Waconia Brewing Company is a brewery that’s been on our list ever since first being introduced to the Peanut Butter Porter. The Waconia Peanut Butter Porter is our “gold standard” for comparing other PBP’s. It’s delicious and we jokingly say there’s a meal in every can.

Waconia, MN is just slightly out of the way for us in Mankato and though it’s been on our list to visit, we’ve never made time for it. The opportunity presented itself when we found ourselves needing to be in Minnetonka with 8 hours to kill.

Minnetonka is on the western side of the metro area putting us only 18 miles away from Waconia, making it the perfect time to finally visit Waconia. It was a beautiful fall day and since time allowed, we took the longer scenic route hugging Lake Minnetonka on N. Shore Drive taking us through parts of Minnetonka, Orono, and Mound, with a few road changes finally bringing us to Waconia.

Waconia Brewing Company Vibe 

We love pulling up to new breweries because you never know what you’re going to get. Will the setting be a revitalized industrial area? A repurposed Valvoline? A former tire manufacturer? Waconia Brewing Company sits at the end of a strip mall which we were not expecting at all. 

Outside seating was available in front of the brewery in the parking lot with slight views (in the late fall) of Lake Waconia. We opted for indoor seating. The atmosphere was much better than we pictured. Shiny, concrete floors with tall and long chunky wood tables and heavy wood seats big enough to seat 8 or so people, chairs at the bar, and a cozy seating area near a fireplace. The taproom offers views of the brewery equipment. It felt just right after we settled in and knew if we were closer that this would be a favorite haunt.

Waconia Brewing Company Beers

We shared a flight that gave us 6 beer choices out of the 15 that were on tap during our visit. Here were our choices (pictured top left to right on the flight). We mostly stayed with their flagships and threw one seasonal on the flight.  

• Flashpoint Vanilla Cream Ale- 5.5% ABV | 20 IBU
• Carver Co Kolsch- 5% ABV | 24 IBU
• 255 Main (Amber)- 5.8% ABV | 28 IBU
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter- 6.4% ABV | 24 IBU
• WacTown Wheat- 5.2% | 26 ABU
• Apple Crisp Ale- 5.6% ABV | 17 IBU

The Flashpoint Vanilla Cream Ale was a winner- it actually reminded us of a much lighter Peanut Butter Porter. The Kolsch didn’t hit for us (almost IPA-like)  but we’re in the minority in this opinion as it was an award winner for Waconia Brewing Company. We liked the 255 Main Amber- nice hint of smoky flavor. The Peanut Butter Porter- so good, as we said, this exact PBP  is our bar for comparison. The Wactown wheat was good. The Apple Crisp Ale was a special treat- it was actually an OMG reaction. Sugary-sweet and very much like a drinkable apple crisp. 

Planning Our Next Visit to Waconia, MN

Waconia is a beautiful part of the state with rolling hills, lush landscape, and of course lakes. As soon as we hit Waconia we felt regret that it’s taken us so long to venture out this way and we can’t wait to plan a little trip back as we also have Sovereign Estate, Schram Vineyards Winery & Brewery,  Parley Lake Winery, and J. Carver Distillery on our list to visit. We did find that Iron Tap has a plant-based protein on their menu so we know we’ll have at least one food option in Waconia!

Please let us know if there’s anything else we should put on our list for the next time we visit the Waconia area. 

Road Tripping to Waconia

Bloomington, MN to Waconia – 29 miles

Mankato to Waconia- 56 miles

St. Paul, MN to Waconia- 45 miles

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