Craftbeer.com, one of the most respected craft beer resources on the web, has released its annual Great American Beer Bar winners for 2013. The awards are based on votes by readers and include the top three overall, plus the top three bars from each of five different geographical regions. Here is a list of this year’s winners:
Overall Winners
- First Place: Mekong Restaurant, Richmond, VA
- Second Place: HopCat, Grand Rapids, MI
- Third Place: Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, NJ
Regional Winners
South
- First Place: Mekong Restaurant, Richmond, VA
- Second Place: The Thirsty Monk, Asheville, NC
- Third Place: Oak St. Drafthouse, Denton, TX
Mountain West
- First Place: Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, CO
- Second Place: Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids, Longmont, CO
- Third Place: Tap & Bottle, Tucson, AZ
Pacific
- First Place: The Bier Stein, Eugene, OR
- Second Place: Toronado, San Francisco, CA
- Third Place: Prospectors Historic Pizzeria & Alehouse, Denali National Park, AK
North Central
- First Place: HopCat, Grand Rapids, MI
- Second Place: The Bavarian Lodge, Lisle, IL
- Third Place: Ashley’s, Ann Arbor, MI
Northeast
- First Place: Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, NJ
- Second Place: ChurchKey, Washington, DC
- Third Place: The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, Burlington, VT
The Great American Beer Bar contest is in its second year and the top vote getter, Mekong Restaurant, took first place honors for the second year in a row. This Vietnamese restaurant has more than 50 beers on tap and another 200+ in bottles, with a wide variety of craft beer drinking options. Winning the contest for two years running is a remarkable accomplishment and is not something the restaurant and its staff take lightly.
“Winning the Great American Beer Bar competition did not just mean a lot to us at Mekong, but to all of the loyal craft beer fans of Richmond, Virginia who we are fortunate enough to have as customers,” said Mekong Beer Director An Bui. “Richmond has one of the best craft beer cultures in the U.S. and continually tries to cultivate the beer religion in the area. We believe and stand by our motto that beer is the answer and are pleased to celebrate this honor with all of our local friends in town.”
Craftbeer.com noted that participation in this year’s contest was stronger than last year and is reflective of the growth in the craft beer industry as a whole. Craft beer fans nominated more than 5,000 bars, an increase of 117 percent from last year. Once the list of nominees was narrowed down, readers were asked to select the best bars by region. In total, over 37,000 votes were cast, resulting in the winning bars listed above.
America’s craft beer industry is at a record level of size and influence, but it wouldn’t be where it is today without the great drinking establishments that serve up the beer day after day. If you live close to one of the above establishments, be sure to pay a visit and discover some of the best dining/drinking establishments in the USA.
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