Elevated Beer Wine & Spirits (Minneapolis, MN)

Out and about running errands and shopping on a Saturday, I took a little extra time to head up Hiawatha to give Elevated Beer Wine Spirits a try. I've been meaning to check it out for a while, but it's generally on the wrong side of the street when I drive by, usually when heading home from Town Hall or other pubs.

I will no longer make this mistake. Elevated's name is spot on—not just a fun pun because of the nearby grain elevators. The selection is spectacular.

Half of build your own six pack aisles

From this first stop, I noticed a particular emphasis on Minnesota craft beers, giving the local drinker a full selection. I went home with two Blacklist beers but had five from which to choose. Plus, there were full choices of many Minnesota brewers that I have difficulty finding without going to the brewery (Steel Toe, for example), Next, I put together two full six packs of new beers from the by-the-bottle aisles (notice plural on aisles). The price of craft beer has risen since the old days (a decade ago) and I am more reticent to just try a four or six pack and being stuck with a less than amazing beer for a week. And, I've been sampling beers seriously since about 2000, it's rare for a store to have enough new single bottles to build a six pack. The Ale Jail would be an exception, but, for me, it's a bit far away to visit consistently. In addition, the local choice didn't reduce the offerings of top national brands. Today I went home with personal favorite Stone Ruination plus a six pack of Anchor's seasonal Christmas Ale.

Overall, Elevated is an excellent stop that I intend to repeat. I no longer live is a beer wilderness with two local liquors stores having a more than adequate selection, but the range is limited by my outside the inner ring location. Elevated gives me a relatively close alternative to the sort of quality associated with Four Firkins, The Ale Jail or Blue Max Liquors without the long drive.