Nightlife: Bulldog to the rescue

It was opening night in drowsy downtown St. Paul, but the bar was packed with people shoulder to shoulder, hoping to get a peek. It felt like another W Hotel had come to town.

No, it was just the Bulldog, a no-nonsense beer bar.

At the night's peak hour, a local beer guy named Corey Shovein jumped on top of a bar stool, yelling to get the crowd's attention. It was time to christen the new Bulldog -- the third location after its two Minneapolis counterparts. Shovein rallied his fellow beer fans, pointing to the bar's prized tap line -- 40 drafts, glistening in one long row.

"This is a real beer list," he shouted, "so when you come here you won't be drinking no swill!"

The crowd roared in approval. Then he popped a $40 bottle of Deus -- the beer geek's equivalent to Dom Pérignon.

The Bulldog isn't any old neighborhood bar. It's become a Twin Cities favorite because it keeps things simple: great bar food, even better beer.

Two weeks after opening, the crowds haven't let up. Even happy hour can be SRO.

"I knew it was going to be busy, but it's been busy every night," said owner Matt Lokowich, who came up with the Bulldog concept six years ago when he opened one in Uptown. The second one, in northeast Minneapolis, was an even bigger success.

This is good news for downtown St. Paul. While there have been a few additions to Lowertown this past year, few come with the Bulldog's name-brand recognition. The condo dwellers are excited and so are other bar owners in the vicinity. The Station 4 rock club has been in Lowertown for six years, but its owner, Dawn Ledin, said this is something entirely new:

"We were in there the other day, and I said 'Where did all these people come from?'"

The new spot is similar in looks to the Northeast Bulldog -- call it neighborhood posh. A large granite, octagon-shaped bar anchors the room. The bar has a great view, looking out onto Mears Park through crystal-clear floor-to-ceiling windows. There's a long shuffleboard table and valet parking, too.

Lokowich fell in love with the space minutes after seeing it in July.

"I heard about it on a Friday, saw it on Saturday, had the deal signed by Tuesday," he said.

With each Bulldog, Lokowich has increased his tap-beer offerings. This time he has a $22,000 tap system, supporting 40 draft beers. Most are reasonably priced between $4 and $7.50 a glass. He also offers 60 bottled beers.

"I want to be known as a Belgian beer bar, but it's cool as hell that we've [added] these English and German beers," Lokowich said.

Of his new draft additions, he's most excited about Meantime Indian Pale Ale (from England) and Hacker-Pschorr Dark (from Germany). Lokowich has some new Belgian beers he's proud of, too, including a cherry lambic called Liefman's Kriek and two tripels, Kasteel Tripel and La Chouffe Golden.

So many beers, so little time, right? Luckily, this Bulldog is introducing beer flights -- an awesome idea. There are nine different flights, each containing 4-ounce pours of five beers. They range in price from $5 to $11.

To help bargoers navigate this beer terrain, the Bulldog's resident expert, Kelly Moeller, has put together the most detailed and helpful beer menu I've seen. It's more like a beer Bible. The bound, multi-page guide offers a description of every beer, plus an in-depth glossary of beer terms.

Lokowich has perfected his vision for the Bulldog with this St. Paul location. And he's definitely committed to making it a success -- he even bought himself a loft across the street.

But he's already seriously thinking about the next Bulldog. He'd like to open one in Richfield, of all places. Why Richfield? It reminds him of St. Paul.

"They need help, too!" he said.

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909