Features
5 airports with craft beer
November/December 2011

Faced with a wall of blinking “DELAYED” signs, a voucher in your hand and a snowstorm in the distance? If you’re in one of these beer-stocked airports, wait it out on a barstool.

(DEN) Denver International Airport
DIA smartly placed a beer spot in each of its four terminals: A Rock Bottom outpost (Terminal C, open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.) serves four of its own beers and other crafts, plus breakfast. New Belgium claims two spots: Its Hub eatery (Terminal B, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) serves Fat Tire and the rest with a full food menu, while its Spoke (Terminal A, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) serves only packaged snacks to go, but has a full bar. And in the Jeppensen Terminal, the Boulder Beer Tap House (West Side, Level 5; open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.) pours its regular lineup and seasonals alongside a short menu of pub grub.

(PDX) Portland International Airport
Laurelwood Brewing hosts two restaurants (Concourse A, open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Concourse E, open 4:30 a.m. to at least 11 p.m.) that each serve its much-loved, Northwestern-style Workhorse IPA, plus the rest of the brewery’s lineup, sandwiches and salads. In the International concourse, a Rogue Ales bar (Concourse D, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.) pours Rogue regulars from eight taps, plus the brewery’s distilled spirits and beer-infused pub fare. Plus, you can grab bombers and growlers to go—and the bar’s located past security, so you can bring your brew on board.

(CLE) Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Great Lakes Brewing claims two spots at CLE; a small, satellite bar (Terminal A) that sticks strictly to beer, and a full restaurant (Terminal C) offering eight of the brewery’s standards and seasonals in pints or flights. Gordon Biersch serves its lineup with American fare in Terminal D; in Terminal C, the Brewer’s Alley Bar pours imported and domestic craft from a host of taps and  bottles. These spots share the airport’s hours—generally, 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

(ATL) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
If you’re stranded for the long haul, Miller Lite Victory Lane (Concourse C, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) is the ultimate spot for session beers. Nearby, one of two Samuel Adams Atlanta Brew House locations (Concourse C, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Concourse A, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) pairs brewery staples and perennials with burgers and wings. In Concourse B, SweetWater’s Brew House (open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.) cranks 6 taps and cooks up American fare.

(BOS) Boston Logan International Airport

Two sattelites of Beantown brewpub chain Boston Beer Works (Terminals C and E, open 6 a.m.) pour always-rotating selections of their own craft, plus a few other domestics. In Terminal B, Cisco Brew Pub (open 9 a.m.) pours its Nantucket-made beers; any brew made with fruit’s a sure bet. Need a full belly? Pair an IPA at the Harpoon Tap Room (Terminal A, open 11 a.m.) with the best bowl of clam chowder for miles. Stay as long as you like; all brewpubs are open until 30 minutes before the last flight of the day.

Published November/December 2011
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