NORTHLAND MEN COMPETE FOR BEST BEARD AT ‘BREWS AND BEARDS’

By Michelle Truax

Where there’s a beer, there’s a beard. It’s kind of a rule up north, right?

Well, the guys behind Duluth Beard Company are giving us a whole gaggle of reasons to celebrate our bearded brethren. They recently hosted their first Brews and Beards event at Lake Superior Brewing Company.

DBC co-owners Scott Rabold and Josh Kirkpatrick invited gentlemen near and far to show off their facial hair, enjoy a pint of beer and try out their products.

hair rivalry couldn’t hurt.

“We needed something to keep people’s attention and have fun, so we threw together a beard competition,” Rabold said. “We had three different categories: best over six inches, best under six inches, and then best partial — you know, a mustache or goatee. And people started signing up when they came in through the door.”

“It was all really spontaneous and a lot of fun,” Kirkpatrick added. “It’s part of our existence, so why not have a good time with it.”

And for a little extra ambiance, Andy Hauswirth got the crowd grooving with live music.

Since this contest was a surprise to a few competitors, it seemed only fair to make sure they were looking top-notch. So Rabold and Kirkpatrick enlisted help from Randall Anderson of Dapper Jacks Barber Shop.

“I’m very picky about who I let touch my beard, and there’s one guy in town who’s phenomenal,” Rabold said of Anderson’s work. “I thought maybe we can get him … to get people into the concept of keeping up your beard and having it look good, and not just Grizzly Adams.”

Unless Grizzly Adams is what you’re going for. In that case, the guys at DBC are behind you 100 percent.

“I know people that let them grow and bush out and see how big and thick they can get,” Rabold said. “But no matter how you do it, you have to own it. It’s whatever you want to do with it. You have to be OK with what you look like in the mirror.”

And according to Kirkpatrick, times have changed.

“Mainstreams Fashions for Men is one of our retails spots. It’s the concept [that] you can still wear a suit and take care of your beard … and be presentable. There’s no reason successful people that wear three-piece suits to work are required to shave. It’s not a social faux pas anymore.”

DBC’s beard products are all handmade in small batches and packaged onsite. They sell two types of beard oils and balms, as well as a mustache wax. Current locations include Duluth Pack, Lake It, Vikre Distillery, Electric Fetus, Canal Park Brewery, Language of Hair, Makers Mercantile, Mainstream Fashions for Men and Verde Salon.

Find them on Instagram and Facebook as “Duluth Beard Company,” or email them at duluthbeardcompany.com.

Michelle Truax is a multimedia producer for Duluth Media Group.