The Bar Towel

Hi all, just finalizing plans to be in Edmonton in two weeks for a couple of nights. I'll look up using the usuals (RB/BA), but any direct info from the folks here?

Thanks!

Bars to visit will be Beer Revolution in Oliver Square; Underground on Jasper Ave (right in downtown), and then just around the corner from there is CRAFT. There's also a great cocktail bar in between Underground & Craft; Woodwork. Worth a visit if you're into cocktails.

Southside we have Sugarbowl in the University area, and just down the road is the The Boars Restaurant. Good food and an equally goods beer menu. A shortish walk away, and just off Whyte Ave/Calgary Trail we have Next Act and Accent Lounge. Adjacent to Next Act is MEAT, a BBQ & Bourbon joint. Go there hungry as the portions are large.

Bigger selections and variance of beers will both be had Beer Rev & CRAFT. There is also MKT just off Whyte Ave, but the beer selection, although large, isn't terribly exciting. Unless you go on a Thursday, when all draught beer is $4.00!

If you have a car, or don't mind cabbing it, then obviously Sherbrooke is a must visit for you to stock up on beers, and Keg n Cork on the southside; they have a smaller selection, but pricing can be a little better, and they do carry some stuff that Sherbrooke doesn't.

Enjoy your stay.

Just remembered another place to visit, and not one that would stand out as a beer bar. Chai Island on 104 st & 81st Ave. It's a smoothie, tea, coffee, cocktail bar, but they also have a really good beer selection on tap & bottle, with good pricing too. It's a chill place to go, and has a decent enough, south facing patio.

That's awesome, thanks!

No car, and will likely only have one decent night. Depending on flights and work next morning first night maybe quick pint near hotel. No car, and I'll be in Vancouver and hopefully Seattle a few days before so likely no bottle shopping while in Edmonton either.

Well, if you're in downtown, and just one night for drinking, then best to grab a cab and get to Beer Revolution. They have their tap menu live on the website, so you at least know what to expect when you're there.

Well, got in late one night, the NDP won and the Hell Froze over (almost literally 10cm of snow!!!), so my travelling was cut down quite a bit.

Underground Tap House: Was really disappointed in this one. Had two beer, and they both tasted terrible, gotta wonder how they keep all those taps fresh. There were a couple of incredibly loud and drunk dudes yukking it up over the cute waitress. At one point, one of them got up behind the bar so he could take pictures of all the tap handles with big tits. Nobody did anything about it! This was at 5-6pm. I would have been interested to stay and watch the attempted rape and police brutality later, but too much drama for me.

CRAFT: nice tap list, service was fun. Ended up there both nights. Pretty antisceptic though a good cleansing was in order after the mess at Underground. Had fun both nights I was there. Canada's Yardhouse, basically.

So, looks like I'll be back in Edmonton for a few nights in early March. Any new suggestions to try?

Thanks!

Nothing has changed. No new places have opened nor have there been any closures.

I liked Beer Revolution but in some ways I preferred Craft. Craft seems like it would be madness on weekend evenings though. I went right after work hours and it was pleasantly quiet.

Torontoblue wrote:Nothing has changed. No new places have opened nor have there been any closures.

Thanks. Heading to Edmonton in early April and looking forward to hitting some of the spots you mentioned above. Disappointed that I won't be able to use Uber to get around, but drinking Hopworks, Clown Shoes, and DDC on tap will likely make up for that.

Back from another trip to Edmonton, 3 nights. Better weather this time, so was able to get around a bit more.

Craft: same idea as last time. Corporate spot, but with a pretty solid selection of beers. Nothing "I WANT THAT" but a lot of really good beer, and they all seemed to be in good shape.

Underground: was there a few times this time. First time in, was like last time, an obnoxious guy at the bar just being a pain in the ass. Second time was more fun, watched most of an oilers game there. Flights were on sale. Again, no amazing beer, but lots of variety and plenty of solid stuff to be had.

Beer Revolution: walked out there (witnessed a pretty big car accident maybe 40 feet from me on the way!). A trek, but was nice to stretch my legs, and a stop at Burger Priest along the way hit the spot. They still had beer from the DDC tap takeover available (how did that last multiple weeks??), but other than the DDC beer, there was really not that much interesting on tap. Was an ok spot, but if I only had one night in town and they weren't having a special event on, I'd take my changes with the beer at Craft, I think.

I'm still not too sure what the draw of Beer Rev is. My friends rave about it, but it just comes across as a soulless room with beers that hang around too long, and given the tap quantity, the choice can be severely lacking. I've only been there maybe half a dozen times since it opened, and it just leaves me feeling empty.

