Breweries Around Rapid City, South Dakota - Our Favs!
Where: Around Rapid City South Dakota
When: June 23, 2021 to July 1, 2021
After spending over a week in Yellowstone National Park, we were in dire need of some craft beer. Luckily, the next stop on our trip out West was Rapid City, South Dakota. We didn’t make it to all of the beers in the area, but we tried quite a few. In alphabetical order, here’s our take.
No brewery is bad, in our opinion. However, we’ve included a little thumb’s up (👍🍺) on a few in case you are pressed for time and want our recommendation.
Check out the video excerpt video excerpt where we tell you about our favorites too.
Dakota Point — Kasie’s Favorite in the Rapid City area
Dakota Point Brewing (Rapid City) (👍👍👍🍺). This place ranks high on our list of favorite breweries in the Rapid City area. It was actually Kasie’s favorite. So it’s number one alphabetically, and also number one for her overall! I had the Itstha Nuts porter while Kasie raved about the Kettle to the Metal black currant sour. There’s some cool buffalo art in the hallways so be sure and check that out. We didn’t make it to Lost Cabin, which is right next door. However, it’s usually a good thing when breweries are next to each other.
DAKOTA POINT! Kasie’s Overall Favorite!
Crow Peak Brewing in Spearfish, South Dakota
Crow Peak Brewing (Spearfish) (👍🍺). This brewery literally right next door to the KOA. Yes, you can walk there in 2-3 minutes. For RVers, what an amazing location! The taproom has a rustic vibe with huge fireplace, vaulted ceilings, and both indoor and outdoor seating. Two groups of motorcycle bikers were at the tables next to us, and it definitely had a local feel as well. I had the 11th Hour IPA, and Kasie had the Black Currant Gose. It’s the oldest craft brewery in the area, going back to 2010, and the brewery definitely knows what it’s doing.
Firehouse Brewing in Rapid City South Dakoa
Firehouse Brewing (Rapid City). Located in the heart of downtown Rapid City, we had to wait to find a seat at the bar. That’s because the brewery is a restaurant, and we came around lunch time. We had the Bell tower lager (Kasie) and Hippie hole IPL (Lana), but were most excited to try the Downtowner (crispy French fries topped with chopped pork, brown gravy, cheese curds and bacon. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with both the beer and food. The place is obviously successful given the crowds (and a building next door devoted to merchandise) so perhaps I need another visit to understand why.
Jacob’s Brewhouse in Deadwood — Underbite Charlie!
Jacob's Brewhouse (Deadwood) (👍🍺). As far as beer names go, this place had one of my favorites: Underbite Charlie Rasp Blonde. He looks a little like a dog we once owned too (although ours was black, and not blonde). And, HIS NAME WAS CHARLIE! We also had a savory pulled pork sandwich topped with bacon while chatted up the bartender. He suggested a couple of other breweries to check out, and we always appreciate that. You won’t go wrong here: good food, good beer, and good service.
Miner Brewing in Hill City
Miner Brewing (Hill City) (👍👍🍺) Established in 2013, this brewery knows what it is doing. We enjoyed the Mango cream ale and Watermelon wheat while citing in a covered outdoor space. The owners also operate a winery next door, and both the brewery and winery are served by the same kitchen. We were disappointed that the kitchen was closed because of a water issue during our visit though. But it was my favorite in the area.
“Of the three breweries in the Black Hills area (Miner, Mount Rushmore, and Sick N Twisted), Miner was my favorite.” ~ Lana
Mt. Rushmore Brewing in Custer South Dakota
Mount Rushmore Brewing Company (Custer). Unlike the monument itself, this brewery is underwhelming. The food and beer (I had the Long Tom IPA, and Kasie had the Rooster Red Amber) were average. We did buy a shirt, but that was more to commemorate our visit to the monument itself.
Sawyer Brewing in Spearfish, South Dakota
Sawyer Brewing (Spearfish) (👍🍺). is about a mile from the KOA as well. The KOA has a nature trail that runs south, and Google Maps may suggest that you can walk to brewery from there, by crossing the Spearfish Creek at some point. We tried to take that path, only to find that there is way to cross the water. As such, you will need to drive to Sawyer Brewing if you are staying at the KOA. The very short drive is worth it. We shared a flight of the (1) Cold Creek Cream Ale (2) Raspberry Kolsch, (3) Strawberry Whip sour, and (4) Key Lime Tart IPA. Talk about flavors. Sawyer also serves pizza, and we always appreciate places where we can both drink and eat!
Sick-N-Twisted Brewing Company in Hill City South, Dakota
Sick N Twisted Brewery (Hill City). This has a taproom in both Deadwood and Hill City, and stopped by the latter. The place has a quirky coffee-house artsy vibe. Kasie tried the Phat Fish Pronghorn Peach wheat (guest beer), while I sampled the Hop on Top IPA. The taproom also boasts a large supply of house-made wines so it is a great place to buy gifts.
Spearfish Brewing — Thə Schwa is perhaps the best beer name of all time!
Spearfish Brewing (Spearfish, Duh!)(👍👍👍🍺). This brewery was not on our itinerary, but we ended up visiting the brewery at the suggestion of another bartender. Our flight included the (1) Tickled Pink Belgian-Style Wit with Hibiscus and Blood Orange, (2) Lemon Bar Pastry Sour, (3) Thə Schwa Pink Guava blonde, (4) Bobcat Logic Kettle sour, and (5) Device igniter IPA. I had not thought about a schwa since grade school, which made perhaps made that beer name thə bəst. The Spearfish Brewing Company recently took home two gold medals at the 2021 U.S. Beer Open Championship in Ohio, making the brewery one of the top ten in the nation at the competition. Of the three breweries in Spearfish (Crow Peak, Sawyer, and Spearfish), this place was probably my favorite. Actually, it was probably my favorite overall.
SPEARFISH BREWING! Check out the Thə Schwa Pink Guava blonde!
Zymurcracy Beer Company (Rapid City). Veteran owned and located in an industrial area on the southeast part of town, the beer selection include NEIPA #2 (Lana) and the Schwarzbier lager (Kasie). We visited around 2 pm on a Tuesday and ere the only folks in the taproom so it was hard to get a good feel for the place. If you are wondering, Zymurgy is the branch of applied chemistry concerned with fermentation processes in brewing.
