Return of the Bar Burger: JL Beers Marries Two American Classics

Let’s talk about bacon. Being the unabashed bacon enthusiast that I am, one might imagine that I would take bacon on anything. Not true. Bacon on a burger often gives me cause for doubt. Not because the flavors don’t go together, or because I can’t stand the thought of those cute, delicious little piggies being slaughtered for my satisfaction, but because, frankly, it’s rarely done right. Generally when bacon comes on a burger I have a hard time believing that it even came from a pig. It tastes more like cardboard and wet socks. This is not the right way to do bacon on a burger.
However, despite my reservations, when the waitress asked if I’d like bacon on my Humpty Dumpty burger at JL Beers I hastily assented. I mean, the burger has a fried egg on it, and you can’t really go wrong with bacon and eggs (unless they are from a Motel 6 continental breakfast, in which case you can go terribly, horribly wrong). To my surprise, the bacon was just about perfect burger bacon: crispy, thick and peppered within an inch of its life.
Let’s review. JL Beers, newly opened at 518 1st Avenue and home to 58 separate kinds of beer, 32 of which are on tap, makes a burger in about a minute flat, slaps an egg on top and tosses on some of the best burger bacon this side of the Mississippi and suddenly we’ve got a burger and beer joint downtown with the right idea.
Don’t get me wrong. There are other places where you can get White Castle sliders or a nine-dollar burger with bleu cheese yak bacon. At roughly four bucks a pop and a menu comprised simply of four burgers and two different kinds of chips (made in-house with one of the coolest kitchen gadgets I have ever seen) JL Beers hits the elusive golden mean of the burger world.
I could wax poetic about the burgers all night, but let’s move on. JL Beers, true to its name, also has one of the best beer selections in town and it’s only getting better. “We’re giving the people what they want,” said General Manager Dan Vogel, “and surprisingly, people are more adventurous than we thought.” Having already gone through a keg or two of the more obscure beers on the tapline, JL Beers is looking to get more interesting beer into the hands of the thirsty people of Fargo.

I know that I was pleasantly surprised to find beers ranging from Summit’s fantastic Oatmeal Stout to Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale and at $3-5 a pint you can try as many as you like. For those looking to enter the world of craft beers or even if you’re just brew-curious, JL Beers offers “Beer Flights” which consist of six separate 4 oz. beers in different categories such as Midwestern breweries, beers from around the globe and my personal favorite, ales from the dark side. Also, at the back of their extensive beer list they’ve got a glossary of beer terminology so you, too, can find yourself spouting off about the differences between doppelbocks and trappist trippels.

Seating roughly 30, JL Beers feels cozy even when there are only 10 people on the rail. It was packed full when I went in around 6 and later that night when I stopped in for a Bell’s Two Hearted IPA at last call it was standing room only. The crowd is also one of the most diverse groups I’ve seen Downtown. Tattooed hipsters chow down next to suits, frat boys and geeks brought together by the two things powerful enough to unite us all: burgers and beer.

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