Pig Minds Brewing

A must stop every time we go visit our folks in Minnesota. Love.

Good beer, good food. Only brewery serving vegan food in the whole US. Good atmosphere.

Had 3 different in house brewed craft beers… all amazing. And despite the name including pig… for a vegetarian place I totally dig it… really cool recipes… I recommend the jalapeño boats! It’s a PB&J combo w fried jalapeño that sounds absurd but totally works! Cheers! Will be back!

Great food. One of those places with a fun twist on normal food. The dark chocolate stout was awesome.

Pig Minds opened up shortly after I moved out of Rockford, so I never quite made it in until recently. The space is very cute, standard brewery/​restaurant feel. The server (or is he a bartender?) greeted us right away, was super friendly, and treated us like friends. When I said that I prefer dark beers I expected him to make a suggestion, but he brought over three samples and went over them all with me. And yeah, the food is all vegan, but don’t be shy. Try something. They know what they’re doing here. Dad and I shared the two taco choices, agreeing that the «pork» flavor was great, but the fried avocado texture was better. The sweet potato wedges weren’t cooked to my liking, but I ate plenty of them so how can I complain? Dad forgot the mac n cheez would be vegan, said it tasted kind of weird, but he ate most of his as well. Even if you are not interested in vegan food, the beer is excellent with a good variety of choices. Ask Jake what to get, he’ll set you up.

Pig Minds was on our way home from Devil’s Lake and a convenient stop due to its proximity to I39. We visited as a family at dinner time and brought a hunger after climbing for a few hours at the aforementioned stop. I was happy to see a stout on tap who’s name I can’t recall, but very much enjoyed. Getting on to the food, we’re very far from vegans but I can’t fault the place for doing their own thing. I tried the Pig Mind ‘burger’ which wasn’t bad. My wife had the nachos which were okay. The service was fast and with a smile and hopefully wasn’t too upset after my son knocked over not one, but two full glasses of lemonade. Can’t say I’d come back as I just can’t stomach the vegan life, but I wish them all the luck.
Cheers.

I love this place. The food is so great, the beer is really good, and the ambience is relaxed hipster; a very unique place for the more rural area. My favorite things there are the avocado tacos and onion rings. Definitely worth the trip :)

I love going to pig minds. The staff is super friendly. They re opened the kitchen for us when we got there because we showed up after the kitchen normally closes which was awesome. They have some delicious beer and all the brewing equipment is in the restauraunt, pretty sweet. The food is delicious. They have a good selection of delicious munchie foods all vegan so you wont feel like crap eating and drinking. During the summer they open the outdoor seating area which is super cool too. Its a mile or less outside of the city so you dont deal with traffic getting in and out of there & when you eat outside its peaceful, no cars zooming by the entire time. Over two thumbs up for sure.

After taking a beautiful walk through Rock Cut Park, what do we all need, want and desire?
Food and a tasty alcoholic beverage. Right?!
So take a little drive and do yourself a HUGE favor: Go to Pig Minds Brewing!
All aspects of your taste buds will most definitely, thank you!
I had NO idea that there would be a brewery of yummy beers just down the road BUT in that same location would be a VEGAN RESTAURANT! Yes, you read this correctly, fresh brewed brewskies and Vegan deliciousness and a plethora of Veggie Love!
As you can see, the Food Menu is quite tasty, affordable, and creative…
With lovely sized portions and pure divinity in taste! *YEP*
With all this yummy to choose from, how the heck do you decide what to eat?
Let us please start with the BEST NACHOS I’ve EVER eaten!!!
Best Nachos Ever!
Not quite sure WHAT they do to these things but, eat it as a starter to your meal or a full on dinner. Loaded with Chili, Queso, Jalapenos, Black Olives, Tomatoes, Sour Cream and what tasted like a ton more… Never have I ever wanted to: lick the nacho plate clean. And folks remember, ALL Frickin Vegan. *WooHoo*
Now on this Sunday Football Funday, they had Wingz on special.
How can you pass up Vegan wings? Yeah, ya can’t!
This time around, we’re the Sweet Chile Wingz, with a side of Ranch and wowwee, they are a little piece of spicy, fake wing heaven. Throw some of that ranch on it to cool ya down and kaboom, pure Veggie Love.
Other items tried and not forgotten: THE BEST GARLIC FRIES with tons and tons of FRESH GARLIC. Perhaps meant to keep all vampires away or, anyone that you do NOT want to kiss. :) The Grilled Broccolini for ONLY 3 bucks and the House BBQ Wingz. #NomNomNom
Last but FAR from least, let us now switch gears and dive head first into the «Sweet Liquid», also known as AMAZE BALLS BEER they brew!
I had the Rudy’s Rasp. (Can you say, DAMN GOOD 5.5% abv, Rasbperry Wheat Ale Beer) It was pure «Sweet Raspberry Liquid» in a glass, that really did taste super fresh, sassy and paired smashingly with the BEST NACHOS and RAD WINGZ, period!
All the beers at Pig Minds Brewing are ready to be tasted! They are VERY affordable and come in a variety of sizes, glasses, and colors.
Did I happen to let you know that they DO have BEER FLIGHTS too? *Indeed*
Before I end this *swell* review, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible staff! Every time I’ve been to Pig Minds, the staff is beyond friendly, knowledgeable and all around like «hey, we should be friends» type of people.
So, never judge a book by it’s cover folks. Regardless of whether you’ve «poo-​pooed» vegan dishes before, YOU NEED to try Pig Minds and if for no other reason, go get YOUR DRINK ON and sample the very satisfying beer selection.
*Eating Out With A Girl* #EOWAG #EatingOutWithAGirl

