I've been here a few times for the puzzle night that they do. Always fun. The wall of taps always has a good selection.. beers, sours, mixed drinks and a few non alcoholics. The owner is super nice, the only complaint is the selection of food. Very slim pickings, but they do let you order from any of the restaurants around and they keep their menus on hand for you to look at. read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - July puzzle night - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

It's a good variety of beers, split between out of state and local, and not all IPAs. There are cocktails and wine on tap for grown ups, but also mocktails on there so kids can feel like they joined in the fun! Pizza is of course a perfect pairing to beer, and you can get ice cream to do a float with root beer or a sweet imperial stout (seriously, get it, so good). Ok, so why three stars? First, OMG sugar. The pizza sauce is sweet, and then they put honey on everything. I get it, bee themed, commit to the bit, but that did not go well with beer. Second, you're serving yourself, ordering at the counter, busing your own table... but unless you alter it, it's a 20% automatic tip on everything. I'm a believer in tipping, but not when there isn't any actual service. This is a norm right now for self pour places and I hate it. Beer good Sauce sweet Service fast Don't like auto 20% on self pour read more

Whenever I'm visiting my family in Minnesota and I don't have time to hit all my favorite breweries I just come here. They have all the latest and greatest craft beers. You can check in beers on Untapped until your heart content. Don't like buying a whole bottle of Surly's barrel aged beer. Well just get a couple of ounces then move onto your next style. I'm a fan of pay by the ounce and considering the tap list you can't go wrong here. So many new Minnesota and Wisconsin breweries on tap at The Rusty Bumblebee. 5 stars read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

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Wanted to come for a tap takeover of one of our fave breweries. Not sure if that was the cause of the place being packed or if it's always like that, but it was nuts. Fun concept with over 30 taps to try. They are all serve yourself. You get a tap card and them go fill up your glasses. There is a limit on how much you can have within a time frame, which is nice that they don't want you to leave intoxicated. It also appears there is a small menu for food, but we never got that far. Would like to come back if I'm in the area, but maybe not on a tap release night, as it was difficult to find a place to sit and enjoy your beverage. read more

Cool little pour-your-own beer bar located in a busy strip mall between two restaurants. The room is somewhat underwhelming and awkward. It has some room for improving. Upon arrival you are immediately greeted at the door. Once your ID is checked you give a credit card and are given a card that activates the tap handles. The car will pour 3 servings before you need to go back to the counter to reload it. Once you are done you can leave your card in a box and your credit card is automatically charged plus a 20% service fee. You can check out at the counter to avoid the automatic 20% fee and leave a "tip" of your own. Personally I feel 20% is a little crazy considering you are pouring your own beer. The beer selection here is AWESOME. Seriously, great tap beer selection. A number of specialty beers you will likely not find at many places. Both MN local as well as some big out of state names like 903, Drekker, and Untitled Art to name a few. All the taps seemed to be well calibrated and easy to pour. They do serve some small bites. I didn't eat this trip. Would likely go back. read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

One of my new favorite spots to try a bunch of harder to find beers. There are a bunch of self pour places but I haven't seen one with this nice a selection and setup. I'm bummed it's so far from me but hopefully they do better than a lot of the other tap wall joints. The service was quick and friendly, everything was super clean, but I'm sure it gets a bit cramped when it's busy at night. There's an event space in the back of you want to book. If you want to use their rewards just be aware that you have to give them your name on the account and it links to a card; not on a per-transaction basis. There are also some pull tabs and have live music during the week. A few weekday specials like 25% off Wednesday and 2x points Monday. They rotate their taps pretty regularly and have a large selection of harder to find local and national brews. Something for everyone with stouts, lagers, sours, seltzer, mead, and n/a options to pour. Folks wait in line for the bottle releases of a lot of them. The bar also has canned cocktails from Tattersall if you want something a bit harder. For food they fully support ordering in and have menus for local joints plus a small galley where they cook Heggies and sling typical bar snacks like popcorn, von Hanson's, etc. I highly recommend the cauliflower crust version, even if you're not gluten free. I'm subscribed to the venue on Untapped and keep an eye on their new brews as well as the "on deck" menu. It helps since I'm already looking for an excuse to go back. read more

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This is a cute little taphouse in a strip mall. The staff was very helpful and friendly. It's cool to be able to just try an ounce if any beer, just to see if you like it. I think having a bar in addition to the tables and chairs would be a little more comfy, but I would come back here again read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - BEER! - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

