The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [174]
THE LODGE
200 S Federal Hwy • Boca Raton, FL • (561) 392–5003 • thelodgeboca.com
In a land where bars tend to be either translucent disco floor affairs teeming with spray tans and tube tops or a Latino-Mediterranean grab bag of stucco and pastel, The Lodge goes a lot more Hazzard County, with wall-to-wall unfinished wood walls, antler chandeliers, sports on TV and waitresses in short shorts and plaid blouses. There are 24 taps (with new releases from the likes of Stone, Dogfish Head, and Cigar City, recently), but the focus isn’t only on brews, sports, and bouts of beer pong. The menu features bar bites like truffle oil fries with parmesan, an $8 pint, burger, and fries deal, and homemade chipotle-barbecue chicken nachos that come piled deliciously high.
THE Top Tens
BEST CRAFT BEER AND A BURGER PLACE:
Brouwer’s Café, Seattle, WA
DBGB, New York, NY
The Falling Rock Taphouse, Denver, CO
Father’s Office, Santa Monica, CA
The Laurel Tavern, Los Angeles, CA
Lüke, New Orleans, LA
Montana Aleworks, Bozeman, MT
The Porter Beer Bar, Atlanta, GA
Quinn’s, Seattle, WA
Verdugo Bar/Grill ’Em All Food Truck, Los Angeles, CA
BEST DATE SPOTS FOR BEER LOVERS:
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY
Bouchon, Beverly Hills, CA
Brasserie Beck, Washington, D.C.
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY
Higgins, Portland, OR
Lüke, New Orleans, LA
The Publican, Chicago, IL
Resto, New York, NY
The Spotted Pig, New York, NY
BEST (WITH ALL DUE RESPECT) DIVES:
The Alaskan Hotel Bar, Juneau, AK
Cooter Brown’s, New Orleans, LA
The Gowanus Yacht Club, Brooklyn, NY
Max’s Taproom, Baltimore, MD
The Quarry House Tavern, Silver Spring, MD
Red Light Red Light, Orlando, FL
Shallo’s, Indianapolis, IN
The Stumbling Monk, Seattle, WA
Toronado, San Francisco, CA
Zeitgeist, San Francisco, CA
OLD-SCHOOL TAVERNS:
The Brooklyn Inn, Brooklyn, NY
The Goose Hollow, Portland, OR
The Horse Brass, Portland, OR
The Parkway Tavern, Tacoma, WA
The Raleigh Times, Raleigh, NC
The Rathskeller, Indianapolis, IN
Saraveza, Portland, OR
Sunny’s, Brooklyn, NY
Tony’s Darts Away, Burbank, CA
The Wharf Rat, Baltimore, MD
OVERALL BEST BEER CITIES:
Asheville, NC
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
BEST ANNUAL FESTIVALS:
Big Beers, Belgians, and Barley Wines, Vail, CO
Brewgrass, Asheville, NC
CanFest, Reno, NV
Deschutes Brewery Street Fair, Portland, OR
The Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival, Anchorage, AK
Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
Jupiter Craft Beer Festival, Jupiter, FL
Oregon Brewers Festival, Portland, OR
Tour de Fat, Fort Collins, CO
Where the Wild Beers Are, Brooklyn, NY
BEST BOTTLE SHOPS:
Beer Revolution, Oakland, CA
The Beer Trappe, Lexington KY
Belmont Station, Portland, OR
The Bier Stein, Eugene, OR
Bruisin’ Ales, Asheville, NC
Datz Deli, Tampa, FL
Eagle Provisions, Brooklyn, NY
Saraveza, Portland, OR
Sergio’s World Beers, Louisville, KY
Worden’s Market, Missoula, MT
BEST BELGIAN LISTS/BELGIAN STYLE BARS:
The Brick Store, Decatur, GA
Brouwer’s Café, Seattle, WA
Cascade Barrel House, Portland, OR
Higgins, Portland, OR
Jimmy’s No. 43, New York, NY
Local 44, Philadelphia, PA
McNulty’s Bier Markt, Cleveland, OH
Monk’s Café, Philadelphia, PA
Novare Res, Portland, ME
Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn, NY
BEST OUTDOOR DRINKING:
Bohemian Hall, Queens, New York, NY
Eataly Birreria, New York, NY
Edgefield, Troutdale, OR
Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA
Marshall Wharf Brewing Co., Belfast, ME
Ouray Brewing Co., Ouray, CO
Pagosa Springs Brewing Co., Pagosa Springs, CO
Rathskeller, Indianapolis, IN
The Standard Hotel, New York, NY
Terminal Gravity, Enterprise, OR
BEST OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH CRAFT BEER DESTINATIONS:
Diamond Knot Brewing, Mukilteo, WA
Dogfish Head, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Ebenezer’s, Lovell, ME
Haines Brewing Co., Haines,