Looking for your top Downtown St. Paul Drinkeries

Do yourself a favor and take a very short taxi ride to The Happy Gnome. Once there, walk a few blocks to The Muddy Pig if you want a 2nd option.

 

I would strongly second that comment.

 

To skip the Taxi-Great Waters is downtown, 2.50 taps for HH. Bulldog also has a good selection. They had Surly Syx on saturday, apparently they have had it on for a few weeks! Burger Moes on 7th has a decent selection as well

 

You do have a couple options within walking distance from where you are staying. Amsterdam Bar, at 6th and Wabasha has about 25 taps. It features mostly Dutch and Belgian beers, but has a smattering of good craft taps, and they have live music at night. A block over, on St. Peter Street, between 6th and 7th is a fine brewpub, Great Waters. They have 3-4 cask beers and 4-6 cold ones, all house-brewed. Down on West 7th Street, just past the X-Cel hockey arena, are a bunch of sports bars, the best of which(for beer)is Burger Moe's, with about 40 taps. The Happy Gnome and The Muddy Pig are worth the trip. The Gnome has 77 craft beers on tap, and the Pig has 49, and they typically overlap on 10-15 taps, leaving a LOT of different choices. Both are a bit expensive, as neither has a happy hour. Hope this helps.

 

Senor Wong doesn't have a huge selection but always a couple tasty ones, mostly local. Sawatdee has delicious Thai food and multiple Surlys, but nothing much else. Black Sheep has a nice $3 for all happy hour, only craft on tap, sometimes great stuff depending on luck. Bulldog is in lowertown but good beer, good food.

 

Bulldog is a great choice, but will be packed that night due to the Concrete and Grass festival going on right outside its front door in Mears Park. Amsterdam Bar and Hall is a fun joint with a pretty good draft selection, as stated, Belgian/Dutch with a smattering of American craft offerings. Also, live music. It gets loud. Great Waters is a brewpub with a cask ale niche. All in all a pretty good place. By the Excel Energy Center on 7th St there are some ok options. Eagle Street has a decent draft selection and good bar food. Burger Moes has a rather large selection, worthy but not mind blowing. Then there is the Muddy Pig and the Happy Gnome. World class beer bars both. Huge draft selections, with lots of turn over on the product. From downtown both are walk able but said walk is mildly taxing. Downtown is at the bottom of the bluff, the Pig and the Gnome are on top of the bluff. A cab ride would be relatively inexpensive and both bars are a short walk from each other.

 

I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the stuff on tap at Black Sheep and Senor Wongs. Worth checking out, and good food as well.

 

Oh yeah. Black Sheep has great pizza (coal fired New Haven style) and a well manicured draft selection (12 maybe). The space is below street grade and very industrial. It has a large bar and is pretty chill. Senior Wongs is also nice. Another well thought out draft selection (12 drafts?) The bar has a kind of cocktail lounge feel.

 

Happy gnome and muddy waters are close to each other. Steak tartar at the gnome is the kitties titties!

 

Besides having absolutely killer pizza, Black Sheep always seems to have at least 2 really good beer geek selections among their 12 taps.

 

I believe you meant to say that Happy Gnome and Muddy PIG are close to each other

 

As of last night, The Happy Gnome had Cantillon Rosè De Grambinus, GI Dominique, Surly Five, Deschutes Black Butte XXIV, and many, many more. The 1.5 miles it takes to get there is well worth the effort. Here is the phone number for a Saint Paul cab service, (651) 222-4433. You won't regret it.

 

Happy Gnome and Muddy Pig are worth the small cab fare. If you stay downtown, try Bulldog.

Burger Moes has a good beer selection but in my opinion the burgers are terrible so eat someplace else.