The “Love Handles” department in Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® is devoted to great beer bars. Here are the three beer bars that we explored in Issue 12 (April/May 2016).
Cafe-Kulminator (Antwerp, Belgium)
This Belgian classic is one of the beer world’s greatest treasures.
WHAT IT IS: Located on a medieval back street, this tiny nook of a space is one of the first bars to begin cellaring beer. Over the decades, they’ve amassed an incredible collection of vintage Belgian beer that is still essentially unrivaled in the beer world today, drawing beer drinkers from around the globe.
WHY IT’S GREAT: At Cafe-Kulminator (pictured at top), the lights are low, there are candles burning, ancient hops vines adorn the walls, and cats doze in empty chairs. The place oozes cozy authenticity. Inside you’ll find Owners Leen Boudewijn and Dirk Van Dyck, an adorable white-haired couple, who (seemingly unbeknownst to themselves) are minor celebrities in the beer-geek world. Leen pours the beer, and Dirk (sometimes begrudgingly) fetches bottles from the cellar. There are roughly ten beers on tap, assuredly all impressive, but visiting beercationers know to go straight for the tome of a cellar menu. Easily mistaken for a book, its pages contain goodies that go all the way back to the seventies when they first opened. Try a few different vintages of Rochefort 10 to find your preference or sample bottles of lambic from long-since closed geuzestekerijen. Because, well … this is the only place in the world to do it.
—Patrick Dawson
Hours: 4 p.m.–midnight, Wednesday–Sunday; 8 p.m.–midnight, Monday; closed Tuesday
Address: Vleminckveld 32, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
Novare Res Bier Café (Portland, Maine)
Novare Res (“to start a revolution” in Latin) is Portland’s focal point for a beer-drinking revolution.
WHAT IT IS: Novare Res is the Allagash Brewing of the Portland bar scene: an institution, beloved and respected in the city’s beer community, that still seems to have a lot of fun doing what they do. And at Novare Res, what they do is serve a serious tap and bottle list, with thirty-three taps, a cask engine, and 450–500 bottles, in an environment that’s as equally conducive to beer tasting and education as it is to putting back pints of traditional Munich Helles.
WHY IT’S GREAT: In the summer months, the glorious patio is filled with picnic tables, plus cornhole and four outdoor taps, while the cavernous beer hall–style bar lies down below. For many customers, the breadth of Maine brewers is the highlight, with esteemed favorites such as Marshall Wharf, Oxbow, Tributary, and more; but it’s also the place for old-school imports, such as an Old Speckled Hen, or rare Belgian lambics by the bottle. The city’s beer scene continues to grow and radiate outward, but for many, Novare Res is the focal point. It’s a lazy summer-day drinking spot, a last-call destination, a given for out-of-town beer trippers, and a place where it often all begins. _
—Heather Vandenengel_
Hours: 4 p.m.–1 a.m., Monday–Thursday; 3 p.m.–1 a.m., Friday; noon–1 a.m., Saturday–Sunday.
Address: 4 Canal Plaza, Portland, ME
Blind Lady Ale House (San Diego, California)
One part beer bar, one part brewhouse, one part vegan pizza parlor.
WHAT IT IS: Since its opening seven years ago in an old drapery shop called The Blind Lady in the Normal Heights neighborhood, Blind Lady Ale House has become an iconic San Diego drinking destination. It offers Neapolitan-style pizza (some of San Diego’s finest), twenty-six beers on tap, and an array of bottles and cans. Its menu is largely focused on vegetarian and vegan options. Blind Lady Ale House is also home to Automatic Brewing Co., a 10-barrel brewery operated by Blind Lady Ale House Owner and Brewmaster Lee Chase, who formerly worked at Stone Brewing Co.
WHY IT’S GREAT: San Diego’s abundance of must-hit drinking establishments encourages beer lovers to drink a pint and keep moving along their beer tours. The ambiance at Blind Lady Ale House, however, is reason enough to stay for a while. The owners of Blind Lady Ale House combine their beer, music, and pizza-making backgrounds under one roof to create an experience beyond the typical tavern. On top of a rare beer list and a great soundtrack, this dimly lit restaurant has some serious swag on its exposed brick walls—notably the plethora of vintage beer cans and old skateboards. Go ahead, have another pint._
—Emily Hutto_
Hours: 5 p.m.–midnight, Monday–Thursday; 11:30 a.m.–midnight, Friday–Sunday
Address: 3416 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA