"map room" news and stories

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

This "What's On Tap?" column wouldn't even be necessary, and I could take my Wednesdays off, if more bars took a page out of the playbook of Chicago's beer-centric pub, The Map Room.

This Bucktown bar is one of a growing number of establishments keeping updated draft lists online. As of yesterday when I compiled the list for this post, the online beer list had been updated... um... earlier that day. Maybe I just got lucky, but I doubt it. Owner Laura Blasingame says the list is "updated every few days -- 3 or 4 times a week." And not just the drafts: The complete bottled selection is online too, updated a mere four days ago. I counted 50 selections, was still in the "C's" and stopped, preferring to leave the actual number up to the imagination. The website says, "We always take beer very seriously," and I don't doubt them for a second.

Another big plus, you gotta love a pub that encourages you to call ahead for the most current drafts, despite the online list being at best a few hours old! This is my kind of place.

After the jump, let's take a peek at what The Map Room is currently serving up to patrons in the Windy City.