Minneapolis/St. Paul

[TBoner]

I'll be traveling to St. Paul soon, and I'm looking for ideas on where to buy whiskey and beer. I think, from reading old threads, that the dusties have likely been picked over (I won't have a lot of time to seek them out anyway). I'm more interested in products I can't get here in TX, such as Rittenhouse BIB, and things that are overpriced here for no apparent reason, such as ETL. Are than any other regional bourbons/ryes that I should be looking for? And where should I be looking? My understanding is that Surdyk's in Minneapolis is good, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get over there or not. Also, as noted above, I'm after good beer: Bell's is my main target, but there are many other regional craft brews I'll be trying to pick up and/or sample during the trip. Any good beer store recommendations?

[Bordeaux Bourbon]

You should try Blue Max. It's in the far south suburb of Burnsville, but it's definitely worth the trip. It's a tiny little suburban strip mall liquor store, but their beer selection knows no equal in the Twin Cities. The bourbon selection is pretty good. I'm not sure you'll find anything astounding though. I remember they had a Pappy 23 (for about $230) last time I was there.

Surdyk's is a fine store. Their forte is wine though. If you like Bordeaux (I do), definitely check it out. They have nice selections in beer and bourbon, but nothing that you'll wet yourself over. They do have a very nice Belgian beer section, if that's your thing.

You'll find Bell's beers at either store.