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PHILOSOPHY

Classic Irish. The bar draws a mixed crowd of locals, collegians (upstairs is a more raucous smoking area), beer geeks, and families whose kids perform in fiddle jams. (Present company included! My talented nieces Isabella and Sophia have performed there.)

KEY BEER

Drink local. Tulsa’s own Marshall Brewing Company typically has two or three brews on draft, like the Pawnee Pale Ale and a resinous, tangy Revival Red. Try those before ambling into the long bottle list, which has some very good options.

Georgia

Athens

THE TRAPPEZE PUB

269 North Hull St. • Athens, GA 30601 (706) 543–8997 • trappezepub.com • Established: 2007

SCENE & STORY

Every beer town worth its salt needs a marquee draw, be it a bar, brewery, bottle shop, or that home-brew store stoking the early sparks. Fortunately for Athens, which has a lively art scene, bike culture, and energetic food-and-drink vibe, the Trappeze Pub pulls off a 33-tap, 200-bottle high-wire routine without breaking a sweat. It can’t be easy to maintain such a selection, but in this brightly lit and crisply run bar—all warm terracotta-hued walls, big windows, tasteful breweriana and a vast collection of appropriate glassware—but the owners make it seem that way, pulling in vaunted brewers from companies like Belgium’s Urthel and Colorado’s Left Hand for tasting nights. Inventive pub grub, such as spent-grain breads and beef dishes braised in beer, round out the bill.

PHILOSOPHY

Good beer is not just something to attract customers; it’s in the foundations—it really matters here. Which is why the place is often slammed, and why you should go, too.

KEY BEER

The tap row runs heavy on regional favorites from Sweetwater, Terrapin, and Wild Heaven Brewing Company, a Decatur upstart for which Trappeze founder Eric Johnson is the consulting brewmaster (the brand-new company is in expansion phase now, looking to put Decatur on the map as a brewing town). Look for Wild Heaven’s Invocation, an 8.5% ABV Belgian Strong Pale Ale, a powerful blend of lush, ripe pear-like fruit flavors from pale malts with spicy noble hops in the background.

Savannah

THE DISTILLERY

416 W. Liberty St. • Savannah, GA 31401 • (912) 236–1772 distillerysavannah.com • Established: 2008

SCENE & STORY

The Volen family honored a colorful bit of local lore when they overhauled this historic former distillery, drugstore, soda fountain, lunch counter, and rumored bathtub gin dispensary. It’s full of atmospheric exposed brick surrounding a glorious mahogany back bar, oak bar, old copper still, and artifacts discovered on-site, from musket balls to old liquor bottles, clay pipes, dishware, and bleached bones. The menu features inspired comfort foods, such as fried pickles, wild Georgia shrimp, and a beer-battered cod po’boy sandwich among other goodies, but save room for the Double Chocolate Deep Fried Moon Pie and Beer Float, made with stout, lambic, or other fresh draft brew.

PHILOSOPHY

Officially: “No crap—just craft.”

KEY BEER

Ode to Mercy, a rich and toffee-ish 8.2% ABV American Brown Ale from Decatur’s new Wild Heaven Brewing Company, making waves throughout the Deep South with adventurous, well-crafted beers.

Decatur

THE BRICK STORE PUB

125 E. Court Square • Decatur, GA 30030 • (404) 687–0990 brickstorepub.com • Established: 1997

SCENE & STORY

The Brick Store in downtown Decatur (a short drive from the center of Atlanta) is one of those beer bars you hear about in conversation described as a hallowed place, a sanctuary, the end of the rainbow in humankind’s quest for the perfect beer bar. Of course, we all know nothing’s perfect (or why keep searching?), but it has got more than a few checks in the win column. The interior downstairs has the paradigmatic blend of exposed brick and creaky wood floors, cool lighting, 18 rotating taps and about 100 bottles, all superb, centered on local, regional, and nationally acclaimed American craft beers, with a good mix of German and English specialty beers and vintage and reserve bottled