Scooter's Bar Journal » Minneapolis

Venn Brewing Company

scooterj — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 17:10:00 +0000

(Ericsson, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1760th bar, first visited in 2024.

I had a rather long layover at MSP, so rather than spend it in the airport I decided to look up the closest open brewery along the light rail line. This fit the fill, was open and located just a few stops north of the airport — in fact located right next to the station.

I had the Opulessence Orange Smash (imperial stout) and the No One Cares Brown Ale. And then, because I needed to kill just a little more time and this place is also a coffee shop, I finished off with a mocha latte before hopping the train back to the airport.

3550 E 46th St
Minneapolis, MN 55406
US
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+1 (612) 887-8366
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Surly Brewing Company

scooterj — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 17:10:00 +0000

(Prospect Park, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1637th bar, first visited in 2023.

I saved the biggest for last, with this being my only brewery to visit on this Sunday before heading to the airport.

It was actually supposed to be my second brewery today, I was planning to have brunch at a place called The Freehouse. But I overslept and didn’t have enough time to go get brunch if I was going to also make it to Surly. And perhaps that was for the best — because of a race being run that morning that cut off the direct routes to Surly, the Uber ride took a lot longer than it should have.

I had the Sydney Loves Kevin (Barrel-aged hazelnut stout) and the Port Barrel Aged Stout. I also grabbed a couple of bottles to go to take back home.

Since I missed out on my brunch, I started looking forward to Surly’s pizza that I’d heard so much about. Denied! Only brunch items here on Sunday morning. Unfortunately I’m too finnicky for nearly everything they had, so I just got some bacon to tide me over until the airport.

520 Malcolm Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
United States
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(763) 999-4040
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W XYZ Minneapolis

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:19:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1636th bar, first visited in 2023.

After returning to my hotel and getting settled in, I remembered that one should always make an effort to visit their own hotel’s bar. Since this would be my last night here, I headed back down the elevator to the lobby.

I had a Nevermore (oatmeal stout) by Rush River Brewing.

The bartender was a lot of fun and it was clear from the banter that at least some of the customers were regulars, something I don’t usually expect to find in a hotel bar.

900 S. Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55415
United States
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(612) 455-8400
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Otter’s Saloon

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:18:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1635th bar, first visited in 2023.

This tiny little karaoke dive bar was packed but a lot of fun, I’ll plan to come back here for a longer visit at some point in the future.

I had a Castle Cream Ale by Castle Danger Brewery.

617 Central Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
United States
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(612) 331-4169
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Whitey’s Old Town Saloon

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:17:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1634th bar, first visited in 2023.

When I was 10 years old, Navin R. Johnson (and his family) taught me “Don’t trust Whitey“. But this is an awesome looking dive bar and their online menu showed a cocktail I had been looking forward to for weeks while planning this trip, so I was absolutely going to take my chances!

Bartender: “What can I get for you?”

Me: “Oh, the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned. I came here specifically for that!”

Bartender: “Oohhhh, I’m sorry, you must have looked at our online menu. That is horribly out of date. We don’t have that anymore.”

NOOOO!!!! NAVIN WAS RIGHT!!!!! DON’T TRUST WHITEY!!!!

Bartender: “The espresso martini is pretty good.”

Me: “Ok, I’ll take that!”

Bartender: “Oops, we’re out of martini glasses. Is a wine glass okay?”

Me: “Sure, as long as it’s still the same amount.”

Don’t worry, Trey Westbrook, despite this being named “Probably The Best Espresso Martini In The Whole World”, yours is still better.

Other pics from this visit:

I was hungry but wanted something quick, so I got the fried walleye strips appetizer.

Technically this is a trough, but only if you and your very close friend are more slender than most. For those of us with BMIs over about 6, this is effectively just a wide urinal.

400 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
United States
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(612) 623-9478
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Insight Brewing

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:16:00 +0000

(Mid-City Industrial, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1633rd bar, first visited in 2023.

Because this place was a little out of the way and I had planned on several dive bars earlier in the day, this was on my “only if it’s not getting too late” list. But since I cut that earlier walking dive bar segment due to poor sidewalk conditions, it was still plenty early enough to make this stop.

I had the Banshee Cutter (golden ale) and the Brief Intermission (imperial stout with blueberry and cocoa nibs).

Because I did end up making the decision to come over this way, this wasn’t supposed to be my last brewery of the day. I was supposed to go to the nearby Headflyer Brewing next. But I completely spaced on it, skipping ahead a row when I booked my uber, and didn’t realized I’d missed one until several days later after I was already back home in Kansas City. This became even more annoying when I later realized my Uber away from here drove right by Headflyer, but I didn’t see it so was unable to holler for an unplanned stop.

2821 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 722-7222
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612Brew

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:15:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1632nd bar, first visited in 2023.

This brewery is one of several tenants in a larger commercial building, and the common restroom shared by them all must have had some abuse in the past because it’s now protected by an access code available in the brewery.

Much of the menu was stuff I just wasn’t in the mood for at that moment, so rather than getting a few small pours I opted for a full pour of Stout And About (a stout, duh).

This picture was specifically to remind me that yes, there is outdoor seating, but for obvious reasons no one was using it today:

945 Broadway St NE Suite 188
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 930-4606
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Bauhaus Brew Labs

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:14:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1631st bar, first visited in 2023.

Has the weather been better I’d have just walked here. But there was just too much snow on the sidewalks and road shoulders for me to do that today so I took an almost embarrassingly short Uber ride.

This is a massive German beer brewery with a huge indoor beer hall and a massive covered outdoor area that was getting a lot of use despite the weather.

Even with all that seating, there was no place for me to sit. I had to just kind of find a spot sort of out of the way to stand and drink my beer. Because of this, I opted to have just one beer: Mostly Umlauts (German chocolate stout).

Out in the parking lot three drivers were apparent morons and parked in such a way that created a third row, blocking one of the drive paths and completely boxing in three other vehicles. By the time I left one of those trapped vehicles had managed to escape after a properly-parked car across from it left.

I didn’t need to worry about the parking lot though, as from here it was a short walk to the next place.

1315 Tyler St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 276-6911
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Indeed Brewing

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:13:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1630th bar, first visited in 2023.

