Last Touch of Fall in Minneapolis (and some beer)

Prospect Park Witches Tower, October 2015

As we move into November, we find ourselves a few weeks past the autumnal peak color here in the Twin Cities, though it was pretty spectacular around here while it lasted this year. Biking to and from various library branches for work, heading out on another local pub crawl, or just getting groceries, it seemed there was always opportunity for some quality leaf peeping (as they call it over in New England).

Minneapolis, from Prospect Park

he urban forest we have going around here is one of my favorite aspects of living in the Twin Cities, this one last explosion of color as our deciduous foliage hits its reds and yellows and oranges before hitting the ground. November is always one of the dreariest months, the bare brown branches exposed in between the green boughs of summer and the white expanse of winter snow. We’ve got some weeks, it seems, before we even have to worry about that, so in the meantime, here are a few photos from the last few weeks of October.

Minnehaha Creek

Speaking of the last pub crawl, we went out one chill, lovely moonlit fall night for my good friend Aaron’s birthday, taking full advantage of the awesome weather to check out a few of Northeast Minneapolis’ finest brewing establishments. Starting where we ended in August, at probably the premier brewery in Minneapolis, the fancy new Surly Brewing Destination Brewery, a great place to have a few beers. I was particularly taken with their Witches Tower Solstice Session Brown Ale. After hanging out under the Witches Tower itself earlier in the day, this was a hearty and atmospheric brew to drink under the moonlight. We next dropped by Dangerous Man Brewing, waited in line to get in with some visitors from Michigan, and had some delicious Chocolate Milk Stout. Finally, we ended up at what is probably my favorite in the metro right now, Fair State Brewing Cooperative on Central Avenue, with its focus on unique sour beers. I have really been enjoying this style more and more, I have to say. Along with some of El Taco Riendo’s extremely cheap and ample chimichangas, we finished off a good evening.

Enjoying a few brews at Surly Brewing

Downtown Minneapolis rainbow

Biking home from work today on Hennepin, the sky seemed slightly ominous, with some of those mammatus cloud formations, darker skies contrasting with the light of the setting sun. Rain drops began to fall, heavier in certain areas as they seemed to be blocked by the skyscrapers in front of them. As I was waiting for a stoplight, I saw this, and thought it was one of those breathtaking sights you sometimes see during your daily life adventures. Wish I had a better camera, but a cellphone will do. If I had ridden down Nicollet, as I usually do, I probably would have missed it.