Paul Lundgren, Author at Perfect Duluth Day

Poll: What is the best brewery in the Duluth area?

Oct 07, 2014 No Comments

Duluth is the Beer Capital of Minnesota, at least according to the unofficial claiming of the title by Mayor Don Ness in The Growler magazine in 2013. So, which local brewery has the best blends of barley, hops and yeast? Well, it’s time to decide with a fancy PDD poll.

We often have a nomination process for polls, but in this case it seems appropriate to just throw all the breweries into the running for our first round. We also typically rule out areas farther than 10 miles from Duluth city limits, but since the beer from more outlying areas makes it’s way to taps in Duluth, we broadened the range to include the north and south shores.

So now, without further ado, we ask …

What is the best brewery in the Duluth area?

Loading ...

This poll is now closed. Bent Paddle Brewing and Fitger’s Brewhouse were the top finishers and will advance to the final ballot.

Polls Beer and Breweries

Bent Paddle 14° ESB wins medal at Great American Beer Festival

Oct 06, 2014 4 Comments

Duluth’s Bent Paddle Brewing won a bronze medal in the Extra Special Bitter category at the Great American Beer Festival this past weekend in Boulder, Colo. Presented by the Brewers Association, the Great American Beer Festival is the largest commercial beer competition in the world.

This year 268 medals were awarded in 90 categories covering 145 different beer styles. A group of 222 beer experts from 10 countries evaluated the 5,507 commercial entries from 1,309 breweries.

Fitger’s Brewhouse is a past medal winner, taking home a bronze in the American-Style Sour Ale category in 2012 for its Fitger’s Framboise and another bronze in the French- and Belgian-Style Saison category in 2004 for its Farm House Reserve.

News and Current Affairs Beer and Breweries, Bent Paddle Brewing, Great American Beer Festival

Fall Colors on the Brule River at Judge C. R. Magney State Park

Oct 06, 2014 No Comments

Outdoors, Photos Brule River, Fall Colors, Judge C. R. Magney State Park, Superior Hiking Trail

Photo Tour of Nopeming

Oct 06, 2014 7 Comments

Photographer Andrew Perfetti has posted an interesting series of photos of his time “discovering the abandoned hospital on the hill.”

For background, there’s a history of Nopeming on Zenith City Online. Also, check out Substreet’s “The Nopeming Stories: Recollecting a Century of Use and a Decade of Abandonment.”

Art, History, Photos Creepy, Midway Township, Nopeming

Duluth Mystery Photo #20: Who was F. W. Miller?

Oct 02, 2014 14 Comments

He had a house on Park Point. That’s all we know.

History, Photos Minnesota Point and Park Point, Mystery Photos

The mayorally proclaimed Perfect Duluth Day of 2014

Sep 29, 2014 7 Comments

Duluth Mayor Don Ness was “overwhelmed with a feeling of love and gratitude for this beautiful city,” yesterday (Sept. 28) and declared on Facebook that it was the “perfect Duluth day 2014,” encouraging people to “take advantage of everything the city has to offer” and post pictures and stories with the hashtag #perfectduluth. Here are some of the results.

It’s always warm at Victus Farm

Sep 25, 2014 No Comments

A recent story on American Public Media’s Marketplace program — “How to grow lettuce and fish indoors, all year long” — explores the wonders of aquaponics. Victus Farm is profiled for growing produce fertilized by fish grown in the same facility. The project is a partnership between the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Center for Sustainable Community Development and the city of Silver Bay. UMD Geography Professor Mike Mageau and a former student, Baylor Radtke, are also building a smaller fish-and-vegetable operation in Radtke’s yard in Duluth.

News and Current Affairs Aquaponics, Silver Bay, Victus Farm

Creepy Duluth Night

Sep 23, 2014 2 Comments

Photos Creepy, West Duluth

Pride of the Twin Ports Area Game

Sep 23, 2014 9 Comments

From the heyday of Monopoly comes … Pride of the Twin Ports Area Game! It doesn’t appear to be something local marketing geniuses came up with, but rather a product of a company called Citipride of America, which probably made different versions of the game for different cities across the country. Perhaps the local Chamber of Commerce sold sponsorships on the game board to various businesses to raise money to have the game made, and then sales of the game raised money for the chamber … or something. That’s all conjecture; there doesn’t seem to be any info online about the game or the company.

So, does anyone else have this game? Can anyone put a year on it? It’s no older than 1978, because the instructions contain historical info about the sponsoring local businesses and mention that Northwest Office Supply expanded in 1978. It’s no more recent than 1982, because the Normandy Hotel was taken over by Holiday Inn & Suites that year.

The best fishing and hunting and general outing in America

Sep 20, 2014 3 Comments

History

Upset Firefly Fans

Sep 19, 2014 1 Comment

Lawrence Lee, Duane Rieck and Kay Rieck join the Upset Duluth ranks. (Photo by Clint Austin)

‘Firefly’ fans unite: Shindig for Joss Whedon show on tap this weekend

Events, Photos Upset Duluth

The End of Salsafication in Duluth

Sep 19, 2014 1 Comment

Sept. 19, 2004 — Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurante in Duluth closed following corporate bankruptcy. It had been located in the Fitger’s Brewery Complex for 20 years. Baja Billy’s Cantina and Grill replaced it in 2005, but closed four years later. Mexico Lindo opened in April 2010 and remains there today.

History, Restaurants Baja Billy's, Chi-Chi's, Fitger's Brewery Complex, Mexico Lindo

Job Opening: PDD Calendar Editor Version 3.0

Sep 18, 2014 No Comments

Mr. Lawrence Lee, superhero editor of the PDD Calendar since April 2012, has announced his desire for fewer responsibilities. He is resigning his position, and will step down in October, when a qualified intrepid soul will be anointed to continue the mission. We promise not to turn the job interview process into a reality TV show, but we can’t say it won’t be competitive.

Follow this link to the PDD Employment page to read the job description.

During what will end up being a two-and-a-half-year stint, Lawrence will have presided over the publishing of more than 20,000 events in the calendar — and he didn’t even start getting bug eyed until a couple months ago. He plans to stay on as a contributor to the calendar, so the next person to join the ranks of PDD’s sterling staff will benefit from his wisdom and his ongoing efforts. That said, we will not accept a mere mortal taking over the reins. The bar has been set too high.

Events Help Wanted, PDD Shop Talk

R.I.P. Irving Recreation Center

Sep 17, 2014 1 Comment

Demolition of the Irving Recreation Center has been taking place this week. Above is a photo of the rubble. Below is a shot from February 2013.

Perfect Coffee Shop: Beaner’s Central

Sep 12, 2014 5 Comments

A rash of new coffee joints have opened up in Duluth in recent years, but an old favorite was the clear winner in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll to name the best coffee shop. Beaner’s Central Concert Coffeehouse has been as much known for its live music and friendly vibe over the past 15 years as it has for the Alakef-roasted java blends served there daily. Not to mention the baked goods, soups, sandwiches, pizzas, random experimental breakfasts, beers, wines, art exhibitions, basement recording studio and whatever else the affable and eccentric owner and founder Jason Wussow decides to offer next. It’s no wonder Beaner’s dominated with 50 percent of the vote in the three-way race for Duluth’s coffee-shop crown.

Jefferson People’s House, which opened just three months before our poll, gave a strong second place performance with 28 percent of the vote. The not-quite-two-year-old Duluth Coffee Co. cafe and roasterie also performed well, pulling in 22 percent of the vote.

PDD Awards Index

Polls, Recommendations Coffee Shops, PDD Awards, Wussow's Concert Cafe

Paul Lundgren Posts