Housed in a former high-end furniture shop, The Mayor of Old Town is a minimalist space, set off by high ceilings and lots of natural light and outfitted in mid-century modern décor. This clean design allows visitors to focus on the beer, which is plentiful—to the tune of 100 taps.
When Eric and Julie Michaud opened Portland, Maine’s Novare Res Bier Café in 2008, the husband-and-wife pair hoped to start a revolution, as the bar’s name means in Latin.
Houston’s quickly growing craft scene requires that new establishments find ways to stand out amidst increasingly stiff competition. Hay Merchant’s superlative is an exotic, quickly rotating cask program.
The craft beer scene in Chicago was a bit behind in 1992. But with a bar like Hopleaf and emerging craft brewers popping up, things began to turn around.
When Trappeze Pub opened in 2007, its hometown of Athens, Ga., was known more for its music than its beer. But thanks in no small part to pent-up demand for craft beer in the area, opening night saw people lined up out the door for Trappeze’s expansive beer bible of a menu.
The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco’s Mission District, hosts 24 drafts and around 180 bottles, including 10–15 vintage selections in the subterranean cellar of the extremely intimate space (the capacity is just 45).
Community drinking experiences don’t always have to start with long-standing, brick-and-mortar operations. As with many ideas that shift from West to East in the United States, San Francisco is engaging in a remarkably simple yet creative civic experiment: making use of vacant spaces.
Thanks to a self-proclaimed “computer nerd,” the tap list board has become a lot more high tech—and can not only tell the customer what’s being poured, but can help give the pub owner insight into his or her clients’ beer preferences.
Beer service, when done right, can certainly put on a good show and captivate its audience. Such delivery, with proper glassware, thoughtful pours, and a touch of caring and flare, causes heads to turn and customers to ask what that lucky guy or gal is drinking.
The main problem with offering so many taps is that certain beers tend to move, either due to their innate popularity with consumers or because the bartenders sell them, while others tend to sit and face a long, cold death.
Looking back, we survey a country where beer was once the agitator of rebellion and omnipresent companion to social discourse. Behind us is the mass industrialization of beer, but also the craft explosion; ahead of us—possibilities.
Welcome aboard Jet Brew Flight IBU77 from Fridge to Belly. Please direct your attention to our BeerAdvocate in-flight beer guides, Jason and Todd, for today’s current offerings.
Whether you’re a first-time brewer or a pro honing your chops, there’s always more to learn. Here’s how to go from the back of the bar to the head of the class, from a round-up of top brewing schools, to books for learning more about beer and some tips for becoming a better beer advocate.
