When we set out to do our Beer Traveler issue, we wanted to include and popular feature from one of our earlier issues: The perfect place to have a beer. Originally, it was 125 but we knocked it up to 150 for this special publication. We didn’t really consider these in terms of ranking but rather a broad list across the globe over places every beer lover would want to hoist a pint. Out of context, some have taken to reading this as one bar being better then the other which was not our intention. Discussions ensued as it reached the blogsphere about who should or shouldn’t have been left off. Over on our facebook page, we asked for people to add to the list. Surely, as folks add to it, we could make up an extremely comprehensive list. Keep in mind that for each one added, someone will inevitably dispute it.
Below is the list, please feel free to add any we’ve left off in our comments section…
Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
Augustinerkeller, Munich, Germany
Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval, Orval, Belgium
Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia, PA
Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, England
Schlenkerla Heller-Bräu Trum, Bamberg, Germany
Horse Brass Pub, Portland, OR
Kulminator, Antwerp, Belgium
Hopleaf Bar, Chicago, IL
Toronado, San Francisco, CA
Zum Uerige, Dusseldorf, Germany
The Market Porter, Stoney Street, London, England
Oregon Brewers Festival, Portland, OR
U Fleku, Prague, Czech Republic
Andechs Monastery, Andechs, Germany
Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, CO
Früh au Dom, Cologne, Germany
The Bull & Castle, Dublin, Ireland
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Brouwer’s Cafe, Seattle, WA
Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn, NY
Brick Store Pub, Decatur, GA
Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum, Brussels, Belgium
Brauhaus Sion, Cologne, Germany
Henry’s 12th Street Tavern, Portland, OR
The Ginger Man, Austin, TX
t’Bruges Biertja, Bruges, Belgium
The Brickskeller, Washington, DC
Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers, Brussels, Belgium
The Flying Saucer, NC, SC, TN, MO, AR and TX
d.b.a., New York, NY
Kaffe de Hopduvel, Ghent, Belgium
The Great Lost Bear, Portland, ME
Spatenhaus an der Oper, Munich, Germany
Über Tavern, Seattle, WA
The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY
Brauhaus Spandau, Berlin, Germany
Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
World Beer Festival, Durham/Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, Richmond, VA
Cadieux Cafe, Detroit, MI
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
The Porterhouse Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland
Mondial de la Bière, Montreal, Quebec
Krčma, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Le Bier Circus, Brussels, Belgium
Library Alehouse, Santa Monica, CA
Pizza Port Brewing Co., Solana Beach, CA
Akkurat, Stockholm, Sweden
Rogue Brewery, Newport, OR
Great Canadian Beer Festival, Vancouver, BC
The Marine Hotel, Stonehaven, Scotland
Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL
Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe, WI
Czech Beer Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
Buckeye Beer Engine, Lakewood, OH
Au General Lafayette, Paris, France
Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Hofbräuhaus, Munich, Germany
SandLot Brewery, Coors Field, Denver, CO
Beerpub Popeye, Tokyo, Japan
Bar Volo, Toronto, ON
Weihenstephan Brewery, Freising, Germany
Selin’s Grove Brewing Co., Selinsgrove, PA
Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY
Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Chicago, IL
Willimantic Brewing Co., Willimantic, CT
Great Taste of the Midwest, Madison, WI
Brasserie Federal (Hauptbahnhof, Zürich, Switzerland
Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub, Portland, ME
De Halve Maan, Bruges, Belgium
Sapporo Beer Garden, Higashi-ku, Japan
Blind Tiger Ale House, New York, NY
The Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD
Birreria l’Orso Elettrico, Rome, Italy
Pivovarský Klub, Prague, Czech Republic
Stumbling Monk, Seattle, WA
Belgo Central, London, England
