Knocked out for a Loop

Since quietly opening in the Shops at West End before Super Bowl weekend, the newest Loop Bar + Restaurant has become the hottest new suburban bro bar. It's the third location from the team behind the original North Loop bastion and its sister bar in Rochester. Moving into the old Figlio space, the Loop crew knocked out the awkwardly positioned bar and opened up the sprawling, once-divided room. Weekend DJs bump a crowd-pleasing mix of Top 40 and '90s rap for a crowd in its mid-20s to late 30s who haven't lost that partying luster.

5331 16th St., St. Louis Park, 952-681-2684, www.theloopwestend.com

Quiet end to a party bar

As the west metro gained a party spot, the Warehouse District lost one. The Imperial Room, which opened as a supper club in 2002 but has long had a party-bar vibe, has gone dark. According to a notice posted on the door, the bar lost its license for failure to pay its licensing fee. Another sign indicates that the building is for sale. In its later years, the multi-level bar with a second-floor lounge had a reputation for flair bartending and serving cheap drinks (by downtown Minneapolis standards, anyway).

Roll out the barrel(s)

Barrel-aged-beer addicts will flock to Town Hall Brewery as its annual barrel-aged week kicks off Monday. The Seven Corners brewpub and head brewer Mike Hoops arguably have the state's best barrel program (although his brother, Fitger's brewer Dave Hoops, might have something to say about it) and will roll out a different beer each day. The event culminates Feb. 21 with a tapping of Town Hall's beloved Czar Jack (11 a.m.) and three newbies (3 p.m.), including a Baltic porter and an oud bruin aged in red wine and bourbon barrels, respectively.

1430 Washington Av. S., Mpls., 612-339-8696, www.townhallbrewery.com

Michael Rietmulder