Torontoblue wrote:I'm still not too sure what the draw of Beer Rev is. My friends rave about it, but it just comes across as a soulless room with beers that hang around too long, and given the tap quantity, the choice can be severely lacking. I've only been there maybe half a dozen times since it opened, and it just leaves me feeling empty.

I'm confused. You recommended Beer Revolution twice above but now you are saying it leaves you feeling empty?

I recommended it as it's one of the places 'to go' in Edmonton if you like beer. And we only have a small handful of 'beer bars'.

I happen to like beer, but don't like Beer Rev.

I can still offer recommendations even if the place doesn't appeal to me

Beer revolution vs Craft my 2 cents:

Atmosphere: both have their warts. Beer revolution was a bit more cozy, dimmer (my god the lights are bright at Craft!). Both lots of TVs and both reasonably busy on the early weeknights I was there. Draw.
Beer: I find this harder to judge as it would just depend on what BR has tapped that day. If I had to put a gun to my head and pick only one I'd go with Craft just because with so many taps, and a history of providing lots of really great (though not rare) beer, I can be pretty sure I'll find multiple pints to enjoy. BR with fewer taps could be hit or miss, I think. Craft.
Staff/information: clear winner here for Revolution. My lord the staff at Craft can be clueless. The barkeep at Revolution was a decent guy who knew his beer. Also, the beer boards they have are awesome, right down to how much is left. Craft's menus are horrible, badly updated so the clueless staff is left running back a mile to see what the "Sierra Nevada seasonal is right now". Beer Revolution.

So, again, I can see their pros and cons. Neither is a really great place to sit and enjoy a pint for me, beer could go either way, and my limited experience with the staff was better at Beer Revolution, but that was just one guy one night. I've been to Craft a bunch and in different cities, and it's always been the same.

I originally really disliked Underground, but after going back a lot more this time I really enjoyed it. Staff was awesome to me each time I was in, food was solid. Beer range and interest was not quite up with Craft, but probably better on average than what was at Beer Revolution.

Anyway, I sure wish Ottawa had any of those three. Craft is opening here, but I've got much lower expectations for the beer selection. I look forward to being pleasantly surprised if that's not the case!

Torontoblue wrote:I recommended it as it's one of the places 'to go' in Edmonton if you like beer. And we only have a small handful of 'beer bars'.

I happen to like beer, but don't like Beer Rev.

I can still offer recommendations even if the place doesn't appeal to me

Fair enough. Out of the places you've mentioned, which bar/restaurant do you frequent most (i.e. what is your favourite spot)?

rejtable wrote:Beer revolution vs Craft my 2 cents:

Atmosphere: both have their warts. Beer revolution was a bit more cozy, dimmer (my god the lights are bright at Craft!). Both lots of TVs and both reasonably busy on the early weeknights I was there. Draw.
Beer: I find this harder to judge as it would just depend on what BR has tapped that day. If I had to put a gun to my head and pick only one I'd go with Craft just because with so many taps, and a history of providing lots of really great (though not rare) beer, I can be pretty sure I'll find multiple pints to enjoy. BR with fewer taps could be hit or miss, I think. Craft.
Staff/information: clear winner here for Revolution. My lord the staff at Craft can be clueless. The barkeep at Revolution was a decent guy who knew his beer. Also, the beer boards they have are awesome, right down to how much is left. Craft's menus are horrible, badly updated so the clueless staff is left running back a mile to see what the "Sierra Nevada seasonal is right now". Beer Revolution.

So, again, I can see their pros and cons. Neither is a really great place to sit and enjoy a pint for me, beer could go either way, and my limited experience with the staff was better at Beer Revolution, but that was just one guy one night. I've been to Craft a bunch and in different cities, and it's always been the same.

I originally really disliked Underground, but after going back a lot more this time I really enjoyed it. Staff was awesome to me each time I was in, food was solid. Beer range and interest was not quite up with Craft, but probably better on average than what was at Beer Revolution.

Thanks for the rundown. Based on your descriptions, it sounds like Revolution might be more up my alley. I like a huge, varied selection as much as the next beer geek, but competent service, a good atmosphere, and updated menus are important to me. Plus Yelp reviewers seem to think Revolution's pizza is pretty great. Just found out I'll be in town for an extra day, so odds are high that I'll be able to hit most of the top spots, but this gives me a good idea of what to expect at Craft, Revolution, and Underground. Cheers!