This was located in a strip mall surrounded by restaurants and it was still busy. The concept is fun and they had a bee/ honeycomb theme around the space. The self pour system worked out well, you get your ID checked and start a tab at the entry. Then you are ready after you get your Pour card. I recommend grabbing one of the wooden flights and trying multiple samples. You just tap your card on the sensor and press the brew or wine/ cider you want. It shows you how much you are pouring and also displays how much you are getting charged for that pour. The brews... there were a bunch I enjoyed and also a bunch I personally didn't like. I recommend pouring small samples unless you know you will like to avoid wasting. (Because you paid for it either way) hahaha. I ended up spending $17 on a bunch of samples, which felt spendy to me, but it was fun and social. Food: they only have Heggies pizzas and pub style pretzels/ popcorn for purchase. There is a QR code for the menu, but you have to go to the counter to purchase. They also have a soda machine. It was odd having that big of a kitchen space for just that stuff. It was kind of an eye sore. You can also bring in outside food/ snacks. It would be an awesome suggestion to ditch the kitchen, add more taps and work with the neighboring restaurants to deliver to this space. Overall, fun concept for this area, but still some growing to do. Go here and try a bunch of brews/ ciders/ seltzers/ sours and wine, but make sure to set a budget! read more

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We discovered the Rusty Bumblebee while browsing Untappd a couple weeks before it opened. We were excited to give this place a try, so as soon as we saw they were doing a soft open, off we went! The taphouse is cozy, tastefully decorated, and has both high tops and comfier seating options with sofas and chairs. The check in process is really easy. You visit the host stand, they check IDs and take a card to start a tap. You get your tap card for the beer wall and you are good to go! Checking out is just as easy - they have a Dropbox for your tap cards and the tab will be closed automatically with a 20% gratuity at the end of the night. It's handy if the host stand is busy! Now for the beer. WOW. The options are incredible. There is a beer for literally every preference - stouts, IPAs, sours, and some of the more niche beers like ales and Hefeweizens. There is also wine, seltzer, and non alcoholic options. And ALL of it is self pour! This is fun for me, as someone who like to sample beers before committing. It also gives me the opportunity to try several different ones without paying too much or having too much to drink. I'm a sour person, and there were SO many on the wall, so this was perfect! I discovered a couple new beers that would easily be in my top 10 I've ever tried. Another fun thing is you can see real-time Untappd check-ins on the tap list screens! You can see our check-ins at the bottom of the screen in the picture I added. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They have fountain drinks available and bar snacks. They also have some pretty cool merch! The whole process is fun and easy and a really neat way to sample beer and maybe discover some new favorites! I will definitely be coming back here. Thanks for an awesome time, Rusty Bumblebee! read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

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Stumbled on this place today and so glad I did! Very cute decor, love all of bee's throughout. It's a self pour beers and the options are nearly endless! They give you a card and you pick a pour. I tried a porter, nut brown ale and a cider. All were tasty and the staff are helpful; she gave us directions for dispensing as well as beer choices. They have seltzers, wine and non alcoholic beers in addition to water and soda. Additionally they have food--pretzels, popcorn, t-Rex cookies and Heggie's pizza. Will be back to try more beers! Check it out if you're in the Blaine area. read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - Part of the tap wall, this is a small sample of selections! - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

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My husband and I went her per my sister and brother in law's recommendation. It was our anniversary, so we decided to sneak away for a little lunch date. We have never been to a place like this! So many beers on tap, we loved being able to pick and choose what we tried and how much we tried! They had just opened up the back patio the day we were there, it was a very welcoming and relaxing place to enjoy our beers. The inside has a awesome feel as well, lots of different seating choices and area to accommodate larger (8-12 people) groups. They do have some snacks but they allow you to bring in or order in your own food, and have a few great restaurants in the same strip mall, so it was easy to order and have my husband go and pick it up. The staff was great, we were greeted quickly and shown how to use the machines, and were given some tips and tricks too! We will definitely be back when we are up visiting again! read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - Out door patio space, with a beer flight. - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

This place is pretty good. Nice selection of drinks the food is ok. A group of us were working in the area and decided to give it a try.

