The great Calgarian Beer Hall! It's places like National that have helped turn beer geekyness into total awesomeness and changed the whole vibe around what it means to go out in Calgary. National is styley enough that you won't feel out of place if you're still donning your power tie from the that international deal you closed like a boss earlier that day and are now pounding back pints with with your colleagues. And it's casual enough that you'll still feel at home in a pair of jeans and your best ironic moustache.
I gotta say, I'm a pretty big fan of the picnic table style seating that National is known for. You just get a little more interaction with the people around you. Believe it or not, 9 times out of 10 your neighbours will turn out to be pretty decent humans and you'll wind up making some new beer friends, even if only for the next hour. At the very least you go, "Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" and they go "No, go ahead." Crack. That little bit of ice is broken.
The beer selection is... I believe the correct term is "off the heezy", possibly "hizzle", I'm not sure, but it's really really good. It's broken up by category so you can go with a type you love and then go to town. And if you REALLY want to go to town, they've got "Session Sundays." $6.50 20oz pints of EVERYTHING. Village Brewery Blonde? $6.50. Rogue IPA? $6.50. Bud lite? GET OUT.
Scotch Egg - This is a wonderful piece of beer hall food I happened upon last night. It's a soft boiled egg coated in in sausage and breading and then deep fried for $5. It's a great little one person snack for when you get the munchies. It's also a pretty good conversation starter. People can't fight the mystique of the scotch egg. They'll ask you about it with a slightly jealous curiosity and it's not big enough that you'll feel obligated to share with your friends.