Microbrewery entertainment in North America
-
A
Laguna Beach Brewing Company
For pub grub and microbrews head to Laguna Beach Brewing Company, which has live music Thursday to Sunday.
reviewed
-
B
Bimini’s Public House
A Kitsilano institution that’s been drawing the locals like a booze-soaked magnet for years, Bimini’s is a trad-looking bar-restaurant where you’ll feel equally comfortable sipping cocktails or knocking back a couple of beers. Drop by on Tuesday, when all draft domestic beer and hi-balls are $3 each, and consider busting your weekend hangover by returning to the scene of the crime for Sunday brunch. A devastating fire had just wrecked the joint during the write-up period for this book, but the owners were planning to rebuild and reopen as soon as possible.
reviewed
-
C
Esplanade Biermarkt
The BierMarkt bouncers act like they're guarding some kind of mythical realm of ultimate pleasure. Ignore them. What you're here for is a beer menu that chases the finest ales, lagers and pilsners around the planet, from Belgium to South Africa to Trinidad, with more than 150 varieties all told. Avoid European labels actually brewed in Ontario, which lose flavor in trans-Atlantic translation.
reviewed
-
D
Great Basin Brewing Company
The Great Basin Brewing Company, just outside Reno, is a bar, restaurant and band venue that brews its own delicious beer. Get on in for some chilli or a quesadilla, and have yourself some Wild Horse Ale. Entertainment includes amateur stand-up, rockin' cover bands and a three-hour happy hour, which you might need to get you through the first two options.
reviewed
-
E
Long Trail Brewing Company
Halfway between Killington and Woodstock, the brewer of ‘Vermont’s No 1 Selling Amber’ draws crowds for its grub as well as beer. Weather permitting, you can sit on the patio by the river, have a sandwich or burger and wash it down with a cold hearty stout or a fruity blackberry wheat ale. There are free tours of the brewery.
reviewed
-
F
C'est What?
With the beer market rigidly controlled by monopolies, microbreweries are the go. C'est What has 30 whiskys and over two dozen Canadian microbrews, including Coffee Porter and Hemp Ale (no, it won't get you high), which are made by an in-house brewmaster. You can drink your way across the nation as you listen to eclectic music, live nightly.
reviewed
-
G
Salem Beer Works
Part of the Boston Beer Works family, this microbrewery serves 15 different brews on tap, as well as a full menu of pub grub, sandwiches and more filling fare. The specialty seems to be things fried, which undoubtedly encourages more beer-drinking. Other fun perks include pool tables and outdoor seating.
reviewed
-
H
Founders' Brewing Co
Founders' four brews (and counting) play off themes of local Alexandria history (such as Smoot's Stout, named for a 19th-century mayor). The beers are smooth and refreshing, a mix of American stouts and pale ales and German-style Kolsch and altbier. The place serves a full American menu.
reviewed
-
I
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
It isn't the most original choice, but the San Francisco-based brewpub has a relaxed waterfront perch near enough to Honolulu sightseeing areas that you can reward culture-spotting with hops-chasings. Live rhythm and blues and contemporary Hawaiian rock get a weekend billing.
reviewed
-
J
District Chophouse & Brewery
Jazzing up the Penn Quarter, this stylish place in a stunningly converted old bank building oozes attitude. It also serves up around six of its own microbrews. The food on offer is just so-so, which means most guests stick to drinking in the busy bar.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Three Needs
Whatever your needs, this small college hangout doles out award-winning suds from its microbrewery. The crowd gravitates toward the pool table in the back, which can get pretty raucous on weekends.
reviewed
-
L
Chama River Brewing Co
Chama features handcrafted lagers and ales, four large TV screens for watching sports, a cigar lounge and a popular restaurant serving steaks, seafood and other massive dinner dishes (around US$13-$22).
reviewed
-
M
Cucapá Brewing Company
The ultimate cure for the Mexican light-beer blues, Mexicali's microbrewery serves six excellent brews on tap (four lagers, two ales) and good, hearty bar meals to go with them. No shorts after 18:00.
reviewed
-
N
Four Peaks Grill & Tap
There's always room for a laid-back brewpub, even in high-energy Scottsdale. Hang out and sample some of its 10 draft specialties in the semi-industrial space that gets mobbed on football nights.
reviewed
-
O
Ginger Man
A homey pub with 69 beers on tap, Ginger Man has a particularly nice yard - perfect for hanging out with students from nearby Rice U. (There are similar sister pubs in Austin and Dallas, too.)
reviewed
-
P
Market Street Pub
Half of this 1908-built pub opens for concerts on big nights, but the main room, with pool and darts, always has something happening, like its ‘double up for a dollar’ nights on Wednesdays.
reviewed
-
Q
Whaler's Brew Pub
You can sample a handful of beers brewed on-site at this pub overlooking Nawiliwili Harbor and the lighthouse on Ninini Point. By day there's a simple bar menu; by night, dancing and DJs.
reviewed
-
Sunday River Brewing Company
Bethel’s brewpub pours a half-dozen of its own brews (from a light golden lager to a black porter), as well as offering mediocre bar food. Live bands fire things up on weekends.
reviewed
-
Dixon's Café & Grill
The freshly made food ain't bad but it's the 15 microbrews on tap that lure everyone, from ski bunnies to couch potatoes, to this convivial hangout. Happy hour is 16:00 to 18:00 daily.
reviewed
-
R
Del Norte Brewing Company
Makes a range of lightly hopped Mexican-style beers as well as the stunning 7.8% Luminaria Bock. All have won awards. You can buy direct from the sales room on Friday afternoons only.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
S
Humboldt Brewing Company
Humboldt has 15 brews on tap (including Hemp Ale, Oatmeal Stout and Hefeweizen), fab fish tacos and bitchin' buffalo wings. There's live music Wednesday to Saturday nights.
reviewed
-
T
L'Inox
In the Old Port area, a hop, skip and a jump from the docks, this brewpub draws beer lovers to its pleasant outdoor patio where they slake their lager-starved thirsts.
reviewed
-
U
Portsmouth Brewery
This lively microbrewery serves specialty beers like Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager along with light eats, including the best fish sandwich in town.
reviewed
-
V
Vermont Pub & Brewery
Vermont's oldest microbrewery attracts a crowd with its bustling outdoor beer garden and burly ales. Try the Dogbite Bitter and howl at the moon.
reviewed
-
Monterey Coast Brewing
This upscale microbrewery is part of the new life downtown. It has an attractive dining room where there's the expected large burgers and more.
reviewed