Best Beer Bars in America

Chimone said:

Ok, heading out to Clarksville from the 10th - 15th.

If anyone is in the area and wants to have quite a few pints one night, then shoot me a PM

Click to expand...

I made it to the Blackhorse Pub today. I absolutely loved their stout. Great coffee overtone with a nice mellow caramel aftertaste and slight hint of chocolate. Their pale tastes spot on to my house pale. Not a fan of their Hefe too much, but we took home a growler of their Barnstormer Red Ale.

It looks like a small 5 BBL system, and Im guessing they dont package. Instead they probably just have a couple grundy's upstairs or something. I was playing 20 questions with the bartender, but he didnt seem to know much other than the different beers they had on tap.

Overall its a killer pub. Great lay out, great food, and pretty damn good beer. Here is a crappy shot of thier brewhouse. Its behind glass so I couldnt get a decent pic.

If you are ever in Boston, there are three bars which are great for tying different brews.

#1 Bekowski Tavern: 99 bottles of beer on the wall... literally. They have the best Belgium smoked ale I've ever had, and it's a nice environement. It's located next to the Prudential.

#2 The Other Side: located on Newbury Street, literally on the "other side" of Mass. Ave. It's got some rather strong ales, my favorites being Arogant Bastard Ale and Rogue Dead Guy Ale. The atmosphere reminds me of some of the cafes I went to in Amsterdam. Cool music, good food (mostly veggie; their veggie chilli is amazing, and I'm a meat lover), better beer.

#3 Red Bones: located in Davis Square off the Red Line in Sommerville, it's known for the best BBQ in Boston. Their beer selection offers some typical beers, but most of what's on tap are local, New England beers; if in season, their pumpkin ale is crazy, and the double white is suprisingly great. Should you not know what to drink, they have a wheel of indecision. Spin it and drink what it lands on; of course, you run the risk of it landing on PBR, which is just an insult to the rest of the beer menu.

Well, there isn't a lot in Petersburg, VA but if you're going to be in that area- the brickhouse run in Olde town is the best bar in that area. The only place in the area that has cask ale - a realativley small draft and bottle selection but the area is arguabley the swankiest area for Petersburg so it's good for a few pints!

I just moved to the Williamsburg, VA area and I have yet to find a great beer house. I guess that's the down side to living in a tourest town! There seems to be a micro brew here - Aleworks- I've tried thier Cream Ale - not so great. But I haven't tried to see if they have a pub on the grounds. Plus, A.B. runs the popular Bush Gardens, thus it's hard to find anything that isn't AB.

It's no wonder I brew more now since I've moved here!

OK- in case it wasn't mentioned before- Capital Ale House in Downtown Richmond - arguabley the best beer house in Richmond- they do have a few others in the greater Richmond area but none like the one in Downtown- Food is great and the beer is too numerous to list- they have a website so check them out- If you're going to be in that town for an overnight- check them out- Fridays they have a blues thing as well!

We found the Dillon Dam Brewery because I saw it on the AHA list of discounts. We ate there 3 times in 2 days while we were in the area. Good beer, Fantastic Food. Best meals we've had in months!



The hopper in front....holds 50,000#'s of 2 row.



And FYI...They pitch 30 gallon starters!

A really great pub in the Los Angeles area is Lucky Baldwins in Pasadena. They also have a new pub in Sierra Madre, but I've never been. I think they usually have 63 taps and a lot of rotating bottles floating around.

It's a British pub, so they have the classics: fish & chips, cottage pie etc. I always go for the beer though.

In Portland we've got a pretty decent beer scene with some good local brew pubs. But if you want to hit a great overall bar I'd go with either:

Three Dollar Dewey's which has a pretty decent beer selection (dunno, maybe 70 or 80 choices?) and good pub food.

or my new favorite: Novare Res which has 25 rotating taps, 2 engines, and some 200 bottles, with a HUGE selection of Belgian and German bottles. Limited but tasty tapas and an excellent, large outdoor biergarten.

Sugar Maple Milwaukee. 60 Micros on tap.

Locally in Rochester, NY I'd say Tap & Mallet is a great choice. Fantastic beer selection and rotating taps that are rarely repeated often.

MacGregor's is a great choice too. WIDE selection of draft beer from keg to cask to bottles.

Local brewhauses, Rhorbach's or Custom Brewcrafters. and we have High Falls Brewing also (Dundee's and Genny)

Good Beertown in Rochester.

The Bier Garden in Portsmouth, VA sports a beer menu of over 300 selections and has one of the most educated bar/waitstaff of any place I've ever been. (Not to mention pretty good Bavarian food)

The Bier Garden - Portsmouth, VA

Orpheus said:

I went to the Brickskeller for my bachelor party. Sad that I'd rather sample beer than see naked women dancing around a pole...

