Scooter's Bar Journal » Downtown

Gambit Brewing

scooterj — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:14:00 +0000

(Downtown, St Paul, MN)

Scooter’s 1620th bar, first visited in 2023.

On Google Maps this was a bit tricky to find, but I eventually determined from photos I found on Google that it’s a basement brewery and once I realized that detail it was a cinch to find the correct building entrance.

I was initially the only person sitting at the bar, which made me slightly anxious that perhaps I wasn’t supposed to be. But eventually someone else “joined me” on the other side of the the box-shaped bar.

Due to a complete lack of cellphone reception I had to wait until I was outside to check my beers in. I had Derry Girl (Irish dry stout) and the Double Stout (imperial oatmeal stout).

As I was drinking my beer I considered backtracking to MetroNOME Brewery since it was getting closer to their opening time. But when I got outside and had reception again, I learned that a winter storm watch expected later in the evening had been upgraded to a winter storm warning. Given that news I decided it was best to stick to my itinerary and not add anything else, so instead of backtracking on foot I got an uber to my next planned destination.

141 4th St E Suite LL2
St Paul, MN 55101
United States
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Barrel Theory Beer Company

scooterj — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:13:00 +0000

(Downtown, St Paul, MN)

Scooter’s 1619th bar, first visited in 2023.

The first part of today’s walking portion of the adventure was simply a short walk directly across the street.

The walls are adorned with cool murals, and there’s a bank of pinball machines in one corner.

One beer I had been looking forward to was no longer available, but I enjoyed their Behind the Waterfall (imperial porter) and I Can’t Stand the Rain (which proved fitting as it started raining when I left here and I had to get my umbrella out).

Oops: That second beer wasn’t I Can’t Stand The Rain, because it turns out that’s an IPA and most definitely not near-black in color. What did I have, then? Scrolling back through what other people were checking in around that time, it appears my second beer was most likely One Below All (imperial stout).

I would like to have visited MetroNOME Brewery next, as this was as close to it as I would get today, but it didn’t open until 3pm and that was still too far away. So instead of walking southeast I headed off in a southwest direction in a chilly light rain.

248 7th St E
St Paul, MN 55101
United States
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(651) 600-3422
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Gopher Bar

scooterj — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:12:00 +0000

(Downtown, St Paul, MN)

Scooter’s 1618th bar, first visited in 2023.

Wanting to mix at least a few dive bars into my journey, I picked Gopher Bar because I liked the name, because they serve food, and because my schedule would have be there right at lunchtime. The misused apostrophe on their sign was a bonus!

This was a fun bar with really friendly regulars. It was also nice seeing the bartender communicating in writing with a hearing-disabled patron who arrived shortly after me, he didn’t seem at all put out about the extra work.

I had fish & chips and Hamm’s on draft because that’s not an easy find back home.

241 7th St E
St Paul, MN 55101
United States
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