Draft Magazine's Top 100 Beer Bars in USA

(5) in Portland Oregon, Im shocked, ok no im not.

 

How in the hell is barleys in Greenville sc not on that list!!!? Stones most arrogant bar two years running, 2nd in the bitterest bar only because the one that won was doing growler fills with the IPAs instead of pints...and it's right next door to one of the best bottle shops in the world

 

I appreciate all your well thought out responses and agree on a majority of them. I live literally 8 blocks form Green Dragon and never go there because of the offerings/service at beer mongers, apex, cascade, commons, etc... What does stand out to me from GD is the amount of taps, innovative brewery that is somewhat attached to it, and the events they put on (filling a giant pumpkin with pumpkin beer - not earth shattering, but still cool). I agree that the service is shotty and it is not a travesty that they are not on the list.

I like Imperial being on the list. Im not sure how to score a taproom/bottle shop. For this list, i think they probably focused on the tap house portion - and with Imperial, that is all I go there for. I almost exclusively fill my growlers at Imperial (besides straight from the brewery) now because of their counter-pressure bottle fill system that you mentioned and they types of beers they serve - almost always a Barley Browns beer. The ability have a beer on tap bottled and capped is a pretty ingenious idea as well. I rarely buy bottles there because beermongers is right down the street from me, and i also noticed that their bottle collection sprang up a little too fast. They are also decently cheap to fill growlers

I don't know where to rank Tin Bucket in this either? any ideas?

I have only been here once, was not overly impressed with the list, but I did enjoy that they decided to stick to a particular style for their taps. i would like to go back though, as their food was pretty good and they have a little bit different offering than the taphouses in the city.

I have a soft spot for beermongers because it is my local shop that i frequent the most. I understand why they weren't on there though - they only have 8 taps. Albeit, those 8 taps are really well done, very thoughtful beers that you don't find most other places in the city. Not to mention the service is exceptional there.

Apex is a mystery to me (and much as been said about the prices and service you get there). I like Apex only because their tap selection exceeds all other places in number of "Top 250 Beers" - this doesn't matter THAT much to me - and "rarer" beers. I recall a few weeks ago they had an extensive line-up of Alpine beers, ET Imperial Biscotti Break, etc... Beers that I would never think to find in PDX. They don't focus that much on local offerings - and I think thats a good thing as every other place does. Obviously where they fall short is pricing, no tasters/different glass sizes, no growler fills, meh service. Some people might be put off by that - I actually think it makes things easier.

That being said, I go to Beermongers for bottles and pints, Imperial/breweries to fill growlers, and Apex selectively for pints.

Horse Brass I can't speak to.

 

Every time I go downtown I go to the Busy Bee and the Raleigh Times. My two favorite bars!!

 

Like you, I'm pretty firmly entrenched in my SE lifestyle, and not having a car means I'm in for a rather long bus ride up to Tin Bucket. I don't get there as often as I should, but the times I have been there I've had excellent experiences. The staff is as knowledgeable as anywhere in town (not surprising given that one of the owners is also a co-owner of Logsdons), they're quick to hand out tastes of almost anything if you need help choosing, and the prices are pretty darn good on growler fills and bottles.

BeerMongers is probably the place I frequent more often than anywhere else in town other than the station (not surprising since I'm here 5 days a week), and I agree completely on the tap selection. I feel that what they lack in number of taps they more than make up for in chilled, ready to drink bottles, and even though I don't mind the small "cappage/corkage fee" that everywhere else in town charges I'll admit it's nice to not have to pay it at the mongers.

All told, I think BeerMongers' 8 taps and 400+ chilled bottles puts them a step above Imperial's 14 taps and 300ish mostly warm bottles (granted they do have a chiller), and if I had been the one making this list I would have almost certainly included the former rather than the latter.

 

Surprised to not see more places in VT listed...

 

Nice to see Surly Goat in Hollywood on there. I'd hope the Culver City Father's Office got some consideration, and a little bummed not see the excellent Library Ale House (Santa Monica) on the list.

 

This is why I like the list. A couple of years ago I was in Chicago and checked out The Map Room and Hop Leaf based on their inclusion to the 2012 list, and some BA reviews. Excellent choices.

 

Chicago is a great beer town, you'd have to try hard to put on a crappy tap list the Distro is so good.

 

I think Churchill's in San Marcos should be on the list. Great selection, great beer / food pairing events, various other events during the year. Seems like a slam dunk to me.

 

Busy Bee is another place I checked out because of Draft's Beer Bar List. Interesting vibe and a top notch tap list.

 

El Bait Shop in Des Moines, IA = 6 years in a row on the Top 100 list. Worthy of the Top 25 in my opinion!

 

i can see most of the chicago picks but Bangers and Lace? really...there are prob 3 better ones within a mile of there.

 

Although Cloverleaf in Caldwell gets all the press. My vote in NJ is Mohawk House in Sparta...50 taps always fresh..dynamic atmosphere world class food and the ownership(Steve..you rule~!) AND THEIR STAFF BEHIND THE BAR..RAMBO ..THIS IS A SHOUT OUT TO YOU AND THE GANG!!

 

I came here to shout out Bier Station as well. The only Kansas City listing and well-deserved.

They only hit their one year anniversary a couple weeks ago, so it's pretty awesome to see them taking off like gangbusters. I can't even count how many of my reviews include the words "enjoyed on tap at Bier Station in KC", as I've gotten to sample several things that I wouldn't have sampled otherwise.

John is a great owner and it's good to see his dream come to life.

 

Nothing original about the Bier Station concept, but they put in the work and do it right.

 

How is Cloverleaf Tavern in New Jersey not on here???

 

I love the Library Ale house. Been a few years since I've been to LA, but I used to live in this place.

 

They're new. Maybe next time.

 

2 in Fort Collins and 1 in Denver. That's pretty interesting, but I can't say I disagree with it.