This place is Awesome! The concept of a vegetarian place that brews its own beer is like heaven for an Indian guy! The menu is diverse with an assortment of tofu, seitan, and other non-​meat protein dishes that all aim to please. The best is the assortment of beers and the fact that the waiters and bartenders are actually knowledeable about the drinks they serve. Tell them the type of beer you like and they will get you the right sample.
The food is unique and sometimes you need to keep an open mind before trying it. Everything we tried we enjoyed and the variety of types of food makes it fun. The atmosphere is very hip with the brewery background and in the summer they have outdoor seating.
Overall, even if you are not a vegan I am sure you can find something to quench your thirst and fill your stomach and enjoy some good service and atmosphere.

Really nice people. Super laid back. 100% vegan (if you’re into that). 10 beers on tap (sadly no ciders).
We only tried the vegan cheesecake which was decent given there’s no dairy involved. An interesting menu otherwise. Wish they had some ciders to switch it up! The interior is really neat!

I live a few blocks away and thus have been here several times. Up until the last visit I never had a single beer I’d want to have again. Every time the beer has been just «ok» at best. I’m sure I’ve had over a dozen different.
However, on the recent visit I had «Rudy’s Rasp», a raspberry flavored beer, which was excellent. Normally I prefer plain beers, but this was great, and for that beer alone I’ll go back.
VEGAN ONLY: Others have noted this is a totally Vegan place, even if some of the menu items sound like meat. The Burger has no meat, the Wingz, the Chikin’, everything NO meat.
We ordered Sweet Potato Wedges. It was near closing, and I suspect the cook was cleaning out, as we got a huge order, too many for us two. Basically very thick slices the full width of a sweet potato, fried. Good, but I would not order them again. I really expected French Fried-​style thinner fries, but they were indeed WEDGES, or more accurately SLABS of sweet potatoes.
BONUS: If you want to try a beer, they will give you a small sample, free. They also have tasting samples of current beers.
Prices are reasonable on the beer
VERY LOUD, due to modern techno style of exposed duct-​work and beer tanks.

Just moved here and it’s great to find a brewery with a great line up of beers and not your typical food menu.
Pig Minds appeals to an even bigger crowd with their wide collection of beers. Though the menu may be different, they do it well. Top to bottom there’s options that can appeal to vegans or meat eaters.
Recommendations–
Beer– Sweep the Leg and Death Grip (when available)
Food– Truffle fries and Wings. (I’d pass on the Vegan ranch though lol)

Cute place tucked away from the main streets. Tripped upon them during their Octoberfest celebration so it was really crowded. The servers kept a positive attitude and worked hard to keep everybody happy. We are listening to a band that is pretty good.
The food is all vegan and was limited due to their party. We only had pretzels and chips. Not a fan of the vegan cheese sauce, but I like that they’re sticking with a theme that some may find off putting. Stop in and sample their wares, my favorite beer was the Fall for Revenge.

I was in Rockford for work so it was a no brianers to stop by here for a beer. I’m always a little skeptical when it comes to vegan food because usaully it is either horrible of incredibly tasty. This time I wasn’t diasppointed. One of my usual contentions with vegan/​vegetarian food is they sometimes give these foods the names of their meat counterparts. This sets you up to think you’re going that mimics the omnivorous version of the dish. Then you are flabergasted when it tastes nothing like pizza or a burger or whaterver.
In this case they nailed it. Their sloppy joe was smoky and sweet and had a nice kick from friery jalapenos. If you gave it to me I would have thought that it was made from beef. It was an incredibly tasty sandwich. I also had the fried pickles as an appitizer. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce for them but I really liked them.
As far as the beer goes I went with the sampler flight. You get to try all the beers they have on tap for $ 15 in 5 oz samples. In this case that was ten beers and that put me in the near impossible situation of having to finish 50 ounces of beer with my meal. I liked nearly all of their beers. I wasn’t a fan of the Farm On but I loved the Vanilla Bitch Slap and the Joe Daddy (which is brewed with locally roasted coffee).
It just may be worth the journey from Chicago every now and then if you happen to be a vegan.

