“Where can I buy some beer?” the man asks me. We’re both at a stop sign, him in a vehicle and me on foot. The fancy imported SUV and clean-shaven face tell me he’s probably not from around here. “Jim’s Bait,” I answer. He looks mildly unamused, replying, “I’m looking for a few local beers; some good stuff.”
I nod patiently. “Jim’s Bait. Keep going,” I say, gesturing. “Turn left on Lake Road. Go to the second stop sign. You’ll see it at the corner.”
Despite its name, Jim’s is more than just a bait shop. Standing under towering white pines on Wisconsin’s Bony Lake, it’s both a geographical reference point and a 50-year-old stalwart. And it’s a local legend—as well as an outlier—for its beer cave.
Barnes, Wisconsin doesn’t qualify as a town. There’s no post office, no Main Street. There’s no stoplight in the entire county. You won’t find a grocery store—the nearest Walmart is more than 30 minutes away. Instead, there’s Jim’s. The shop was founded by Jim Nieckula and his wife Cathy, who ran it for 26 years. They opened in the spring of 1970, and the shop was operated seasonally. For a long time, it only sold bait and tackle; later, when the local grocery store shuttered, a few staples were added. After Jim and Cathy retired, the bait shop changed hands a few times but retained its name. Two ’70s vintage gas pumps—still in use today—were added, along with the beer cave. In 2014, current owners Jim and Seana Frink purchased the business, and invested further in its beer selection.
Today, if you step into the beer cave, you’ll find a surprisingly wide selection of hyper-local—for the middle of nowhere—beers competing for shelf space with downstate releases from better-known breweries like New Glarus and Leinenkugel’s. There’s beer from South Shore Brewery, located an hour up the road in Washburn, including its flagship Nut Brown Ale, easy-drinking and brewed with gin-clear Lake Superior water. Bent Paddle Brewing Company from nearby Duluth, Minnesota, receives its share of shelf space, as does Castle Danger Brewery, located on Minnesota’s northern shore. As expected in a remote resort area, inventory levels change with the seasons. “There’ll be 600 cases in here for the Fourth of July weekend,” Jim Frink tells me.
The Frinks run the place themselves and know many folks who pop in. “We run it old-school, everybody’s family,” says Frink. Crappie minnows are $4.99 a scoop, and containers of wax worms sit beside spools of fishing line behind the counter. Ice cream sandwiches are in the cooler. On sunny days, Lucy, the friendly shop dog, sits by the door waiting for customers to play with.
For me, the draw of Jim’s Bait is more than just the practicality of buying beer from multiple area breweries without needing to make the trip out to each one. It’s about supporting a small business in my community which in turn supports independent breweries. Judging by the steady swing of the front door, others share my opinion.
So when you go, say hi and get the gouge on hot fishing spots. Toss Lucy’s toy. Follow the signs to the beer cave and pick up a six-pack. And, if you need a recommendation, try the Nut Brown Ale.
Words by Andy Wilcox