Big Wood Brewery

Got in right after open on Saturday. Big shoot out to Jamey for the recommendations and conversation. Great view of the brew tanks and solid bar. Outside was all set up for wood fires. Fun place to hang out and spend time with friends. Great pizza and beer!

First time at the this brewery, we stopped in with our Pub Pass Passport. The Cabin Daze IPA was delicious and pretty darn smooth for an IPA. They had NA offerings, pizza from QC pizza, and a few snack options. Plenty of seating and the service was great. The vibe was warm, cozy and very welcoming as well. We'll be back in the summer to check out their dog friendly patio.

Enjoyed our pub pass stop at this new location. The staff was super helpful in helping me choose the right beer for me and Husband. I chose Jack Savage for myself and Krolsch for hubby. Both were perfect picks. We enjoyed them on the patio with our temp foster pup, Blitz. The DJ was turning 80s music and we were enjoyed a beautiful evening. Blitz was making tons of friends. Great stop and nice setting to enjoy a cold brew. We thought about getting a pizza to enjoy at our picnic table (which is allowed) but we opted to pick a pizza up on our way home. Great music. We will be back.

Relaxed brewery in vadnais heights. We stopped in on a Sunday night and there were a few groups hanging out. We sat up at the bar and found the service to be nice. I got the sour and others I was with got the IPA. Overall nothing special but a chill place to hangout and meet for a beer.

Finally got to check out the new location from this brewery after it moved out of WBL. The beer is still very tasty but the location gives it more room to spread out. On this particular day they were hosting a private retirement party outside but there were other places to rest and sit outside with umbrellas that angle to one side to protect you from the strong sun. I also want to say that the staff is phenomenal...they went around a bunch to check up on us and take our order while we were chilling outside. Come Fall '24 - I hope they do some truck tv Viking watch parties like they did at the other location.

As cramped as the old space was, it had character and charm; the new space lacks both. Inside is a generic, dark bar setup, and the outside "patio" needs a bunch of TLC. Uneven gravel, extremely uncomfortable stools, and a tent that traps every last drop of heat and humidity.The beer was fine; some of ours were better than others, but there's good variety. My wife loved the mango seltzer float. We also shared a pretzel; also fine.

Visited the new location last night. Really not impressed and I hate saying that. The building looks like a strip mall. Inside looks like stained particle board on the wall. Outside is an uneven gravel yard area with tables. The outside area is fenced in and on the other side of the fence is rolled up grass rugs, random scrap, looks unfinished and confusing. Had a hard seltzer that was good, the beer flight was not great. This sucks as it's so close to home, but I would have no reason to go back.

I stopped in for the grand opening today....so did everyone else in the metro!! It was BUSY.... good for them!! They have a small parking lot...but cars are able to park around the edges and unlike the WBL tap room, street parking is plenty!! The tables are mostly high top. There is some seating along the wall w a narrow bar. the bar is a big oval so space is plenty and great to see all around. Apparently there's a downstairs, the bathrooms are there. Due to the busyness I didn't attempt to venture down there. When I asked a beertender if that's where the bathrooms were? She said yes or there's an ADA bathroom along the front wall. That's the one I headed to. There were six people slanging beers so they were on top of it and when people were lined up they just gave a shout for who was next, it worked smoothly! The opening day tap list wasn't overwhelming but great coverage for all the palates. I opted for a Cocoa Vanilla Creme Ale at a reasonable 6.2%. The brew house is on the north wall of the building and visible from pretty much anywhere in the tap room. There was a small room w a curtain, that was open....maybe for those that want a little more intimate gathering. I hope Big Wood does well here. I've been looking forward to this location opening since I saw the banner. I got a kick out of one beertender's shirt; it read "best brewery in Vadnais Heights" ha. Congrats Big Wood on having quite the crowd at your 2:00 grand opening. Cheers

Nestled in downtown White Bear Lake is Big Wood Brewery. A large building with a beautiful brick facade provides a welcoming entryway into a taproom full of community members coming off of work, regulars, and those visiting from across the state. They offer a flight of five beers so I made sure to fill it out with a variety of their offerings.Sour Bastard:A Gose sour with a pleasant tartness and hints of salt and coriander. A slight haze in the glass with a crisp and dry finish. Cabin Daze:A New England Hazy IPA full of Citra. Plenty of citrus and tropical fruit flavors / aromas. Medium-full body, but not too heavy.Wheat Bear Lake:A Wheat Beer with additions of lemongrass and ginger. Medium-high lemongrass / ginger flavor, aroma adds in some low levels of banana and coriander. For the complexity of flavors it does not become overwhelming on the palate which is impressive.Amigo Grande:A traditional Mexican Lager that is crisp and clean with a low malt flavor with hints of corn. Very low levels of sweetness. Refreshing on the hot summer days MN has been having.Drevo Dark:A Czech Dark Lager with a malt-forward profile. Very low hints of earthy/spicy hops, but the focus is on the toasted bread / roasty malts.

We visited the new location today in Vadnais Heights. They are no longer at the white bear lake location due to state liquor license rules. It's still a work in progress. It'll be a lot lighter and more room here. It was pretty busy this afternoon. They just had one bathroom, I didn't ask if they'd have more, but hopefully?!. They have a jukebox that you can purchase music to play but it was pretty loud with all the people so I couldn't hear my music selections. Probably better to just chat any way. We had a great time without kids and learned to play cribbage. We like it here and I like the beer, we'll be back. There will probably be a pretty nice patio. People were outside today but I didn't check it out.