I hate to do this to a new place but for a taproom the atmostphere is just as important as the beer. We went in last night with a few friends looking to have a couple beers and a few laughts, we only accomplished one of those goals. There was a band playing last night and you guys it was just too loud. I am a musician, I like other musicians, I like going into taprooms and coffeeshops and hearing live, local bands but we were literally yelling across the table to each other, my throat was a little sore when we left and my ears hurt from the noise level. I am all for encouraging local bands but it was too loud! read more

I was scrolling through Instagram during the Vikings game on a Sunday (shameful, I know) and noticed a post from Insight about $3 Flagship Pints during the game. We had been wanting to come by here for a while and this spurred me into action. We made it right as the second half was starting. The taproom is spacious with a good amount of seating. If it was full, there would still be good standing room available. During the game, it was understandable quiet but chill and nice atmosphere. Randomly, they had Doe Eyes on tap that day. It is made with Door County Cherries and something I have been waiting for since last year when I tried it on tap in Duluth. It wasn't included in the $3 special but it was absolutely worth it. I would love to come back when it is a bit more active to see the energy. read more

So I start a new job in a couple of weeks and I thought I would get a lay of the land. Not at the job, but of my lunching and dinnering and happy houring options in the vicinity. Luckily, this place is just a few blocks away. DOUBLE SCORE. Insight just opened a couple of months ago, but I can foresee beautiful things in their future. Every three months or so they rotate their selection of beers on the menu. Right now they have four beers on tap, two of which I sampled. The Vanilla Porter was tasty and quite drinkable, but it didn't stick out any more than usual (I am said to say), but their Saisan was absolutely delicious. I wish that was on their menu all year long. It was full flavored, yet delicate on the palate. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this exceeded everything. There's trivia here on Tuesday nights at 8pm which accommodates my granny like work week schedule. There's also live music on Thursday nights. You can get 10oz or 20oz pours and flights of beer as well. I'll definitely be back here for another round or two or three... read more

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. read more

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. read more

Insight Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

This tap room has everything you want in a tap room. Amazing beer, Awesome bartenders, great atmosphere, big funky space, regular food trucks. read more

I'm not an expert when it comes to beer or microbreweries, but I do like good, quality beer when I do have it. A co-worker invited me to the grand opening of Insight Brewing Company (2821 E. Hennepin Ave, Northeast Minneapolis) and decided to tag along. I'm always up for checking out a new place and rarely refuse an invite from a friend or co-worker. Since my wife isn't a beer-drinker at all, she passed. We arrived at Insight to a packed house. Nice to see a healthy variety of beer to pick from here, but I'd really enjoy seeing a food menu, even if just appetizers. I asked the server about food and they told me that an Indian food truck would be parked outside in about an hour. Not my thing and I think they'd probably bring in a lot more business if they'd install a kitchen, invest in a chef and offer up, at the very least, some decent pub grub even if only appetizers. I had a sampler flight, which consisted of four of their brews - the Saison du Blanc (a fruity ale), the Chiswick Porter (typical porter with hints of chocolate and coffee), the Lamb & Flag (an English bitter ale) and the Curiosity IPA (hate IPAs but since it came on the flight, I tried it). This is four of the five TOTAL beers that they offer up right now. I liked the flavor of the Chiswick and the English Bitter (both are beers I've sampled before and both are classic flavors), but wasn't impressed with the IPA (because I hate that to begin with) and the Saison du Blanc (too sweet for my liking). I think it's a good start for Insight. Beer prices are right on target with other microbrews in this part of the city. The service could have been better but I can only knock it a little bit because the place is newly opened and was absolutely packed. Well, this place definitely can do better, but I think they're off to a good start. It would help their ratings if they served their own food and if the place were a little less packed it would have made the experience a little more tolerable. I might come back again in a few months when all the buzz about the grand opening settles down. Insight is alright. read more

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. read more

Fantastic beer selection. Each one I tried was great. Their stout, porter, and both IPAs are fantastic. Great decor, atmosphere & people. Highly recommend. :) They have live music sometimes, happy hours and deals throughout the week (2-4-1s for service industry Sunday's), and games to play. Definitely a great local brewery to support and check out! read more

