Bent Paddle

What a fun experience. They are right off the highway, and true to form reside in a renovated industrial building. Flights are cheaper here at $ 13 and they have 1 – 2 rotating beers on nitro. The space is smaller than expected with about 8 – 10 tables. They give brewery tours and I’m really bummed I wasn’t able to do one.
My favorites were the Amber ale, 45 degree ale and the coffee black ale on nitro. All of them were delicious but everyone has to have a favorite. It’s a great spot and they have a listing of all the places they sell their beer in the area. I definitely plan to go back when I’m in Duluth.

I’m not normally a fan of beer, but they have the best Belgian style pale ale I’ve ever tasted. Staff was super friendly. The atmosphere was great as well. Will definitely be back for a visit on our next trip to MN.

Did the free brewery tour today. It was awesome. The guide was great and lots of free beer. We ended up there for 2 ½ hours for the one hour tour. If you like beer and want to relax take the tour…

Affectionately known as the Bent Stand Up Paddleboard Tap-​dancing Room. I recommend getting a flight and sampling!

Fantastic beer and great selection. The atmosphere is a industrial/​modern. Back in the brew space, there is plenty of room to expand. Beer is available on tap, growler or even in cans! Try the Cold Press Black on Nitro!

These guys are great! Sweet space with tasty beer on tap. Worth getting away from canal park to experience!

Great place! This is a place where you know it is all about the beer! The industrial feel of the tasting room and the location makes it all the more better. Being able to look through the doors to the brewing area another plus. These are awarding winning beers waiting for their awards. Liked them all. The «pop ups» and food trucks are awesome. Way to go!

Love their beers, especially the cold press black ale. Plus food trucks come on Thursday nights in the late spring/​summer! Prob my favorite brewery in northern Minnesota.

It is a fairly young business located in the old warehouse district of Duluth. It is not too appealing from the street. But wait till you get inside. I know the brewmaster Bryan. This young man has pretty impressive pedigree — training in Germany and worked in a famous microbrewery in the Twin Cities.
The tasting room is spartan but functional. There were a dozen tables with chairs, a bar and a display of store souvenirs. I bought the store stainless steel growler. The beer selections were no more than 5 to 6 (at least that was the case in the summer of 2013). The business has expanded twice since that time.
I sampled about 3 varieties. They were all full bodied brews with good suds; not like the pathetic light stuff you can buy at your local grocers. I am not a big beer guzzler but these creations are good thirst quenchers on a hot summer evening after strenuous activities.
The tour was cool. You get to witness from fermentation to bottling. That activity will be educational to children. I do recommend families to visit this joint. Just keep your underaged children from imbibing.

I first had Bent Paddle beer at beer event last winter and I was immediately hooked. They have some of the best beer I have had in a long time. It is hard to choose a favorite but this time of year I am all about the stouts. I love their black ale and the cold press black is amazing. This was my third time at the taproom in 6 months and my second time taking the tour. The tour is informative, a good overview of the brewing process, which any good brewery tour should contain, but this tour focuses heavily on the how Bent Paddle came to be. The brewery is in the midst of its 3^rd major expansion, which is fantastic cause that means MORE BEER. My first tour in June they showed us their newly acquired bourbon barrels that had just been filled with a new recipe and on Saturday we were able to try this new concoction: Double Black Ale. Oh my goodness, this is an amazing beer; chocolaty, deep, rich with just the right amount of bourbon from the barrel. The tour guide shared that the bourbon barrels have already been filled: Cold Press Double Black infused with Vanilla Beans!!! I will be back for some of that. This is my favorite brewery and the reason I travel from the Twin Cities to Duluth, you can bet I will be back again.

Amazing little brew pub. These guys have a great set up and their tap room is very clean and fun.
My only gripe with this place is the two single stall bathrooms but other then that this place is a must next time you come to Duluth.

Very great beer with good bartenders. The atmosphere is great despite there being a lot of extra space (aka not cozy for a taproom). Very modern appearance and wow those beers! I personally loved the Daypack Pale Ale and the cold press Black Ale the best. All beers were good though and I love, love, love that you can get 10 oz pours for $ 3. Great place!

Very fun brewery tour! The tour is free if you bring a donation for their food shelf, which is really cool.
Beer was fantastic, and the bar area is a great place to hang out and have a beer. The tour was nice; our guide was very knowledgable about his brewery. Definitely worth a visit!

My sister recently got married and we asked Bent Paddle to host a tour for family and friends who were still in town the day after the wedding. Laura handled the arrangements for the brewery. She was very communicative and organized, so planning the event was very easy — we agreed upon a very reasonable rate to rent the space for the evening.
Even though our event was supposed to start at 8:00 pm, my family members started showing up early. Laura and Colin were terrific handling this — they were ready to serve brews and answer questions. We arranged for some light refreshments to cater the event, which was a terrific pairing with the brews. My family enjoyed trying several of the brews and the group was pretty split on which one they enjoyed the most. Additionally, we had a number of non-​drinkers in the group and the brewery had great root beer on tap for them.
The tour was definitely the highlight. Colin and Laura are very knowledgeable about the craft of brewing. They were also very good at explaining their business model. My family asked a ton of questions, all of which were handled with ease.
In short, I woudn’t hesitate to hold another event at Bent Paddle — it was a wonderful evening.

