What Canal Park Brewing Company will look like

Wagner Zaun, next to Prøve Gallery, has the color scheme and concept drawings in their window.

And what's with that water tank?

I like to think it's a beer tank so people on the Lakewalk can stop by and hit the tap.

How many breweries do we need!?  The Twin Ports will be known for its aviation industry, and its ability to brew beer...

We're flying high!

I hope this place has some entry-level positions in the brewery.

Ten local-ish breweries already? Missing any?

Fitger's Brewhouse
Thirty Pagan Brewing (Superior)
Lake Superior Brewing Co.
Carmody Irish Pub
Dubh Linn Irish Brew Pub
Castle Danger Brewery (Two Harbors)
Dubrue
Boathouse Brewpub (Ely)
White Winter Winery (Iron River -- mostly wine, but some mead-like products)
South Shore Brewery (Ashland)

I think you got them all, Edge, but there are some other wineries in northwest Wisconsin, so leaving out White Winter and sticking to breweries would de-complicate your list. 

Also, I'm not sure why White Winter is "mostly wine, but some mead-like products." I think it's mostly mead, as far as I know, although I haven't dropped in lately.

You are probably correct, for quite awhile I only knew about the wine part and ignored the mead part as, well, generally I don't care for mead I guess, and didn't really pay attention to it. That and the "Winery" have conspired to trip me up.

Interesting list compiled here--Geoff Bell in the Labovitz School has asked me to work with him a bit in researching the emerging "beer cluster" here in the region. We do seem to have a higher than average concentration of breweries and brew pubs. Will be interesting to look into the possible "whys" of it. I'm sure I'll be picking the collective brain of PDD for insights on this later.

I hope they have a stage and a PA system.

@Davids the "why" is simple....we like to drink lots of beer up here. Some folks actually prefer the real stuff to the mass produced swill that is pawned off by corporate giants as beer. Hence we are able to support a fair amount of real breweries making real beer. If Bud and Miller spent a fraction of their advertising budget on actually making a good beer then there is a chance none of these locals would be in business.

As I have always said:  Duluth is the Portland of the Midwest.

They're brewin dis stuff here out Brainerd.

Portland is the Duluth of the Northwest.

There's always room for more beer!

I'm really looking forward to this. Sitting in there when a blizzard rolls in off the lake or when high winds slam the shore will be a sight.

Good call. When the winter winds bring the waves onto Canal Park Drive, this will be the place to be.

@in.dog.neato

I haven't been able to find anything that would suggest this has changed, but Brainerd Lakes Beer is actually brewed right here in Duluth at Lake Superior Brewing. If you're in the Brainerd Lakes area, you can stop by Cash Wise and pick some up. If you want to save yourself the disappointment, pick up a case of Lake Superior beer instead, which they do carry.

The owners picked up a unique piece of previous industrial property with initial plans of starting a brewpub. As of now this isn't the case. I haven't heard anything of continuing plans to do this. I think a brewpub would do well out there as there aren't any yet.

Hm ... I stand corrected, then. You'd think with a name like Brainerd Lakes ... but it's contract brewed (?) through LSB? That info isn't readily apparent when looking at the revolving frames on the website. I'm almost disappointed.

@erik_ote:  They are in the process of building a new building.  It will be done late spring early summer I think.  https://www.facebook.com/Canalparkbrewingcompany

@in.dog.neato:  I hate when breweries contract brew but kinda try and hide the fact that they are just a company that is good at marketing.  The only good thing about contract brew is that it keeps the good breweries with plenty of work and more money to make their great beer.

Castle Danger Brewery's George Hunter Stout is fantastic.

Angry Minnow Brewpub in Hayward.  

Looks pretty cool and indeed an excellent location. I really hope that they hire an experienced head brewer who has cut his/her teeth in several operations and has the skills to make excellent and consistent beers. 

There was a rumor floating around some time back that the owners were considering the brewer from South Shore in Ashland. I sure hope that that is unsubstantiated. Does anybody know who is going to brew for them??

The one negative that I foresee for this new venture is that it will probably keep the touristas in Canal Park and lessens the chance that they will stray across the bridge into downtown.

I heard they're going to be brewing from extract instead of using actual grains. Anyone have any other information about their methods?

I, like others, did get confused when they posted on their Facebook page that they were going to be working with DME.  That is the abbreviation of dry malt extract.  But they were referring to Diversified Metal Engineering, which is a company that helps make brewpub/breweries.  So, I would assume that no they are not brewing with extract.

Nice 'Fly High Duluth' reference there.

Duluth is the Portland of the midwest! Only it's 1/20th the size, freezing 5 months out of the year, and does not have a vibrant local culture comparable to Portland. Other than that, it's awesome! We have beer.

I've always thought that Duluth is the Seattle of the Midwest, in that it's built on a hill overlooking a large expanse of water ... only facing the wrong way and doesn't smell funny.

Where Seattle gets excellent sunsets, we get excellent sunrises.

I am trying to figure out why Duluth has lost its own identity and wants to be the Portland of the Midwest? As far as the beer thing goes, how many beer snobs throw a Pabst down their gullet now and again?

Duluth is trying to be the Duluth of the Midwest.

Some things you just can't imitate.

I think Duluth resembles Seattle more than San Francisco... kinda hilly, has some grittiness to it, but also some glamor. A kickass arts scene. And great beer.

Dining with Dara: 
Duluth becoming state's premiere destination for beer tourism