Some beer bars are divey, some are decent, and very few are amazing. While atmosphere and the people you choose for company have a lot to do with what you think of a bar, there’s one thing that can make or break a place: how many beers are available on tap.
There are more choices of beer than ever before, thanks to the booming craft beer movement, which means there are more chances to find something you absolutely love. The only thing standing in the way is the aforementioned problem. Craft beer may have helped kill day drinking, but it sure hasn’t made the majority of bars move from drafts of macro lager to the tap handles of distinct brews.
Enter the savior of jaded taste buds: the 100-plus tap beer bar. They’re rare, but they’re destination-worthy, and it’s almost impossible to not find something on the list that you like. Here are the top seven, in no particular order.
7. Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore, Maryland
Max’s Taphouse has 102 taps. If you can’t find anything from that selection, though, don’t give up because it also has more than 1,000 bottles and five casks. There are enough choices at Max’s Taphouse to make your head spin before you even take a sip.
6. The Mayor of Old Town in Fort Collins, Colorado
Is there any real surprise that Colorado, a craft-beer state through and through, has a bar with one of the largest tap lists? The Mayor also has cocktails and wine, but stick to the main event. There’s got to be something on that 100-beer tap list.
5. Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, Texas
Banger’s is a true (Texas-sized) beer garden. In addition to the 104 beers on tap, it has 30 homemade sausages, an event space and monthly barbecues. There are enough options here to keep Austin weird, and keep the people’s taste buds forever entertained.
4. El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa
El Bait Shop does double fisting bar-style, with a double row of tap lines, one on top of the other. And it’s clear why that is necessary: the bar has 222 beers on tap and boasts the world’s largest selection of American craft beers.
3. Sunset Grill and Tap in Boston, Massachusetts
The Sunset Grill and Tap is the home of the “year-round beer festival,” because when you have 113 taps, every day is a beer festival. If you travel to Boston, don’t leave out the Allston neighborhood where Sunset Grill and Tap is located, because beerfests should stop being so October-specific.
2. Heroes Bar and Grill in Fullerton, California
Heroes started in 1990 with the goal of becoming a local, small-town tavern. Today, it has 119 beers on tap from all over the world and a vast collection of Americana odds and ends to match. Never settle guys, never settle.
1. Goat Hill Tavern in Costa Mesa, California
Goat Hill calls itself a dive bar, but it’s unlike any other dive bar you’ve seen, thanks to a whopping 141 beers on tap. If you have a favorite style — whether it’s Pilsner, IPA or even fruit-flavored beer — Goat Hill likely has it.