Thousand Lakes Brewing Company, Parkers Prairie, MN
- 4 Paws Marketing
- May 18
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
It must have been an unintentional small-town brewery tour kind of weekend—from Annandale to Parker’s Prairie, Minnesota. These small towns are showing up big for the sour ale fans like me. Just over 1,000 people call Parker’s Prairie home, but don’t let the that fool you—Thousand Lakes Brewing Company has two awesome sours on tap, and honestly? Both were great.
Drinks:
I'll start with their award-winner. Sassy Redhead, it's a 4.0% ABV raspberry-forward sour with just a bit of tart to keep tasty. It earned a Bronze Medal at the 2024 Minnesota Brewers Cup, and I can see why. It's sour, bright, and extremely drinkable, it’s exactly what you'd want from a raspberry-first sour.
But the real standout for me was Upper Crust, their 5.0% ABV, dessert-inspired sour that totally knocked it out of the park for me! WOWZA! Made with rhubarb, strawberries, and blackberries with a hint of granola and cinnamon, and just a little lactose for some creaminess, it was one I loved from the first sip. So unique, and perfect on all notes. Honestly, I'm surprised this one hasn’t taken home a medal —it definitely would have gotten one from me.
Bonus points for having multiple sours on tap in such a tiny town. And yes, I brought some home for the fridge.
Sour Score: 5/5 – variety, balance, and a unique surprise make this stop a huge win.
Food:
If you show up on a Sunday like I did, food options are limited to the brewery-staples of pre-packaged pretzels and popcorn, they do also have pizza from their pizza oven (not the brick oven kind). It’ll hold you over til your next meal, but don't come expecting something extra filling.
On Fridays and Saturdays, though, they bring in food trucks from nearby towns, which has to be a huge perk for a town this size. If you’re planning a visit and want something more substantial to eat, aim for the weekend and plan ahead with their event calendar to see who will be pulling up.
Food Score: 2.5/5 – basic during the week, but there’s potential on Friday & Saturday.
Dog Friendliness:
Unfortunately, no dogs inside the taproom, which was disappointing—especially since there’s no full kitchen and the brewing space is separate from the taproom.
As you can guess, dogs are welcome on the patio, which makes this a decent warm-weather stop with the pups, since they're always with us when we come this direction. It’s a small space, but cozy enough to enjoy a beer and a pooch nap in the sun.
Dog Score: 2/5 patio pups are welcome....wah, wah...
Atmosphere:
The vibe is exactly what you’d expect in such a small-town. There’s a main taproom area that had a surprising amount of buzz—there was a "big" puzzle competition going on the afternoon I was there! It got a little loud, so I grabbed a seat in their overflow back room, which ended up being a quieter, perfect corner for sipping and note-taking. Who knew jigsaw puzzlers could be so rowdy! LOL!
The patio out front isn’t huge, but it’s decent and a nice place to enjoy a beautiful day. Great for summer sipping.
Atmosphere Score: 4/5
Merch & More:
Thousand Lakes has a small but well-curated merch corner that perfectly fits the vibe of the brewery. There are a few t-shirts, hoodies, and hats with their clean, MN-esc branding. I love to support small-town breweries who are doing it all right, and after loving the Upper Crust, I couldn’t resist grabbing a shirt on the way out.
They also have bar ware to choose from and a few small branded items that make great home bar additions. Not flashy, but it felt authentically small-town—and that always earns points in my book.
Merch Score: 4/5
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Harley and Storm were having their own kind of adventure on our nearby land. Storm found every muddy spot she could and came back looking like she had wrestled a swamp monster—and won.
Harley, on the other hand, took the laid-back route, stretching out in the garage and keeping cool while watching the world go by while trying to catch her breath. Willow enjoyed her time as well, finally able to run free for a while. Between the brews and their shenanigans, we all got what we came for: a good time.
Overall:
Thousand Lakes Brewing might be tucked away in one of Minnesota’s tiniest towns, but their sour game is big.
Between the award-winning raspberry sour and the inventive, super tasty Upper Crust, this stop was a huge win.
Whether you’re passing through, heading to the lake, or on a backroad brewery tour, this place is worth the miles.
Overall Vibes: 4.5/5
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