I still can’t believe this place exists — but shit, dudes, I’m so glad it does.
I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time; 15 years? 16 years? Yeah, it’s 16 years. And it’s been a fun 16 years, contrary to what some of my more straight-​and-​narrow midwestern brethren might imagine. whenever I’ve traveled, m’lady and I research and track down the best vegetarian/​vegan spots we can. and you see a real spectrum, from the tippy-​top gourmet stuff to the uninspired, uninventive paradigm of veg cuisine that probably most out-​of-​the-​know folks would imagine us vegetarians eat («Uh, yeah, lemme get the steamed block of tofu with your finest water sauce drizzle?»).
To say that Pig Minds is serving up vegan fare within a more accessible scope of the spectrum — veg burgers, vegan buffalo wings, et al. — is obvious. But to, in Machesney Park, be churning out quality vegan amidst quality brews is motherfucking epic, in my opinion. I spoke earlier of oblivion/​ignorance toward vegetarian/​vegan cuisine — this, my friends, is a huge experiential leap for some folks, and I applaud Pig Minds for doing it in such a venue. The menu is fun and, as seeing from the reviews here, it’s the right type of vegan fare to bring your more traditionally-​minded bar food-​seeking patron to a new station of thought/​acceptance.
All of that said, m’lady and I proceeded to go all-​in and, in addition to their buffalo wings (ordered mild, but they were kind enough to bring me a cup of their hot sauce, too, which I practically drank with reckless abandon), then ordered a chik’n sandwich with, ahem, more buffalo sauce. M’lady had the Joe Daddy Coffee Stout and I opted for the double IPA, ‘Always the Hard Way.’ Both were awesome. Wish we could’ve done dessert, but shit, we were just stuffed to the gills.
As we ate, we dug seeing a large family group arrive — the cool as hell grandparents first, sitting and having an early afternoon beer, then presumably their kids, and their kids’ kids, all of whom settled in and had an awesome time. That, to me, was icing on the cake.
Vegan food + quality brews ftw.

This place is AMAZING, and such a pleasant surprise to find way out here! I started with the beer flight of 5oz samples of all of their drafts for only 15 bucks. My favorites were the coffee porter, which they brew with locally roasted coffee. I thought the vanilla bitch slap was interesting – not sweet, but definitely vanilla. I liked them all though, so I’d recommend the flight. It might be too much (50oz) for one person, but go for it if you have a ride!
Entrees we tried: BBQ porky, Korean BBQ tacos, and the black bean burger. I thought my dad was being boring with the black bean burger – because who doesn’t have one these days? – but it had a unique flavor and texture that I loved! The tacos were fantastic, well spiced and zingy. The BBQ porky was great, with a tasty sauce and toasted hoagie, but it didn’t compare to the tacos.
Sides: sweet potato fries were shoestring style and well-​seasoned. Chili was tasty, not too spicy, and had some fake ground beef which surprised me. My favorite side was the calico beans, which are 3 different types of beans in a baked beans-​esque sauce. Might’ve been my favorite part of the meal!

Pig minds is a one of a kind restaurant and a true gem that we are lucky enough to have in the stateline. I live in Chicago and I have not found a restaurant/​brewery that is better. The Asian chicken wrap is new and the BOMB!!! also the beer is amazing and I regularly bring my growlers and bring back for my Chicago friends. Favorite. Place. Ever.

Some of the best vegan food around. The beer is mostly OK but other than the excellent Joe Daddy coffee stout nothing special. A recent head chef change unfortunately lead to the removal of several great dishes.

As vegan who’s transitioned from Chicago to habituate Rockford, I was certain my food pickings were going to be slim.
That’s when I stumbled upon Pig Minds.
The entire restaurant is vegan! And no, vegan does not mean disgusting. They have everything from burgers to wraps, tacos to poutine, crab cakes to wings… the combinations are endless. I took some friends who are avid meat eaters to this place, and let me tell you, they were not disappointed. If you TRULY love meat, like, a pure-​meataholic, you might notice a difference in flavor; however, just open your mind a teensy-​bit and it’ll taste amazing.
Food:
I had the sloppy joe burger with a side of baked beans; it was messy, but full of flavor.
The wings appetizers are a MUST; they are warm and chewy, and have a beautiful side sauce.
If you’re in a tangy twist, I would go for the Korean BBQ tacos!
If you just want a classic, the Chicken sandwich is a the way to go. I also find Chicken to be a good transition from meat to fake meat, as it packs a similar consistency.
DESSERTS: I had the brownies, which really caused a foodgasm. It was so warm, gooey, and delicious! Just do it. DO IT.
Drinks: I don’t drink, but my friends all ordered some varieties of beers that they loved. Pig Minds brew their own ales, so it’s genuinely good (that was the resounding review). Also, they offer a smaller sized glass if you want to drink light, or are planning an «around the brew» evening.
I just found out that they put out a whole new menu, so I’ll probably be seeing some of you cool cats up there soon!