Headed "up nort" last week before many Minneopolitans did, pulling their boats and campers. I think I've discovered the secret of Labor Day weekend. Head north before the masses, return home for a staycation. This report was typed by an everyday beer-lovin' schlub. Your mileage and experience may vary. Our "on tap" stops included the Anchor Bar in Superior, a must stop. My wife and I had each had a great burger and fries, and they asked the silly question "would you like a small or large beer?" The towering, massive mug of Summit was a whopping 32 ounces of hoppy goodness, priced at a meager $4.00. A great, nautical themed dive bar that you should make a point to stop at, if you haven't yet. We also stopped at Fitger's where I had a couple of El Nino's, a tasty pale ale and their wild rice burger. I actually passed on having any growler fills,until I could check out the bottle shops first. I hit Keyport Liquors in Superior. Grabbed some New Glarus SCREAM, a few singles of Bell's Mars and Oracle,which never last a day in the Cities. I then stopped at Cashwise and Warehouse Liquors on the MN side back in Duluth. At Cashwise, they had the bomber bottles of Sierra Nevada beer camp priced at 16.99. They will sit there until they turn into vinegar, or an employee realizes they've been priced like the 12 pack. They also had Black Butte at a reasonable 13.99 still on the shelf. A few Twin Cities stores have Surly Furious for 7.99, but the trip north raises the price by a tad over 3 bucks. Yes, we are spoiled down here. Warehouse Liquors was a great stop. Mid-afternoon, the beer-geek employee had plenty of time to chat. They had BOTH Bell's MARS and Oracle sixers on the shelf...crazy. They also had bombers of Borealis Fermentary,one of the few places that does. A worthy stop for sure. You may now resume your normal, beer-centric programming.
I'd recommend hitting up the Thirsty Pagan in Superior next time. They have a great atmosphere, very friendly staff, huge beer selection, and reasonable prices. Didn't have time for pizza, but I hear it's really good.
Pagan has real good lunch specials now, very dead at that time so it is an awesome time to go. We didn't see any Sierra Nevada Double IPA beer camp bombers in Superior, friggin Cash Wise always jacks up the prices. Mount Royale is the store to go to in Duluth IMO. I do enjoy Warehouse for imports though, they like to price jack on special releases (every Surly bomber is like $25 or a little less)
^ That. The Anchor is a draw in and of itself -- the burgers and atmosphere are worth the trip, alone. "Thirsty Pagan" a.k.a. "Twin Ports" has always been just "okay" from the beer standpoint but yeah: Great atmosphere, good food. Did you get over to any of the new breweries, Barry?
Chaz- When you take the wife (even though she is very beer-friendly) you need to carefully balance HER sights/destinations with yours. We hit Bent Paddle for one (I should have planned it better to be there when the food trucks rolled in that night) and I mentioned Castle Danger, but thats as far as I got. Thats cool that Thirsty Pagan is open earlier. I'd stopped there a half dozen times in years previous, and had to decide whether I'd wait until 4 to get my fix. And now that I've tried my elusive Bell's beers, I'm realizing they aren't as good as Hopslam. Thats a pretty high standard to reach though.
Was up last weekend moving my son to UMD. Best food I had was at Northern Waters Smokehaus - fantastic! Best beer was MN Nice on cask @ Fitgers. Excellent with the fish tacos! Also agree Warehouse Liquors.
I was up at Thirsty Pagan a few weeks ago. Their beer is pretty fucking good now. The pizza is as amazing as I remember it.
Bump... Thanks for all the Thirsty Pagan recommendations! Excellent pies, and the Berliner Weiss was outstanding. I would actually have to put it ahead of Fitgers in the must stop when in Duluth column, for overall atmosphere and value.
Has anybody seen Schell's Dawn of the Aurora for sale recently in either Superior or Duluth? I have to go up there tomorrow and would like to grab a few bottles of it. If anyone up there has leads, please let me know. Thanks.
