22 Northmen Brewing Co. swung open the doors of its Viking longhouse taproom on June 15, 2019, planted squarely on the grounds of Carlos Creek Winery, three miles north of Alexandria. The brewery’s name is a nod to the Kensington Runestone — that famously contested slab of greywacke unearthed by a Swedish immigrant farmer in 1898, inscribed with runes claiming 22 Norwegians made it to central Minnesota in 1362. Whether or not you buy the legend, Alexandria has run with it for over a century (the town’s 28-foot Big Ole Viking statue is right downtown), and the Bredeson family’s Bold North Cellars leaned all the way into the heritage when they decided to add a brewery to Minnesota’s largest winery. Head brewer Keith Hefley, a veteran of Colorado’s Gunnison Brewery and Duluth’s Fitger’s, came north to lead the operation with a clear remit: brew like a Scandinavian, but use the vineyard out the back door whenever the inspiration strikes.

The taproom is the centerpiece. Modeled on 12th-century Viking architecture, the longhouse has a steep pitched roof and extended eaves, walls clad in reclaimed wood from a 200-year-old church, and a massive two-sided stone fireplace that anchors the entry. Hand-painted shields, each dedicated to a local business, hang above the bar. Timber framing soars up to a loft; small diamond-paned windows let in slivers of Minnesota light. Step outside and you’re loose on Carlos Creek’s 160-acre estate — vineyards rolling toward the horizon, bocce courts, garden chess sets, and shaded tables scattered across the lawn. Summer brings Jack’s Public House (an outdoor bar) and Friday-night live music; tucked into a side wing of the brewery, Stoke Pizza Kitchen slings wood-fired pies that pair with whatever’s in your glass.

The brewing program runs on three pillars: Craft Lagers (precise, time-honored techniques inspired by the brisk latitude), Adventurous Ales (a modern approach built on simple, real ingredients — including Kveik-fermented farmhouse ales and Finland-malted hazy IPAs), and Original Blends (the experimental wing that leverages the winery next door through co-fermentation, wine/beer hybrids, and wood-aged sours). A typical visit means 10 to 16 beers on tap with rotating seasonals like Crushed — a lager fermented in the coolship with Frontenac Gris grape skins fresh out of the press during harvest. It’s the kind of beer you simply cannot make unless you share an address with a working vineyard, and it’s the clearest expression of what makes 22 Northmen unlike any other brewery in the Upper Midwest.

Plan for a full afternoon. 22 Northmen is one head of a multi-headed beverage hydra — beer in the longhouse, wine in Carlos Creek’s tasting room next door, Big Bruno hard cider on tap, and the Sizzle Food Truck rolling through in warmer months. It’s emphatically family- and dog-friendly, with enough outdoor space that even peak summer weekends rarely feel crowded. Time your visit around one of the property’s signature events — the Grape Stomp Festival each fall pulls 15,000-plus people, and Oktoberfest brings out the full Viking treatment — or simply pick a Friday evening, claim a shady patio table, and let the lagers do the talking. Few breweries in the Midwest can offer this combination of place, program, and sheer Scandinavian theater.