This was a massive brewery complex, much larger than I realized for the majority of my visit. I only found the other rooms at the end when i went to use the restroom before departing.

I had the Flavorwave IPA and the Mexican Honey Noir (Mexican dark lager with honey). The later was a substitution when a barleywine that I had been interested in was missing from the tap list. It turned out I should have asked — as I was leaving I saw someone ask for it and they got it. It must have been a special release that wasn’t on the board. Dammit.

Though I remembered to collect stickers as most places, this was the only brewery where I found a shirt in my size that I liked.

711 NE 15th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 843-5090
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Dangerous Man Brewing

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:12:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1629th bar, first visited in 2023.

This brewery is one that I planned to visit when I was here in 2016, but just never made it.

It was quite crowded, but I was lucky enough to find a single open seat at the bar. I had the Double Cream Coffee Dream (cream ale) and the Peanut Butter Honey Double Trifle Stout (basically a drinkable dessert).

There was a soft serve machine behind the bar that they use for certain beer drinks. Someone to my right ordered one, the bartender went over and looked at the machine, came back shaking her head, then got up on a stool and erased that item from the menu. So I didn’t get to see what that would have been.

1300 NE 2nd St
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 259-7283
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Fair State Brewing Cooperative

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:11:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1628th bar, first visited in 2023.

The last time I had a drink on this block, 1,464 bars ago in August 2006, it was directly across the street from here at a dive bar called Sully’s, and it was definitely quite the opposite experience from what I was visiting now. (Sully’s is now long gone, replaced by a Middle-Eastern bakery/grocery).

This would end up being my favorite of today’s breweries, and if I didn’t have such a long list planned I could have easily spent another hour here.

I had The Purpleest Tooth (imperial stout aged 21 months in port wine barrels) and You Can Have the Crown (imperial stout w/o adjuncts). I would like to have had quite a bit more but I’d have to end the day much much earlier if I did. Consequently, I also missed out on another hour’s worth of puns from one of the bartenders.

From here I revisited NE Palace (last visited August 2006, see that post for the updates). My plan from there was to then “re-visit” Stasiu’s, now known as Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room, from which my plan was to walk to Dangerous Man Brewing by way of Grumpy’s Bar, Jimmy’s Bar & Lounge, and Shaw’s Bar & Grill — all dive bars spaced roughly every 2 blocks along the way. Unfortunately most of the sidewalks had not been cleared and with all the slush I was running low on dry socks to change into, so I sadly decided to cut this walking dive bar crawl and uber directly to the next brewery. I’ll have to try this run again sometime when I’m here in better weather.

Like the previous brewery (which I forgot to mention in my recap of it), this is a co-op, meaning patrons can and do buy shares of ownership in the brewery. Hence this sign (“Drink Like You Own The Place”):

The beer garden was unusable due to the snow, this picture was just to remind me that they had one:

2506 NE Central Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55418
United States
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Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative

scooterj — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 17:10:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1627th bar, first visited in 2023.

Had I not rescheduled this trip from its original date of the first weekend of March, I wouldn’t have been able to visit this brewery as it wasn’t open yet. At the time of my rescheduled visit, this place had been open for about 2 weeks. It appears to be the first tenant in an old commercial building that’s in the process of being renovated.

8 to 10 inches of snow had fallen overnight, and getting the roads cleared was apparently taking a lot longer than usual according to the locals. Consequently it took me about 30 minutes to get my Uber ride here, something that had usually taken only a few minutes the previous two days. I got out of my car in one snow drift and had to cross another to get inside. Along the way I lost my glasses in the snow (I still had my sunglasses on so didn’t notice until I was inside and ready to change them) but amazingly was able to find them.

This new brewery is right on the bank of the Mississippi River, and while I was enjoying my beer a group was gathering for a tour event that was being delayed due to so many people running late due to the snow.

I had the Lavender Uprising (IPA infused with lavender), Sweater Weather (porter), and Down By The River (pilsner).

I was supposed to go to 56 Brewing next, but due to the long lead times to get rides (which is why I ended up getting a third beer here) I decided to cut 56 Brewing in favor of the portions of my itinerary that were clumped closer together.

If you look closely you can see the river out the back window. I would imagine that in the future when the weather allows, there will be some sort of outdoor seating here.

1712 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
United States
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(612) 440-4570
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Pog Mahone’s Pub & Grill

scooterj — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:20:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1626th bar, first visited in 2023.

With the blizzard beginning to come together within minutes after I returned to my hotel, it became clear I would need to find someplace for dinner within very close walking distance. Fortunately, this place was right across the street. My entrance surprised a handful of dining guests when they saw how much snow had accumulated on me just from crossing the street.

I had fish & chips for the second time today, and a Guinness.

903 S. Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55415
United States
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(612) 236-4724
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Lyon’s Pub

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:20:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1615th bar, first visited in 2023.

Since I now had a second wind, I decided to Uber over to a small cluster of bars I enjoy downtown. I considered Kieran’s Irish Pub since I hadn’t been to the “new” location yet but it was already closed, and debated Gluek’s next, but ultimately chose Lyon’s Pub since it was one I had not been to yet.

This was a lovely English-style pub. The bartender was very friendly, and steered me toward the Lyon’s Lager (brewed for this bar by Schell’s Brewery) as opposed to one of the traditional more commonplace beers I was about to order instead.

On advice of the bartender, after I was finished here I walked around to the block behind the building to see the Bob Dylan mural.

And since that in turn put me in the right direction to do so, I decided to revisit two other bars that I had visited the first time I came to Minneapolis in August 2006. The first, Brass Rail, was already closed quite a few hours ahead of its posted closing time. No worries, though, I could see the lights were on at Loon Cafe so headed there next. Door locked! Also a couple hours ahead of closing time. It was thunderstorming by this point so that possibly killed business, but still. This ruined my mood and I decided to stop wasting time walking around looking for something open and went ahead and got an Uber back to the hotel to call it a night.

16 South 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415
United States
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(612) 333-6612
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Pryes Brewing

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:19:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1614th bar, first visited in 2023.

After walking the past several breweries, it was back to an Uber ride for this one. I started to get a second wind here so I really had to restrain myself hard from ordering more than I did because there were so many interesting choices.

I had the Drops of Time (barleywine) and the Bourbon Barrel Aged Lost Moon (2022)(BBA imperial stount). There were at least 3 more on the menu I wanted but I had to force myself to be good.

