Barrio to St. Paul Stranger words have never been spoken: By summertime, sleepy downtown St. Paul will be home to not one, but two of the Twin Cities' hottest bars. The Bulldog is already a runaway success there. Now the guys behind Barrio in downtown Minneapolis want to open a second location in St. Paul, right next to the Bulldog. Co-owner Josh Thoma said he wants the new location to be open by June. Barrio's mix of high-end tequila and Latin street food has kept the small Minneapolis bar packed since opening in late August. Thoma said they'll change very little about the concept in St. Paul, except maybe adding a tequila vault. "We're excited about the success and synergy that we see with the Bulldog," Thoma said. "It'll be a good anchor for future growth." (barriotequila.com)

Party for Obama Add the West Bank's Nomad World Pub and the downtown nightclub Visage to the list of Barack Obama inauguration parties. The Cedar-Riverside area around the Nomad was rocking on election night, so owner Todd Smith expects a good crowd for his party, which features rap groups the Guardians of Balance and the Illuminous III, as well as DJ Verb X. (9 p.m. Tue., 501 Cedar Av. S., Mpls. $2. 612-338-6424. nomadpub.com.) At Visage, B96 personality Peter Parker hosts a viewing party with all of the club's flat-screen TVs tuned to the president-elect. The club will have drink specials all night. (8 p.m. Tue., 400 3rd Av. N., Mpls. $5-$10. 18 and older. 612-455-2525. visagenightclub.com.)

Release the beer You've heard of midnight releases for blockbuster movies, but how about beer? The Twin Cities beer scene loves its hops, especially the HopSlam Ale by Michigan brewery Bell's. The imperial IPA (10 percent alcohol) is described by Bell's as "a biting, bitter, tongue bruiser of an ale." Fans of the pungent beer can rush out Sunday at midnight (actually Monday morning) to get a taste at the following bars: Bryant-Lake Bowl, Buster's on 28th, Happy Gnome, Muddy Pig, Stub & Herb's, Mac's Industrial, Grumpy's NE, Acadia, Mackenzie's, the Blue Nile and all three Bulldogs. Check back here next week for info on the upcoming Festival of Hops at the Muddy Pig.