12th street taphouse was great before I moved away in May 2009. They had just opened in 2008 and were really catering to the craft brew aficionados - they sold 20oz beers at pint prices, same price for big beers, and a solid selection on tap for Charlottesville. They also had a frequent-drinker card that cut $1 off the price of each beer. I remember sipping my $3 20oz SN Bigfoot and wondering 1) why I would ever drink anywhere else and 2) how I was going to get home after 2 of them.
As they became more successful, they changed. I don't know what 12th street is like now, but when I left they had introduced variable pricing on the beers, and the selection wasn't as wild and crazy.
Maybe some of the homebrew club members from CAMRA can pipe up about 12th street.