Mike’s American Ale House
5737 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL
773-282-3150
We don’t really need another place in Chicago to visit, but Mike’s regularly features regional beers, serves cask-conditioned beers, and the food also gets high marks.
R.F.D.
810 Seventh St. NW, Washington, DC
202-289-2030
Dave Alexander, manager of the well-known Brickskeller Restaurant, and his wife opened this spot in January. R.F.D. stands for regional food and drink, and the 30 taps and about 300 bottles focus on Mid-Atlantic beers.
Lakefront Brewery
1872 N. Commerce St., Milwaukee, WI
414-273-8300
Since we last visited the brewery, owner Jim Klisch bought Bernie Brewer’s chalet in an auction at County Stadium, which was torn down to make way for a new stadium. Milwaukee Brewers mascot Bernie Brewer used to slide down the slide into a mug of beer to celebrate Brewers home runs. They moved the 29-foot slide and the beer mug, which has been repainted to say Lakefront, to the brewery on the Milwaukee River and made the slide part of a brewery tour.
The Unlikely Cowboy
20751 N. Pima, Scottsdale, AZ
480-502-5557
We know that the hotter it gets in the Phoenix Valley, the better the wheat beers from brewer Ryan Ashley are going to taste. It had only been open months when other brewers in the region were recommending it to us.
KClinger’s Publik House
895 Old Trail Rd., Etters, PA
717-932-0575
It’s a traveling oversight that we haven’t yet visited this offspring of KClinger’s Tavern in Hanover. Two bars on two levels, 65 taps, and a massive bottle selection, plus hearty food. More important, the beer is well selected and the staff knows what they are talking about. Better yet? Wednesday is Blues Night. Big Jack Johnson played there Feb. 11 and the cover was just $5. The first time we saw Big Jack in Clarksdale, MS, they passed a hat, and the “high end” beer was Miller Genuine Draft. Of course, Frank Frost played with him. Our friend should have been there.
Daria Labinsky