Best Beer Bar (2020)

Opened in 2012 as a bottle shop, Salud Beer Shop in Charlotte's North Davidson neighborhood has grown into a local favorite beer bar, complete with 16 taps and hundreds of bottled craft beers from around the world.  Update: Open for pickup and curbside delivery of beer, wine and food. Order here.
Photo courtesy of Salud Beer Shop

The tagline at Harlem Hops is “Beers. Booze. Bites. Beats.” Visitors will find 16 taps, with mostly niche, small-batch beers made locally by people of color, served alongside bar bites like bratwurst or fresh-baked guma pies. DJs spin tunes on the weekends. Update: Open for pickup and delivery in a 20-block radius
Photo courtesy of Sabrina Thompson / Harlem Hops

Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen brings 36 beers on tap to Philadelphia, with a selection that often includes a diverse mix of local craft brews, seasonal favorites and international offerings. There’s also a dedicated tap system for red, white and rosé wines, as well as a kitchen cooking up soups, salads, sandwiches and sweets. Update: Crowlers and cans to-go
Photo courtesy of Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen

Housed in a former industrial building in Norfolk, Virginia, The Birch is clear-minded in its approach to beer. The carefully selected beer list includes 21 beers and five ciders and meads on tap. Periodically throughout the year, to encourage patrons to try something new, The Birch hosts week-long mini festivals during which all the taps and the bottle list adhere to one theme, such as dark, bitter or sour. Update: To-go menu and six-pack specials available Tuesday to Saturday. Order here.
Photo courtesy of The Birch

BierWax is part beer bar, part record store, with more than 5,000 vinyl records to compliment the tap list. Beer lovers will find beers from mostly local, independent breweries around New York state. Update: Beer available to-do. Call 347-533-8449.
Photo courtesy of Miguel Rivas @thebeertrekker

The Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, just steps from the famous Atlantic City boardwalk, offers more than a hundred beers on tap and by the bottle, curated by local food critic and radio personality Scott Cronick. The beer list is divided into playful categories, like Precious and Rare Brews, Crafty…But Not Too Crafty, Juicy As F•#$, Go to the Dark Side and Pucker Up. Update: Open for takeout and local delivery, including 64-oz. growlers
Photo courtesy of Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall

Patrons who enter this brick bar in Baltimore will be blown away by the beer selection: 1,000+ bottles, 102 taps and five casks. From newbies to experts, all levels of beer drinkers can find something to enjoy here – including standard favorites to rare imports – and all it takes is a quick chat with one of the highly knowledgeable bartenders.  Update: Max's Taphouse is closed at this time. Owner Ron Furman has launched the Hospitality Help Line for Business Owners & Managers Facebook group to help support small businesses.
Photo courtesy of Max's Taphouse

This beer bar in Houston’s quirky Montrose neighborhood maintains 75 draft taps and 5 cask engines, with each beer served at the proper temperature in appropriate glassware. Some 200 kegs are aging in the cellar, waiting to be tapped. James Beard-winning chef Chris Shepherd helms the kitchen, where everything is made from scratch. Update: Beer, wine, cocktails and ready-to-eat and oven-ready food available to-go. Order here.
Photo courtesy of Julie Soefer Photography / The Hay Merchant

This cozy tavern in Traverse City features nearly four dozen beers on tap, including Belgian and Belgian-style ales, sour and wild ales, European beers and Michigan ciders. The bar even serves wine and cocktails on tap for non beer drinkers.
Photo courtesy of 7 Monks Taproom

Falling Rock was one of the first bars in Denver to celebrate the world of craft beer. The list of more than 90 beers on tap and 120-plus bottles is carefully selected to feature the best of craft breweries from Colorado, the US and the world. Regular tappings and beer events promote celebrated and hard-to-find beers. A popular gathering spot during the Great American Beer Festival, Falling Rock is central to Denver’s craft beer scene. Update: Curbside service for growlers and food
Photo courtesy of Falling Rock Tap House