"craft beer" news and stories

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...

These days, it seems like craft brewers are locked in an arms race to create the biggest, burliest beer. Imperial this, double that -- beers' alcohol percentages can easily crest double digits, meaning your first 22-ounce bottle is often the last of the eve. Now, this isn't a screed against extreme beers. I love them like I do bacon cheeseburgers and skillet-sizzled fried chicken: in moderation.

Oftentimes after work, I just want to relax with a easy drinker that's as tasty as it is low in alcohol -- a session beer, so-called because you can savor several of 'em in a drinking session. To find one, let's travel to Philadelphia's Yards Brewing. Since 1994, the brewery has crafted top-notch brews such as the malty Brawler, brawny Extra Special Ale and the Philadelphia Pale Ale, my favorite. It registers a relatively dainty 4.6 percent ABV -- not much stronger than a Coors Light. That's a very good thing.

"You wouldn't think it, but low-alcohol beers are our best-sellers," says Tom Kehoe, Yards' founder and brewmaster. "They have lots of flavor, without lots of alcohol."

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...

For many, smoked beers (also commonly known by their German name -- Rauchbiers) are an acquired taste. Though some favorably describe these brews as a delicious mix of the flavors of beer and bacon, others lean towards the suspicion that someone may have ashed a cigar in their pint.

Though the Yards Brewing Company's second annual Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em event for Philly Beer Week did offer up a cigar tent, most patrons paid their admission to pair a healthy selection of professional and amateur barbecue with a world class selection of smoked brews.

The self-described "one-of-a-kind event (translation: there's absolutely, positively nothing else like it in the world)" definitely delivered on the beer front, offering up an exotic mix of 32 drafts (not to even mention the sizable bottled selection) from across the country and around the world, as well as extremely rare selections and one-offs, and one 34-letter beer from Stewart's Brewing that drinkers would be hard-pressed to discuss on Twitter.

After the jump, read more about Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em and check out the amazing selection of smoked beers from this year's event...