Click to expand...

Haha... I feel ya. From the very begining I said i didnt want to go to a strip club for my bachelor party. I wanted to money to be spent to get better beer a liquor. I actually went to Victory brewing for mine. It was great there.

My list would be:
Brickskeller in DC just because of their amazing selection

Monk's Cafe in philly because I believe it has the largest selection of belgian beer in the country. (just a side note but I read that the city of philadelphia is considered to be the belgian beer capitol of the WORLD. They actually drink more belgian beer than brussels)


Victory Brewing just outside of philly- They have completly renovated the entire place. It is has a huge dining room with great food and amazing beer. There tour is only decent at best but everything else makes up for it.

Well im from Boston so there are a few...

Boston Beer Works right acorss the street from Fenway park is great.
I love the look on peoples faces that walk in there and find out they they dont serve hard booze and only have their own beer on tap. Food is very good and usually have 10-12 great beers on tap. There are 3 Boston Beer Works in MA, one is across from the Boston Garden, one in Salem MA, and the new one is in Lowell MA.

Cambridge Brewing Company is very well known arouns the Boston area.
Just like the Beer Works, and the food is also great.

We have a few John Harvard's in MA. Yes they are a chain but do have some good beer and food.

There are a ton more in and around Boston and MA.
If you are looking for a place that has over 112 beers on tap and 380 microbrews and bottles from around the world then Sunset Grill & Tap in Allston MA is the place to check out. index

PATTON ALLEY PUB, Springfeild MO
probably the best selection in my area

Definitely_NOT_dataz722 said:

Brickskeller in DC just because of their amazing selection

Click to expand...

Mentioned a lot in this thread, and they are very good, but they're not even in the running for best in the country. Their list is huge but they're often out of the first 3-4 things I order, and service tends toward the slow side. They've finally expanded from a meager 2 taps to 12, but the selection's never been as interesting as at RFD or elsewhere in the area.

I can think of 4 places just in the DC area where I'd rather go for a beer:

Rustico, Alexandria: 50 beers on tap, 5 cask-conditioned ales, 500+ bottles, they have a beer steward to do beer pairings with your meal, and good food. Noisier atmosphere during peak hours is the main drawback.
RFD Drafthouse, DC: Same owners as Brickskeller, 30 taps and one cask-conditioned pump. At most one BMC among the taps, so a great selection of fresh draught beer.
Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria: 10 taps, all with interesting stuff (no BMC at all), plus a decent selection of bottles (20+ Belgians, for instance, maybe 50-70 in total but a pretty neat selection) and I've not had anything out of stock when ordering. Plus 180+ wines if you have mixed company.
For bottles only:
Lost Dog Cafe, Arlington: Great sandwiches. There's a 3 beer limit per customer--but all of their (400+) beers are available to go in 6 packs (or however they're packaged). A great place to have dinner, try 3 things you've never had, and pick up whatever you like.


But back to the main question, IMO the best beer bar in the country is the Great Lost Bear in Portland, ME. 60+ taps, 4 cask-conditioned pumps (including Allagash Confluence currently!), great food, and great atmosphere. There's a focus on local stuff and Belgians, but with that many taps there's plenty of room for Dogfish 90, Rogue Yellow Snow, Stone Double Bastard, Brooklyn Savoir Faire, etc.

Toronado is pretty badass but there are a ton of great beer bars in the Bay Area.

The Monk's Kettle - Good little beer bar/restaurant in San Francisco. Beer of every style...the online list is updated regularly. Get there early if you want a seat, otherwise just get on the waiting list and crowd your way into the bar.

City Beer - Tasting bar in San Francisco. Anything you could possibly want in a bottle (room or cold) and a few local beers on tap. I always buy a couple cases of room temp bottles to age and drink at home.

Speisekammer - Fantastic German Restaurant and Bar in Alameda. I usually go there with groups of about 12 and we all get hammered on liter mugs of Köstritzer and Franziskaner. Try their specials...their goose was one of the greatest meals of my life. (The regular meals are awesome, as well.)

Cato's Ale House - Two blocks from my apartment in Oakland. I love it when they have the Twist of Fate on Cask. Great pizza, sandwiches and burgers. Usually kinda crowded until you can snag a good seat.

The Trappist - Oakland's best. Absolutely crazy belgian beer selection. Check out what they have on tap and in bottles. I went there one night and drank nothing but the wits and blondes and never had the same beer twice. That was a great night. Gotta be careful with those big beers, tho

Triple Rock Brewery - Great brewpub in Berkeley. Decent burgers and excellent beer made on site with their great little setup. Thursday is Monkey Head nights. I used to go there after night classes. Get stamps from drinking ten 1L bottles and they let you take home the bottle and a T-shirt. I have 3 T-shirts and gave many more away (the girls shirts were 2 cards!)

