Meet The Team / Mike Pomranz

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

New Orleans is a city that is known for its parties and its drinking. But for a place that loves alcoholic beverages, craft beer has been conspicuously underrepresented in their landscape of libations.

Polly Watts, owner of New Orleans' The Avenue Pub, pointed to people's preference for other drinks. "Louisiana is a big liquor consumer," she explains. "Lots of vodka and rum." It makes sense: Bourbon Street is more than just a catchy name. And The Big Easy's penchant for fine dining plays a role as well. "We're a really big wine state too," she told us.

Not to say that beer didn't exist. It just wasn't always the drink of choice. And it was rarely ever craft. "For decades, the only beer you'd see was generic macrobrews," said Watts, before adding, "maybe an occasional Abita," referencing one of Louisiana's few well-known craft breweries.

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

For almost two years now, Charlotte, N.C.'s Revolution Pizza & Ale House has had a mission: offer up the largest selection of North Carolina draft beer anywhere in the country.

For Revolution, that typically means dedicating around 15 of their 44 draft lines to beers from in-state, providing a one-stop shop for patrons to try local brewers that can be tough to hunt down elsewhere -- names like Catawba Valley, Duck-Rabbit, Foothills and Pisgah. Basically, breweries that sound like they are from North Carolina.

That's why, as bar manager Christine Ferguson points out, her bar is especially popular with out-of-towners: "A lot of people from out of state will come and say, 'What is your favorite North Carolina beer?'" Luckily, she has a system that makes answering that question especially easy: she stocks what she likes.

Read more about Revolution Pizza & Ale House and find the most recent draft list, after the jump...

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

A good local pub is something special -- a place where you can hang out with friends and meet neighbors by socializing the old-fashioned way... in person. Blogs and social networks and webcams are great, but one of the most traditional ways people have connected isn't with a computer, it's with a pint.

My neighborhood has a number of spots I love, but when it comes to that classic pub setting -- with a fantastic beer selection to boot -- my favorite watering hole is Brooklyn's Washington Commons.

When people think friendly bar, the show Cheers often comes to mind: a place where "everyone knows your name." This point isn't lost on Kirk Struble, one of Washington Commons' owners. When asked what makes a bar a great local hangout, he immediately points to the staff.

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

The Fourth of July has come and gone, but What's On Tap wanted to continue a tradition of celebrating Independence Day in the city where it all started -- one of America's greatest craft beer destinations -- Philadelphia!

Earlier this year, the Resurrection Ale House made national news after a controversial run-in with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. But like the Patriots who built this country, they've fought the good fight, and in the end, continued to do what they do best: serve craft beer.

Resurrection Ale House opened in September 2009, one of three bars in which Brendan Hartranft is part owner. Though all of his locations feature amazing draft selections, he believes that Resurrection's list is the one that's currently most exemplary.

Read on about Resurrection Ale House and find their most recent draft list, after the jump...

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

How does a business go from a "straight up, honest-to-goodness, white trash convenience store" to one of the best beer destinations in the state of Texas? Well, bringing in a little outside perspective and a personal touch never hurt.

When Austin's Whip-In opened up back in 1986, now General Manager Dipak Topiwala would have used the quote above to describe his family store -- selling "crappy foods" and gasoline, competing for business with the Texaco across the street.

During those early days, though, one major deal helped seal Whip-In's fate. "Gas wasn't doing us any good," explained Topiwala. So his family made an agreement with their cross-street rival: "We'll give up gas, but you don't sell any beer."

Read on about Whip-In and find their recent draft list, after the jump...