Local 188
Out on Congress Street, way past the State Theatre, is a warm little spot to keep the bastard winter’s wind from chilling you to your core. Local 188 serves market selections with a hint of their trademark Mediterranean flare that changes with the season. They take their beer and drinks as serious and have over 200 bottles of wine. The beer menu is predominantly local brews, and like the type of animal you’re about to digest, delicious. 188 is located at 685 Congress and closes down around midnight on weekends. Usually busy, I’d recommend making reservations.
In’Finiti
Spacious, modern and laboratory like – large copper stills stare at you from behind an all too thin glass sheet in back. That mythological brewing science that was handed down from monks on a damp island somewhere. They brew and serve in the same area which makes for impossibly fresh beer. Low slung lights and cross cut pine stools crowd the bar. Clever mix drinks that seem to have been dreamt up by a pleasant LSD experience and the choices off the specials list is priced well for what quality you get. In’Finiti is at 250 Commercial Street, across the street from Three Dollar Dewey’s.
Novare Res
Like a hushed secret behind a trap door that only opens when you play three specific notes on a harpsichord, you simply won’t find this place without asking somebody. Tucked between buildings, behind a parking garage and in the shadow of the KeyBank building, Novare Res feels like a secret garden to another dimension in which I can purchase beers from around the world. With by far the most comprehensive list of ales in the city and a severe lack of windows it’s the perfect place to have a meeting for your book club or start day drinking. Finding this place is half the fun so I’m not giving you an address. Get off the iPhone and ask someone.