There’s more to a great beer bar than selection. To recognize the innovative and unique establishments where craft brewed beer is served, CraftBeer.com — the Brewers Association (BA) website for beer lovers — released its annual “Great American Beer Bar” list, as voted on by its readers. The list spotlighted both the top three overall vote-getting craft beer bars in the nation and the top three from each of five U.S. geographical regions.
Overall Winners
First Place: Mekong Restaurant, Richmond, Va.
Second Place: HopCat, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Third Place: Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, N.J.*
Regional Winners
South
First Place: Mekong Restaurant, Richmond, Va.
Second Place: The Thirsty Monk, Asheville, N.C.
Third Place: Oak St. Drafthouse, Denton, Texas*
Mountain West
First Place: Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, Colo.
Second Place: Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids, Longmont, Colo.
Third Place: Tap & Bottle, Tucson, Ariz.*
Pacific
First Place: The Bier Stein, Eugene, Ore.*
Second Place: Toronado, San Francisco, Calif.*
Third Place: Prospectors Historic Pizzeria & Alehouse, Denali National Park, Ark.*
North Central
First Place: HopCat, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Second Place: The Bavarian Lodge, Lisle, Ill.*
Third Place: Ashley’s, Ann Arbor, Mich.*
Northeast
First Place: Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, N.J.*
Second Place: ChurchKey, Washington, D.C.
Third Place: The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, Burlington, Vt.*
*Represents newcomer to Great American Beer Bar competition finals
“In this second year of surveying beer lovers for the Great American Beer Bar competition, we’re excited to see both returning favorites and the newly honored,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director of the Brewers Association. “All of the participating bars in this contest are reflective of the diverse craft brewing movement. Their vibrant atmospheres parallel the passion and unique personalities that distinguish America’s small and independent producers.”
Established in 1995, Mekong is a second time overall champion of the Great American Beer Bar survey. The Vietnamese restaurant has a 50+ tap selection and more than 200 bottle offerings of Belgian beers, American craft ales, sour, vintage and other special beer selections.
“Winning the Great American Beer Bar competition did not just mean a lot to us at Mekong, but to all of the loyal craft beer fans of Richmond, Va., whom we are fortunate enough to have as customers,” said An Bui, beer director of Mekong. “Richmond has one of the best craft beer cultures in the U.S. and continually tries to cultivate the beer religion in the area. We believe and stand by our motto that beer is the answer and are pleased to celebrate this honor with all of our local friends in town.”
