Best beer bars in US
 

Just out of curiousity, and my being a beer geek, anyone out there have their list of best beer bars in the US? I mean pubs, bars that have a good selection of GOOD beer on tap and in bottle. I've traveled coast to coast many times and have been to many. My favorite is Monk's Cafe in Philly. Best selection of beer anywhere, and their Belgian food is outstanding.

As I was reading your post, Monk's Cafe was the first thing that came into my mind. My husband is a beer drinker, so we are always checking out bars/stores, and thought Monk's was great for both beer & food. I live in NC and The Flying Saucer in Raleigh has a pretty decent beer selection.

In Boston, The Sunset Grill & Tap, hands down. They have something like 400+ beers on the menu, 100 of which are on tap. They have pretty good pub food too.

Haven't been in awhile, but Manchester in NYC, on 2nd Ave and 49th, is a good spot for English ale, as is Pete's Tavern on 18th St. & Irving Place. <BR> <BR>There's also a bar called DBA on First Ave. around 3rd or 4th St. that has real ale (cask conditioned) but is less attractive since it's frequented by the 'east village hipper than thou' crowd. <BR> <BR>If your ever get lost on the road and end up in Bogota, New Jersey, stop in Andy's Corner Bar and ask directions. They too have a fantastic international/micro beer selection, both cask conditioned, on tap and in bottles.

Ah, Sunset Grill in Boston brings back fond memories. They're in my top 10. Bartender wasn't that knowledgable with beer styles last time I was there though. Still a great place. <BR>I did go to DBA in Manhattan last year. Decent selection. Crowd was a little trendy. Also a good place. Great to see some of my favorites popping up. <BR>Andy's Corner Bar is an all-time favorite just for the crowd alone. One of my first dates with my wife was there.

Can't go to NYC without stopping at McSorley's on 7th Street!

Brickskeller in DC used to be quite good.

Brickskellar in DC is still good! The food is mediocre, but they have hundreds of beers from around the world in stock. A fun place to go. Beware the 12% alcohol Belgian beers.....

Portland, Oregon is the microbrew capital so needless to say, there are plenty of good brewery pubs to choose from in that city.

The Toronado on Haight Street in San Francisco has an impressive 40+ brews on tap, featuring many Belgian brews. It's definitely worth a trip to SF for any beer geek. While in the City you should also try the fine beer at 21st Amendment Cafe and Brewery near the ballpark.

Cooter Brown's in New Orleans.

Glad to hear that the Brick is still going strong in DC!

Tracey: Ditto McSorelys!!! It is an institution, yes. And I was there eons ago! Judy :-)

In Chicago try the Hop Leaf. Cool beer, cooler jukebox.

flying saucer in raleigh is one of the best. They have a wall full of beer taps, I would say around 100, and a selection of beer from around the world. over 200 beers in the whole bar

Magee Mae's in Austin, TX! I haven't been in years but it used to be a beer lover's heaven. Hello to my old friends Tom & Greg, I know you're out there some where.

The Map Room in Chicago.

Sunset Grill is a great place...an old college haunt. <BR> <BR>I can weigh in on New York: <BR>DBA is a great place (First Avenue and about 3rd Street). <BR> <BR>Swift Hibernian Lounge has good, fresh beer and a huge selection. They say good Guinness. 4th and Bowery. <BR> <BR>Also downtown, Blind Tiger Ale House, small, wood trim and cozy. Excellent selection. Only for beer geeks. Hudson Street and Perry (or one down from Perry St.). <BR>

I'm no aficianodo, but I thought the Beer Brewery in the Hotel Monte Carlo in Las Vegas was great.

Bubba - I'm here in Austin. Haven't been to Maggie's in awhile... They remodeled and kept the "older half" (long narrow room and bar) intact. Whew. (The other half houses a bar, dance floor, pool tables, etc. Shudder.) Yes, it's a great place.

The Flying Saucer must be a mini-chain. There's a great one in Nashville too. The Beer Seller in Nashville is good too.

Old Chicago in Boulder, CO.

The Windsor Inn located in Jermyn, PA (not far from Scranton) has a terrific selection, and their "bar food" - from hot wings to sub sandwiches to perogies - cannot be beat.

Where are Hop Leaf and the Map Room? Are these microbreweries??

If I'm not mistaken _ and I could be _ the first flying saucer was in Fort Worth, Tx, and then started multiplying. didn't know they'd gone so far afield! but they do have some pretty good beers...

Another vote for McSorley's! <BR>Just couldn't figure out why Mrs Kal was so friendly to the older Irish waiter who could carry around 40 beers ("20 & 20") with just his two hands !?!?! ;^D <BR> <BR>While the beer isn't much, you can't beat the atmoshpere of the original Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, especially after midnight. Nick the bartender is a great guy and it's a tuff choice between Billy Goat Light and BG Dark! After midnight, does it make a diff? <BR> <BR>While the home brewed beer may be hit and miss, the best scenery of a bar has to be The Whaler Brew Pub in Kauai. It sits up on the cliff overlooking a golf hole and Kalapaki Bay/Nawiliwili Harbor. <BR> <BR>Kal

In my humble and beer-soaked opinion, and having been involved in the home brew/micro scene for quite a while, the holy grail for the beer geek is Monk's in Philadelphia, and a close second Toronado in San Francisco.

Belgo Centraal in London is excellent (clearly outside the US, but excellent food and beer selection)

I'm glad to know that there are some Raleigh Fodorites around! Flying saucer has a great selection. <BR> <BR>DC-Brickskeller in Dupont Circle area.

The Hop Leaf is on the North side at 5148 N. Clark. It is not a microbrewery but has many microbrews on tap. It also has one of the largest bottled beer selections in Chicago, including (probably) the largest Belgian beer selection in Chicago. To my knowledge they do not carry the major national beers. It's small and has an "artsy" crowd. Also, I'm not sure that they take credit cards - so if you go you might want to be aware of that possibility.