Beers and bigness in the former 501 space

People love their pizza so much, it's tough to move on once you've got a rep for making it well; just look at Papa John, whose mad child-rearing skills continue to go woefully unrecognized. From an MSP resto co. looking to expand their name beyond deep dish: Crooked Pint Ale House.

The first of a potential franchise from the Green Mill gang, Pint feels like a neighborhood bar but bigger, outfitting the huge 501 Club space with rough-hewn oak floors, a dropped tin ceiling, HDTVs, and leather booths, all in furtherance of a concept they fancily call "nouveau urban pub"... brew la la indeed!! The menu's stocked with comfort eats for every meal, including bison meatloaf served on mashed taters, "Ale House Deviled Eggs" topped with bacon, chorizo-sausage corn dogs, and even a burger stuffed with ham & American cheese, topped with a fried egg, and dubbed "Hangover Lucy", also the name of a Peanuts character constantly dropping the ball. Beer is poured from 20-strong taps (...the taps actually pour at normal strength, there're just slightly over 20 of them), comes alongside thoughtful pairing suggestions, and includes varietals like Maryland's Flying Dog Raging Bitch, and Goose Island Matilda, who would be waltzing if it wasn't for the damn droppings everywhere.

And because what's 20 beers without live music to embarrassingly dance to, they'll be hosting local bands on a stage left over from the building's days as 501, coincidentally, the same number of kids Papa John has sired, not that anyone cares.