On a recent visit to Front Street Taproom, a beer hall located in a historic storefront in Fargo’s “Block Six,” my wife and I were greeted by bartender Bailey with a loud “Hi friends!” just as we walked in the door. We’ve gotten to know Bailey–along with staffers Mary Jane (who has no middle name), Madison, Brock, Katelyn, and owner Aaron Templin–because we can’t get enough of Tuesday night trivia accompanied by a healthy number of craft beers.
Front Street Taproom is much like many of the other beer halls in Fargo’s burgeoning craft beer scene–rich woodwork that recalls days gone by, walls of exposed brick, and dozens of colorful tap handles to grab your attention–but there are a few notable differences.
Everything old is new again
There are no TVs in Front Street Taproom, just an eclectic mix of music from the sixties through the present, a reality which is part of it’s charm. On Tuesday nights during trivia (7 to 9 pm), teams compete with (gasp) ink and paper, and using a phone to look up answers is forbidden. Winning the trivia contest is rewarded not with points in a club designed to harvest your email address, but with a free round of beers for your team and your photo on the Wall of Fame. They say everything old is new again and when it comes to Tuesday night Trivia at Front Street Taproom, that’s a good thing–personal interaction, face to face, is so much better than staring into a screen all night.
Front Street Taproom also features a cellar bar where they host jam sessions and standup comics, and a loft with comfy furniture that overlooks the main bar is available to rent for special occasions at shockingly affordable prices. There’s a game closet, too, where you can choose a board game to keep your party entertained, and a nightly lineup of entertainers on the weekends, mainly solo artists and duos who entertain from a cozy main stage.
So, when that inevitable moment comes–when you have a free night and a desire to go somewhere new and try something different–I recommend you head out to Front Street Taproom on a Tuesday night for trivia and an adult beverage and see for yourself what makes the experience so charming.
