Tap Heavy Bars

If you are anything like me, you love to have choices. Variety is undoubtedly the spice of life, which of course carries over into the beer world too. I love going to bars that have more that the token five domestic and five overly available craft choices. Give me a dozen or so to choose from and you've got my attention, but how about beer bars that offer up hundreds of taps? Here are the good and bad of tap heavy bars.

Pro #1: Variety Anytime that I can have a handful of IPAs or Stouts to choose from, I'm in heaven. But remember, this beer nerd seeks out those hard to find or limited available beers. Walking into a 30+ tap bar means that I am there for a reason. If at that bar, the choices are limited, then I question why they even waste their precious space with average level beers. With a variety of choices comes the option of doing taster flights. If you see four or six different beers you want to try, why not do a flight and try them all. The commitment phobe in me likes to make sure I know all my options before commiting to a full pint. Like more than a couple? Enjoy a few schooners and share with your plus one.

Con #1: Too Many Choices While choices for some are great, they can be sensory overload for others. The Howells and Hood restaurant in Chicago has beer flowing through 360 faucets! How could you even begin to sift through that kind tap choice? Let me tell you a story. I took my dad down to Henry's, a 100+ tap bar in downtown Portland, Oregon. Their menu is categorized into different styles of beer, from Strong Ales to Pales to Domestic Lagers. I immediately knew what style I wanted to enjoy and went straight to that list. My dad, on the other hand, perused the menu in awe, not knowing where to even start. He asked me which ones I would recommend. "Well that depends on what style you want, Dad," I replied. The patient beertender ping ponged to our table several times before he was finally able to make his choice. I was beyond thirsty and you can tell that both the server and I were at our wits end. What did my dad end up going with? A Widmer Hefeweizen. Great choice, Dad. You can get that anywhere...

Pro #2:Style Exploration I know IPAs and Pales like I know the back of my hand. A style that I am just getting to appreciate is the Farmhouse/Saison Ales. Funky and sweet, fruity and unique, I wanted to try a bunch of them without really trying a bunch of them. Does that make sense? Going to a place like World of Beer where I can explore their wears in terms of taps and bottles within this particular style. Not only do I get a sense of what I like, I get to do so with a trained professional who can help me along the way. Such a different experience than spending a fortune on individual bottles and drinking them at home. Pair with some beer loving friends and you have yourself a great evening.

Con #2: Cross Pollination Beer lovers love beer. Drinkers love liquor. Can beer lovers love liquor? Of course. But rarely, and I am only speaking from my experience, do serious beer drinkers cross pollinate their palate with liquor and brew at the same time. This is what I am getting at. A recent visit to a tap heavy bar had me enjoying a tulip glass full of Imperial Stout. When the bartender (read bartender, not beertender) asked if I wanted "A shot of Jack with that" I almost choked. Why would I want anything of the sort? I was immediately turned off, finishing my beer and then promptly leaving. Now, was that an over reaction? Probably. I appreciate the up selling of an extra shot with a domestic thirst quencher, but when enjoying a beer treasure as I was, there was no need.

Pro #3: Beer Cocktails So remember how I said that beer drinkers don't necessarily cross pollinate. Well, riddle me this. The new thing that all the kids are doing are Beer Cocktails: where a mixture of beer with soda, liquor, or even another style of beer is concocted. Mixing an IPA with a Stout, a lager with lemonade, and even a Pale with Ginger Ale are just a few examples. Yes, I have tried all of those. One word: Delish. Now with the liquor addition, I have seen some Stouts in Martinis, Lagers in Margaritas, and even IPAs over ice. Yes, I know. Mind blowing right? I see those mixtures as ways cocktail drinkers can be a part of the craft beer scene. How else would I ever get my 67 year old mom to try a Stout?

Con #3: Cost I have some friends that balk at the thought of a $5 pint of beer. I, on the other hand, don't have a problem paying for quality. Will I drop $7 for a run of the mill Imperial IPA? No. But a rare, hard to fine, limited seasonal availability beer would be the exception. In the several tap heavy bars I frequent, the prices seem to be all over the board. I get why. Different beers have different value attached to them. However, not all beer lovers would understand this or even think to ask about how much that pint of Berliner Weisse costs. Usually, the establishment might run daily specials or have happy hour pricing on a select few handles. It never hurts to ask.

Heather Erickson is a beer writer, advocate and teacher in Tacoma, WA. Her home brewery is named H2 Brewing. A craft beer lover for over a decade, Heather finally made her first batch of beer in 2010. Over the past three years, she has experimented with different styles, ranging from a triple hopped Barleywine to a Peanut Butter Porter. With hops in her family, her great grandfather was a hop farmer, it is no surprise that Heather's favorite style to brew and drink is an IPA. She religiously brews 10 gallons a month on a SABCO Brew Magic system.

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