Draft's Top 100 Beer Bars

Nailed Boston, except I'd replace Sunset with Lord Hobo.

 

They pretty much hit the mark with the Chicago spots. You could possibly argue for Small Bar and Maria's, but they aren't as knowledgable as the others mentioned.

 

Hell yeah, Mr. Beery's!

 

Falling Rock is the best I've been to. I went to Sergio's and sure there's an amazing selection but the pricing is insane. In December they had a 2012 Hopslam for $10. That's just wrong.

The Tap where I live in Bloomington, IN has had a pretty impressive selection of world class beers since they've opened a couple of months ago.

 

Yeah, you're right, Eulogy is nothing special. I would have added Standard Tap instead. Also maybe some suburban spots like Hulmeville Inn, Railroad Bar, or Craft Ale House.

 

Completely agree. Any "best beer bar" list that doesn't include Kickbacks in the south region is worthless.

 

Surprised to not see Blue Palms Brewhouse for Los Angeles. Besides Tony's Darts Away and Boneyard Bistro its my favorite spot. Surly Goat is awesome, as is Father's office, but i've never been to the other LA spots on the list. Toronado (SF) is still my favorite beer bar ive ever been to. Had a great time at Hamilton's the one time ive been there.

 

I'd been a craft beer fan pre-ChurchKey, but that place really took my interest in beer to the next level, and I think it did for a lot of other folks in the city too. Its success showed other bars in town that there was a demand for craft beer and a number of existing places (Paradiso, Big Hunt, Black Squirrel) were forced to step up their game to stay competitive. And even in less beer-oriented bars, I see a lot more craft choices than I did before ChurchKey arrived. We wouldn't even have bars like Meridian Pint and Smoke and Barrel if ChurchKey hadn't been so successful. Admittedly I barely go there any more except for special events because it's often so damn crowded, but you've gotta give ChurchKey some respect for what it did for this city's beer scene.

 

The bar close to me has 60+ taps. While its its probably a dime a dozen in some places, im happy I have it so close. Ive had KBS, 120 MIN, BCBS, and others on tap there and thats good enough for me.

 

They've got all the best San Diego area bars on there. The only place missing is Live Wire, but I haven't been there in long enough that I can't say whether or not it's as good as the others.

Edit: Oh yeah, and I didn't see Toronado S.D. on the list either.

 

Exactly.
Steve, the proprietor, is absolutely dedicated to craft beer. 84 taps, mostly rotating, and 100s of bottles. Simply an insane selection. Add in his dedication to local and regional breweries (see his Spiked Wake N Bake collab) and a great food menu and you have a testament to what a great beer locale is. Additionally, he is the reason for the growth and continuation of craft beer in the riverside area, just look at what has popped up around him since hes opened ( 2 breweries and 2 other solid beer places) and his upcoming restaurant and bar that will be adjacent to kickbacks. I think the people who do these list, much to their detriment, simply pass by Jacksonville on their way to Orlando and Tampa. I should also add that Steve is a great and welcoming guy, I may be biased as he is a good friend, but the place is amazing and a must visit.


cheers to Kickbacks, always one of my top bars!

 

Congrats to Little Bear for making the list this year. A very cozy Belgian-focused gastropub.

 

Let me break down Philadelphia for y'all:

I completely disagree. The choices from Philadelphia seem like somebody paid somebody else under the table in order to get votes so that all of the naive newcomers might add a helpful "boom" to business.

Why? It's outdated, has some of the shittiest service I've ever experienced, and is a total shitshow for any interesting keg taps. The north side of Spring Garden could run circles around Monk's in every field: bang for your buck, quality of food, serving sizes, lower rate of pompous assholes, surrounding area. Monk's has been on life support for a few years, now. If they didn't get Zwanze Day every year or have people flocking based on old recommendations, they'd be under.

I don't want to talk shit on Eulogy, because their bartenders are some of the best in the city, period, but I agree with both of your statements completely. I wanted to continue going to Eulogy, but they're just left in the dust from all of those Liberties/Kenzo pubs that opened up over the past three years; primarily Standard Tap.

Brauhaus shouldn't have been left off of this list under any circumstances. It, along with Standard Tap, ranks at the top of my list for all-around solid pubs in the city, not to mention the only other German beer pub is Bierstrube (a Eulogy owned Americanized, psuedo-German pub on Market Street), which doesn't commit entirely to German representation or serve authentic cuisine. It's one of a kind at what it does and could literally throat-stomp any potential competitor with excellence.

 

Have been to Map Room, Hopleaf, and Local Option within the last year and all are as advertised...

 

Ashleys in A2...

 

Been to a few of these in the northeast. Connecticut not having a single bar on the list is criminal.

 

Looks like I'm headed to Growlers Pourhouse in Charlotte tonight to check it out.

 

What are your hours?