CHEERS TO THIS: Local beer businesses rank among tops in the nation

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• The New Albanian Public House is located at 3312 Plaza Drive, in New Albany. For more information visit web.newalbanian.com/pizzeriaandpub.
Roger Baylor’s beer recommendation:
Gravity Head beers, which NABC Pizzeria and Public House will begin offering this year Feb. 24. For a full listing of the beers available visit potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com.
• Keg Liquors is located at 617 Lewis and Clark Parkway, in Clarksville and at 302 Pearl St., Suite B, in New Albany. The store hosts free monthly beer tastings from 5 to 8 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month, in Clarksville; and 5 to 8 p.m. the first Friday of each month in New Albany. For more information visit www.kegliquors.com
Todd Antz’s recommendation: A newly available Brooklyn-based brew called Sixpoint IPA Bengali Tiger.

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The Keg Liquors recently opened their second location along Pearl Street in downtown New Albany. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Roger Baylor stands in front of three large beer fermenting tanks inside the New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany. File photo
Todd Antz

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February 5, 2012

By BRADEN LAMMERS Braden.Lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sun Feb 05, 2012, 06:25 AM EST

> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Forget Belgium, Munich or Dublin, if you’re a beer connoisseur, there is no need to travel outside Southern Indiana.

Ratebeer.com, an independent website for craft beer enthusiasts, rated two local businesses among the best in the world. The New Albany Brewing Company Pizzeria and Public House and Keg Liquors were ranked in the top 50 beer bars and beer retailers, respectively, in the world.

Both businesses have been included in Ratebeer’s rankings before, but a revised rating system — ranking by country — placed NABC Pizzeria and Public House as the fourth-best beer bar in the United States and Keg Liquors as the 29th best beer retailer in the country.

Todd Antz, owner of Keg Liquors, said the ranking carries a little more credence because it is customers that provide the ratings.

“It’s not one of those popularity, stuff-the-ballot types of things,” he said. “This is people from all over the country reviewing our store.”

The website lists its mission as an effort “to continue to serve the craft beer community as the premier resource for unbiased, consumer-driven information about beer and breweries worldwide and to enhance the image and worldwide appreciation of beer.”

Antz said selection, more than anything, has helped set Keg Liquors apart from other beer retailers. The options offered at his Clarksville location include more than 950 types of beer. He added that there are fewer offerings at the New Albany location, based only on the amount of space available in the store.

“I keep the best of the best there,” Antz said, referring to New Albany.

Part of the fun for Antz and his staff is helping customers track down a rare beer, talking about new beers, sharing their knowledge and helping customers discover new and old favorites.

With the vast selection Keg Liquors offers, picking a type of ale or stout to try may be a daunting task. However, Antz said the store also sells single bottles, which gives the customers an opportunity to try things out, which he said has added to the store’s popularity.

With the notoriety achieved on beer-focused websites, Antz said the store has continued to thrive.

“I think location has helped a lot,” he said. “We’ve made the store a destination point. [Customers] stop in to see what they can’t get at home.”

Roger Baylor, owner of NABC Pizzeria and Public House, downplayed the rating spot, even though he noted the recognition was very flattering.

“I don’t believe much in the numbers,” he said. “I like that we’re part of the discussion of great beer bars.”

He said discussion about beer with other producers, beer lovers and those interested in learning more has always been at the heart of his business.

“Learning what you like and what you don’t ... that’s what we’ve always tried to do,” Baylor said. “It’s a user-friendly experience.”

Along with a knowledgeable staff, the combination of brewing their own creations, creating a great guest draft list and including a large variety of bottled beers helps distinguish the NABC Pizzeria and Public House, he said. Included in the bar’s offerings are 15 varieties of Baylor’s NABC beers, 25 guest drafts and about 175 bottled varieties of beer.

He added that the ranking does serve a purpose to further his business.

“[It’s] a good starting point to have a discussion about beer,” Baylor said.

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