Love Handles
Great places to drink great beer.
Brawley’s Beverage Charlotte, North Carolina
This Queen City bottle shop showcases one of the city’s best tap lists, too.
What it is: Brawley’s Beverage has undergone many changes since it opened in 2003, but the biggest occurred in 2014. Owner Michael Brawley remodeled the outside to look as it did in the 1970s, when his father ran Mike’s Discount Beverages. As dramatic as the bold red paint, floorto-ceiling windows, and towering wings on the roof were, the biggest change came with the addition of a tasting room.
Why it’s great: You see and taste a lot when you’ve been in beer as long as Brawley has, and he and his staff draw upon that experience to fill the bar’s twenty-six taps. A well-chosen assortment of local and national brands can still be found in the coolers, and surprise drops of vintage bottles sometimes magically appear in the cold room. Brawley says he has Avery Brewing’s Demons of Ale series going back to 2006, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Olde School bottles as old as 2005, and various barrel-aged Bigfoots and Narwhals from Sierra Nevada. There’s no kitchen, but that’s a good excuse to bring over a freshly made pizza or pasta from their neighbors at Pasta & Provisions on Park. —Daniel Hartis
DETAILS
Hours: Noon–9 p.m., Monday–friday; 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday Address: 4620 Park Rd., Charlotte, North Carolina Web: facebook.com/brawleysbeverage
Hoot Owl Pine Bush, New York
This buzzy local bar has a creative menu, small draft selection, and welcoming vibe.
What it is: Hoot Owl is an eclectic, family-friendly tavern serving brews, burgers, and Indian food a stone’s throw from some of the Hudson Valley’s best hikes. The tap list leans on top-tier Hudson Valley breweries, such as Sloop Brewing Co. and Keegan Ales. Can’t decide among a juicy New England–style IPA, crisp Kölsch, or rich milk stout? You’ll find an expansive selection of cans and an inventive cocktail list as well.
Why it’s great: This old biker bar, known more for bar fights than good beer, got a makeover in 2017. Come for a drink, stay for the warm atmosphere fostered by new owners, an Indian-american couple, who host periodic events from trivia night to live music … and live owl shows, where patrons can meet live barred owls and learn ways to protect wild birds with wildlife rehabilitator Annie Mardiney of Wild Mountain Birds. Hoot Owl’s crowded bar and fireplace seating area double as community living room. Nab a stool and you might overhear memories of the bar’s scandalous past from bikers who still haunt the joint. —Lindsey Danis
DETAILS
Hours: 5 p.m.–10 p.m., Wednesday & Thursday; 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.– 11 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday Address: 26 Awosting Rd., Pine Bush, New York Web: hootowlrestaurant.com
Finn’s Manor Denver, Colorado
A fanatically curated beer menu complements one of the Mile-high City’s best cocktail programs in this hip party spot in Rino.
What it is: At first glance, it seems weird—a generally open-air venue with a small indoor bar surrounded by a maze of patios and a larger outdoor space ringed with permanent food trucks. But this unassuming venue across the street from Ratio Brewing has become one of the hottest spots in the River North district, attracting craft-beer fans with an immaculate tap list as well as spirits and cocktail drinkers with a program of equal gravitas. But it’s not a beer monastery where acolytes whisper in hushed tones—it’s a full-on party with DJS, brass bands, and other eclectic acts getting the crowd moving on the dance floor.
Why it’s great: Finn’s makes craft beer fun and relevant, pitching it head-to-head with the best in whiskey and bourbon, and doing it without an attitude. The tap list is always diverse, featuring classic styles, new- and old-school IPAS, and a very quickly rotating selection of almost-impossible-to-findon-other-tap-lists beers. Twenty taps and consistently large crowds mean the list is always changing, and their nuanced love of the full spectrum of beer makes it all seem cool—hyped or not hyped. —Jamie Bogner
DETAILS
Hours: 5 p.m.–12:00 a.m., Tuesday– Thursday; 2 p.m.–1 a.m., Friday & Saturday; 2 p.m.–9 p.m., Sunday Address: 2927 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado Web: finnsmanor.co