The “Love Handles” department in Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® is devoted to great beer bars. Here are the three beer bars that we explored in Issue 13 (June/July 2016).
Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar (St. Louis, Missouri)
The romantic, versatile bar in Dave Bailey’s diverse family of St. Louis restaurants
WHAT IT IS: Bridge (pictured at top) is the downtown spot to go with a group of friends, some of whom prefer wine or spirits. It is also the place to wear your best collar shirt and share an intimate table on the balcony overlooking the long curved bar backed by a library of bottles.
WHY IT’S GREAT: First, there are the twig chandeliers, a striking large one inside the entrance and others hanging over the bar. Of course, there is the beer selection—the ever-changing list of fifty-five beers on tap is balanced in every way: local, national, and international brands; quiet beers and loud ones; and comfortably familiar beers and “you won’t find this everywhere” choices. The food is dependable, the choices diverse, and the specials are, well, special. But, frankly, it is hard to get past the various boards (such as Warm Heartland Goat Cheese) or the mix-and-match cheese and charcuterie. They work equally well with beer—and encourage the thought to dig a little deeper into the beer menu by choosing from the 4-ounce, 12-ounce, and 20-ounce pours—or wine (twenty are available by the glass). —Stan Hieronymus
Hours: 11 a.m.–1 a.m., Monday–Saturday; 11 a.m.–midnight, Sunday
Address: 1004 Locust St., St. Louis, MO
Clouds Brewing (Raleigh, North Carolina)
A great beer list, reimagined classic American cuisine, and a self-serve wall of taps
WHAT IT IS: Tucked a few blocks west of the North Carolina capitol building in Raleigh’s historic Glenwood South Neighborhood, Clouds Brewing (pictured above) is pouring beers and dishing out reimagined classic American cuisine in an old Carolina Power & Light garage that’s listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. That electric-industrial feel permeates the space, giving it a sense of energy and activity.
WHY IT’S GREAT: The beer list and delicious pub food would be reason enough to check out Clouds Brewing, but what sets this place apart is The Downpour, a state-of-the-art self-serve wall of taps with ten different offerings that patrons can pour themselves. Upon request, the server will issue an RFID wristband that unlocks all the taps with a wave of the wrist, so you can pour and blend to your heart’s content.
Don’t let the do-it-yourself option of The Downpour lead you to ignore the bar staff. They offer a wealth of knowledge of the thirty other beers on tap; the beers in their massive cellar, including local favorites such as Wicked Weed and Fullsteam; and the local Triangle beer scene. If this isn’t enough, they’ve just started serving their own beers, brewed at their off-site brewery. —Eric Reinsvold
Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Monday–Wednesday; 11 a.m.–12 a.m., Thursday & Sunday; 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Friday & Saturday
Address: 126 N. West St., Raleigh, NC
Map Room (Chicago, Illinois)
With tasty hard-to-find craft beers and a cozy neighborhood corner bar setting, Map Room offers a welcome and easy-going respite from the pace of the city.
WHAT IT IS: A classic neighborhood corner bar is sometimes just what you need to offset the ever-changing landscape of taproom and brewery visits. That’s when I stop into the Map Room (pictured above) on the corner of Hoyne and Armitage in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood for some local drinking and global thinking. Serving neighbors and travelers for more than twenty years, the Map Room offers locally brewed beers on tap and an internationally focused bottle list.
WHY IT’S GREAT: The Map Room is an authentic beer bar with cool old-fashioned maps on the walls, tables decorated with foreign coins, and plenty of back issues of National Geographic to peruse. One feels transported upon entering the cozy space to a place where good beer and comfortable conversation is always on tap. I order a Begyle Oh Hey!, an easy-drinking English-style porter, and relax flipping through an article about Stonehenge.
A study of the tap-and-bottle list highlights the Map Room’s focus on obscure microbrews and international selections. Take a journey through Belgium with a Saison d’Erpe-Mere from Glazen Toren or sip and savor a Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin on nitro. The quality of the beer and the easy-going feel of the bar will make you glad you did. —Sara Dumford
Hours: 6:30 a.m.–2:00 a.m., Monday–Friday; 7:30 a.m.–3:00 a.m., Saturday; 11:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m., Sunday
Address: 1949 N Hoyne Ave., Chicago, IL