Cafe Biere - Tiny little place in Oakland. Friend of a friend works there and makes food that's to die for. Grand Belgian and domestic beer selection and a local feel.

The Warehouse Cafe - Beat up old building in Vallejo. In the middle of nowhere you get an insane selection of beers and you drink next to a stuffed polar bear. I can never remember what wonderful beers I have there because I get so obliterated :cross:

I think that's it. You guys let me know if I forgot anything

My 2 Cents

Eulogy - Great Belgian and International selection located in Old City Philadelphia.

Max's Taphouse - Excellent all around selection located in Fells Point, Baltimore, MD. Also host a Belgian and other great festivals throughout the year.

Flying Saucer - They have a good dozen locations, have been to the ones in Nashville and Memphis, VERY large draft selection and a fun atmosphere.

Wharf Rat - In Fells Point, Baltimore, MD. Limited selection of house made brews, but probably the best old school tavern look and feel, as though you went back in time to the 1800s.

Hi there, new here but I though I'd mention 99 Bottles of Beer in Santa Cruz. over forty beers on tap and I think way over a hundred in all.
They also have the nifty feature of posting your name on the wall after you finish 99 different specified beers. Not at one time, you fill out a card. Some have have filled out 50 (fifty) cards. Reasonably tasty food and not too loud.

Uncle Eddy's, Salisbury Beach,MA. Complete with ACDC cover bands. Just a great place to drink.

The Brick Store - Decatur,GA

My favorite local is Clarks Ale House, they dont have a huge selection but they have a good atmosphere to make up for it.

Clark's Ale House, Syracuse NY

second favorite local is the Blue Tusk, they have more beer on tap but lack the atmosphere that i really enjoy.

http://www.bluetusk.com/default.asp

I'll second. The Brickstore Pub in Decatur, Georgia

www.brickstorepub.com

In Salt Lake City there is only one place to go for a truly great beer selection and that is The Bayou. 30+ beers on tap, about 300 more in bottles. Great selection across all styles. Awesome food, good music (jazz, usually) and great service.

The Bayou | The Bayou

if your ever in ft. lauderdale go to original fat cats. it's in the downtown area, ask for don.

I'd have to say that my local favorite is Fred's Rivertown Alehouse in Snohomish, WA. They have 32 microbrews on tap, a lot of them featuring local breweries like Mac and Jack's, Leavenworth Brewing Company, etc., and over 50 single malt scotches. Food is great, staff is friendly and knowledgable. They have billiard tables, hard point darts, and overlook the Snohomish River.

They also feature cask nights and brewery nights (I think the next one features Full Sail)

A great place. It was the first alehouse I'd been to where you could buy a growler of one of their draught beers to take home.

Shmohel said:

Mot sure how anyone has not listed the Brickskeller on this list.

http://www.thebrickskeller.net/

Okay, here is their beer list:

Click to expand...

+1 on Brickskeller.

Look, feel, and selection wins hands down. How can you beat walking downstairs to what appears to be a dirty/dingy basement, and finding the LARGEST beer selection in the world?

It feels like you're in an exclusive speak-easy, back in the prohibition days.

Shmohel said:

long and short, i needed to split their beer list amongst several different posts.

They have all of these beers in their coolers and their waiters know their beers. With lots of cool old signs on the walls, how is this NOT the best beer bar in the country?!

Click to expand...

cause it's not the Brick Store?

i mean seriously. There's nothing that holds a candle to it.

BA_from_GA said:

cause it's not the Brick Store?

i mean seriously. There's nothing that holds a candle to it.

Click to expand...

I dunno, that Brickskeller place has it beat very easily based on just the beer list (which is really all we can judge a place by on the internets).

The Happy Gnome in St. Paul, MN. It has been on a few different "top 100" bars in the world lists.

They have over 70 craft beers on tap, over 450 different beers in bottle and over 300 varieties of scotch and whiskey.

www.thehappygnome.com

Brewsmith said:

The Yard House is a chain of restaurants, mostly in Southern California that have at least 130 different beers on tap. The original in Long Beach has a selection of 250! It's a full restaurant, not a pub, but as far as selection you can't beat it.

Click to expand...

Oh, I dislike the Yard House.

They have a pretty good selection, but the staff know jack **** about beer, and they are generally surly and rude in my experience. And, they have the same beer list for every location even though some of the taps are different, so you have to sit there looking at all the taps to figure out what isn't on the list.



