a campfire, if you are into that. Then on to Troll Way, which was a refreshing and tasty citrus IPA, then my favorite, Devil’s Companion, a London style porter which was not heavy as you would think, but bright and fulfilling. Will definitely be back on a MONDAY and throw back a few more of these delicious brews.

So I thought I had tried all the breweries around here, but as it turns out there is still another one out there that had escaped my salivating taste buds.
The place is very inviting, open and spacious with plenty of sitting options. You can sit at the bar and admire their beer pouring skills, sit on tall tables, regular tables, or cozy up on some couches by the corner. They also have a good selection of board games (hint if you go on a first date this is a great place to go in case your date turns out to be less fun than a visit to the dentist…)
As any curious beer enthusiast does when he gets to a new brewery, I ordered a flight to taste all their different beer varieties, and oh boy was I delighted. Even the Porter and IPAs of which I’m not a huge fan were pretty good. Their best beer by far was the Hell Chicken, very refreshing with some floral notes at the end. It was so good I even took a growler home.
Which takes me to the Groupon for this place: excellent deal, if you can still snag it I strongly suggest you do. you pretty much get the flight for free. Can’t say much about the service, as it’s pretty much self-​service, you go to the bar and you order what you want.
Good brewery, highly recommended.

Nice sized tap room, good beer, friendly bartenders.
The husband and I strolled in here at 11pm this last Friday. Pro tip — one of the few taprooms to close at midnight instead of 11!
There were still a decent amount of people inside drinking at the late hour. Some were playing the publicly available games. It’s a nice open space with plenty of seating. Their brewing room was dark and lit by a neon blue light on the tanks. Really cool looking.
We grabbed spots at the bar — I ordered the saison, my husband the pale (hell chicken I think?) with yuzu (a kind of fruit). I’ve had the saison before and really enjoy it. The pale was pretty good and the yuzu added a nice touch of sweetness to it, really interesting!
Of course as we were sipping these, we noticed the signs on the wall with the beer on tap (we had been looking at the little card on the bar) and both of us point at the Doe Eyes going «omg must try». So we were brought a taster and we immediately knew this was the beer we must have next. De-​lish-​ous! And it was available in growlers too!
I’m happy we finally made it out to Insight. I’ve had their beers on tap at bars before and have been wanting to get it from the source. A solid addition to the NE brewing scene. It’s getting harder to make a decision about which tap room to go to!

What a cool place!
My «Doe Eyes» cherry beer… Damn good for a light fruity beer. Bartender told me they use a pound of cherries per pint to make this beer. Try it while you can!
My only complaint about this place is it has no bike racks. In America’s number 1 bicycling city, I hope this will soon be addressed.

I went to Insight on Saturday evening with a group of girlfriends. We had just finished dinner at Nea and decided to swing by and check it out.
I’ve tasted Insight brew before and loved it. Still do, matter of fact. But the place is boring. Nothing was happening. It was 9:00 on a Saturday night. It was about ²⁄₃ full, but there was no music, no nothing. Just good beer and a giant room full of people drinking it. You know, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — but I was tired from the shenanigans the night before and I needed some stimulation to keep me interested. I drank my beer, then went home. In bed by 11pm.
Seriously good beer though. :)

This is a pretty great brewery just getting on it’s feet. Upon the tour time 1215p on Saturdays (check dates), you get a 10 oz beer to take with you to check out their facility. It’s seasonal, but their Doe Eyes (which is infused with cherries from Door Co.) is super delicious.
At this point, they’re still working on tiling the rest of the facility floor and they are only filling kegs, but their plans include a packaging facility which will can and bottle. I cannot wait. Their taproom and nice and spacious with a variety of seating options and there’s even an outdoor patio area, in which the picnic tables and benches had just been built whilst we were there. They had corn hole and ladder ball also outdoors and board games inside.
I can’t wait to go back in the spring and see their upgrades. One of the owners, Alon, gave the tour… he was good and had a lot of good information. Also, while on tour, you get to try malt (crystal malt is the best, in my opinion). They also have a flight of 6 for $ 11.
TLDR: check this one out.

We were drawn in by the idea of the Yuzu (a hopped ale brewed with yuzu fruit) when deciding which Minneapolis breweries to visit and which to eliminate. And then it’s hard to rate a place because while the tap room itself was an awesome space, the beers were kind of just okay.
The Yuzu mentioned was not as good as we hoped. In fact, it didn’t have much flavor when I thought it would have a lot. I shared a flight with my friend and didn’t mind the session Lamb and Flag and even enjoyed the Saison DeBlanc.
I liked the design of the taproom. They had some unique artwork hanging around. And did I see board games? The empty growlers behind the bar from all the local places were a nice touch.
Insight is the kind of place I would follow to watch for new and exciting beers and maybe stop by now and again. I just don’t think I’d ever be a regular.

