Draft: America's 100 best beer bars, 2015

How do you know?

 

How do I know what? Are you just messing with me? Tell me how a bar with nothing but beers 4% and under belongs on a top 100 list. They never get like over 99% of the great beers made. Why would anyone go there? I get it, it's Utah, they have no choice. But I would bet there are dozens of other more deserving bars that should take its place.

 

They seem to rate most of the beers reviewed in that magazine way too high, going by that...It is likely they think most bars are great as well.

Although, any magazine listing the top 100 something or anothers is bound to offend someone with omissions.

 

I get to the area about once a year and I love the Happy Gnome, Town Hall and the Bullfrogs.

 

I used to travel to SLC for work. Don't get me wrong, I would always prefer not to have a limiting factor either, but just to point out - these restrictions only apply at a draft level. Bottle-wise they can serve what they want.

In the UK there are tons of pubs where you probably wouldn't find much over the 4.5%-5% mark on cask, plus there wouldn't be much in the way of bottles, but there are several I can think of that I'd prefer to drink in over any bar on this list that I've tried.

And I'm with Zid - don't know if you can make a call on somewhere without visiting it (maybe you have - but that's not clear from your posts)

 

I think that I speak for my brothers to the south when I say: no Edmunds Oast? Glaring oversight. Maybe the food was too good to be a beer bar?

 

Nice to see Birch in Norfolk continue to get some appreciation.

 

Another list, another shit show. And what's the deal with the blurbs about some of the places? How much did they pay the magazine for those?

 

These comments on Utah in this quote string are not accurate, places that serve food can get (but have to fight for a limited number) a liquor license which is what Utah calls any beer over 3.2 % ABW. Note, ABW, not ABV , which makes it 4%. You must order food before being served "heavy" beer. If you have the liquor license, your place can get whatever is available through the state liquor people, bottle or draft regardless of the % just like almost every other state. The big US distributors of the finer Belgian beers all operate in Utah and I imagine they can get any beer that a distributor wants to market there. I know some of the bars in Park, for instance, are a great party by being a ski town relatively free of the moroms ( I spelled that correctly ) from the rest of the state.

Epic Brewing is in Utah, they have plenty over 10% http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22893/

Having corrected this misunderstanding, I do not feel ANY place in Utah is better than at least six within Arizona which had none this year after placing two on the list last year. And what is up with the NYC focus???? Who paid Draft Mag off?

 

I loved Tria when I lived in the Philly area, but it was just as much, if not more, of a wine spot than beer. They only had a handful of taps as well. There are probably 25 or more better spots in the area for beer.

 

Confirmed that they actually haven't' been to Mekong than....Seriously, DQ'd because they have a restaurant? The Answer could have been a good, well answer to the list as well.....

 

WHAT??? Three Portland pubs and no Horsebrass? That makes no sense, maybe they got kicked out?

 

This exchange is hilarious. That is all.

 

"...the bars that championed craft beer (before we even called it that) are still leading the way. Hamilton’s, Falling Rock, Map Room—they’re still on this list. While a handful of phenomenal new bars cracked the top 100 this year, overwhelmingly, those who’ve been there all along are still the places every beer lover should visit."

I've been to 11 of these bars in 7 different states, and I thought they were all great. I think this years biggest omission is HopCat.

Also, I think it's worth mentioning that they didn't list any breweries, only traditional bars. That is why bars like Thirsty Monk in Asheville did not make the list.

http://draftmag.com/americas-100-best-beer-bars-2015/

 

I actually have a huge problem with Bangers and Lace in there... most overrated beer bar I have ever been to. I have 10 that are better in Chicago

 

terrible list. The majority of north easy bars are in NYC? PFFT! Right there I know It's not well researched. Plenty of wonderful beer bars that have been doing craft since before it was cool.

Just in Syracuse, Clark's Ale House, The Blue Tusk and Empire. I know there are plenty of great bars in other cities that aren't NYC.

 

At least for the Northeast, the list is way too major-city centric. Most of the places are in the downtowns of NYC, Philly, etc.
Of the Philly places, Tria seems to be an odd choice as it bills itself as a Wine Bar first.

 

I haven't been to Prohibition Pig....

but as for Vermont places - the Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington had amazing food to go along with it's excellent beer list that included Hill Farmstead and the Alchemist.

 

Albuquerque, has a pretty cool brewery scene, but we don't have a great beer bar. This is what we need, something that will pull the masses!

 

How could they leave off Thirsty Monk in Asheville, NC, or Trappeze in Athens, GA?