It was too dark (and rainy) for me to tell for sure but I think the patio might overlook the Mississippi River.

1401 West River Rd N
Minneapolis, MN 55411
United States
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(612) 354-8041
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Modist Brewing

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:18:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1613th bar, first visited in 2023.

Modist Brewing reminded me enough of Fulton Beer that I had to double check to make sure I hadn’t wandered back to the wrong place by mistake. (Though that would have been a tough feat since Modist is right across the street from Bricksworth.)

I had the Honeycomb Catacomb (honey porter) and the Ritual Night (2022) (Mexican dark chocolate stout), and sadly that’s about all I remember about this place because I was pretty hammered.

505 N 3rd St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
United States
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(612) 454-0258
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Bricksworth Beer Co

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1612th bar, first visited in 2023.

I had picked this place out for dinner weeks before this trip because the pizza looked good and because of its location.

Along with my pizza I had the Trick Question, a DIPA, brewed by Bricksworth Beer. I didn’t even know until I saw it on the menu that they had their own beer.

BTW if you visit here immediately after 13 beers at 6 prior breweries and you get up to go use the restroom, leave a trail of breadcrumbs because the restrooms are not in the restaurant but elsewhere in the building and I got so lost coming back.

Apologies for the terrible patio photo — while I was having my dinner the weather changed form light rain to downpour and I couldn’t get water to stay off the lens.

305 N 5th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
United States
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(612) 886-1848
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Fulton Beer

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1611th bar, first visited in 2023.

I almost cut this brewery at the last minute because I was running out of stamina, but I’m glad I didn’t because I enjoyed this place a lot.

I had the Snow Emergency (stout) and Persistence (barleywine). I regret that I didn’t buy any merch here, but I did at least remember to get a sticker.

By the time I left it had started raining. Fortunately my next destination was only a couple of blocks away.

414 N 6th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
United States
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(612) 333-3208
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InBound BrewCo

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:15:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1610th bar, first visited in 2023.

After 6 (half pours) of double-digit ABV stouts at the previous three breweries, I was a bit off my game here so I don’t remember a whole lot about it apart from the two long parallel bar counters facing each other with the taps and bartenders in-between.

I had the Contains Bees: Peanut Butter Honey Blonde and a Thundersnow (Winter Warmer). Though I am now starting to wonder if I was poured the wrong thing instead of the Thundersnow, because nobody else with check-ins for that beer in the weeks before or after my visit mention it tasting buttery like it did for me.

701 N 5th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
United States
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(612) 294-0375
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Sisyphus Brewing

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:14:00 +0000

(Lowry Hill, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1609th bar, first visited in 2023.

To me this is a brewery with a comedy club in the back, I think to most everyone else that was here this is a comedy club with a brewery in the lobby. Whichever way you look at it, these were thick heavy beers I was drinking and I also got distracted watching a couple of dogs, so I spent more time here than I planned which put me back on track with my original schedule.

I had the Local Dawn (imperial stout) and the More Than A Trace (imperial stout aged in Buffalo Trace/Templeton Rye barrels).

712 Ontario Ave W #100
Minneapolis, MN 55403
United States
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(612) 444-8674
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LynLake Brewery

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:13:00 +0000

(Lowry Hill East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1608th bar, first visited in 2023.

This brewery is located in a former theater, and is two doors over from a bar that I visited in 2016. So if it was open back then, I’m sorry I missed it but at least I got to visit it now.

The TV was not on the ball game here, but I heard cheers erupt nonetheless and had to look up to see what was happening. It was the “TRUMP INDICTED” ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen.

Supposedly the burgers are really good here, but I was still full from my airport BBQ back in KC and besides I had a dinner place already picked out for a few hours later.

I had the Take 6 (American IPA), Rubbish Oat Amber, and the Shadows in the Dark (imperial stout).

2934 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
United States
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(612) 224-9682
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Eastlake Craft Brewery

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:12:00 +0000

(Phillips, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1607th bar, first visited in 2023.

This brewery wasn’t on my intended list because it was too far from the area I wanted to concentrate on today. But because I got off to such an earlier than planned start, I realized while I was at Finnegan’s that I had plenty of time to make a side trip here.

This was a slightly challenging brewery to find. It’s located in some sort of massive indoor marketplace, something I’ve seen in a couple of other cities but that we don’t have back home. The huge building had multiple entrances and the Uber driver had no idea which to drop me off at, so I just picked one figuring I’d find the place eventually. I ended up wandering around inside for several minutes before I finally found it. (Because of this, the exterior photo above was actually taken last, when I left.)

I had the Tsathoggua (don’t ask me how to pronounce that — an imperial stout) and the Tsathoggua Special Infusion Ancho Chile & Fudge

The Royals home opener game was on (or because of where I was, probably more accurate to say the Twins away opener game was on), and based on the amount of cheers that kept erupting I didn’t even have to look up to know that the Royals were getting their asses kicked.

920 E Lake St #123
Minneapolis, MN 55407
United States
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(612) 666-0422
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Finnegan’s Brewing Company

scooterj — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:11:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1606th bar, first visited in 2023.

Because I didn’t initially notice this brewery when I was planning this trip, I added it at the last minute as a possible first stop “only if I get to my hotel and get checked in before 5pm”.

Apparently it was meant to be, because:

My plane landed 20 minutes early.

I walked directly to baggage claim and the bags started coming down as soon as I got there.

My bag was the second one to come down the ramp.

My taxi encountered zero traffic on the way to the hotel.

Along the way I checked into the hotel through the app so walked straight to my room.

So, after getting unpacked and settled in, it was only 3:30 and I had plenty of time to add Finnegan’s!

I had the Irish Amber since that seems to be their flagship beer, and the Dead Irish Poet (Cork-style stout.)

817 S 5th Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404
United States
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(612) 208-3374
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James Ballentine VFW Post #246

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:20:00 +0000

(Lyn-Lake, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1154th bar, first visited in 2016.

(Also known as “Uptown VFW”)

It’s not often that a VFW shows up on nearly every list of must-see bars in a major city, so we had to make the side trip over there (walking down from CC Club) to see what the fuss was about.

This is definitely not like any VFW I have ever been to. It was huge, and I understand it had recently doubled in size.

