Bear Cave Brewing - A Hidden Gem in Hopkins with Self-Pour Beers

A lot of brews to choose from! They use a card and self-pouring system. You’re given a card and can pour your own beers. You can pour a big glass or try a flight of several kinds. I didn’t try, but saw they also had wine and a couple of cocktails on tap (Old Fashioned and Margarita). Several levels! You can do upstairs or downstairs (each has a beer wall!). They also have food you can order. I had a pretzel and it was great. Some folks in my party had pizza and that also looked good. Friendly people too who are more than happy to walk you through the beer walls.

Fantastic beer and pizza at a reasonable price. Love the pour your own, as you can try a small amount of something new without committing to a pint. They also have wine on tap if you're not a beer drinker. Pizzas have fantastic quality crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings. Service has always been friendly and quick, and they have many fun spaces indoors and out.

Out for a walk and ended up being customer #2! The place is amazing with awesome staff and great interior decor. The beer wall is awesome with a bunch of different beers, seltzers and wines on tap. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable so they can help you decide between all the options! Haven’t had the brick oven pizza yet but it smells so good. Great interior and exterior space, they have both a patio and a rooftop! The owner Jillian welcomed me and gave me a tour, she was wonderful. They even have plenty of space for private events. Try this place out, you won’t be disappointed!

Fabulous! What I loved: two levels of patio space and lots of seating, pouring your own drinks, selection (cocktails as well as beer), AMAZING chip dip and great pizza. Seriously, get the chips and dip. What I liked: prices are pretty good considering the great atmosphere and the speed of service. What I wish: we need a proper stout on the menu!

We were greeted immediately by a very friendly and informative host. Having never been there before, he described the process and got us set up with our cards and then walked us through our first pour. We didn't eat this time but the food all around us looked and smelled amazing. All the staff seemed to be very helpful and even when it was busy at the door the line moved fast and people got consistently great service. All were asked if they had been there before so if they hadn't the host took the time to explain how it works. It's a self pour bar, so it is a new concept for many. Cool atmosphere and a ton of space to enjoy as it's spread over 4 floors.

Such a fun place. I went with one of my kids as part of a Hopkins downtown main street event. It was nice to see how kid friendly the brewery was. The fact there were food options for kids/dietary restrictions is always a bonus. I mean, it is such a versatile brewery that it works as a meet up date place, friends get together, family reunion and/or activity for the family with your kiddos. I didn't even make it to all the various nooks the brewery had to offer. It is a nice set up and super spacious. The photos I captured were on a cold wintery day so I can imagine how hopping of a place it would be in the warmer season. Definitely will be going back to check it out in all the other seasons. Would like to enjoy their beautiful patio in the summer/fall. Worth the trip, at any time of year, none-the-less.

This place is perfect to host a work happy hour. Plenty of drink and food options for people with all kinds of tastes/opinions. You can get wine/beer/seltzers/cocktails/ciders and non alcoholic options. They have vegetarian/gluten free options and most important they have plenty of seating inside and outside. If you have a group above 6 and not sure where to go I’d recommend trying this place. Parking is a bit tough but who care.

This was our first time here and we loved the place. Great atmosphere and deceptively big, while still feeling quaint. The patio and the rooftop patio are awesome, with easy access to the taps from anywhere in the place. We went with a standard pepperoni pizza and the Arugula salad with crickets. The salad was fantastic and the pizza had great toppings and crust, but was a little less cooked than I usually prefer. Overall it was a great experience and we’ll be back again soon.