See all

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 Yelp & have them remove it. #JOKE read more

Staff always treats me like I'm family. Everyone is friendly. Seating does fill up on busy night, but they have an outdoor patio as well. If you haven't tried any Insight beers before, know that they are very interesting and unique flavors. Great place to hangout. read more

This place was great! Went here last night and I was quite impressed! Our server was nice and friendly. The space is more like an open warehouse but it was a great place with low lighting and wasn't too loud. At times the music was a little odd and didn't quite fit the atmosphere (at one point they played swing music and something that sounded like a recorder) We ordered one flight and between the two of us we liked every beer we picked. There were only 7 options for the flights but they had about 20 different beers on tap. My favorite was the gin and tonic beer (can't remember the name) The decor was subtle yet fun like a brewery should have. On two walls you could see into the actual brewing area and they had nice green lighting in there to make it stand out. The sign outside to pull into the parking lot was not lit up and pretty small. I missed the turn the first time around. Overall this was a fun place with great beer. Will for sure be coming back or finding their beer other places. read more

Unlike other breweries who are focused on IPAs and jamming as much hops in as possible (*cough* Surly *cough*), they have a wider range styles. I love belgiums/saisons so Sunken City is a must. If you buy their growler it's only $7 for a refill on Monday!!! I just wish it was in a better location to walk to from other NE bars/breweries. read more

The Crazy Aunt beer can't be beat. But for the love of god, invest in some new decks of cards that aren't thick with beer and stickiness. read more

In a city full of breweries, it can sometimes be difficult to find that distinctive niche that makes one brewery unique from the other. Thankfully with Insight, there are no gimmicks here and all of their appeal lies entirely on how one-of-a-kind their brews are. I only tried Sunken City just a some months ago on my first visit to their Northeast taproom and it has quickly become one of my favorite and go-to beers when I'm either shopping at a liquor store for hibernating season (winter) or deciding with what to start my night full of drinking at a bar with. This particular saison clocks in at almost 8% on the abv scale, yet on first taste you would barely be able to tell as it's such a subtle sip to take, with just a light hop as an aftertaste. Insight has a good variety of crafted brews to choose from, some more out there than others. The Banshee Cutter is the first golden ale that I've tried that is brewed with coffee, a trend that usually lies flatly with porters and darker beers. Even more surprising than that is the fact that it holds the light, citrusy character of a golden ale, yet you can perfectly taste the malty coffee taste in your palate without it seeming off. My girlfriend absolutely loves their Summer seasonal "Crazy Aunt" a gin and tonic style ale, her undisputed favorite beer, and I could see why she's crazy about it. It actually, totally, genuinely tastes like gin and tonic in a beer pint glass, without any gin! It's a crisp beer just made to drink when it's patio and rooftop season in the cities. On to the facilities themselves, they have a massive taproom! Aside from the local giants Surly and Summit, I have not seen a brewery on the craft scene have such a big space to accommodate their drinkers the way Insight does. Even on the busiest of days that we've been there, seating has not been much of an issue. On nice, warmer days, their recently renovated, communal patio tables are great to catch some sun-rays. They also have a few racks full of board games that patrons are free to use to pass the time while they enjoy some damn good beer. Now reading through some reviews of Insight, I've noticed a few fellow Yelpers saying that the service/bartenders are subpar, something that I have never encountered on my numerous visits. Even on times where there are lines, the bartenders always come off as attentive and friendly. They have been helpful when I've stepped to the front undecided on what to drink and letting me sample through a few before making up my mind. That fact, as a frequent beer drinker, is one that I appreciate greatly. Insight has a not-so-secret Happy Hour Sunday through Thursday, something that is extremely rare to see at a brewery where prices are usually a very fair price to begin with. I would not at all be surprised to see Insight continue to grow their production and footprint throughout the cities. For now, I recommend any serious craft beer drinkers to head to Insight if you haven't already, there is no way you would be disappointed with these brewmasters. read more

