Fitger's Brewhouse

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I was born and raised in Duluth and this is by far the best drinking establishment in a couple hundred miles. Granted the brewery business in little Duluth (that’s Superior WI) is getting a little bit busier each year, it still can’t hold a candle to The Fitger’s BrewHouse.

Location, Location, Location! The Building itself is located on Lake Superior in a commercial area. Tragicly, it’s street side and not lake side, but it’s location is still great. That, and it’s a half block from Sir Benedict’s Tavern, so if it’s possible to get sick of The BrewHouse, You can always run across the street to get some quality imports. Also, the lakefront boardwalk ends right at The BrewHouse, so you can park the car down at Canal Park, take a walk, have a pint, and then work it off on the way back to the car. It’s a sweet deal.

I’ve never been disappointed with the food here. My Father and I like to head in for lunch and grab the hummus platter and a pint. Quick service and friendly staff. Also, the seating is pretty wild. You can sit at the bar, in the dining area, up in the loft, or at booths overlooking the fermentation tanks. There’s live music (mostly folk, blues and ‘other‘) there pretty regularly, most of which is played at a reasonable volume so you can appreciate your company, your beer and your music.

I’ll be honest, The BrewHouse was a bit rocky going through the past few years with some pretty disappointing, downright thoughtless batches. Don’t get me wrong, most of it was a cut above Schell’s and Leinenkugels, but it wasn’t anything too special. Thankfully, in current years, the quality of brew has skyrocketed! Every pint is not only full of brew, but of quality. There’s something that differentiates, say the color of grass, and the color of grass right after the rain. Sure, they’re both green, but the latter glows. I don’t know what they do there, what ingredients they figured out, or who sold who’s soul to whom, but keep it up!

I’ll be back in town for the Christmas of ‘05 and I vow to have a pint of everything they have on tap!
All right, I only had four pints! 'Till '06 then!
-Only one pint in July '06...

11-14-2005 22:37:57 | More by DarkerTheBetter

puckee

Colorado

4.6/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

BEER HEAVEN? Read on.

This is simply the best brewpub I have ever been in. I've been to hundreds of places through the American West, Germany, Belgium, and many points in between. For the shear enjoyment of beer, this is my favorite.

I lived in Duluth for many years and have fond memories of the city, so you might think I am being nostalgic; but Rod, Tim, and Mr. Hoops have pulled off a miracle. Imagine my surprise after leaving Duluth for 8 years, that this place would improve so much.

Here is why I said "miracle:"

Take a small city that possesses the harshest 6 month’s worth of winter that you could imagine (in February, you can literally drive a snowmobile from Duluth to the North Pole-- if you could pack the supplies and could bear the weather). Now, add in fact that the nearest big city is 150 miles away. It is hard to believe that a brewpub could survive at all in a city like that, but here sits the Fitger's Brewhouse. Nice enough as a restaurant, decent service; but the beer is outrageous!

They always have new and exciting beers rotating in and out of the taps (just look at their list of brews on this page). Mr. Hoops (brother of the Hoops at Town Hall in Mpls) is a genius. I remember this dude back when Rod and Tim first went to a brewpub... didn't know his Cascades from his Fuggles. But now he absolutely rocks. Congrats, boys. Ya dun good.

Do yourself a favor... Get up here and try this place out. Go ahead, send me nasty beermail if you don't think that they have completely mastered the art.

11-04-2005 02:34:03 | More by puckee

Redrover

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

As others have mentioned, Fitgers is housed in revitalized Fitgers Compound, which was once home to the original Fitgers brewery.

This brew pub boasts friendly service and a nice atmosphere. I was there on a Monday evening and the place was 3/4s full. They have some great old beer memorabilia scattered around the whole complex.

The actual bar is quite small and seats about 10 people. Plenty of tables upstairs and on the main floor. I’m guessing this is as much a food destination as it is a beer destination.

Speaking of the food, it is very tasty. Fresh & imaginative use of ingredients. I had the black bean burrito with grilled Ahi tuna. Very nice and it was served with some awesome salsa. The portions are large. Quality and quantity! They have a small open kitchen so you can see you grub being prepared.

They have a nice section of scotch and a nifty little wine list, but they really shine with the beer selection. I think they had 10 house beers to choose from, plus about 4 or 5 guest micro bottles. They also have growlers to go. Every beer I tried was solid and a few were very, very good.

