Minneapolis' pan pizza obsession heads to Duluth

If crisp cider, gooey squares of Detroit-style pizza and a luscious Creemee cone sound like a perfect meal pairing, then this news is for you.

Wrecktangle Pizza will open inside Wild State Cider in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood later this year. To get a taste of what’s to come, a preview event will happen April 12-13, when Wrecktangle will park its food truck outside the taproom.

Wild State co-founder Adam Ruhland first reached out to Wrecktangle in 2023 and asked if they’d ever consider opening a pizza spot up north.

“There’s a lot about our brands and the way we like to do business that we have in common,” said Wrecktangle co-founder Jeff Rogers. But good things, like a proper fermentation, take time. Now the pieces are in place and plans are moving along, which is great news for Wrecktangle co-founder Alex Rogers, who lives in Duluth and offices just a few blocks from the cidery.

Wild State Cider opened its airy Duluth taproom at 2515 W. Superior St. in the spring of 2019. With Scandinavian design influences and a zero-shenanigans, natural-commitment approach to its cider, it was immediately met with great enthusiasm.

In early 2023, the company expanded into a new distribution center and production facility in West Duluth. Today it’s among the state’s top 15 alcohol producers by volume. Along with its cider lineup and a line of THC beverages called Birdie, Wild State Cider is also home to Camp Creemee, a Vermont-style of ice cream that Ruhland grew up enjoying.

“For anybody who’s been in Duluth in recent years, Lincoln Park is popping up new establishments left and right,” said Wild State rep Jane Jandl. “It’s really fun to be a part of and we’re really glad that Wrecktangle is hopping on board with us.”

A production kitchen will be built adjacent to the taproom in an area that had previously been used for events. Jandl assured that the taproom experience, with a kids' play area and green living wall, will be unaffected during the build-out.

Wrecktangle was founded by the Rogers brothers and Breanna Evans in December 2019 as a small stand inside the North Loop Galley food hall with a Detroit-style of pan pizza that quickly grew a massive following. The business soon expanded to include another food hall outpost at Graze Food Hall by Travail and a stand-alone restaurant in Minneapolis' Lyn-Lake neighborhood.

While the business is based in Minneapolis, its founders all have experienced the elemental pull and appreciation of the city on the shores of Lake Superior. Alex Rogers went to UMD and moved back to the Twin Cities after graduation, but said “I couldn’t shake that Duluth felt like home.”

“I’m hoping that this becomes a catalyst to be up there more,” added Jeff.

Evans agreed. “I think 20 years ago, Duluth felt more like maybe a place you could go in the summer. More touristy. And now, with our generation, it feels like a place where people keep celebrating each other’s creativity — and it works there when people try new things.”

Look for Wrecktangle at Wild State Cider to launch later this year.