The Highlights:
In short, this brewery is doing everything right. From their clean, modern wood-​and-​metal taproom to the brand new equipment in a brewery with room for expansion, the folks at Bent Paddle have set themselves up for large-​scale success. Not to mention, they are awesome people who seem to to have level-​heads that won’t let their sure-​to-​be-​success go to their heads. This is a definite must-​stop on your next trip to Duluth.
The Rundown:
I have stopped by twice as part of GetKnit Event’s North Shore Brewery Tour. Each time, the staff at Bent Paddle has been well-​prepared with a welcoming atmosphere, an informative tour, and plenty of brews to go around.
As some other reviews have mentioned, the brewery is in an industrial neighborhood and lacks a great view or outdoor seating. While that could add to the experience, I happen to like the «Industrial» feel in a brewery. It makes me feel like they keep their focus where it should be: on their beer. That being said, Bent Paddle has done a great job at playing on the industrial feel by using very «raw» materials in the decoration of the taproom and the brewery is far from having a cold or unwelcoming feeling.
On our tours, we had the opportunity to try out their Calibration IPA and Calibration Dark Beers. Essentially, these were the early versions of their flagship «Bent Hop Golden IPA» and «Black Ale.» Both beers were delicious and played well to entry-​level drinkers of each style. The IPA was not too hoppy as to induce bitter-​beerfaces but was hoppy enough to keep a hop-​head like myself happy. The Dark was full of taste and body, but was not too thick or heavy. On our tours, the brewers allowed us to taste beer straight from the fermentation tanks which was a great way to learn about how beer progresses throughout the brewing process. A very cool experience, indeed.
I have had the opportunity to taste both «Bent Hop Golden IPA» and «Black Ale» since these original tours and they both play very well straight from the can or poured into a nice frosty mug.
Which brings me to my last point: Bent Paddle truly owns their heritage and locale. Packaging their beer in cans makes it perfect for taking into parks, bringing on a picnic, etc. Their stainless steel growlers serve the same purpose. Stop by a liquor store on your way to your next BBQ or swing by the brewery on your way to the Boundary Waters — you can’t lose. Their allegiance to the North Shore is prevalent throughout their business plan, but can be summed up best with this quote on the back of their T-​Shirt: «10% of the World’s freshest water is found in Lake Superior — 100% of our beer is made with that water.»
Great Beer, Great Atmosphere, Great People = Great Brewery.

What an awesome addition to Duluth! Good beer, minimal choices — I think they have 3 or 4. Nice, knowledgeable, happy staff. They are good about giving you samples to try so you can make sure you make the best choice.
The space is wonderful, clean, intimate, trendy.
They don’t serve food but you can bring in your own and wash it down with a great local beer.
I would recommend to ANY beer lover :)

Bent Paddle might be a bit out of the way — the kind of place where you look around and wonder for a second if you’re in the right neighborhood. But it’s totally worth the trip. I was incredibly delighted and surprised with our first (and certainly not last) visit here. The IPA was all you want in an IPA — hoppy, flavorful. The Black Ale was my favorite, and totally ridiculously good. There are two versions, a «regular» for lack of better word, and then they had a cold press Black Ale. I don’t know what they do to this beer, but holy cow. Perfect combo of a Porter and a Coffee Stout and SO full of flavor. If we had more time I would have completely kicked back with a few. As it was, I had one, and I’m still thinking about it. I am kicking myself for not buying some cans to take home while we were there. Prices are super reasonable at $ 3, $ 4 and $ 5 for 10 oz, 16 oz and 20 oz respectively.
Décor-​wise, I totally dug the wood tables, which were beautiful and definitely a step up from tables you find in most brewpubs. The staff was friendly, and the place was a lot of fun. Kudos!

I don’t usually give anything five stars, but come on, it is beer we are talking about. The beers are very tasty. I love the idea of the choice of having your beer nitro infused. It gives a smooth feel and taste.
The facility is beautiful. The atmosphere is cool and hip.
The location is in industrial area, and unfortunately people in Duluth look at Lincoln Park as a sort of arm pit of Duluth. However, I like where it is located and couldn’t think of a cooler place to have it.
Good job Bent Paddle… I will return soon with friends and would love to go on a tour.

I love the craft beer explosion in Duluth!
This brewery and tap room is top notch with ultra-​friendly brew masters and a great atmosphere. The beer is well priced and there are beer options for most beer drinkers. Their growler refill prices are the lowest in Duluth, and that is great because I feel that they have some of the best beers in town! When I was there a food truck was outside to complement the atmosphere and the fact that this is a tap room and not a restaurant.
The beers are smooth and hoppy as well as balanced and full of taste!
PROS
–friendly
–soulful
–decently priced
–fast service
–good tasting beers
–Nitro tap options for beers
–Growler options in glass and stainless steel
CONS
–LESS than awesome neighborhood. (Lincoln Park) But this may change as a positive business such as Bent Paddle takes hold. It felt good to be in that neighborhood in such an upstanding business!
These are the hours as of the posing date of this review.
Taproom Hours
Mon. CLOSED
Tues. CLOSED
Wed. 3 — 10 pm
Thurs. 3 — 10 pm
Fri. 3 — 11 pm
Sat. 1 — 11 pm
Sun. CLOSED

This was stop #1 on our tour. This is a very nice facility and we were able to sample the calibration brews before they opened to the public. This is a good new brewery to keep an eye on. I think they’ll take off fast.
The way I see it, is if these guys are brewing this good on their first use of the kettles, then we should expect some good beers on their actual recipes.
The taproom has a good feel to it. Tables, bar, beer & bathrooms. What more could you want? Okay, maybe a couch, easy chair and smoking lounge, but they can’t have it all.
I left with a growler of their IPA, but what impressed me most was that they were selling BWCA friendly growlers. Nice stainless steel ones. I’ll be stopping by on my way up to grab one.