The Draught House set the bar (no pun intended) for other beer programs in town, and continues to be one of the places real beer fiends come to sample wares from Texas to Bavaria, and everywhere of note in between. We love its location, on the bottom floor of a Tudor-style house on a leafy street where dentists and optometrists operate out of refurbished bungalows. The furniture’s made of heavy wood with deeply carved graffiti, and is polished to a shine by years of elbows and bottoms rubbing across it. It’s dark inside—there are no neon beer signs here; walls are covered with vintage Guinness and British World War II posters, a couple of dartboards, and an unobtrusive TV with no volume. The Draught House isn’t about sports, nor is it a pick-up scene, nor a gastropub with designs on earning foodie points.

In fact, there’s hardly food at all, just some greasy calzones and pizza made to order using Mangia ingredients. Aside from a Saturday special of free bratwurst (how bad can free sausage be?), we don’t recommend eating here. Instead, make a meal out of pint specials or cask-conditioned ales (on Fridays). Bartenders are happy to offer tastes and education, provided there’s not a line behind you, of course. Which there almost always is.