Wednesday 4th of July 2012 07:52:03 PM

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There are plenty of shops and eateries along Ellicott City's Main Street. Massive 300 million year old monolithic rock lines the north side of the street, and this makes for a lovely sunny day stroll (or crisp evening crawl). For beer hunters, I recommend three stops which span just 1/3 mile. Ellicott City's best draft selection is at Judge's Bench, the best bottle selection is at Phoenix Emporium, and freshly brewed craft beer is offered at Ellicott Mills brewpub. I really enjoyed my visit to this charming town.

The Judge's Bench Pub & Restaurant has a 14-chair semi-elliptical bar, plus several small tables in the bar area. Tiled floor, wood and brick walls, low ceiling and cluttered decor make this place feel like a dive bar. Upstairs there is a dining room and lounge. There is an excellent offering of 17 beers on tap, that rotate through an extensive list of diverse national craft beers, plus there are about 60 global beers in bottles. I was happy for the option to create a sampler from among the draft beers. They also offer the option to create your own single malt scotch sampler. Good bar.

Wednesday 5th of January 2011 03:14:48 AM

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Me and my wife visited this place during Thanksgiving weekend. It was pretty busy but it cleared up shortly after we got there. I guess people had more plans and used The Judge's Bench as a starter joint.

Great place to start. I believe they have somewhere between 15 to 17 on tap. Since we were there during the winter, they had plenty of winter seasonal's and warmers. OUTSTANDING selection. Belgium imports and even Maryland local craft brews.

Prices were a touch over average. By touch I mean, for say, a normal craft pale ale, it was 4$ for a normal pint. But for say a Belgium import in the appropriate glass, was 7$. I've had the same import for 6$ and sometimes even 5$ at other establishments like The Bench. That is why I say "a touch" over average. You will not be disappointed.

Food. Well, if you are looking for food to pair with the great beer. Go somewhere else. But, they do have a really good burger. Which is actually, the best item on the menu. I would say, don't go there for dinner. I would go there after dinner and movie though. That's for sure. Or, if you've had dinner at home with friends or family and want a great place to have some outstanding beer, this is your place.

Oh, I forgot!! They also have like 20 in bottle...I think. I'm not exactly sure on the count because I was looking for tapped beer. The bottle selection is the only way you can get your "mass produced" beer. But if you are on this site, beer mapping, then you most likely don't drink "mass produced" beer, so then you shouldn't worry about that part of their bottled list. It was still a great bottled selection.

The way they keep their selection fresh is they only get 5 gallon kegs of each beer on tap. So, if it's gone, it's gone. This keeps the list forever changing. Which is awesome.

You will not be disappointed...except for the food, but the beer, you wont be.

Enjoy! Cheers!

added 18 March 2011:

My wife has now gone 2 more times since our last visit. Without me. I know right? How dare she?! In her defense, I'm in Iraq. She just loves this place. Her most recent visit, she told me she had Sierra Nevada's Glissades, their spring seasonal. Just in time for spring. I'm telling you, this place is just fantastic for beer. Again, you could pass on the food.

Saturday 4th of April 2009 09:13:16 AM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

A hidden gem. Use to avoid this place due to the smoke. Heard there was a new owner who knew his beer. Definitely moves high on my list of great beer bars in the area. Wide selection of micro-brew draft and bottles. Owner absolutely knows his stuff. Didn't try the food on this trip, but it looked good and the prices seemed reasonable. Much better alternative than the place across the street.