Minnesota Monthly's Rhythm & Brews festival returns to Plymouth's Hilde Performance Center next Saturday, September 19, from 3 to 7 p.m., bringing four hours of unlimited craft beverage sampling and live local music to the western Twin Cities suburb. General admission tickets cost $45 and are restricted to guests 21 and older, with each ticket including a commemorative tasting glass for unlimited pours.
The festival marks its fifth annual edition, according to Minnesota Monthly, which established the event to pair regional craft beverages with live local music. Jerrod Sumner, representing Minnesota Monthly, joined KARE 11 Saturday to preview the event, describing it as a beer-tasting gathering designed for everyone rather than just self-proclaimed beer experts. During the segment, Sumner also walked viewers through the proper technique for tasting beer.
What's Pouring and Who's Playing
This year's lineup includes unlimited samples from Castle Danger Brewery, Lift Bridge Brewery, J. Henry & Sons, Earl Giles, Señorita THC Margaritas, and Surfside, spanning traditional craft beer alongside seltzers, canned cocktails, and hemp-derived THC drinks, per the same report from Minnesota Monthly. Food vendors on-site include Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks and Safeside BBQ, and event attendees can purchase food throughout the afternoon, according to KARE 11's coverage.
Live entertainment on the amphitheater stage will feature sets from Minnesota-based acts Bethany Larson & The Bee's Knees, Alexander Natalie, and Colin Bracewell, the outlet's report notes. The festival also doubles as the stage for Minnesota Monthly's Best of Beer Competition, in which industry entries are judged across craft beer, seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and THC/CBD beverages, according to Greenspring Media, the parent publisher of Minnesota Monthly.
From Ballpark to Bandshell
Rhythm & Brews wasn't always a Plymouth fixture. The event previously took place at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul in 2023 and 2024 before organizers relocated it to Plymouth's Hilde Performance Center for its fourth edition in 2025, according to Bring Me The News.
The venue itself is something of a local landmark. Hilde Performance Center features a 45-foot-tall open-air bandshell designed by the architectural team behind Minneapolis's Lake Harriet Band Shell, complete with a glass rear wall framing Plymouth's natural wetlands, according to Explore Minnesota. The City of Plymouth has been leaning into the space's potential this year, launching Hilde Amplified this past summer — a multi-day ticketed concert series featuring national headliners including Third Eye Blind and Brett Young, as reported by CCX Media.
Rules at the Gate
Festival organizers strictly enforce a 21-and-over admission policy that excludes infants, children, and pets, and every guest must present valid government identification for entry regardless of the name on the ticket, per Minnesota Monthly's event guidance.
The festival's expanding lineup of seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and THC beverages arrives as the broader craft beer industry faces headwinds. The Brewers Association's 2025 production report found U.S. craft beer volume declined 4% overall last year, with 60% of craft breweries reporting production decreases — a trend mirrored in taproom closures and market shifts across Minnesota, according to the Brewers Association's data.