We counted three rooms: the north end of the building had a band playing, the front of the south end was the main bar area (featuring a centralized island bar), and in back of that was another room up a ramp where karaoke was underway.

Most VFWs also don’t feature a beer list of their craft brews. I had a Farro Buckwheat Lager by Fulton Beer.

2916 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
US
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(612) 823-6233
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Donnie Dirk’s Zombie Den

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:19:00 +0000

(Hawthorne, Minneapolis, MN)
Formerly Stand-Up Frank’s

Scooter’s 1153rd bar, first visited in 2016.

I have a strict rule that I cannot count count a bar on this list if it’s sinply a new name/owner for a bar I have previously visited, unless the bar has changed so drastically that it would be unreasonable to say that they are indeed the same bar. This is the case here for what was Stand-Up Frank’s when I visited this very same building exactly ten years ago today.

Now painted black (had originally been red, then later lime green), the bar is decked out in a full on horror theme. “Grindhouse” was playing on TV.

If you sit in a booth there is no need to get up to place your order, each table has a phone that calls the bartender.

Failing to notice a tasty-looking gore-themed mixed drink on the menu until it was too late, I had a Hell Kitchen (pale ale) by Insight Brewing.

Note: It was much darker in here than my photos make it look, I had to enhance the lighting to make details visible.

The light switch for the men’s room is located outside the door, a fact which neither I not the man who was already in there had noticed (but I later remembered this from 10 years ago). Thankfully there was a large enough peeing surface that it would have been almost impossible to miss in the darkness. (Again, I enhanced the lighting on this photo, the light here is from a small red dim bulb and a street light outside.)

Make sure you never have to poop here, because it appears this chain across the stall is the only privacy you’re going to get.

2027 N 2nd St
Minneapolis, MN 55411
US
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(612) 588-9700
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Palmer’s Bar

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:17:00 +0000

(West Bank, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1151st bar, first visited in 2016.

My apologies for the poor outdoor photo, a torrential rainstorm began right as we paid our tab at Nomad World Pub and it didn’t let up until long after we were gone.

Over 100 years old and originally part of Grain Belt Brewing, but not always technically a bar. Has been operating as Palmer’s for about 50 years.

We picked this place because so many dive bar lists pegged this as the best of the worst, “really scary”, and so forth among dive bars. But it wasn’t anywhere close to being my worst or scariest, and in fact the large craft beer selection almost disqualifies it from me calling it a dive.

I had the “Rout” Brown Ale by Lupine Brewing.

500 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
US
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(612) 333-7625
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Nomad World Pub

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:15:00 +0000

(West Bank, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1150th bar, first visited in 2016.

This wasn’t originally on our list but the bartender at The Local (who also works here) recommended it. In addition to a stage in the back, I noticed a bank of pinball machines and a chandelier make of Heineken bottles. They had just opened for the day and I think we might have been the day’s first customers.

They had quite a bit of craft beer to I mark this as a dive with a little bit of hesitation.

I had Sweet Child of Vine (English IPA) by Fulton Beer, and Furious (American IPA) by Surly.

501 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
US
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(612) 338-6424
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Gluek’s Restaurant & Bar

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:15:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1149th bar, first visited in 2016.

Nice German restaurant / beer hall with a small sidewalk patio. As we approached we noticed a number of people walking around in Royals gear, and soon discovered that the Royals were in face going to be playing the Twins in a couple of hours just a block away. (We opened to stick with our original barhopping plans, however.)

We had a delicious “sausage flight” for lunch. As for the beer, they brew their own, and I enjoyed their 4-ounce beer mugs that allowed me to try more varieties. I had their IPA, their Red, and their Golden Lager.

16 N 6th St
Minneapolis, MN 55403
US
[launch map]
(612) 338-6621
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The Local

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:14:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1148th bar, first visited in 2016.

Beautiful and large Irish pub in the heart of downtown with a big sidewalk seating area. I was disappointed to see I didn’t take more pictures inside.

I had the Finnegan’s Irish Amber (red ale).

931 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
US
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(612) 904-1000
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Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:13:00 +0000

(Nordeast, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1147th bar, first visited in 2016.

New incarnation in a new location, so ten years later, to the day, I get to claim it again! Large tiki themed restaurant & bar with a large patio overlooking the Mississippi River.

I had the Sky-Five! (IPA) by Bauhaus Brew Labs, and also learned that in certain cases bacon-wrapped little smokies in a brown sugar glaze do taste good.

1900 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 788-9069
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Betty Danger’s Country Club

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:12:00 +0000

(Nordeast, Minneapolis, MN)
Formerly Psycho Suzi’s

Scooter’s 1146th bar, first visited in 2016.

Kitschy to borderline bizarre country-club themed bar, complete with event space, a restaurant, indoor and outdoor dining/drinking, mini golf, a rooftop goat, and a ferris wheel where you can enjoy drinks/food with a spectacular view of the city. Naturally, we had to go for a ride!

I had the Coffee Bender (brown ale) by Surly.

2501 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 315-4997
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Cuzzy’s

scooterj — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 17:10:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1145th bar, first visited in 2016.

Downtown dive bar, plastered with dollar bills, that opens early for breakfast. I had pancakes and Wild Burnette (brown ale) by Barley John’s Brewing. We were pretty hung over from the previous night and neither of us could finish our breakfast or even our drinks.

507 N Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 339-6211
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Town Hall Brewery

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1144th bar, first visited in 2016.

This wasn’t a planned stop as we had thought it closed at 11pm on Thursdays, but when we passed by the door on our way back to the hotel we found it still open (turns out until 1am on Thursdays) and went on in. I had their Black H2O Oatmeal Stout and also most of AJ’s Hefeweizen.

1430 S Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55454
US
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(612) 339-8696
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The Corner Bar

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

44.972875, -93.247651

Scooter’s 1143rd bar, first visited in 2016.

Spacious sorts bar with an attached comedy club. Large rectangular central bar island. I had the Bent Paddle Black Ale.

The daytime picture was taken from our hotel room.

1501 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 339 4333
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Maxwell’s American Pub

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:15:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1142nd bar, first visited in 2016.

Small, popular restaurant + bar. As with most places we visitied in the Twin Cities, it was bustling. I had a Grain Belt Premium.

