The Twin Port’s craft beer scene is about to see a new brewery open its doors in Lincoln Park. Ursa Minor Brewing is still under construction but will be opening this summer located on West Superior Street near 27th Avenue. 
Chief of operations Ben Hugus said their mission is “to unite people through incredible craft beer and give people genuine experiences, meaningful connections and a chance to give back to the community around them.”
The name Ursa Minor comes from that mission. Ursa Minor is the little dipper, which includes the north star. Hugus said the north star has been guiding people home for milenia, and he wants their brewery to feel like home.
“For us craft beer is that. It is our guiding light, keeping us moving toward something great. We want people to feel at home here.” 
General manager Andrew Scrignoli said it has another tie in with Duluth, being that the north star is sometimes called the zenith star and Duluth is known as the zenith city. 
Something else you can expect from Ursa Minor is wood-fired pizza. Hugus said they won’t have a full service kitchen, but they will be serving a lot of home-baked pizza.
“The crust is so fluffy and yet crisp. It’s just the right size for a really hungry person,” said Hugus. “It accents our beer and pairs well.” 
You can also expect some help with your bike if you need it.
“We’re right on the bike path with Superior Street,” Scrignoli said. “We’re gonna have a bike repair station, a bike rack in a well lit area so people feel safe leaving their bike there, and if people need small repairs on their bike we have the know-how and maybe stock some tubes and stuff like that to help people out. We might have a once a week group ride starting and ending at the brewery.”

Ursa Minor is part of an increase in craft businesses in the Lincoln Park and West Duluth area over the past few years. The hashtag and slogan “rafting something great” has been used to describe the community since 2016. 
Many of the new craft businesses popping up in Lincoln Park are in old buildings and Ursa Minor is no exception. While the history of the building isn’t entirely clear (if you happen to know more about it, give them a call), they know it is over 100 years old. Hugus said it was originally built as a cracker factory.

“We’re trying to bring new life to this space with big glass windows and garage doors,” he said. “Getting as much of that natural light in as possible.”
Hugus said drinking at Ursa Minor is not about getting hammered, but about getting together with friends and enjoying the experience. 
“We want to offer our neighborhood a place where you can come down on a bike, grab a pint and a pizza, bring the kids and bring the dog down to the patio and sit in the sun and enjoy life,” he said. “That’s why we love it so much.”