Allright, for all of you people out of town that love a good beer, here are my thoughts on the local beer scene.
Surly Bender - brown/porter/apa - this beer is my favorite all time beer and an excellent choice unless the weather is a bit too hot for it.
Summit - If you're a hop fan, go for their Summit Pale Ale, extra Pale Ale, or Indian Pale ale. If it's warm out and you want something refreshing, go for a Summit Scandia.
If you're a true beer geek, go for the Surly beer since it's not available too many places outside of MN (I think they sell a little in Chicago), and the beer is amazing.
If you want cheaper local beer, go for anything by Leiney's, especially the Honey Weiss if it's a warm day.
Those are my thoughts on the scene anyways.
Cool, another local beer snob.
Surly is hard to beat. My #1 choice if they have it (you can also buy growlers from the brewery).
http://www.surlybrewing.com
Anything from Flat Earth Brewing is also very good. It's a pretty new micro-brew. I'd put it above Summit for sure.
http://flatearthbrewing.com
Summit is great, and most places have it. If you just ask for a "Summit", they'll bring you an EPA. It's good, but if you like hoppier (more bitter) beers go for the IPA. Their Oktoberfest should be out now, and it's always been good.
Leiney's is ok, I'll get a Honey Weiss with a slice of lemon on occasion. It's definitely a step above the macro-brews (Bud, Bush, Miller, Michelob, etc). My biggest problem with Leiney's is they use the same yeast for everything, so all their beers have a similar taste.
Another half-decent beer along the line of Leiney's is Schell, brewed in New Ulm, MN. Same criticisms as Leiney's, although occasionally they come up with a fantastic seasonal brew.
Grain Belt Premium is another decent beer. The Grain Belt brewery shut down long ago, but Premium is still produced by Schell.
There's also some good brewpubs; Rock Bottom, Granite City, and Barley John's, just to name a few.
People should also know about the crappy local liquor laws:
Only liquor stores (and bars, of course) can sell hard liquor and beer above 3.2%. Gas stations and grocery stores will have beer, but it's all 3.2%, so nobody buys from them unless it's at a time that liquor stores are closed.
All liquor stores are closed on Sunday. Plan accordingly. It's not uncommon for people to make a liquor run on Sunday's to Wisconsin, especially on Labor Day weekend.
Liquor store hours Monday-Saturday vary by county. I think they're open everywhere on Friday and Saturday from 10-10. Monday-Thursday, some counties only allow liquor stores to be open until 8 pm, in which case many people make liquor runs to other counties if it's after 8 (I told you... crappy liquor laws).
A lot of downtown bars have a special permit to stay open until 4 am during the RNC. Some bars have a permit to stay open until 2 am. Most bars are open until at least 1 am, which was a state wide law until they started selling these special permits.
There's a state wide smoking ban... no smoking in any bars, clubs, restaurants, etc. Some of them do allow smoking outside if there's a patio.
Yep, thanks! 