Anchor Brewing Co. Tasting Room, San Francisco, CA
Eulogy Belgian Tavern, Philadelphia, PA
‘t Arendsnest, Amsterdam, Holland
The Gravity Bar, Guinness St. James’s Gate Brewery, Dublin, Ireland
The Australian Hotel, Sydney, Australia
Zlý Časy, Prague, Czech Republic
Cooter Brown’s, New Orleans, LA
Delirium Café, Brussels, Belgium
Ye Olde Mitre Tavern, Ely Court, London, England
Delilah’s, Chicago, IL
Deschutes Brewery & Public House, Bend, OR
Mahar’s, Albany, NY
Nederlands Biercafe ‘t Arendsnest, Amsterdam, Holland
Dogfish Head Ale House, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Sail and Anchor, Fremantle, Australia
Mecklenburg Gardens, Cincinnati, OH
The Map Room, Chicago, IL
The Publick House, Brookline, MA
Gosenschenke Ohne Bedenken, Leipzig, Germany
Holiday Ale Festival, Portland, OR
Olympen Mat & Vinhus, Oslo, Norway
O’Brien’s Pub, San Diego, CA
Antares Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Bierproeflokaal In de Wildeman, Amsterdam, Holland
Beerbistro, Toronto, Canada
Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen, Denmark
McSorley’s Old Ale House, New York, NY
Die Weisse, Salzburg, Austria
Irseer Klosterbräu, Irsee, Germany
Max’s Taphouse, Baltimore, MD
McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel, Portland, OR
Chez Moeder Lambic, Brussels, Belgium
Sunset Grill & Tap, Boston, MA
James E. McNellie’s Public House, Tulsa, OK
PINT Bokbierfestival, Amsterdam, Holland
Redbones, Somerville, MA
Sleeping Lady Brewing Co./Snow Goose Restaurant, Anchorage, AK
Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
The Happy Gnome, St. Paul, MN
Milltown, Carrboro, NC
Zythos Bier Festival, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Thirsty Monk, Asheville, NC
Goose Island Brewpub, Chicago, IL
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Moan and Dove, Amherst, MA
Neuzeller Kloster Bräu, Neuzelle, Germany
Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield, England
Taco Mac, GA and TN
American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, Burlington, VT
The White Horse, Parsons Green, London, England
Tinkoff, Moscow, Russia
5 Seasons Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA
Alibi Room, Vancouver, BC
Gösser Bierklinik, Vienna, Austria
Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival, Stockholm, Sweden
The Bell, Aldworth, Berkshire, England
Brouwerij ‘t IJ, Amsterdam, Holland
T.Y. Harbor Brewery, Tokyo, Japan
The Hart & Thistle, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, London, England
Sugar Maple, Milwaukee, WI
Mitchell’s Waterfront Brewery & Scottish Ale House, Cape Town, South Africa
Kelly’s Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery, Key West, FL
Cole’s Restaurant, Buffalo, NY
Heineken Brewery, Amsterdam, Holland
The Dubliner, Washington, DC
Matt Brewing Co. Tasting Room, Utica, NY
Shakespeare Brewery & Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
Boxing Cat Brewery, Shanghai, China
Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC
Bar 35, Honolulu, Hawaii
Mr. Sancho’s Beach, Cozumel, Mexico
Well I guess Knut and I’s posts lived up to the very first paragraph of the article in question and started “debate” about what makes a good, or otherwise, drinking hole.
The fact that Rick called the newcomers to the list “entries” did suggest a ranking system much akin to the Billboard charts.
Anyway, we beer lovers certainly have our favourite drinking holes, regardless of whether they have 100 taps or just one, several of my favourites in Prague have just a single brand of beer and are positively divine places to drink. Not to mention that in my experience we love a good “debate” about the relative merits of beers, pubs and breweries, but the important thing is that we still meet up for a beer and a chat, it is what makes us some of the social people one earth.
Cheers!
Had you noticed that Arendsnest is in twice?
You missed the Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh! It’s awesome for beer, food and atmosphere.
Microbreweries in China are increasing in number. The best ones in Shanghai are the BREW and Shanghai Brewery. If you are going to include any venues in China, you should include those.