I'm going to be in Baton Rouge for 3 days in October. Any suggestions for must-go beer places? Thanks for the recommendations in advance.
Draft house and The Chimes have nice selections. Westy 12 at Chimes $40. As for stores Calandros and Bin q
Bars/Restaurants: The Chimes LSU, Corporate Brew & Draft, The Chimes East, and The Bulldog. I'd favor the two Chimes and CBD. Chimes has great casual Louisiana food and atmosphere. They offer flights. CBD has a great selection and offers five ounce pours of every thing, so you can try a lot of stuff. Bottle Shops: Calandro's Perkins, Bin Q, and The Beverage Store. There are some other specialty grocery stores like Alexander's, Whole Food's, Leblanc's, and Matherne's that will have good selections too.
I'll be in Baton Rouge for one night next month... I've been doing some research, but I have a few questions: Does Corporate Brew & Draft - or The Cove - serve food? Do they have a website / online menu? Is The Bulldog really as smoke filled as every seems to say it is? Is The Pelican House worth considering? Thanks.
CB&D has some minor food options like brats and maybe pretzels, I don't know exactly. They don't have a kitchen and I've never ordered food there. I usually grab a bite to eat at the lebanese place in the same shopping center when I'm done drinking there to help me sober up before hitting the road. Pelican House is walking distance if you want food and beer in that area. The food at PH has always been pretty good to me, although sometimes a little pricey. CB&D is definitely better for beer. For one night in BR, I wouldn't make a special trip to Pelican House. If you want food, beer and atmosphere, either Chimes location or The Bulldog is a better option. But if you're already in the area, it is worth checking out. The Bulldog can get pretty smoke filled on the weekend when it becomes more of a nightlife place. I've never had an issue with smoke there on weeknights. But I've never been one to be too sensitive to that.
Just to add to the discussion on smoke @ bulldog: The inside usually is pretty smoky. They have a pretty hardcore group of regulars that chain smoke at the bar (even during non-peak times, example 2pm on a saturday). The bulldog does, however, have a nice outdoor area where smoking obviously is allowed but is not as noticeable as inside. There isn't much of a view from out there, but the patio itself is nice and the weather should be nice enough to sit outside. Most importantly, I'd like to chime in on the Pelican House: Don't waste your time going there. The food is bad and the waitstaff/bartenders are clueless. I've had problems every time I've gone there; I sure as hell would not recommend someone from out of town bother going there. Your time and money would be much better spent at the Cove or CBD and then grabbing Lebanese food like HTE mentioned.
