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

What does it take to be a great beer bar? Some things are obvious: A rotating lineup of interesting, hand-selected draft beers that covers a variety of styles is a good first step. But other factors play into the equation.

I'm a huge fan of bars that regularly update their draft list online. Give a big check to Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Barcade. Right on the front of their Web site they post their own What's On Tap column. And they do you one better: Click on any beer in the list to be taken to its BeerAdvocate review page, meaning you can create your own scouting report before even leaving home.

Friendly knowledgeable staff is also a plus. Score another point for Barcade's bartenders who show a lot of passion for beer and keep their cool even on the bar's busiest nights.

But Barcade also knows it never hurts to have an ace up your sleeve, and at this Williamsburg neighborhood drinking hot spot, that means vintage arcade games. Whether dodging traffic on one of their most popular machines like Frogger, or trying your hand at some "lost" classics (if you can call games like Ludy Bug, Pengo or Sinistar "classics"), Barcade may be the only establishment in the country who's selection of dozens of vintage arcade games rivals the uniqueness of their draft list. (And speaking of rivals, the bar posts the all-time top scores for their machines. Take down the champ and your name goes up on the wall.)

Luckily, though most of the arcade machines come from the 1980s, the beers on draft are all fresh. Let's take a look at what Barcade is currently serving after the jump. ...

History buffs with a sweet tooth can now get an idea of what chocolate tasted like to American colonists. American Heritage Chocolate, made by Mars, aims to recreate the chocolate of yore by using centuries-old methods and recipes. Stone ground cocoa beans result in a grittier chocolate infused with spices such as cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, red pepper, orange and vanilla. The chocolate comes in bars, sticks and a drink mix. As is fitting for a historical chocolate, American Heritage is available only at Fort Ticonderoga, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon and The Smithsonian. An AP story has more.

[Via USA TODAY]