It is always great to visit the Twin Cities and sample all the great offerings of craft beers and breweries. Stopped in for quick one or two, before heading back to Alaska, and was pleased not only with the warm atmospherebut also the welcoming staff. Brittnie was not only welcoming with a friendly attitude, but also did a great job of answering questions and recommending great beers. Being a fan of IPA's, I settled on the Dank IPA, and was not disappointed. The great malt flavor did not overshadow the citrus and earthy flavors of the hops. My buddy, not a fan of IPA's, went with the recommendation of the Hell Chicken Pale ale. Not being a fan of fruity beer flavors, he was more than pleased with the grapefruit and orangey undertones and was surprised by the flavor of the Yuzu fruit. We both settled on ordering the Lambton Dragon on Nitro and thought it scored high on flavor with a toffee and bisquit characteristics and again Brittnie took great care of us, pouring a picturesque perfect beer. A definite must stop next time I fly into the lower 48. read more

We love this one. Great common space, bug bar, fast service. Very tasty beer selections. Top 3 brewey for the St. Paul / Mpls area.

I've been to a lot of taprooms since the craft boom. Insight has a good location and a nice looking taproom. I've been here twice now, so I was able to get a feel for the place and now am comfortable writing a review. Of course I started with a flight of 4 and then a pint of the one I left out. They had five total brews on tap. Yuzu is a pale ale that reminds me of sweet potatoes. I don't know why, it just does. It's a light brew that I would only really consider in the summer time. Curiosity IPA was hoppy with some unsual characteristics, but a nice blend. Lamb & Flag was bland and didn't have much taste to it. I'd give this a second chance if I could drink it at room temp when more flavors are able to come out. The Porter was all malt. You can definitely taste the grain bill in this one. The best by far was the Saiason de blanco. It had the spice characters of the saison with hints of the banana I love so much. There was one thing that all of these brews shared however. There seemed to be an aftertaste that was not pleasent. Of course that was nothing that alcohol can't wash down with another swig. Overall, I'd say the brews were ok, but there really wasn't that great beer on tap to bump it up to the next star. One other thing I should mention. If you're going there to get a growler refill, they don't do that from the tap. Once they're sold out of their pre-filled growlers, they won't fill your empty that you brought in. While I don't agree with that practice and I think it hurts sales overall, I've seen a rare few breweries do this and I can understand their reasoning for doing it. Cheers. read more

Insight Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place has a very laid-back and open vibe. It's comfortable, no-frills: neither the decor nor the staff take themselves too seriously. This makes Insight a great place for a laid-back outing with family and friends! The brews are good! Very unique and experimental. The Saisons were a highlight! My friends and I had a great time playing board games and trying the diverse variety of beers here. We also really enjoyed snacking on treats from the Food Truck outside. This place is kind of off-the-beaten path, but it's easy to spend an entire evening here because of all the games, the comfortable seating, and the chill staff. I can't wait to go back to this brewery! read more

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! read more

Insight Brewing - Flights! - Breweries Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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! read more

Beers. Board games. Bounteous space. What more could you ask for? Insight's seasonal brews (and standards) are great, the ability to bring your own food or get it from the food truck that's often outside is awesome, and the huge tables are even conducive to studying, if that's your jam. Otherwise, it's the perfect spot to meet up with any size group of friends to just have fun and imbibe. Haven't tried out their trivia yet but just might have to do that soon! read more

Insight has one of my favorite beers in the Twin Cities which is Sunken City! It is a really good saison. The tap room is a really nice space, and last summer they upgraded their outdoor space. They have fun events year round and the staff is friendly. Parking can be a bit challenging, but other than that this is a great brewery! read more

Huge fan of Insight and I may have to move closer. Stopped by on my day off. Tried a flight and each beer just kept tasting better. Great venue, love that there are windows to the brewery to see what's going on. Awesome staff. Nice outdoor area, but not the best view (parking lot). read more

Such a neat environment. This place not only has good beer, but it has outdoor seTing and old fashioned board games. My husband and I came here on a Thursday evening and it was popping. We had a few beverages and plays some Life. They also have a food truck parked outside that makes it easy for a quick bite while you are drinking read more

