Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/455266
64 / the tasting panel / january/february 2015 COVER STORY Pouring Power With the distinction of being the pub that sold the most Newcastle Brown Ale draught in the world for the past two years, Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis knows a thing or two about English imports. Opened in 1990, the bar began as a two-room tavern and has since undergone major expansion; it now occupies the entire building, featuring five bars, three outdoor patios and a giant green space where games of lawn bowling take place every warm Midwestern summer. On tap, beers from Britain and Europe take the spotlight, with a few handles delegated to local craft beers. "We have transformed into an institution in the downtown area," Shane Higgins, a native Englishman who serves as General Manager of Brit's. "It's a real everyman's place; we get families, businessmen, hipsters, you name it—everyone fits in." It's no wonder they sell so many pints of Newcastle, since the ale is known traditionally as the working man's beer. "It has always done pretty well here, but in the past six or seven years, Newcastle's sales have taken off. People come in and ask for recommendations of British beer, and we love to introduce them to the brand." —Emily Coleman Shane Higgins, General Manager of Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis, knows a thing or two about English imports. PHOTO: JAIMEE MORSE