Coming soon to Cloquet: 218 Taphouse
Aug. 16—CLOQUET — Husband and wife Dean and Alison Crotteau have owned Cold One Liquor since 2019, and now, they're getting ready for the next step in their journey as business partners.
The couple plans to open 218 Taphouse, which will bring 29 self-pour beer, cider, and seltzer taps, a bar for mixed and canned cocktails, and three lanes of duckpin bowling to what was previously Southgate Pizzeria off Highway 33 in Cloquet hopefully by the end of this year, Dean said.
Dean described 218 Taphouse as a "one stop brewery tour" and will feature products from "all or most" of the local Duluth breweries, as well as big domestic brands on tap and canned non-alcoholic options.
The idea for 218 Taphouse started after he and Alison heard from many community members who wanted a brewery in Cloquet.
"We don't know anything about brewing beer, but we know a lot about buying beer with our liquor store background, so we thought, well, why can't we just roll all breweries into one?" Dean said.
Just like they've been doing with Cold One Liquor, the Crotteaus are planning on catering 218 Taphouse's offerings to their customers.
"We've had fun as a small independent store being able to follow the trends and see what people are into and kinda be flexible with that, so we plan on continuing to do that," said Alison.
She also shared that a part of their vision is to bring a "unique bar setting" that residents might only be able to get in Duluth right to Cloquet.
In addition, 218 Taphouse won't just be for people age 21 and older.
"We're going to try to make this as family-friendly as possible until a certain time in the evening ... in an effort to get hockey families from the arena next door here in between games, high school kids. We want them to utilize this duckpin bowling as well," Dean said.
The taphouse will also be equipped with an audio system for their TouchTunes juke box and TV, and will also come with a microphone, something the Crotteaus are hoping to use sooner rather than later for community events, like trivia nights.
The duo emphasized that 218 Taphouse will be a unique spot that will cater to all of their customers.
"We, as much as anyone else, want a new spot and a little variety," Alison said. "We want to take feedback from what people want and kind of make it for everyone."
The Crotteaus are anticipating to start hiring for 218 Taphouse soon, and said they would be making announcements on the 218 Taphouse
Facebook page.