A couple really good unique beers, but anything that is not original is sub-par compared to other breweries. The atmosphere is alright. The brewery looks pretty neat. I've been a couple times and the bar tenders seem to have some sort of animosity toward customers. Kind of pricey but not much more than other breweries. The only time I tried to fill up a growler there they would not accept one from another brewery even though it was from another state and in no way a competitor. They belittled me for thinking that it would be okay, even though I've filled up that growler at many breweries. I definitely will not choose this brewery over others in Minneapolis unless I get dragged by friends. I'm usually an IPA guy, but the Sunken city or Troll Way is what I would recommend at Insight if you are taken by friends to this middling brewery. read more

Sunken City - Excellent Saison w/ sauv blanc grapes. The Troll IPA was delicious. And the Empanadas & Lomitos food truck hit the spot. read more

Insight Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Great beers and lots of fun board games. Always good food trucks as well.

Insight Brewing is as good as it gets! Great beer, great ambiance and really friendly staff. I was most recently in there on January 2nd 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! read more

I was there for the first time last night. I expected good beer and was not disappointed, my favorite being the dry-hopped IPA. What I didn't expect was good food. They were selling Empanadas, they were awesome! Apparently these gems are a Latin American thing. They are like a meal in an appetizer. I don't know if they always have them, but they should. The only reason I did not give Insight five stars was the too small parking lot and the beer line. read more

I come here about once a week after work. The beers here are always delicious. They keep a steady rotation of new beers on tap and there is always something new to try. They don't serve food here, but they have a different food truck In their parking lot every time I show up. All in all, a great place to hang out. read more

Insight Brewing - Outdoor Seating - Breweries Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

You guys keep knocking it out of the park. Sunken City, Funken City, Banshee Cutter, Hells Chicken and then all of the 1offs that you do. I do the Homer drool thinking of how good your stuff is. Thank's for the awesomeness. read more

I would give it a zero... I went there 2 weeks ago to check it out with a friend. We sat at the bar for 20 minutes and no one came to take our order. The place wasn't busy it was around 1pm on a Sat. The bartender was more interested in her conversation with other patrons. Very rude place. We left and speant our money at their competition and informed everyone of our experience read more

Stopped by on the Saturday of their opening weekend and sampled the Chiswick Porter and the Lamb and Flag English Bitter - both were delicious! Insight is producing a range of ambitious beers that are a great addition to the Twin Cities scene. The taproom is large with plenty of room at the bar, tables for groups and some comfortable leather couches. Retro incandescent bulbs give the room a warm glow. For an opening weekend, they clearly had their stuff together - service was friendly and professional. read more

Came here for a trivia night, and they definitely have unique brews. The favorite of our group was the gin-and-tonic flavored brew. They also had a nitro coffee beer that they made in partnership with Up Coffee Roaster, so I'll need to try that next time. Only reason for the star deduction is someone in our group has celiac, and there wasn't a cider or GF beer available. Great place to grab a beer in the Como neighborhood. read more

Sweet spot, great service, very friendly. Never disappointed. Highly recommended and product is always good.

Stopped by for the grand opening and sampled three beers, all awesome. The tasting room itself is spacious yet cozy. Great place for a group. The standout beer for me was the Curiosity IPA. If you're getting sick of drinking the same (admittedly awesome) hoppy beers like Furious, Fresh Squeezed, Little Sumpin Sumpin, and Two Hearted, give this wonderfully flavorful IPA a try. You won't regret it!!! read more

We came for the Insight Bike Rally, which was fun. The food trucks were great. The beers were good (per the beer lovers in our party) while I enjoyed their own crafted Cream Soda. read more

One of my favorite breweries in Minneapolis. Really unique twists on classic beers. My go-to is the Sunken City, a saison made with Sauvignon blanc grapes. They also do great twists on their own brews. Definitely try Doe Eyes, made with Door County cherries, if you can catch it in season. And their new blackberry saison is fantastic! Look for the fanciest scrabble you've ever seen if you are looking to kick back for a while and play some games. They've got food trucks on the weekend so a fun snack is only steps away! read more

I LOVED their Vanilla Bean Porter. I think it might actually be #1 on my porter list (which is hard to beat). I'm a huge stout/porter lover and I also am OBSESSED with coffee. This beer is a 2-for-1, everything I love in one drink. They also only make a limited quantity. If they have it available, you must order it asap because they will run out during your visit! It happened to me! read more