Mr.
Beery’s is in a quiet little strip mall off an abused road in Sarasota,
Florida. I almost broke my rental
agreement driving through the dilapidated parking lot, but there were plenty of
spaces for me to nestle into at 8pm on a Wednesday night. A backlit sign, a few neon beer logos, and a
series of stickers mark the entrance.
At
the entrance I was greeted by a twenty-stool bar and a couple of old pool tables. The overhead is softly playing various
popular rock songs from the 90’s to current.
There is a small stage and a screen, but neither was in use during my
visit. Every wall is fairly dark and
decorated with a collection of various types of brewery paraphernalia. There are a handful of table-and-chair sets
sporadically scattered throughout the establishment, with an elevated “lounge”
(couches and coffee tables) in the back.
There are four flat screen televisions broadcasting various sporting
events. A couple of video games, a dart
board, a skee-ball machine, and a modern jukebox complete the ambiance
(definitely bonus points for having skee-ball).
Behind
the bar is a chalkboard announcing the current draft selections, which appears
to be hosted on about twenty four handles.
There are a few locals, a few Belgians, some German beers, and a random
collection from around the US. They’ve
got some bottles, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a cellar. I didn’t have to struggle to make a decision,
but I don’t feel like I was missing out on much after I left either.
The
staff seems pretty nice. When I asked
for a local recommendation, the bartender suggested a can from Cigar City. I don’t know why this surprised me, but it
kind of did. I almost always ask for a
local recommendation, and it’s never been presented to me in a can. I’m not opposed to cans as a beer storage
vessel, but I kind of assumed my next beer was going to be on the draft list. Isn’t that where all the exciting beers are
supposed to be?
When
I travel I tend to reference DRAFT Magazine’s “Top 100 Beer Bars in America”
list, which is how I found this bar. I
have been to many locations on their lists, but I’m not sure I agree with this
one. It would probably be a great find
if you were thirsty and randomly stumbled into it, but I wouldn’t consider it
among the upper echelon in the country.
It certainly wasn’t worth driving an hour in the wrong direction to
visit.
In
summary, Mr. Beery’s is a decent craft beer bar with an unfortunate name. They don’t do any food, so eat before you
arrive (or order a sandwich next door).
Their draft selection is pretty good, and their bottle list is meager. But if you love to drink and play skee-ball,
I guess you’re in luck.
2545
Mall Dr.
Sarasota,
Florida 34231
941-343-2854
-Matt
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