Hi beer fans, and Happy Friday! Come in and share a cold one with us.
Weekly Pint has decided they don't have enough readers telling them they're idiots, so they've decided to try to pick the Best Beer Bar in America
What makes a truly great beer bar? Is it a deep list, cool decor, great food? What about a knowledgeable, unpretentious staff, nice glassware, and good music? ... we’d argue there’s something more—an ‘X’ factor of sorts—that separates the merely awesome taprooms of the land from those you’d like to live inside, forever. Call it a “vibe”. A great beer bar needs to be fun, not just larded with precious beers held at the perfect cellar temperature.
Even without reading their list, my general opinion is that such lists are mostly intended to stir up shit. After reading the list I think they're idiots.
I've seen more than one such list start with Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia. On the west coast, Toronado in SF wins most polls for best in NorCal and Horse's Brass in Portland is highly regarded. None are on this list.
Their criteria aren't bad but I'd like to add one more: unpretentious prices. No matter how many taps of exotica and how cool the decor, charging $1 more for a pint than any other place in town takes you off my "great" list. Toronado has unmemorable decor, a staff that often dispense more attitude than information, and no food at all, but their huge selection of beers are at some of the lowest prices in SF.
Where have you drunk beer that deserves to be called "great"?
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I'll have a beer-themed diary up tomorrow also, come check out What's For Dinner, a great community diary series running every Saturday at 4:30 PT.
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There was a Goose Island sampler on special so that's what I'm drinking. I'm not impressed but the only other thing at 11.99/12pack was Shock Top so I shouldn't complain. The price of decent beer ought to motivate me to brew more, but I've been lazy. What are you drinking? Who's brewing?