It's Craft Beer Week 2012, and as America's craft beer scene has grown up over the last decade, so have the bars serving the sudsy stuff. Here are five of our favorite classy spots for sipping a pint—or three.
Name: Ebenezer's Pub
Location: Lovell,
Maine
Why you should go: Located in a tiny town near the White
Mountain National Forest, Ebenezer's is a pub worthy of a pilgrimage,
owing to co-owner Chris Lively's far-reaching collection of Belgian
ales. The 35 taps regularly count rare, mouth-puckering lambics from
cultish producers Oude Beersel and Cantillon, but the real gems are
found in the cellar's selection of more than 1,000 bottles, some
stretching back a century.
What to order: End your eve with
Black Albert, a silky, impressively potent stout originally brewed by
Belgium's De Struise Brouwers to commemorate Ebenezer's third annual
Belgian fest in 2007.
Name: Bailey's Taproom
Location: Portland,
Oregon
Why you should go: This downtown-Portland pub focuses
on the endless bounty of Oregon beers, ranging from Corvallis' Flat Top
to Bend's 10 Barrel and first-rate local outfits Hopworks and Cascade.
And instead of a chalkboard, the available draft beers are displayed on
a flat-screen TV listing price, serving glass, and how much liquid is
left in each keg.
What to order: Indulge your whims and
select a sampler tray of Oregon's finest ales—or whatever seems to
be running dry on the screen. Also excellent: The funky Seizoen Bretta
from Hood River's Logsdon Farmhouse Ales.
Name: Beer
Table
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Why you should go: Former beer importer Justin Phillips turned a closet-size
storefront into a bespoke suds parlor outfitted with communal tables,
shelves lined with pickled vegetables, and a painstakingly curated
collection of some of the globe's rarest—and most
delicious—lagers and ales. The six taps regularly dispense nectars
from vaunted breweries such as Denmark's Evil Twin and Norway's
Haandbryggeriet, and the 25-strong bottle list changes daily.
What to order: Beer Table has collaborated with a series of
brewers tasked to answer a single question: "What beer would I brew for
myself to drink every day for the rest of my life?" The answer is
available in the rotating Table Beer series.
Name: Michael and Louise's Hopleaf
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Why you should go: There's nary a TV or deep-fried chicken wing
found in Michael Roper's venerable Windy City establishment, which
offers 65 assiduously sourced draft beers split between national and
local craft brewers, such as Chicago-based Revolution, Half Acre and
Five Rabbit, and all-star Belgian brewers. The food is as fine as the
beer, counting a duck reuben, Montreal-style brisket and ramp waffles
with sautéed morels.
What to order: Dig deep into the
250-bottle list to unearth gems such as Lambrucha, a tart blend of
kombucha and spontaneously fermented lambic, and strong, monk-made ale
from abbeys such as Westmalle and Rochefort.
Name: Brick Store
Pub
Location: Decatur, Georgia
Why you should go: Located just outside Atlanta, the pleasantly subdued Brick
Store—no garish neon or blaring TVs—is a hoppy refuge.
Downstairs, you'll find offering 17 craft beers on tap, including
locally made SweetWater IPA, and about 75 bottles, while the
second-floor Belgian Room annex featuring more than 100 bottled beauties
and an additional eight draft lines, including the oaky, fruity Duchesse
de Bourgogne. Keep hunger at bay with country chicken pâté
strong paired with smoked-peach preserves.
What to order:
In an adjoining, underground bank vault, Brick Store has amassed
more than 750 rare, vintage beers. Email the bar ahead of time to set up
a cellar tour—and select your preferred potable.
—Joshua M. Bernstein (@JoshMBernstein) is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author of Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers
and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution.
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