After six years of making this annual list, we had to rethink the definition of a top-notch beer bar. New ones are opening every second, and “good beer bar” no longer equals a zillion taps; there’s just more to it now. We needed to walk out of these places saying, “Now there’s a bar that really, really cares about your experience with beer.” So what does that mean? Having well-cared for, thoughtfully selected beer with an eye toward variety, trends and tradition, in the kind of place you’d want to stay awhile, delivered by someone who knows their stuff. – From Draft Magazine, January/February 2014
Oak Barrel Tavern (OBT) owners Andy Cope and Gavin Lyons never set out to create one of the best beer bars in America. But three years after converting a former home decor store into a cozy neighborhood pub, it’s just what they have on their hands. This according to Draft Magazine, a bi-monthly glossy publication all about beer and beer culture, which just named OBT one of “America’s Best 100 Beer Bars 2014” in it’s January/February edition.
Downtown Charleston’s Closed For Business was the only other South Carolina bar on the list. Cope and Lyons were completely surprised to see their little Avondale Point bar on such an exclusive list, which includes famous American beer Meccas such as the Brickstore Pub in Decatur, Ga., Churchkey in Washinton D.C., and Falling Rock in Denver, Colo.
“We had no idea this was coming until we saw it like everyone else,” says Lyons. Last year OBT also surprisingly showed up in an article in the Boston Globe as a good place to grab a pint while in Charleston.
Despite the national attention Cope and Lyons say they’ve always tried and keep a low-profile, never wanting to be more than just a neighborhood pub where you can get world-class beers. “Obviously, we’re doing something right,” says Cope laughing.
OBT has 11 constantly rotating taps, with at least a handful of them dedicated to local breweries, such as Coast, Holy City, Westbrook, Palmetto, Freehouse, and Riverdog. There’s also an ever-changing bottle selection, with several “large format” beers for sharing, like you would a fine bottle of wine.
Also, OBT usually has one or two of their house-brewed beers on tap. Their in-house brewers, Lake High and Akai Antia-obong (aka The Pepper Brothers), make ambitious brews that are much better than what you might expect to find at a brew pub the size of OBT.
Antia-obong is also a regular bartender at OBT (and former art director of West Of) who loves to talk about the beer and help find the perfect brew for your pallet. It’s this kind of knowledge and passion for beer shared by the owners and bartenders of that sets OBT apart from some of the bigger beer bars.
“We’ve always put an emphasis on craft beer,” says Cope. That means you won’t find Budweiser, Coors, or Miller Lite at OBT, but that doesn’t mean they’ll turn their nose up if you order one. The OBT staff is knowledgeable and are quick to offer a “craft alternative” for the less ambitious beer drinker.
With so many new “beer bars” opening all the time, OBT shows that bigger is not always better. Instead proving that quality truly is better than quantity.