After looking at their online tap list (using Untappd which is great!) over the past few months and seeing beers we have been looking to try and beers that piqued our interest, we finally visited yesterday (Saturday) afternoon arriving shortly after it opened. There were a few other groups of people already there/that came in after us which made it a nice and relaxed atmosphere where we didn't feel rushed and we were able to hold a conversation without yelling at each other. Between the two of us, since we were able to pour our beers and at the amount(s) of our choosing, we tried 10 (mostly heavy/high ABV) beers from various breweries without getting drunk or even tipsy, without spending a ridiculous amount, and without wasting beer we didn't end up liking. The beers (and non-beers) are organized by type so we didn't have to go up-and-down the tap wall (like at other pour your own beer places) to make a flight of similar beers. For the non-beer elements: - As far as food goes, they have a small menu of Heggies pizza/bar snacks/a few simple appetizers but you're welcome to bring your own food or order-in (they have a lot of menus from nearby places of all types) which is really great because I was craving Taco Bell (other groups went for Raising Cane's and a nearby Asian restaurant.) - The staff seemed helpful and enthusiastic, walking people through how things work (including the glass rinsers along the tap wall which is a nice touch.) - There's pull tab machines and a few bar games if that's your thing and they hold a large variety of events such as trivia nights/live music/cribbage tournaments/jigsaw puzzle tournaments/comedy nights/etc. One change that would bee nice would be to have bracelets instead of cards to use for the tap wall so you don't have to hold or set down the card while pouring/carrying a flight of beers (they do have holders to carry multiple flight-sized glasses though.) read more

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What a fun place to add to the Blaine area!! A quick date spot or even a fun family outing. Cute space with pour-your-own beers, ciders, seltzers and wine. I was super happy to see that they offered a gluten free Heggies pizza (I didn't even know these existed!)! The staff is super helpful and friendly as well. I do wish they had more ciders so gf peeps had more options. Please add more cider options!! read more

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We loved this place. Make sure you have your ID because they check your ID and stamp your hands if you are over 21. We are over 50 so they check everyone. At the register they give you a card which will be scanned every time you pour a beer. You are charged by how much you pour. There are 3 size glasses and if you want to have a flight they have the boards. They have a huge selection. I loved the different sours I poured and my husband liked his choices for IPA. They also have wine and seltzer on tap. We talked to one of the owners and he was really friendly and engaging. I'll called him over to ask a question and he was very knowledgeable. It was such a fun place. We had a great time and can't wait to go back. There is a whole subtle bee theme in the decor with tiles hive shaped light sconces. There is some food pizza, pretzels, popcorn, cookies but they are perfectly fine with you bringing your own food. I usually get more pictures but I was having such a good time I forgot. read more

The Rusty Bumblebee - The entrance - Beer Bar Near Me - Blaine, Minnesota

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Stopped in Monday. I have only been to one other self pour pub, so I thought I knew what to expect... I did not!!! This crew covered all their bases and I was pleasantly surprised w the experience!!! I am a craft beer nerd so I was looking forward to this place!! An entire wall of craft taps, separated by style... Lovely!! But around the corner they have a domestics tap, some seltzers and ciders and they even have a tap of white and red wines!! There was also a soda fountain!! No palate left unaccounted for!! The owners roamed about the entire night, checking in and snatching your empty glasses. What i liked best about this experience was the fact that...they made it so simple!!! The other tap house I was at, you had to carry around a paper detailing the taps. Here, you just tap on the screen above the tap!! So simple and not overwhelming!! As I told the folks about it @ my go-to brewery the next day; I said: I'd just pour... I didn't pay attention to ounces, so showing them my receipt... I purchased 18 different options, before tax, for $29.15!! I think that's quite reasonable & especially considering most my options were 11% & 12% beers, the ones you really don't want to drink more than an ounce or two of!!! I really enjoyed my visit and feel they're going to do well!!! I didn't think of the parking, until I heard someone ask an owner. Since it's in a strip-mall, especially between two restaurants, parking could be stressful on Friday or Saturday night!! No fear, this crew covered their bases!! There is parking behind and then you can walk through the covered corridor next to here to enter!! The owners I met; Jeremy & Hayes were so friendly, as was hostess Faith & staff Jen!! I appreciated that Jeremy told me their policy when I entered; where I could leave my tap card to tab out, and what would happen if I didn't tab out and took the card home. As I told Faith & Jeremy "I really like when a place has a Theme and runs with it". As you look around you'll notice the south wall is carved like honeycombs, the lights are shaped like hives, and the wall behind the hostess stand has little bee knick knacks. Do not overlook the little sitting area in the SE corner, a mounted tv, gas fireplace, a MN shaped coffee table!! The Rusty Bumblebee hasn't set an opening date; they said they're going to keep doing Soft Open nights to work out any kinks, & request feedback; then give you a survey to fill out. I have no invested interest in this business so I could be harshly honest but everything was so well thought out and put in to motion, I couldn't give any feedback other than "top notch" there was nothing more I could have hoped for I think they have a great place with happy, friendly & knowledgeable people available to help guide you!! I asked Faith midway through my visit if I was able to get a detailed receipt? I hadn't been keeping track of which beers I'd tasted & wanted a recap to use for my untappd check-ins? She said I would be. I am really looking forward to making this a regular stop!! It's roughly 1.2 miles from Invictus Brewery where I stop once every week or two so won't be out of the way!! THANKS Jeremy, Hayes,& Faith for such an ENJOYABLE and memorable inaugural experience!! Looking FORWARD to future visits!! read more

