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| - Hoppin', Charlotte's first self-serve beer (and some wine) bar, hosted a soft opening on 12/2/17. This was the same day that the ACC championship game was being held a few blocks away. This was easy either very smart or very stupid depending on your perspective. The bad part was that parking was limited, and probably will continue to be even when there is no major event nearby. The good part was that for the business, they had a short line to enter and the place was full.
Here's how it works:
Show your ID and credit/debit card when you enter. They give you a wristband that looks like a watch.
Enter the establishment and grab one of the many clean glasses from the wall.
Peruse the wall of taps and make your selection. ABV and price per ounce are clearly displayed on the screen. If you're not familiar with pouring from a tap, press "Learn to Pour."
Hold your wristband against the hop in the lower-right corner. The area above the screen will light up green.
Pour your selection. It will then tell you how many ounces you have poured. You can even pour just one ounce to try something - most beers were 40-50 cents per ounce.
Once you get to 32 ounces, the top of the screen will light up red. You will need to check in at one of the counters. This covers the establishments' liability since they cannot sell alcohol to intoxicated people. It is not a big deal at all and they just activate your wristband again.
The beer selection was decent. It was a soft opening, so some taps were spent and others said "coming soon." Even without those, they still had plenty of choices. There is an upstairs that has a smaller selection of taps. There is also wine on the first floor around the corner from the beer - same process.
The places is gorgeous, but since it was crowded, most seats were taken. It is open and airy, and the second floor and its small balcony offer nice views of uptown. There are also dartboards upstairs. There is a large outdoor area that has some unique games too.
All this being said, Hoppin' is a unique place and worth a visit. It's not a new or earth-shattering concept to pour your own beer and wine, but it is new to Charlotte and is something different. It keeps the business' overhead low and the only person you should tip is yourself :)
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