Amanda Agamaite, left, and Ben Hugus of Ursa Minor Brewing stand in front of the future home of Bean & Bear Bagels. The Lincoln Park brewery is remodeling the north end of its production facility at 202 S. 26th Ave. W. A deck will be built in the current parking lot. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A Lincoln Park brewery famous for its beer and wood-fired pizza combination is opening a new restaurant space that will specialize in made-from-scratch bagels for the breakfast and lunch crowd.

Ursa Minor Brewing will open Bean & Bear Bagels, a grab-and-go bagel shop, on the north end of its brewery and warehouse facility at 202 S. 26th Ave. W. this spring. The new location will feature fresh bagels, bagel sandwiches and specialty coffee.

Ursa Minor Brewing owner Ben Hugus said the company was looking to expand beyond its beer and pizza offerings and decided on bagels. Ursa Minor makes all of its pizza dough from scratch, he said, so baking bagels is a good fit for its kitchen.

“We thought what a great opportunity to bring a couple of synergies together and create something that Duluth needs,” said Hugus. “(We can) combine our experience with craft manufacturing, make use of a good space and make something delicious while we’re at it.”

Hugus said making pizzas has become a big part of Ursa Minor operations, with four full-time employees making dough and preparing for service. Expanding into the baking side made sense, he said, and bagels filled a hole in Duluth food options.

“I’ve always made bagels at home,” he said. “There’s really nowhere to get a fast and easy breakfast here in Duluth. That’s what inspired us to push into it.”

Ursa Minor Director of Retail and Hospitality and Bean & Bagel co-founder Amanda Agamaite said bakers are currently working on new recipes using locally sourced ingredients. Bean & Bagel will focus on speed and efficiency, she said, because breakfast and lunch customers are typically in a hurry and want consistency.

“Our bagels will always be fresh,” said Agamaite. “We want them so fresh that when you break them open they’re steaming.”

Ursa Minor Brewing produced 800 barrels of beer during its first year of operation on Superior Street in Lincoln Park. It produced 4,800 barrels at its new production facility on 26th Avenue West in 2025.

Ursa Minor has developed a local connection for lox, used for popular salmon sandwiches, and has long partnered with Yker Acres in Carlton for its meat products. Staff will make standard breakfast and lunch sandwiches on site using a variety of flavored bagel options like poppy seed and sesame seed. Ursa Minor is also working with an independent coffee maker for a signature roast.

“The only fast grab-and-go type eats here in Duluth are all corporate chains,” said Hugus. “There’s nothing meant to be grabbing good local food on the fly, let alone a good bagel. So we are like: ‘Both of these are missing. I think we can bring it together. We’ve got the space and the team to do it. Let’s go for it.’”

Hugus said Ursa Minor already makes everything on its menu in house — the beer, of course — along with pizza dough, sauce and toppings, even pretzels and pesto.

“It’s not a big leap,” he said.

Ursa Minor Brewing was founded in 2018 in a construction warehouse at 2415 W. Superior St. The location was expanded over the years and still serves as a busy tap room and restaurant. In 2023, it purchased a nearby 20,000-square-foot former truck transfer building on 26th Avenue West where it relocated kitchen and brewing operations.

Ursa Minor Brewing purchased a former truck transfer building on 26th Avenue West in 2023. The 20,000-square-foot building now houses brewing and kitchen operations for its tap room and pizza restaurant at 2415 W. Superior St.

The company has tripled its brewing capacity in seven years and now operates a 15-barrel brewhouse at the 26th Avenue West site. The facility also contains a beer warehouse, kitchen facilities and offices. Hugus said 3,600-square-feet on both upper and lower levels are being renovated to create new offices, brewing support, employee space, a retail store and the Bean & Bear bagel shop.

Bean & Bear will have a small café feel featuring counter service with indoor seating and an outdoor deck built off a former loading dock. Bagels will not be served at the Superior Street tap room.

“The brewery is doing well,” said Hugus. “We take the same attitude toward beer as we’re gonna toward bagels. We’re going to get better every day and keep improving quality and not compromise on any ingredients.”

“Duluth deserves to have good grab-and-go food,” he said. “We don’t have to go to Kwik Trip.