Seeing the Bigger Pitcher: Dangerous Man Brewing Company

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Some of the “Dangerous Men”, aka brewers. Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.

Henry Nieberg
February 9, 2018

]1 Some of the “Dangerous Men”, aka brewers. Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.
On this week’s Seeing the Bigger Pitcher, I was fortunate enough to “survive” the Dangerous Man Brewing Company, located in the Arts District of northeast Minneapolis. Once a dusty furniture store, this brewery has utterly transformed the building and the community that surrounds it.

Sarah Bonvallet and Rob Miller, a couple from the Twin Cities area, started Dangerous Man Brewing Company. Miller discovered his love for crafting beer around 13 years ago, when he started to make beer in his basement. After months of trial and error, Sarah was amazed to find that families were starting to buy kegs from them. With passion, commitment and skill, Miller and Bonvallet created a micro brewery in their own hometown.

While the story of the brewery’s inception alone is impressive, there are a number of other characteristics that set the establishment apart from the rest. What I found incredibly special about Dangerous Man was the fact that you can’t purchase a single one of their 12 plus micro-crafted beers anywhere outside of the brewery and attached restaurant.

When you enter the brewery, you quickly notice that Dangerous Man isn’t selling the beer; it’s selling an experience. On weekends, the bar is absolutely packed. Laughter is contagious and the beer is widely praised. All of the walls, nooks and crannies are decorated with bright pop art, minifigures, growlers and more.

]2 Co-Owner and Dangerous Woman, Sarah Bonvallet.
Photo by Henry Nieberg ’19.
My favorite part, however, was the retail shop right next door. While it was already impressive to see Lego Star Wars ships hanging from the ceiling, it was truly astonishing to see not only hand-crafted beer, but also locally made beanies, ceramic growlers and glassware. It is clear that Dangerous Man supports local artists.

In terms of beer, the brewery offers some unique flavors in addition to the classics. Some of the most noticeable were the Peanut Butter Porter (wasn’t my favorite, but some people go crazy for it), Coconut Milk Stout, Gose with Lime and a Cream Ale, among others. If you find yourself in Northeast Minneapolis, give Dangerous Man a try.

Customers now want to drink the brewery’s beer at their own convenience. At first, Bonvallet and Miller had 30-40 pre-filled growlers, and people would wait in line just to get them. However, two years ago, the “Growler Shop” was opened, where merchandise and growlers could be bought.

“We’ve all been to the busy tap room where you want a t-shirt, but you don’t want to bother the service. At Dangerous Man, you can go over [to the Growler Shop] and try which t-shirts you want…It’s an actual fun retail experience,” said Bonvallet. I’m not a big retail person, but the poppy music, Star Wars minifigures and ever-changing rooms convinced me.