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Fun addition to Blaine! Plenty of beer, seltzers, ciders, wine, and mixed drinks to choose from on their self-pour wall. Go for dinner at one of the neighboring restaurants then get an after dinner drink and late night snack at the Rusty Bumblebee! Looking forward to summer to check out their patio as well. read more

Great concept, self serve tap house, lots of variety and a great atmosphere. Once you arrive you scan your credit card and get a scan card that you use to tally your tab so that at the end of the night you only have one lump sum tab. Service is seek serve, they have plenty of logo glasses, round and pint, so you can pour yourself a full glass of your choosing or a taste, you pay by the ounce and prices vary. I am not a beer drinker and I found plenty of choices that I was able to drink! They also serve pizzas and other snacks and you are allowed to bring outside food in! My recommendation for the establishment would be do have flight paddles that hold smaller 4oz glasses as I wanted to try everything and we felt bad dirtying 8-10 large glasses to sample beverages ranging from wine to ciders to beers (the staff did not mind at all that we went through that many glasses and they kept up on keeping the glasses cleaned and stocked!) I will have to say at the end of the time we spent there I was a bit stocker shocked at the price and being self serve the checkout device suggested you to tip as if it was full service. I do suppose the staff did know the choices and were able to steer me in the right direction of things to try, they did keep the glasses cleaned and stocked and they delivered the pizza which definitely deserves a tip for service. Overall great gathering place great atmosphere and variety. We are excited for this new place in our neighborhood. read more

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This place is SO COOL! A ton of different and unique beers from a variety of breweries. The perfect place to try something new.

There are not a lot of self pour tap wall in greater twin cities, but this place is home run. !!!!!! I have been here a few times and the beer selection is fantastic. The selection rotates every few weeks, and if you had questions on what beer to try, the staff can help. When you first get there, the staff explains how the self pour tap wall works. Then, it's self-service, so you grab a taster glass and try several beers, or if there is a beer you really like, you can have a full pour. You pay based on the amount of beer poured throughout the night. They have a cleaning station that allows you to clean the same glass you had, or you can grab another place. When you're done, there is a place where you can put your glass and staff is prompt in getting glass clean and ready. There is a artwork that looks like bee honeycomb, and there are plenty of good spots to sit for small or big parties. Will definitely be going again. read more

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AMAZING!!! Soooo good, you can sit outside or inside. We went for a pairs and pours event and it was an amazing first experience!!!

This is such a fun place! We stooped Sunday afternoon to check it out. They have a huge variety of pours - probably 60 or so. This includes a wine selection, ciders, sours, & brews! They have a few snacks available to include Heggies pizza. They also allow you to bring in food, which is nice! There's games for those who want something to do. Highly encourage checking them out!! read more

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If You Like The Freshest Tastiest Beer with 60 different Choices to pick from this is the Place!! Staff is Super Friendly and will help you with all your needs. Very Clean and well set-up with a Super Chill Vibe. Again, The Beer is what it is all about!! It's So !! Best Place for a Cold Beer in the Northern Suburbs!! read more

Overpriced, poor selection of food, staff seemed bothered I was there. Ambiance was good

Huge selection of craft beers and a great concept. I just can't understand the pricing. How can a place with minimal overhead charge more for a 16 oz beer than a bar like Bluedoor. $7 for Salted Nut Roll/.49 per oz) This was one of the cheaper ones. Also they have a standard 20% gratuity on all charges unless you bring your card to the hostess and run the card. It's all self-serve and self-cleanup (you put your glass in a tub), not sure where the high gratuity meets that standard. Who get this gratuity? It's a great idea, it just doesn't justify the cost. read more

I really like this concept. They had great beer and best part as you can bring your own food in. It's a great atmosphere and wonderful staff. It's my new go too tap house. read more