1201 S Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55415
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(612) 354-7085
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Day Block Brewing Company

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:14:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1141st bar, first visited in 2016.

Local microbrewery across the street from the hotel we were originally supposed to stay at before a transformer blew. I had their Frank’s Red Ale and grew sad that I’d already eaten when I noticed a pizza on their menu made with ghost peppers.

1105 S Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55415
US
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(612) 617-7793
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Republic

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 1140th bar, first visited in 2016.

Craft beer bar with a good selection of local beers. I had fish & chips, which were good, but I regretted it when I discovered that the next bar I went to had ghost pepper pizza.

I had the Shake Chocolate Porter by Boulder Beer, and the Rainmaker (red ale) by Steel Toe Brewing.

221 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
US
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612) 338-6146
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Broadway Pizza

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:25:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 173rd bar, first visited in 2006.

Pretty good pizza. More of a family restaurant — the railroad theme gears it to kids, but it did have a bar.

2025 W River Rd
Minneapolis, MN 55411
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(612) 529-7745
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Legends Cafe

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:24:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 172nd bar, first visited in 2006.

This place was big, really big, and featured a patio at one end. Brandon did some exploring and found a game room downstairs, so we took our beers down there and played some darts. We went back upstairs to the bar and after I finished my beer I went to the restroom. When I returned I spotted Brandon at the far end of the place talking to someone at another smaller bar. He waved me over and we went out on the patio where we talked to two people about our trip. We were hungry for pizza and asked them for suggestions, and the place they most recommended was Broadway Pizza. They were trying to give directions but we weren’t even 100% sure where we were, but then they mentioned the caboose. I had seen it earlier in the day and knew exactly where it was. So off we went.

825 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
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(612) 331-8781
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Nye’s Polonaise Room

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:23:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 171st bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a multi-room place — originally had been one small bar but the owner had gradually bought the adjacent buildings and tacked them on. This was a polka bar and the band was setting up when we arrived. Unfortunately this bar continued our downfall, as for some reason and we do not know what, Brandon and the bartender got off on the wrong foot. The exchange began something like this:

Bartender: “What can I do for you?”
Brandon: “Two Bud Lights, please.”
Bartender: (in a snappy tone) “Well then you had better have some ID on you.”

The relationship deteriorated from there despite several attempts to patch it up. Several times the bartender came and stood right next to us watching us drink, making us rather uncomfortable. Then finally he started telling us about the building and we thought maybe he was finally warming up to us, until he encouraged us to take our drinks to the piano bar in the back. Just trying to get rid of us. We still have no idea what we did.

112 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
US
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(612) 379-2021
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Elsie’s Bar & Restaurant

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:22:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 170th bar, first visited in 2006.

Elsie’s is either a bowling alley with a separate bar and restaurant, or it’s a restaurant/bar with a bowling alley in the back. In either case this was a pretty nice place and we were surprised that no one was bowling when we first arrived. (By the time we left quite a few people were bowling.) This place was also the start of my downfall. My Miller Lite came in a bottle and was very, very skunky. I didn’t want to say anything, though, and was trying to force my way through it. But by the time Brandon was nearly done with this draw I was only a third through my bottle at best. I got up to use the restroom and due to some weird acoustics I was able to hear Brandon mention my skunky beer to the bartender in perfect clarity. When I returned I had a fresh Miller Lite draw waiting for me. But the skunky taste of the bottle still weighed heavily on me so even though this beer was fresh and delicious, I was not quite able to finish it before we left.

729 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
US
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(612) 378-9702
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N E Yacht Club

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:21:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 169th bar, first visited in 2006.

Based on the name I assumed this would be some sort of high brow place but it turned out to be a classic style dive with cheap beer.

801 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
US
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(612) 378-1740

Scott’s 1029 Bar

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:20:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)
Formerly Laura’s

Scooter’s 168th bar, first visited in 2006.

Originally a sports bar, local police started hanging out so the theme switched to a police bar. Now police from all over come here. Police memorabilia adorns the place, including the door of a police car donated by New Orleans police as a gift in thanks for help during Katrina. But that’s not the only kind of decor. The ceiling is covered with bras hanging from nails. For whatever reason, the bartender did not know why, women seem to like taking their bras off here so they hang up all the bras that women donate.

Notable in the news for being busted by ASCAP –for having karaoke on September 6, 2007, without paying royalties.

1029 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
US
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(612) 379-4322
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Johnny A’s 200 Club

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:19:00 +0000

(North Side, Minneapolis, MN)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Several drugs busts and a liquor license violation led to be being shut down in early 2008.

Re-opened in February 2010 as “Good Sports Bar and Grill”.

Scooter’s 167th bar, first visited in 2006.

They were definitely right. In the morning Gary was almost the only black person we saw in this neighborhood Now we were the only white people anywhere in sight. As we approached the rear entrance of Johnny A’s a guy tossed a crumpled napkin out of his car window. As we walked by Brandon pointed to the “No Littering” sign in front of him and said “Hey! The sign says ‘No Littering’!” “What the f%@$ did you say?” said the stunned driver. “I’m just messin’ with ya, man,” said Brandon and the two exchanged a laugh.

Johnny A’s was packed but we managed to get a couple of seats at the bar. Just like outside, we were the only whites in the place. Our bartender was pretty cool but we didn’t catch his name. After a while we walked over to watch some people play Silver Strike Bowling.

As we were sitting in front of Johnny A’s taking pictures I heard a woman say “Excuse me!”. I turned to look to find 7 angry people next to us. “Why did you just take a picture of my license plate?!?” Uhhh… uh…. “I didn’t,” I said, “We were taking a pictures of B.J.’s and Irv’s”. “No, I saw you, and you BOTH had cameras, you had them pointed straight ahead. “Only to see what we had taken pictures of. I swear, we were not taking pictures of license plates.” “Come on,” they said, “what in the world would you be taking pictures of bars for?” “We’re on a road trip,” I said, “and taking pictures of every bar we go to.” They apparently accepted this answer because they walked away. Brandon was pretty ticked about being singled out and scrutinized but I pointed out that they probably experience that every day.

Exclusive: Johnny A’s Busted

Johnny A’s owner talks about shutdown

When a bar becomes a nuisance

200 W Broadway
Minneapolis, MN 55411
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(612) 522-0894
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Stasiu’s

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:18:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room

Scooter’s 166th bar, first visited in 2006.