Usually all these breweries/​tap rooms blend together for me, its hard to remember one beer from another. However, I am still DREAMING about the Chiswick Porter. Good god it was delicious. Next time I’m in the area I’ll be stopping in for a Growler.
The space was nice, though probably very noisy if it’s busy — they all seem to be very noisy. There’s a nice outdoor seating area (there were lots of kids the night I was there) and I guess usually a food truck (Taco Riendo that night which I had JUST been craving — even more perfect!)
The parking lot got a bit weird, but it worked itself out in the end.

I have been wanting to come here for a very so finally I made it here and ended up just thinking it was all right.
Maybe it was just a bad night to go but I went on a Saturday at 9:30pm and the place was dead. Almost all the tables were open and there were only a few people sitting at the bar. So this was a good thing in the sense that we got our drinks ordered right away, found a booth to sit in, and it wasn’t too noisy — BUT I would have liked if the place was a little more upbeat for a beer taproom. The prices are reasonable — you can order based on how many ounces you want, no matter the beer or its ABV.
I ordered the Curiousity IPA and thought it was pretty good. It had a good amount of hops and aroma and would be a good in-​between for those who like IPAs but don’t like when they are super bitter or heavy. They had plenty of games to choose from so we ended up playing «Tumbling Blocks» — off brand of Jenga! which was very fun and relaxing. I would maybe try this place out again and try to go when it would be a little more busy and upbeat because I think it would add a little more excitement to the place!

Visited twice now and love this taproom. Gorgeous inside and now they have outside seating. Always a tasty food truck to go along with their flights of beer. Big parking lot and board games are other Way this spot stands out!

2^nd time at Insight and we really like this brewery and the story behind it. Brewmaster traveled the world and each beer has a story to go with it which I love! I didn’t realize they just opened in November but I love the new brewery stories and am glad craft beer is expanding rapidly!
Today the also did an special tap of Door County Cherry Saison (if you’re from Wisconsin you know how good those cherries are!) and it’s a lighter tasting refreshing cherry beer. It’s almost like you’re eating a cherry but instead you’re drinking it. 5 stars! I’m a fan of IPA’s and they make a good one. We were able to sample all of the beers and I don’t have anything bad to say about any of them.
Overall atmosphere is good with exposed brick and vents. I really like the light fixtures made with plumbing pipes. By have a mixture of high and low top tables, booths, and longer tables to share. I also love that they have countless games to play just for fun and who doesn’t love that!
Only thing I wish was better was outside seating… there needs to be more to enjoy the summer months. And again the beers were all good but I’m waiting for them to expand in the future to add even more!

Now that taprooms are a dime a dozen in the Twin Cities, it takes a little something special for a brewery to rise above its competitors. I’ve only been to Insight once, but I think it’s the start of a beautiful friendship.
I went with a group on a Friday night, and despite its somewhat off-​the-​beaten-​path location, there were quite a few people hanging out in the expansive space. There’s lots of available seating — booths, high-​top tables, bar stools, etc. Accommodating groups should be absolutely no problem.
I was able to try most of the beers they had on the menu, and all were very robustly flavored, balanced, and unique from similar styles you might see at other breweries. My favorites were the Saison de Blanc (7.8% ABV) and the IPA (6.8% ABV), and the porter was also very respectable. I really appreciate that they offer 3 different glass sizes for 3 different price points — $ 3 for 12 oz, $ 5 for 16, and $ 6 for 20 oz. You can also purchase a flight for $ 8, which is obviously great if you want to try most of the offerings with one order, but to me it seemed like the flight pours were too small to justify the price. For my money, I’d get 3 12-​ounce beers for just $ 1 more — you know, to maximize the beer-​to-​cost ratio. But that’s just me.
Parking is free in the lot outside the building, it’s accessible by MetroTransit, and they’re open until midnight on weekends! And there are nightly food trucks, which is kind of a requirement in the brewery scene.
I really like the vibe of this place, and I’m excited to see what they come up with next. According to the website, they’ve got an imperial stout on deck, which I’m really excited about. Also, if you follow them on social media, you’ll be in the know about special offerings, like yesterday’s single cask of blackberry saison. So get out to East Hennepin Avenue and check Insight out!

The grand opening here was big! The place was packed to the brim with eager beer drinkers and we stood in a line that was more than 20 people long. Surprisingly, it went pretty fast because there is a fairly large bar with multiple pour stations. I decided to go with the Saison de Blanc (8.3% abv), which was delicious. This beer is lighter in color, semi-​sweet with some earthy undertones. My friend had the Lamb & Flag, which really might have gone better with some meaty food. Alone, it was kind of deep, and bitter. So, to make up for it, he tried the Yuzu Pale Ale (exclusive here). This fresh and sweeter beer hit the spot and that made his day! I think all beers were $ 3 – 6 each.
This has to be one of the larger, breweries in town. There were benches, tables and chairs for couples or large groups. There was a band playing in the corner stage, with enough space to dance and let loose. We also got a sneak peak in the back area where the beers are brewed. As usual, they have a rotation of food trucks visiting outside for a select of grub. I will definitely go back here!