In the Los Angeles area, Lucky Baldwin's is OK...they have a decent selection of Belgians. But some of the staff there are downright mean, and I don't think they ever clean their beer lines. We finally stopped going there because the ladies of the group would always order wits, and inevitably one of them would taste infected and nasty. Then the server would tell us that's how the beer is supposed to taste, without ever actually tasting it to see for themselves, and would refuse to bring another beer.

My favorite in the area by far is Naja's Place. 80+ different beers on tap and they are constantly rotating in good stuff. The list on the website is old. Lately they have been updating facebook when they change out taps nowadays. Staff are all very friendly and really know their beer. They also have a bunch of stuff in bottles, way more than what's listed on their website, but to be honest I never order the bottled stuff because there's such a great variety on tap.

North Coast Brewery, Fort Brag, CA. It's a fantastic little brewery right on the ocean, great beer, good food, nice folks, and a very unique place to visit. It's way out of the way from anywhere, but if your in the norcal area I suggest making the trip. It will make for a memorable adventure.

My second choice is Boons treasury in Salem, OR. It's a MacMinimums Pretty much all there pubs are a kick in the ass, but this one especially.

Ebenezer's in Lovell, ME. Its a true destination beer bar, named the best in the country by beeradvocate. It sits right on a golf course with a nice Belgian/beer themed atmosphere, 35 Belgians on tap and over 700 choices in bottles.

http://www.ebenezerspub.net/

The best beer bar that I have been to was the Hop Cat in grand rapids michigan. They have a great tap selection (not as amazing as some of the lists here) but they had a lot of stuff that was otherwise really difficult to find in the area.

Thought I'd bring this one back up!

The first real Pub I have found in the states is in Delray Beach, FL. Its called the Blue Anchor, it was brought over from England because it was going to be knocked down. It had REAL fish n chips. Their beer selection was amazing! And it had the real pub feel!

The next on my favorites list is an Irish Pub in Nashville, TN. It goes by the name McNamara's. One of the best Sheppard's Pies Ive had since I moved to America! Also an amazing beer selection, plus they have a sports bar upstairs!

Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA is the best beer bar I have ever been to, and most likely will be the best I EVER go to. Selection is incredible, beer is always fresh and poured in proper glassware, food is great, staff is knowledgeable.

I grew up in Atlanta, and moved 2 MONTHS after I turned 21. I make it a point to get at least once every time I'm home visiting family.

Caboose said:

Thought I'd bring this one back up!

The first real Pub I have found in the states is in Delray Beach, FL. Its called the Blue Anchor, it was brought over from England because it was going to be knocked down. It had REAL fish n chips. Their beer selection was amazing! And it had the real pub feel!

The next on my favorites list is an Irish Pub in Nashville, TN. It goes by the name McNamara's. One of the best Sheppard's Pies Ive had since I moved to America! Also an amazing beer selection, plus they have a sports bar upstairs!

Click to expand...

Blue Anchor is cool, one of the only places to get cask conditioned beer around these parts.

kinda hard to believe that Trappeze Pub in Athens, GA hasn't been mentioned yet. if beer alone isn't enough, the food is amazing.

http://trappezepub.com/

Dang, this thread is old!

I have to sing the praises of Ebeneezer's Pub in Lovell, Maine. I randomly ended up there while visiting friends over New years and couldn't believe their selection, especially for how remote of a location it is. Owner is very passionate about Belgian beers. If you go, ask if you can see the cellar, they are happy to show it off and it is amazing.

http://www.ebenezerspub.net/Beer.html

Nashville, TN - The Flying Saucer

Winston-Salem, NC - Recreation Billiards

Asheville, NC - The Thirsty Monk (surrounded by great bars but takes the distinction of being the cream of the crop)

Charlotte, NC - The Vintner

Las Vegas!

Our best microbrewery is Big Dogs Draft House. They brew West Coast style beers, and have a good IPA, red, stout, and pale ale. Their seasonals are extremely good; my favorite beer in the world is a double red that they brew called Alpha Dog. Their IIPA, War Dog, is one of the best beers I have ever had. The bar food is really good too.

The best pub to get seasonal crafts Laguintas, Deschutes, Dogfish Head, Stone, etc. on draft is Aces and Ales. Its a small dive bar owned by Alice Cooper's guitar player, but the beer on tap is amazing for Las Vegas. The local Homebrew club meets here every second Friday of the month.

I also recommend Khoury's Fine Wine and Spirits. This is a bottle shop, but they always have three great beers on tap. Last time I was there they had Firestone Walker Double Jack and New Belgium La Folie on tap. On Wednesday nights, Khoury's has beer tastings where beer nerds get together, buy a few bottles, and share.