Spending an afternoon at World of Beer, a new beer bar in Coconut Creek, is really like entering a different world, one where the right answer is always another pour. I hung out there for a few hours this weekend, wasting away the afternoon with espresso stouts and hoppy strong ales, Belgian blondes and imperial pilsners. And I don't think my perspective has changed back to normal since.
The Tampa-based bar's claim to fame is a selection of more than 500 craft
and import beers served by folks who really know their stuff. There's a
sizable selection of 40 beers on tap, ranging from user-friendly brews
like Pilsner Urquell and Guinness to stuff that makes beer nerds' hair
stand on end like Ommegang Abbey Ale and St. Bernardus ABT 12. A pint
will set you back anywhere from $5 to $9 depending on style, and you
can even get what's called beer shots -- four-ounce pours of any beer for
$2 to $3.50 each.
The selection really grows when you switch to bottles. Ask a bartender for the beer menu
and he'll plop down a 12-page binder in front of you, with selections
arranged alphabetically. Next to each beer, you'll see a mini
encyclopedia entry featuring the style, place of origin,
alcohol percentage, size, and price. Again, most beers fall in
the $5 to $9 range, but a few more expensive bomber bottles (22 ounce)
and rarer selections creep into the teens.
A bottle of Rogue Morimoto
Imperial Pilsner I shared with some friends was $13 for a bomber size
-- the sharp, hoppy lager was a big hit in our group. Comparatively, a
12-ounce bottle of rich, coffee-like Hitachini Espresso Stout was just
$6.
What's fun is you can actually see all the bottles in two wall-sized display coolers running the whole length of the bar. So if you don't feel like combing through the menu, just look at those coolers and pick away.
Another cool feature at World of Beer is the loyalty card.
For $15, you get a personalized black card that tallies up points based
on each unique beer you try. The card keeps track of the beers
you had, and you can ask the bartenders there to print out
your list. On top of that, when you reach certain point milestones, you
get freebees like swag, a mug, and even a free bar tab for those who
reach big numbers. What makes the deal worth it is that your first
two drafts are free. Grab some pricey Belgians, like I did, and you
just might come out ahead. Loyalty-card holders also get $1 off bottles
on Tuesday nights -- another incentive to make that list grow.
World
of Beer has a bunch of other promotions going on as well. Happy hour,
featuring dollar-off drafts, runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 7
p.m. Wednesday night is half-off select drafts from 9 p.m. to close,
and Thursday is ladies' night. The place also hosts live bands throughout
the week -- check the website for the music schedule. Its official grand-opening party with be August 28.
World of Beer
4437 Lyons Road,
St.e E-101,
Coconut Creek 33073
954-984-0300
