Best beer bar experience ever!

Brickstore is fantastic, but can get too busy. The Porter in little 5 is my favorite bar in Atlanta. Same selection (sometimes better), but much more low key.

 

My ultimate beer bar is The Old Toad in Rochester. It has only 15 rotating taps, but they rotate very regularly and have a great mix of international and American. Last night I was able to get a Stone Enjoy By 4/13 and a Lagunitas Sucks. But the best thing is they have a great bottle cellar, hundreds of beers from all over the world.

 

Moeder Lambic. Started with Cantillon Cuvee Moeder Kriek, Cantillon Faro, Cantillon Lambic. When that flight of three brews arrived in Cantillon tulips, I was in heaven.

 

Mine is Falling Rock Taphouse where I had my first PtE, Blind Pig, and 90 Minute.

 

ChurchKey manages to be great and terrible at the same time. Their drafts are usually very fairly priced, there is often quite a good selection, and the 4 oz. option is a lifesaver when they have several things you want to try. However their bottle list is oddly arranged, and often outrageously priced. I can't tell who they are trying to help by arranging things by color and flavor profile, but it makes things almost impossible to find, and I usually have to read the 500+ bottle list very closely at least twice to make sure I don't miss anything.

My best beer bar experience was just this past Monday, at Local 44 for their Pliny the Younger event. They made sure that the 50 early birds got one glass and one glass only before the bar opened, and even better, made certain once the bar did open that people were ordering one glass at a time, and only when they finished their current beer. Having been to crowded events where people order and are served 4 or 5 glasses at a time of the rarest beer, kicking it before everyone who showed up even gets a glass, it was refreshing to see a bar actually manage an event and ensure everyone got a fair shot at a glass of Pliny. It didn't hurt that they also had a killer tap list, including Saint de Bon Chien '11, Meantime Naval College Old Porter, and a bunch of other RR stuff.

 

The Highlands in Scotland.

Walked into a pub (The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore) and announced to the barman that I had never tasted a cask ale in my life.

One of the old blokes at the bar exclaims to the barman "Good God! Get the man an ale".

Barman procedes to pour me a taster of every cask ale on tap.

Beer advocacy at its finest.

 

Lynnhaven Pub in Virginia Beach. Everytime I walk into this bar, which is little more than a hole in the wall from the outside, I am absolutely amazed. Kegs of Bitches Brew, DFH 120 Min run through a Randall of various ingredients, Alewerks Cafe Royale, etc. There are not many older/aged beers, but the selection is always incredible.

 

The Heorot....easily

 

My best was back when Rattle and Hum had an English cask festival. Stopped in a few days after the event, but all the cask I wanted to try had kicked. They had this new beer from a brewery I'd never heard of though, and I went for it. Then again. And again. And one more just to make sure it really was that f'in good. You may have heard of it, Hunahpu's.

Pretty good night tomorrow, I do believe. See for yourself
crazy Fri. tap list mmmm

 

Went to Churchkey for the first time when I was back in the mid-atlantic last month and was very impressed. The bartender was knowledgeable, friendly and recognized a semi-obscure band jacket I was sporting. Got to have BCBS for the first time and I really dug the 4 oz. pour option for any beer on tap. Yes, it was pretty crowded on a Saturday at 5-ish but I was always able to find standing room with a ledge to set down my glass. I didn't find it smelly or dirty at all even when I went to the bathroom.

 

Where does the OP go if he thinks Churckey is shitty? That place is amazing.

 

Falling Rock Tap House in Denver is a pretty sweet beer bar experience.

El Bait Shop in Des Moines has 110 craft beers on tap and another 200+ bottles and also has great food! Glad I live 10 minutes from it!

 

Brick Store Pub (Decautr, GA) - driking in the upstairs Belgian bar and having a bottle of Fantome from their cellar program

The Ginger Man (NYC) - chilling on the back couches after bar hopping all day then headed to McSorleys to close out the night

Max's Taphouse (Baltimore) - love the copper chilled bar top

The Map Room (Chicago)

 

Getting Pliny the younger on tap in Cali for the first time

 

At a bar in Denver during the 2009 GABF. BA's took over the downstairs bar and were pouring there own beers. Had some insane shit, just wish I could remember.

 

ard ri = bombers only.

just sayin'

(on yeah and as of this week, they're back on the shelf.)

 

Probably Tugboat in Portland, Oregon because it reminded me of a coffee shop you could easily spend all day in but with beer.

 

You're incorrect, they don't make them anymore. I have bought 6ers before. I just drank a 12 ounce bottle at the Heorot 2 weeks ago (granted it was a 2010) and there are empty 6 packs on the rafters of the bar.

Just because you've never seen one doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

check that.

ard ri = now bombers only

and bombers on the shelf this week. but what's really worth waiting for is the BA ard ri.

 

Mikkeller Bar the night before CBC.
It basically just turned into a big bottle share of their cellar.