Here are the Twin Cities Breweries that will Swap Your Beer Pack Carriers for Free Beer

We took to Instagram over the weekend to ask which Twin Cities breweries are trading 4- and 6-pack PakTech carriers for free beer.

Back in 2018, The Growler published an article explaining why the state of Minnesota would not be recycling PakTech carriers despite the carriers being made of 100% recyclable material. A couple months ago, various Minnesota breweries started jumping on the recycle bandwagon, offering free beer to anyone who brought in the 4- and 6-pack carriers. For a while, social media was abuzz with posts from breweries and craft enthusiasts swapping the beer can toppers for free beer. And then the buzz died down, and we forgot who was accepting the carriers entirely.

This last weekend, we dug our own collection of PakTech carriers out of the kitchen cupboard they’d been storing away in and took to social media to ask our friends and followers for a reminder of which breweries would take them. Eager to know for themselves, some of our followers asked us to share what we found out.

So, in no particular order, here are the Twin Cities breweries we know of that are accepting 4-and 6-pack PakTech carriers and trading them out for a beer (or not).

Able Seedhouse & Brewery (NE Minneapolis)

Five toppers get you a free beer at Able.

View this post on Instagram

Recycling is radical. So is FREE BEER. Bring in five or more 4- or 6-pack @PakTech carriers to our taproom and we'll buy you a beer. Thanks for doing your part! We're proud to be working with @PakTech and our pals at Lagersmith to encourage the collection and recycling of your plastic can carriers! Many of us Minnesotans were shocked, and maybe a little irritated, to find out that the PakTech 4- and 6-pack holders most Minnesota breweries use are not recyclable in our state. Last year, the @Growlermag revealed that Minnesota recycling centers were unable to recycle PakTechs, being cited as a sorting issue. Well, we're skirting their sorting process to get this plastic reused! Our good friends at Lagersmith are helping us gather up your used, clean PakTech carriers. From there, Lagersmith will arrange a large drop to our local recycling center. That's it. Simple stuff! Gather up your PakTechs and bring them in. Your cold beer awaits you. #mnbeer 📷: @bethcath

A post shared by Able Seedhouse + Brewery (@ablebrewery) on Aug 13, 2019 at 11:01am PDT

Bauhaus Brew Labs (NE Minneapolis)

Five toppers earn you a free beer at Bauhaus Brew Labs.

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ICYM the announcement last month, we’re recycling PakTech holders on site at the Haus! Bring five or more PakTechs down to the brewery and we’ll give you free beer in our taproom. #beerrecycling 📸: @eatdrinkmpls

A post shared by Bauhaus Brew Labs (@bauhausbrewlabs) on Sep 18, 2019 at 4:30pm PDT

Tin Whiskers Brewing (St. Paul)

Five toppers earn you a free beer at Tin Whiskers.

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Got a stack of pesky PakTechs lying around? We'll get them recycled for you! Though not recyclable through normal means in Minnesota, we're collecting used ones to send back to PakTech for proper recycling. Bring in 5 or more and get a BOGO beer on us! . . . #mncraftbeer #mnbeer #tinwhiskers #lowertownbeer #mysaintpaul #beerstagram #instabeer #beerme #brewery #taproom #craftbeer #beer #drinklocal #localbeer #beerlover #beergeek #beernerd #beersofinstagram #lovebeer #brew #onlyinmn #paktech #recycle #reduse #reuse #recycling

A post shared by Tin Whiskers Brewing Co. (@tinwhiskersbrew) on Oct 13, 2019 at 5:35pm PDT

56 Brewing (NE Minneapolis)

Bring any recyclable topper of any color and size and get $2 off a 56 Brewing crowler. Bring in 20 toppers and get a crowler for free.

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Have recyclable 6pk carriers laying around? Do you like cheap beer? Well then do we have a deal for you. Bring your recyclable 6pk toppers to the taproom, and we'll hook you up.

A post shared by 56 Brewing (@56brewing) on Oct 10, 2019 at 1:43pm PDT

Indeed Brewing Co. (NE Minneapolis)

Four toppers earn you a free beer at Indeed Brewing Co.

Utepils Brewing (Minneapolis)

Utepils Brewing will accept your toppers but doesn’t trade for free beer.

Modist Brewing Co. (North Loop Minneapolis)

Modist Brewing will accept your toppers but doesn’t trade for free beer.

Those are the Twin Cities breweries we know of that will trade your PakTech carriers for a free beer (or just accept them). Did we miss any? Let us know in the comment section!

(Header image shot by @bethkath and posted with permission of Able Seedhouse & Brewery)