Home of the Duzy Sandwich. We did not get a Duzy Sandwich. We did use a very cool looking antique urinal. After spending a few minutes at the bar we adjourned to the game room to play some foosball.

2500 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 788-2529
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NE Palace

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:17:00 +0000

(Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN)
Formerly First Chance, Last Chance

Revisited 17 years later in 2023, scroll down for more.

Scooter’s 165th bar, first visited in 2006.

This place used to be called “First Chance, Last Chance” because it was the first chance for a drink if you were coming in to town and the last chance for a drink while leaving town. We were left alone for half an hour while the bartender stayed out on the patio (which featured a waterfall). We played several games of shuffleboard and attempted to play some pool but in our semi-stupor we could not get any balls to sink, so we gave that up. A drunk woman tried to dance with us and then later when we went to see the patio a guy out there told us a few choice things about that woman. Clearly they had been fighting.

The patio…

UPDATE! I re-visited on April 1, 2023. Everything below is from that visit.

The biggest change I noticed was all the flatscreens everywhere, including four behind the bar configured into one giant screen. The other change I noticed is that the pool table we offended in 2006 was nowhere to be found. I was worried I had remembered the pool table story wrong all these years (like attributing it to the wrong bar), but one of the regulars assured me there used to be a pool table and showed me where it was. I joked that after how badly my friend and I played on it in 2006 they probably took it out back and shot it.

Where this standalone counter is now is where the pool table was that we defiled 17 years earlier:

For most of my visit the “4 panels as 1″ screen was being glitchy, but a few minutes before I left someone worked on the settings and got the upper left screen back in synch.

2500 4th St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 788-2305
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Sully’s Pub & Restaurant

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:16:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Closed Jan. 31, 2007, due to smoking ban.

Scooter’s 164th bar, first visited in 2006.

When we planned our road trip to Minneapolis we compiled a list of around 100 bars we wanted to try, but knew we’d only be able to make it to a fraction of that.

We ended up making it to 35, but one place we made absolutely sure we visited was Sully’s. After all, how could we pass up a place that gets online reviews like these?

* “As a young woman, I was crazy to go in there alone. I am lucky I made it out of there not drugged or something. The staff is not very pleasant either.”

* “It’s way below a DIVE bar. Don’t bother checking it out.”

* “Watch your back while tossing down the real cheap beer”

* “Danger! Danger! Watch yourself! For those who crave excitement, check this place out. Drug deals in bathroom are a constant. ”

* “I wish giving this bar zero stars was an option. ”

* “Don’t wear your nice clothes, as you might get a little blood on them in the scrap you’ll find yourself in after a few too many rounds of Jim Beam.”

* “So put on your steel-toed boots and brass knuckles, and head on down to Sully’s. Where the men are men, and so are the women.”

* “Sully’s, where livers go to die. Truly a manifestation of end-stage alcoholism, this is the spot from whence the four horsemen of the apocalypse shall arrive to wreak havoc upon the earth as judgment day draws nigh.”

* “I simply cannot stress to you how god awful this place is. Horrific traumatic memories flood my mind and my senses are transported to its urine scented pint glasses and feces stained walls just thinking about it.”

* “A scummy dump. Every “patron” in here looks like a meth user/dealer. If you’re looking to get harassed or assaulted, this is the place for you.”

There was no way we were passing this up!

We arrived at Sully’s at 2:55 on an overcast Saturday afternoon. Like most places in Minneapolis (and I wish more places in Kansas City), parking was in the rear so we entered through the back door.

Because of the Minneapolis smoking ban there was no tobacco smell to mask the base odor of stale urine, faint remnants of vomit, and a faint but sharp odor that was reminiscent of the spray of a male cat.

We made our way down the narrow corridor to the large rectangular bar, where I ordered an Icehouse and my friend ordered a Bud.

We spied a Silver Strike machine and decided to play. My friend accidentally chose a female character so he made sure I did as well. I had never actually played before, so after losing the first game he gave me some pointers. I came back to defeat him for the next two games.

Meanwhile an intoxicated biker was trying to make song selections on the adjacent Internet jukebox but could not figure out how to use it. He asked for our help, so my cohort helped him find and play Still Loving You by the Scorpions as well as some Helloween, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. Eventually he decided he no longer needed help, and expressed this by grabbing my pal’s arm and pushing him away.

Despite this minor scuffle we were a little let down. This was not the diviest dive we have been to, and it wouldn’t even come close to being our scariest bar experience that day. (That would come about 3-1/2 hours later and will be the subject of a future post.) Still, this was a place that definitely met every single one of our dive bar criteria and was well worth the trip.

As we left the bar we were cornered by a pair of drug dealers in the parking lot. They were selling prescription drugs and were especially pimping their Vicodin.

“How much is that going for?” my friend asked.

“$2 a pill,” replied one of the dealers.

“Hmmmm…..” my friend paused as he feigned interest, “Naw, I’ll have to pass. I can get them much cheaper from the hospital I work at.”

As we climbed into the car I took a picture of the drug dealers to remember them by.

Sully’s was located in the Nord East area of Minneapolis, on the east side of Central just north of Lowry. Unfortunately it has closed, the smoking ban has been cited as the reason for it’s demise. As of this time we have been unable to confirm if another bar has re-opened in its place, and there is information that a neighboring food processing facility may have expanded into this location. It appears Sully’s is now just a memory.

2519 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 781-6658

Tony Jaro’s River Garden

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 163rd bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a rectangular bar with a sticky floor. We selected Iron Range Amber Lager because we liked the anvil on the tap. The bartender seemed unusually grateful for our tip. The restroom had an even tinier trough than the small one we had seen yesterday and sported a sign on the soap dispenser that read “All Employees Must Wash Genitals”.

Just before we left one of the customers wanted to watch ESPN but nobody knew what channel ESPN was on. “This must be a gay bar,” quipped Brandon.

UPDATE

Re-visited exact 10 years later to-the-day, on August 12, 2016. The outside had been spiffed up a bit but the inside was exactly as I remembered it. (Minus the “all employees must wash genitals” sign that apparently left with a soap dispenser upgrade.)