I was glad I stayed at the attached Fitgers hotel. The rooms are very nice and the view of Lake Superior was awesome. Each room has a book with a history of the Brewery, nice touch!!

What a great place, I am already looking forward to my return!

08-01-2005 17:06:03 | More by Redrover

Sixpoint

New York

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

What a great place.

I first visited this place by accident. I was on a fishing trip with my father in northern Wisconsin. It started pouring rain one day and we decided to take a day trip and go to Lake Superior. We ended up in Duluth, and soon afterwards, we were at Fitger's Brewhouse. What a score...


Housed in an awesome location overlooking Lake Superior, the atmosphere is great. The brewery is on sort of a balcony overlooking a bluff, and the dining room is adjacent. Not only does the bar have fresh beers on tap, but there is also live music on most weeknights.


I met both of the brewers while I was there. They were very friendly and accomodating, and they also let me have some of their fermenting beers right out of the taps.

When I was here, there were at least 10 different beers on tap, maybe more. Also, the lunch I had was pretty good, and our waitress was very friendly.


Definitely check this place out. All of the beers were very tasty and I'm sure if you like quality you will feel your money was well spent.

12-05-2004 05:51:45 | More by Sixpoint

benito

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Fitger's is one of only two brewpubs for residents of the Twin Ports (Duluth, MN/Superior, WI), and fortunately for them, both are excellent!

Fitger's or 'the Brewhouse' in Duluthese is located in the restored Fitger's Complex, with a double view into the rest of the mall and out onto Superior Street. The five-room pub mixes design styles: the back room is bare bones and has the feel of a dive bar, while the window room--looking onto the brewing facility and the street--is well lit, with Northwoods brewing paraphanalia decorating the wall.

The food is exceptional across the board. Highly recommended: the onion rings with house horseradish sauce, the beer-battered fries, Lake Superior fish wrap, wild rice burger, and the bbq chicken melt. In a strange twist of fate, the food at this brewpub is better than the beer at times...and the beer is consistently tasty too!

Speaking of which, I'll leave it to the individual beer reviews to go into more detail, but a good sampler of Brewhouse mainstays and seasonals would include the Witchtree ESB, Skyline Imperial Double IPA, Duluth Steam, Misty Mountain IPA, Big Boat Oatmeal Stout, and at least one of their pale ales (of which they always seem to have 3 or 4 on tap).

An absolute must if you're in the area (or even within 100 miles for that matter)!

11-25-2004 13:28:28 | More by benito

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5

Located in the Fitger's Hotel, a large, old, brown cobblestone building that used to be a full fledged brewery back in the day. It nears the outskirts of the main strip of downtown Duluth on Superior St. so its an easy find. The brewpub itself is in the buildings backyard area so no Lake view, bummer, it faces the back street and the interior halls of the hotel with patio seating on the sidewalk to enjoy the Lake Superior air, that is, when the traffic is low. The inside is large but cramped into an industrial space with a small bar and three separate eating areas, including a small upstairs area. The poles and posts that help hold up the ceiling, and seem to be in everyones way, have tons of goofy stickers, postcards, and photos plastered on them, some older photos from the old brewery are on available wall spaces, and there is exposed heating ducts and piping along the ceiling.
Relaxing, quaint, fun, lively and enjoyable atmosphere. Food menu is mostly burgers and sandwiches, a bit spendy for what ya get and is OK pub grub at best. They do like to pile on the blue corn chips though. The service is usually quick to get food and beverages, but laxes from tim to time depending on how busy it is.

Pretty darn nice brews are brewed at Fitger's, lots of changing seasonals here, the Big Boat Oatmeal Stout and El Nino IPA where ones that stuck out from the others I've had as for the regularly brewed offerings that stay on all the time. They keep 8 beers on tap with 3 or 4 seasonals rotating and 1 on cask. The casks are mainly used to make wine which they also make 8 different varieties of and change around yearly. The seasonal brews have come to gain much respect with me as they regularly keep em hoppy, clean, and very drinkable. Always a surprising new brew to be featured when I come here. I stop in here every chance I get while traveling through to destinations somewhere around the Lake Superior or North Woods region. Don't forget your growlers!

09-02-2003 22:17:30 | More by tavernjef