The Best Bars In The World
When one invariably goes out on an adventure into the world… respite is a necessary thing. And by respite… I mean a place to grab a drink and relax. You know… a great bar or pub.
These are just a few of my favorite places I’ve hit in my travels. I hope you get to enjoy them one day. But until then… let me transport you there.
1. MIKKELLER MADRID
Craft Beer overseas is still getting there these days. It's really improving by a great deal but sometimes it might be hard to find a good pint that isn’t ‘Big Beer’. The good thing is that there are a couple big names in Craft Beer that have a good foothold in Europe. Mikkeller is one of those and we will soon get to the next one in our Number Two slot. Patience.
Mikkeller Madrid is as close to a perfect small neighborhood Craft Beer bar that I’ve ever been to. It only has 20 taps. Naturally on the smaller side and also it’s pretty narrow on the inside. Do not let that fool you though. It fits the location and I wouldn’t want it to change in any way. Sadly here in America… it's usually all about giant spaces but if you want Craft Bar in a more intimate space… you have to go to a Dive Bar. Which isn’t a bad thing but sometimes you want something in the middle. Intimate but someplace where the floors aren’t sticky. Another benefit of this small bar being a Craft Beer bar… it's on the map and is a destination place for the average Craft Beer fan. Which makes it a great place to meet like-minded people and the opportunity for serendipity to happen. It happened to me here. I was sitting at the bar enjoying a fine Lambic and started to chat up some people sitting next to me. Next thing I knew - I was being invited to party with them. Went to a great Greek restaurant and then hit an outdoor impromptu concert. Excellent times. Map Link.
2. BREWDOG FIRENZE
Yup… that’s a dead squirrel with a bottle in it…
Remember how I said that there are a couple of big names in Craft Beer throughout Europe? Brewdog is the other one. They have close to 80 bars around the world. This bar is in a great location as well. It's basically a five minute walk to the Duomo. Prime location in Florence. This place also has a basement area you can hang out in if you want a bit of a quieter vibe… which can be nice especially if you’ve been walking the entire day and just want to chill with an IPA from Aberdeen.
You might also notice a Stuffed Squirrel that is also a beer… sitting just right above their draft lines. This is one of the world’s strongest beers - The End of History - and there were only 12 Stuffed Squirrel bottles made. Weird… I know. It sits at 55% ABV and is a Freeze-Distilled beer. It's kinda nuts… EH! (I refuse to apologize for that one.) Lets just say… small stuff like that makes Brewdog bars fun and a great place to chill with some Craft brews. Map Link.
3. MICROBAR REYKJAVÍK
Sitting at the longitude of -21.940730… Microbar is in the capital city of Iceland. So you best get ready to head into the North Atlantic… because this place is off the beaten path. I like cozy places and this certainly does hit the mark for me. The bar is the best place in the house and they do flights! The selection of Craft Beers on tap… can be a tad bit hit or miss just due to where you are in the world... but don’t let that get you down. The ambience and good natured bartenders really make this place shine. They have 16 taps and if you aren’t feeling the draft selection… they do have a selection of cans and bottles. Just a little warning… when going out to party in Iceland… know beforehand when the sun goes down. When I was there the sun didn’t set until around 1am. It really messed up my whole sense of time. Just a warning. Map Link.
4. LAMBICUS BAR
Barcelona! There are a TON of amazing Craft Beer bars in this amazing Spanish city but this one really stood out to me for its LAMBIC selection. I get goosebumps every time I think of my time here. They have an absolutely INSANE bottle list and a very nice draft selection as well. I didn’t really sample that much of what was on Draft because the bottle list was soooo impressive. Lambics, Belgians and just excellent stuff were all available at this place. They also play some killer tunes… at least while I was there. They were playing some Star Wars Disco while I was sipping on an amazing Trappist, Westvleteren 12. This place is also close to the Olympic Stadium… so you’ll invariably be in the area. This place is gold. Map Link.
5. DELIRIUM
To round out the list… we have what might be the best bar I’ve ever been to in my life. And it's in Brussels! High praise… I know. Hear me out though. I would call this a MEGA bar. I don’t think it's cheating but this place has seven bars as a part of it. Situated in an alley… once you enter… you HAVE to go to every single bar. It’s Belgian Law. So here is a rundown of them all. You have three bars dedicated to beer, an absinthe bar, a vodka bar, a tequila bar and a pirate bar. Yeah. It’s amazing. I really don’t know what else to say here besides this place LIVES up to its name. Make sure to get some Döner to prepare yourself for a night like no other though. Map Link.
And that's the list! For now at least. Too many awesome places to count but I promise I will continue with this and expand your knowledge of what's out there and the absolute bonkers time you will have when you visit these places.