This time we had The Greenie, their signature drink for about the past century, that in 2016 we either didn’t know about or were too nervous to try. I don’t know what’s in it, but it cured both of our hangovers and we were ready for the day after finishing it.

2500 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 789-9728
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Psycho Suzi’s

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 162nd bar, first visited in 2006.

We arrived just as 200+ scooters started pulling in for a scooter party. We dashed inside to get our drinks before the bar would be overwhelmed. As we stepped inside we heard the bartender tell a server “Remember, they are not mopeds, they are scooters.” The bartender gave us the strictest ID check we had ever experienced, and my KS ID was extremely scrutinized. Only 1 drink at a time would be served per ID. The decor was very tikki – an island theme with bamboo and lots of Polynesian style sculptures and statues. The floor was covered with wood floor print carpeting.

2519 Marshall Streeet NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
US
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(612) 788-9069
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Dusty’s Bar

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 161st bar, first visited in 2006.

The bar was pretty busy so we sat at a table and the smell of Dago Burgers was mouthwatering. The Dago Burger is made from Italian Sausage and topped with Mozzarella. As an ATM was noisily installed nearby we played pull tabs (and lost) while waiting for our food. And it was well worth the wait. Dago Burgers are INCREDIBLE!

1319 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
US
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(612) 378-2118
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Halek’s Bar

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:12:00 +0000

(Nord East, Minneapolis, MN)

There is rumor that the new owner (a long-time bartender there) is being forced by the Halek family to change the name, the proposed name is “Ya Baby Sports Bar” after an inside joke between him and one of the regulars.

Scooter’s 160th bar, first visited in 2006.

A double-bar. Our beer tasted a little off. The bartender was chatting it up with some of the regulars and not behind the bar very much. A woman came in holding a dollar and Brandon noticed her glance at a hanging display of snack chips. He made a “standard amount” wager that she wanted Funyuns but I noticed some Gardetto’s snack mix just before Brandon did and went for that. But the bartender was not paying attention and the woman got frustrated and started to leave. So Brandon called to the bartender, and another patron caught on to what was up and called to him too. The bartender returned and the woman picked the snack mix. Score! We left and while we were outside taking a picture the woman came outside and said “I heard the big guy won a buck off me.” She then unlocked the building next door and told us not to let anyone in while she went back into Halek’s to get something.

2024 Washington Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411
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(612) 522-9866
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Stand-Up Frank’s

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(North Side, Minneapolis, MN)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Painted lime green, redecorated with a zombie theme, shows horror movies, and now called “Donny Dirks Zombie Den”.

Scooter’s 159th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a classic old building with a great age-worn bar that ran the length of the building. It featured a dark, ornate ceiling, antique cash registers, and the first coin-operated bumper pool table we’d ever seen. Brandon wanted to get a picture of the pool table but two people were using it as a table to read the paper. So Brandon went over to ask them if he could get a shot, and that’s how we met Gary and Laura. They were incredibly nice and told us about the neighborhood we were in and places we should check out later, including the stop were we would get lunch that we would have completely missed if not for them. They explained that these bars open early to serve third-shift blue-collar workers, and that by evening it would be an entirely different kind of crowd here. Gary bought us a shot of chilled Vodka that was really good but we could not finish — but apparently when you buy a shot here it comes with a refill.

2027 2nd St N
Minneapolis, MN 55411
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Irv’s Bar

scooterj — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:10:00 +0000

(North Side, Minneapolis, MN)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Killed by the smoking ban. All contents auctioned off May 14, 2007, the bar has since been converted into office space.

Scooter’s 158th bar, first visited in 2006.

This place has taps but they never use them — bottles only. The crowd was surprisingly good-looking for this time of day, we later learned from an overheard phone call that several had been out drinking until the bars closed, then gone to an all-night diner, then come here for the 8am-10am 3-for-1 early bird drink special. This was a square shaped bar and behind us was a small dining area and an enclosed outdoor patio. The kitchen offered a limited menu of inexpensive bar food including 3 burgers for a buck, but the kitchen didn’t open until noon and we didn’t have time to wait that long. The men’s room sported the classic ice-filled urinal trough.

201 W Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
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Kieran’s Irish Pub

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:28:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

MOVED – No longer at this location.
Moved to 600 Hennepin Ave, Ste 170, in March 2010.

Scooter’s 157th bar, first visited in 2006.

Big Irish-theme restaurant/bar downtown.

Though it was on our list we hadn’t specifically intended to come here, we were actually on our way back to the hotel. But we were lost and going the wrong direction, and really needed to use the bathroom.

This was our last stop of the night, as the beers in this area were too large and too pricey for us to continue our marathon. Plus, we had a big day of drinking ahead of us bright and early in the morning!

I wish I could remember more about this place, but we were pretty sloshed when we arrived. None of the pictures of the interior on their web site ring a bell at all!

330 2nd Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 339-4499
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Brass Rail

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:27:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 156th bar, first visited in 2006.

We had noticed a large group in a fenced area in front of The Gay 90s, a place we had assumed was a gay bar both from the name and the techno beat coming from inside. Brandon asked the bouncer at the place next door about that fenced-in crowd and he said it was a smoking area. Brandon then asked him where a good place was to get a beer and the bouncer said “right on inside here”. We stepped in and found this to be a gay bar with a stage and poles.

422 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 333-3016
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New City

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:26:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Went out of business sometime between 2007-2009.

Scooter’s 155th bar, first visited in 2006.

This place had several pool tables and we played a game or two. An upscale pool hall, actually.

25 N 4th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 332-6289
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Sawatdee Bar & Cafe

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:25:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Closed in March 2010.

Scooter’s 154th bar, first visited in 2006.

It’s funny… we remember this place for it’s funky name, but that’s all we remember.

118 N 4th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 373-0840
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Pizza Luce’ Downtown

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:24:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 153rd bar, first visited in 2006.

People ordering whole pizzas were directed to the left, people ordering by the slice were directed to the right. The guy in front of us in line had an open box of Skillet Helper with him. We each grabbed a big, tasty slice and had a beer.

119 N 4th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 333-7359
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Brothers

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:23:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 152nd bar, first visited in 2006.

Downstairs bar, next to “Refuge”. Square shaped bar. As we were chatting and getting rather lit, two young Asian people came in with a large camera. We didn’t pay much attention at first until there was a tap on my shoulder.

