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 11 (February/March 2016).
Bluejacket (Washington, D.C.)
The capital’s commander-in-chief of brewpubs.
WHAT IT IS: One of the nation’s most ambitious brewpubs anchors Washington’s resurging Waterfront district. Bluejacket (pictured at top) is the brainchild of James Beard-nominated Beer Director Greg Engert and the restaurateurs behind D.C.’s world-class ChurchKey bar. Basically, this is what you get when the suits give one of the country’s fussiest, most knowledgeable beer geeks free reign to develop his dream brewery. Inside a former Navy Yard munitions factory, three open levels of toys include a variety of fermentors, a coolship, and a barrel room. The fonts pour at different temperatures to ensure each style has its ideal coolness.
WHY IT’S GREAT: The constantly rotating selection of twenty-five drafts—including five cask ales—covers a wide range of styles. None are boring. The dry-hopped Kölsch is as approachable to passing Nats fans as it is highly rated by tickers; meanwhile, there is typically a range of funky farmhouse beers that vary in acidity and ingredients—you might find a strawberry-rhubarb Berliner Weisse, Brett IPA, or kumquat gose. Or all of the above. Clever pub grub ranges from pan-seared cheese spaetzle to duck confit potpie. Easy to reach via the Metro, it is inevitably popular before and after Nats games, but with 200+ seats, it’s also large enough to accommodate.—Joe Stange
Hours: 11 a.m.–1 a.m., Sunday–Thursday; 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Friday & Saturday
Address: 300 Tingey St. SE, Washington, D.C.
Sovereign (Plainfield, Illinois)
Sovereign curates Chicago’s and the Midwest’s best beers for you and serves up farm-fresh food in a friendly space.
WHAT IT IS: Cool meets comfortable at this suburban Chicago locale featuring twenty-five stellar and rapidly rotating taps (including two selections on cask), with styles from around the globe made mostly by Midwest brewers. Locally sourced farm-to-fork cuisine and serious cocktails complement the craft-beer program. Ace servers smartly share key flavor profiles of the beers and help diners select a dish from the kitchen to match. With a soothing décor of deep grays, rustic wood, and sleek tap handles inside and a lazy-day summer patio outside, there is a place for everyone at Sovereign.
WHY IT’S GREAT: The last time in, I sat at the bar enjoying a New Holland Blue Sunday Sour, malt-forward with dark fruit and a seriously lingering sour finish. My server suggested pairing it with their Beautiful Disaster, a Gruyère, Parmesan, and Brie grilled cheese with onion marmalade on rye. It was an outstanding recommendation. I then opted for the Penrose Coffee Navette, a dark Belgian coffee ale brewed with Intelligentsia Tres Santos coffee. This lightly roasty, bitter-yet-balanced offering is solid and is made even better by the care taken to serve it right. This is one craft-beer restaurant worth the trip.—Sara Dumford
Hours: 11 a.m.–midnight, Monday–Saturday; 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday
Address: 24205 Lockport St., Plainfield, IL
The Hop Stop (Nashville, Tennessee)
Fanatical curation meets comfortable vibe in this Southern favorite.
WHAT IT IS: At first blush, this off-the-beaten-path locals’ joint is unassuming and inconspicuous. However, once you snag a coveted seat at the bar, you’ll find one of the most thoughtful tap lists in the city and a friendly staff that really knows its stuff.
WHY IT’S GREAT: Beer Director Matt Miller has done a fantastic job with the list, which boasts more than thirty rotating taps focused on serving the very best beers available in Nashville and the cream-of-the-crop releases from local breweries. With a great selection of big dark beers, sour and tart beers, and refreshing IPAs, these guys tap a new beer almost every day. In addition to thoughtful and well-executed beer cocktails, they have a stellar bottle list, regularly stocking world-class Belgian imports and local Yazoo sours.
The bar itself is comfortable and welcoming with a thoughtful food menu, a room for darts, and a generally laid-back aesthetic. The staff’s knowledge of the beer list is fantastic and further separates The Hop Stop from some other craft-beer bars around town. In two short years, The Hop Stop has established itself as one of the best watering holes in Nashville for craft-beer lovers.—Stephen Koenig
Hours: 11:30 a.m.–midnight, Sunday–Thursday; 11:30 a.m. –1:00 a.m., Friday & Saturday
Address: 2909 Gallatin Pike, Nashville, TN
