Marion Abell pulled a small metal box out from under the well-seasoned T-Shoppe bar and reached inside to pull out slips of paper. "We have a tab for regulars. They pay every two weeks," Abell said. "Some people come back in a year and pay."
What makes this Camden neighborhood hangout distinctive isn't running tabs, but rather the kind of beer it serves: It's one of only two remaining 3.2 bars in Minneapolis.
Two decades ago, 64 city establishments had licenses that allowed them to sell only lower-alcohol beer. While a few of those bars have made the transition to stronger stuff, most have gone by the wayside. In their stead, there's been a proliferation of upscale craft-beer bars (Buster's, Pat's Tap, Pig & Fiddle) and restaurants (Piccolo, Corner Table and Al Vento).
Today's neighborhood bar is more likely to offer India Pale Ale, charcuterie and flatbreads than Hamm's, Stewart sandwiches and pickled eggs. It's also more likely to draw a younger, more affluent crowd from around the metro area.
Grant Wilson, the city's manager of licenses and consumer services, said the transformation has been a good thing for the city.
"People really like having neighborhood facilities like this," he said.
But the people who frequent the remaining 3.2 joints say they do so because of camaraderie, not the percentage of alcohol in the beer. And they prize the old-fashioned, small-town feel, which can get lost in gentrification.
"It all tastes like beer," said Dennis Carpenter, a regular at the Sunrise Inn in south Minneapolis. "I'm just glad I've still got this place."