Them: “Excuse me, do you guys like White Castle?”

Us: “Yeah, in fact we had it today.”

Them: “Have you tried chicken rings?”

Us: “Yes, today, for the first time, and we loved them!”

Them: “Great! Here are some coupons for some free rings and sliders.”

Us: “Thanks! We’re from Kansas City and they closed all of our White Castles so we’re glad you have them here.”

Them: “In that case, here’s a whole pile of coupons, get as many as you can before you go home.”

Us: “Wow, thanks!”

Them: “Mind if we take your picture for our promotional materials?”

They then snapped our picture and had us sign releases.

430 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
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(612) 333-8100
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Loon Cafe

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:22:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 151st bar, first visited in 2006.

These were the most expensive draws of the night, $11 for 2 Miller Lites! I can’t even imagine what it would have been for imported beer.

500 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55403
US
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(612) 332-8342
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Champps Sports Bar & Cafe

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:21:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 150th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a cool stop — a long outdoor bar in an alley. Mary was our bartender. We then found, while trying to locate the restroom, that this alley bar was actually part of a much larger indoor bar.

100 N 6th St
Minneapolis, MN 55403
US
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(612) 335-5050
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O’Donovan’s Irish Pub

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:20:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 149th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a pretty upscale place but not snobbily so, and was one of our most expensive beer tabs of the night.

700 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55403
US
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(612) 317-8896
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The Saloon

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:19:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 148th bar, first visited in 2006.

Facing several artistic wall photos of nude men, we glanced around the room and noticed that this placed sold its own private-label bottled water. (We would return later to get some as souvenirs.) This was one of the first bars we had been in where no one talked to us, and Brandon wondered if his wedding band was causing people to believe we were a couple. Finding the restroom here was an task, it was way in the back through a dark area and around a smaller bar that was a little more, um, “adventuresome”.

830 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
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(612) 332-0835
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Mackenzie

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:18:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 147th bar, first visited in 2006.

Located in the Orpheum Theater building, this bar boasted two levels plus a patio out back. Our bartender was Gary and he was assisted by Hillary.

918 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
US
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(612) 333-7268
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Lee’s Liquor Lounge

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 146th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a good quality dive, the kind we love. Another place with a rectangular bar. A Spuds Mackenzie lamp helped light the bar.

101 Glenwood Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
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(612) 338-9491
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Liquor Lyle’s

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:16:00 +0000

(Uptown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 145th bar, first visited in 2006.

Yep, it was happy hour, so we had no choice but drink two beers. This place had a cool, funky, almost “shagadelic” interior. The men’s room had a high quality trough. “Minnesota – Land of 10,000 Troughs”.

2021 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55405
US
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(612) 870-8183
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Uptown Bar & Cafe

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

(Uptown, Minneapolis, MN)

TEMPORARILY CLOSED – Re-opening soon
Closed November 1, 2009 and demolished to make way for new retail stores. The general manager is trying to find a suitable location to move to.

Scooter’s 144th bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a nice spacious semi-dive. Our beers were a rather unusual price — $2.85 each.

3018 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55408
US
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(612) 823-4719
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Independent Uptown

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

(Uptown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 143rd bar, first visited in 2006.

Heading inside a double door and then up a few flights of enclosed metal stairs we weren’t sure if we were heading to a bar or a strip club. But at the top we found ourselves outside a large modern bar in what we later learned to be a shopping mall. The bar was square shaped and offered up a selection of unusual and upscale beers. Flat-panel internet kiosks were available, and the restroom was a little unnerving at first because it was a 4-stall unisex restroom.

3001 Hennepin Ave # 201
Minneapolis, MN 55408
US
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(612) 378-1905
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CC Club

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000

(Uptown, Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 142nd bar, first visited in 2006.

I’m surprised we even stopped considering how hard it was to get here. We had to keep circling around because we couldn’t make the turn at first and then couldn’t find a place to park.

I don’t remember much about this bar, but I apparently took this blurry photo inside.

UPDATE!

Frustrated that I couldn’t remember anything about this place, I made it a point to visit again when I had another shot on August 12, 2016. The pictures below are from that visit. This time we took an Uber to avoid the parking nightmare from the last time.

The L-shaped bar is in the front, behind that are two seating areas — one of which is loaded with arcade games. The bartenders were all riots. One of them was cracking us up with his refusal to support the Minnesota Vikings and switch his allegiance to the Green Bay Packers for two reasons: (1) He hasn’t been taxed yet to pay for a new arena for the Packers (the Vikings just opened a new arena), and only Pepsi products (or maybe it was Coke, I lost my notes) are available at Vikings games and he prefers the other brand.

This was another bar with a nice craft beer list. I had Todd – The Axe Man (American IPA) by Surly.

2600 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
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(612) 874-7226
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Champions Sports Bar & Grill

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:12:00 +0000

(Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 141st bar, first visited in 2006.

This sports bar was a little bit of an anomaly in what seemed to be a predominantly Somalian neighborhood. The interior revealed a large space divided into two major rooms, with a huge bar in the center that wrapped and twisted around into both areas. This meant that there were areas that the bartender could not see without moving around — indeed, we were here for a bit before we were spotted and served. This was the first bar we had seen with a cellphone ban. It was also the first time we saw pull-tabs sold in a booth by an attendant — something we’d soon learn was common here.

105 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
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(612) 827-4765
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Roundup Beer Hall

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(Minneapolis, MN)

OUT OF BUSINESS
The liquor license expired in March 2010 and was not renewed, I’m presuming this has gone out of business.

Scooter’s 140th bar, first visited in 2006.

We found this on a corner next to a highway in one of the most diverse neighborhoods we have ever seen anywhere. We had to stop because ever since Munich you just don’t see places called “Beer Hall” that often anymore. The bartender was rather suspicious of us at first, asking Brandon “Do you really live in Missouri?” She warmed up to us after a little while, though.

201 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
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(612) 823-6016

Matts Bar

scooterj — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:10:00 +0000

(Minneapolis, MN)

Scooter’s 139th bar, first visited in 2006.

Home of the famous “Jucy Lucy” burger, this place was absolutely packed with a lunchtime crowd.

3500 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
US
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(612) 722-7072
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