Missoula’s Cranky Sam Public House has an Interesting History

The Cranky Sam Public House is a new wine bar and brewery that opened a few weeks back in downtown Missoula, they're on Main, right next to Biga Pizza. They serve fresh beer from their brewery along with a broad selection of beer, sours, cider, hard seltzer and wines from all over the world. I don't drink, so I personally haven't visited, but I am fascinated by their back story and have been sharing it with people looking to check out this new spot.

So what I'm told, is that the owners were originally going to call it 'Black Timber Brewing,' but after they tore out the floor, they uncovered the history of Missoula's late 1800's Chinatown red light district. There were so many amazing artifacts and discovered history, that they teamed up with researchers from the U of M to learn more. By the way, the owners are Jennifer and Jed Haggen, you may recognize their name from Missoula's Sleep City.

Anyway, they learned all about an infamous Chinese man by the name of Cranky Sam who had lived in Missoula at the turn of the twentieth century and was a hellion who constantly broke the law and was not the nicest guy, it sounds like. And that's when the Haggen's decided to change the name and decor to reflect Missoula's history in the location of their new public house. Like I said, I haven't been inside, but I have driven by and seen the beautiful outdoor patio area with fireplaces and a nice spot for a food truck. Rough time to open a business with a worldwide pandemic going on, but those who have been able to enjoy Cranky Sam's are sharing rave reviews. If you wanna check it out, they are at 233 West Main and during limited pandemic hours, open at 4 p.m daily.