Best Selection On Tap '95

Best Beer Selection

The Shanty
401 E. Ninth St.

READERS' PICK: As you open the beer menu at The Shanty, somewhere back in your mind the theme to 2001: Space Odyssey ought to be playing. With more than 400 beers available, The Shanty offers one the largest selections in the western United States and, hands down, it sails in as the most extensive in Arizona. From the world-renown Yorkshire's Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale or Czechoslovakian Pilsner Urquell to the obscure Peking Pu Tao Chee Chiew, The Shanty defines variety. In our experience all the oddball beers are not simultaneously in stock, but there is undoubtedly something you've never tried before.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Abandon all hope of atmosphere, ye who enter Zachary's, 1019 E. Sixth St. This is no frills hops heaven for the truly (or soon-to-be) committed. No fern bar ambiance or faux Brit-pub pretensions at this joint; simply a stellar selection of bottled and draught beer. These include all of the usual suspects, plus a large list of international brews. The real treat is the revolving series of three or four "guest draughts" from various microbreweries and exotic locales: seriously hopped and complex recipes like Liberty Ale, or the superb Pyramid Brown Ale, a nice interpretation of a U.K. classic. All draughts are available by the "imperial pint," a 20-ounce behemoth. A pint of Felinfoel Double Dragon Welsh Ale can leave even a stout, practiced drinker reeling in the saddle. Ice Dry Beer Lite dilettantes beware: Most of these selections cater to the true believer. We recently witnessed Big Man on Campus trying to impress First Date by ordering a pint of Guinness, then spraying the first sip across the table, gasping, "I can't deal with this stuff."

1998 Winner: The Wildcat House
1997 Winner: The Wildcat House
1996 Winner: Zachary's Classic Pan Pizza