March 11th &12th 2022
This was the weekend that Heidi and I have been looking forward to since December. We ordered tickets to the Papa Roach concert at the Armory back in December and have been excited to revisit the venue. Friday we headed into the cities for the concert and whatever other adventures came our way. After settling in at the hotel we got dinner and decided to get a drink at the brewery across the street. Finnegans Brewery was downtown Minneapolis but had a small brewery feel. The taproom was busy but not overly crowded. When we got to the bar the bartenders were very friendly and helped us choose a couple of pints. Heidi went with a very greyhound gose sour beer and I went with the Caribou coffee stout. The gose was incredibly flavorful with the right amount of sourness. The stout was rich with a strong coffee flavor that wasn’t overpowering. The plan was to stop for one and then be on our way. We stayed a bit longer because we stumbled into a fundraiser for rugby in the twin cities. The fundraiser included an improv show that we decided to watch for a bit before heading to the concert. I had never been to an improv show and was impressed with how funny they were. If it hadn’t been for the concert we would have stuck around and watched more of the show.
The concert featured Bad Wolves, The Hollywood Undead, and Papa Roach. We showed up just as Bad Wolves were finishing up and we were surprised at the size of the crowd. We decided to stay in the back and found a nice place to stand overlooking the crowd. The Armory is such a great venue to see a concert. There’s not a bad view in the whole place. It’s easy to get a drink and you don’t have to wait for the bathrooms. The Hollywood Undead was not really what we expected but they grew on us. Papa Roach was incredible and the crowd watching was almost as exciting as the concert. It was nice to relax and enjoy the show. We had a great time and will definitely be back for another concert at the Armory.
Saturday morning we made the most of our time at the hotel. We got breakfast and used the pool before packing up and headed to our next adventure. We decided to check out Northern brewing in St. Paul to get an idea of what I might need to get for my upcoming adventure in cider making this spring. They were very helpful and I think I might have a plan for this spring. After getting some coffee we decided to check out Clutch Brewing Company located at the former Schmidt brewery in St. Paul. They have converted the old warehouse into a destination location with shops, food, and Clutch Brewing upstairs. We looked around and found a great place to get mac and cheese. We took our lunch upstairs and got a couple of beers to wash it down. Heidi went with a pineapple mango strawberry sour and I went with an American pale ale called 2-Stroke. The mac and cheese was incredible and the beer was a great pairing to go with it. After lunch and beer we headed to Bad Weather Brewing Company.
Bad Weather Brewing Company also located in St. Paul was located in a large building that had lots of seating inside and out. We decided to go with a flight of beer that included a white stout infused with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, an Irish cream ale, a double brown ale with peanut butter, and a French saison with anise, hyssop, and bee balm. All the beers were very good with distinct flavors. Bad Weather Brewing was a traditional brewery that made you want to sit around and enjoy the day. Even though we wanted to stay and enjoy the beer and atmosphere we had to head back to St.Cloud. Our trip to the cities didn’t disappoint and we are excited to return when the weather turns warmer.
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