Jack's is My Favorite Place

Jack's is my other favorite place in Superior.

The establishment is around the corner from my house, so I wind up there a lot.  Like, I get suspicious activity notifications from my bank if I go to long without swiping my debit card there.  The first time I stopped in after buying my home, I noticed what was to me a mind-blowing way to serve beer.

HOLY CRAP I'M DRINKING FROM THE FUTURE!

There are at least a few other places in town that have this kind of a tap, but I hadn't seen it anywhere else but in Superior before or since.  Apparently the distribution method cuts down on spilled beer that gets left behind with the typical tap serving.  As much as five percent of the beer is saved, and if there's one thing Wisconsinites hate, it's wasting beer.

In the wintertime, Jack's is your standard Suptown drinking establishment.  One row of tables with additional bar seating, a pool table at one end of the bar and electronic games that suck up your money at the other end.  Its patrons are just the right mix of sociable if you want to talk but reserved enough to keep their distance if you prefer to drink alone and zone out on sports or your cell phone, and the same goes for the staff.

Jack's also has some of your typical, let's just call them, more committed Wisconsin drinkers.  Mostly that adds to the fun, and when it doesn't, the bartenders do a good job keeping a handle on things.

Ok New Year's Eve partiers, you've got an hour and a half to sleep it off and then we start up again!

 Why is it called Jack's?

The father of one of the owners is named Jack, and is the namesake for the establishment.

Is there anything interesting about the business or the building's untold history?  Is there a specialty drink or menu item?

These two questions at Jack's get rolled into one.  There isn't a menu, aside from Planter's peanuts and Heggie's pizza.  And the bar doesn't have a signature drink.  What they do have is an outdoor patio beer garden with a rather astounding interior wraparound mural of various beers and places of importance within Superior.  Which, by the way, murals that are above-average or better are another characteristic of distinction in town.  Just like Superior's burgers, the murals are not as good in other similarly-sized cities.  I don't know how you all do it, but keep it up.

The beer garden has live music quite often in the summertime, especially on the weekends.  If you want the definitive "Jack's experience," then a late afternoon turning into early evening beer-drinking, music-listening session is just the ticket.  And since there is no menu to speak of unless they host a potluck or chili contest, Jack's is pretty casual about letting you bring in your own food.  Time it right, and you can pick up some of the best Thai food in the Twin Ports at Pak's Green Corner and then grab a beer and a show.

Speaking from experience, the perfect way to cap off a day of hard work on my home rehab is when the siren smell of Pak's cooking wafts through my windows and I can't take it anymore, and then just as the sun begins to set we hit the Superior Goldilocks temperature that's not too hot and not too cold.  I finish up my work at home, hop over to Pak's and ask them what they think I should eat today.  (Their menu is outstanding, but if you've got an adventurous palate, this is the way to get their best food and off-menu items.)  And then I cap off the evening with some sun, some fine beer, fun music, amazing food, and great company.

When you do that, if you fail to say at least once, "Life doesn't get much better than this," then there's something seriously wrong with you.

Last Dance With Mary Jane tally: 9 at this location, for a running total of 12.