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| - Are you looking for a sports bar to watch your favourite **insert sports team name here** play? Don't come to Hop In Brew. There are no TVs, and I dare to predict that there never will be. It's part of the atmosphere they are aiming for. Hop In Brew is in an old rickety house, with an old rickety porch and an old rickety balcony that seats about 4 people. If you are lucky enough to get one of these spots on a hot summer evening, you'll be in for a blissful night. On a cold snowy Calgary evening, you'll be happy to snuggle into one of the old school banquette booths or pull up a wobbly chair reminiscent of your grandparent's kitchen set. If you really are in the mood for "sports", you can make your way to the second floor of the house, throw down a dollar and try to beat a hipster at some pool or Foosball. There have been some epic Foosball nights here.
OR - you could saddle up to the bar and figure out which of the carefully chosen pints you'd like to try next. There is often no table service, so you place your order at the bar. The owner is a beer-loving gentleman that you'll often see cleaning tables or chatting with patrons on a slow night (which is pretty rare these days). The list of beer on tap always rotates, and is always stellar. The last time I was here, I had a pint of Lanny McDonald's new Hat Trick IPA. In addition to bringing the best craft brews in to be served on tap, the owner serves up a legendary beer, called Gold Spur, which is contract brewed by Alley Kat. It's a flavorful Belgian Trippel which tips the scales at 9%. They actually pulled it from their menu for a few months over the summer because apparently a few hipsters couldn't resist having one too many. It's back, and hopefully the over-indulgers don't ruin it for the rest of us.
Hop In Brew is an old standby, and whether you are out for pizza, beer, or a game of Foosball, it will surely hit the spot.
Review #3 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012
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