Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler 105 Beers on Top....

Well if your ever in Des Moines, IA they just added a new bar to their already great establishments. Don't let the name scare you off, it is called El Bait Shop.

Here are the beers on tap and an article following:

Beer on tap

California

Anchor Liberty Ale
Anchor Porter
Anchor Steam
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Stout
Sierra Nevada Summerfest (seasonal)
Sierra Nevada Wheat

Colorado

Breckenridge (Downtown Brown)
Breckenridge Avalanche Ale
Breckenridge Hefe Proper
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout
Breckenridge Summerbright (seasonal)
Breckenridge Trademark Pale
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter (seasonal)
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager (Golden Lager)
Flying Dog Pale Ale (Doggy Style)
Flying Dog Road Dog Porter
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

Illinois

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat
Goose Island Honkers Ale
Goose Island IPA
Goose Island Nut Brown Ale
Goose Island Summertime (seasonal)

Indiana

Three Floyds Alpha King
Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Iowa

Court Avenue (seasonal)
Court Avenue Brewers Choice
Millstream John’s White
Millstream Schildbrau
Old Capital Brew Works
Raccoon River (seasonal)
Raccoon River Brewers Choice
Sutliff Cider

Massachusetts

Sam Adams (seasonal)
Sam Adams Lager

Minnesota

Grainbelt Premium
Summit Extra Pale Ale
Summit Grand
Summit Great Northern Porter
Summit Hefe
Summit IPA

Missouri

Anheuser-Busch (seasonal)
Boulevard Bully Porter
Boulevard Pale Ale
Boulevard Stout
Boulevard Wheat

New York

Saranac Adirondack Lager (Amber)
Saranac Belgian White (seasonal)
Saranac Black Forest
Saranac Pale Ale
Saranac Traditional Lager
Utica Club

Oregon

Eugene City Honey Orange Wheat
Issaquah BullFrog Ale
Redhook Blonde Ale
Redhook ESB
Rogue American Amber
Rogue Brutal Bitter
Rogue Chipotle Ale
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Rogue FestivAle
Rogue Half-e-Weizen
Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar
Rogue John’s Locker Stock
Rogue Juniper Pale Ale
Rogue Kells Lager
Rogue Mocha Porter
Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale
Rogue Saint Rogue Red
Rogue Shakespeare Stout
Rogue Smoke Ale
Rogue Uberfest Pilsner
Rogue Younger’s Special Bitter
RogueOregon Golden Ale
Widmer Hefeweizen

Texas

Shiner Bock

Vermont

Woodchuck Amber Cider

Washington

Pyramid Amber
Pyramid Apricot
Pyramid Curveball (seasonal)
Pyramid Hefe

Wisconsin

Augsberger Dark
Augsberger Golden
Capital Brown Ale
Capital Maibock (seasonal)
Capital Wisconsin Amber
James Paige Ale
Jorge Curioso Special Ale
Leines Creamy Dark
Leines Honey Weiss
Stevens Point Amber
Stevens Point Bock
Stevens Point Cascade Pale Ale
Stevens Point Honey Light
Stevens Point Special Lager
Stevens Point White Biere

Belgium

Lindeman’s Framboise

England

Boddington’s
Fuller’s ESB

Germany

Ayinger Brau Weiss
Spaten Oktoberfest

Bottled beer

Arizona

Cave Creek Chili Beer

California

North Coast ACME Brown Ale
North Coast ACME IPA
North Coast ACME Pale Ale
North Coast Blue Star
North Coast Old #38 Stout
North Coast Red Seal
North Coast Scrimshaw
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Colorado

Flying Dog Gonzo Porter
Flying Dog K-9
Flying Horn Dog Barley Wine
Fort Collins Chocolate Stout
Fort Collins Doktor Lager
Fort Collins Edgar lager
Fort Collins Kidd Lager
Fort Collins Pomegranate Wheat
Fort Collins Retro Red
Fort Collins Z Lager
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Great Divide Hotshot ESB
Great Divide Saint Bridget’s Porter
Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale

Delaware

Dogfish Heaed 60 Minute
Dogfish Head Shelter Ale

Illinois

Elmwood Amber Ale
Elmwood Dunkel Weizen
Elmwood Nut Brown Ale
Elmwood Pale Ale
Goose Island Demolition
Goose Island Matilda
Goose Island Oatmeal Stout
Goose Island Pere Jacques

Indiana

3 Floyds Pride & Joy Mild

Iowa

Sutliff Cider

Maine

Seadog Bluepaw Wheat
Seadog Raspberry Wheat
Shipyard Battleground Ale
Shipyard IPA
Shipyard Old Thumper Special Ale

Massachusetts

Boston Beer Sam Adams Black Lager
Boston Beer Sam Adams Boston Ale
Boston Beer Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
Boston Beer Sam Adams Cream Stout
Boston Beer Sam Adams Hefeweizen
Boston Beer Sam Adams Pale Ale

Minnesota

August Schell Carmel Bock
August Schell Fire Brick
August Schell Pale Ale
August Schell Pils

Missouri

O’Fallons Blackberry Scottish Ale
O’Fallons Cherry Chocolate
O’Fallons Smoked Porter
O’Fallons Wheach

New York

Pete’s Strawberry Blonde
Pete’s Wicked Ale
Saranac Black & Tan

Oregon

Left Hand Black Jack Porter
Left Hand Deepcover Brown Ale
Left Hand Jackman Pale Ale
Left Hand JuJu Ginger Beer
Left Hand Milk Stout
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale
MacTarnahan Amber Ale
MacTarnahan Blackwatch Porter
MacTarnahan Oak Aged IPA
MacTarnahan Pale Ale
Redhook Nutbrown
Redhook Sun Rye (seasonal)
Rogue IPA
Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale
Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
Rogue Old Crustacian Barley Wine
Rogue Russian Imperial Stout
Tabernash Weiss

Texas

Shiner Hefeweizen

Wisconsin

Leines Light
Leines Northwoods Lager
Leines Original
Leines Red
Sprecher Black Bavarian
Sprecher Pub Ale
Sprecher Special Amber

Belgium

Delerium Tremens
La Binchoise Reserve
Nostradamus
Piraat
St. Bernadus 12

Canada

Wyder’s Apple
Wyder’s Peach
Wyder’s Pear
Wyder’s Raspberry

Germany

Schlenkerla Marzen
Schlenkerla Urbock
Schlenkerla Weizen

Mexico

Bohemia
Carta Blanca
Corona
Dos Equis
Modelo Especial
Negra Modelo
Pacifico
Tecate


It almost sounds like a joke, a wacky idea so outside the box it must be a put-on: Open a bar downtown. Have 105 beers on tap, nearly all of them American microbrews. Serve Mexican food, barbecue and also Mexican barbecue. Rent fishing poles and sell lures and tackle. Play '70s cartoons. Oh, and stick a working shower inside the bar. Not sure what anyone will do with it, but put it there, anyway.

No joke, Des Moines. It's "el Bait Shop," and it opens Monday in the building that once housed Hairy Mary's, next door to High Life Lounge.

"It's outrageous and that's the point," said co-owner Jeff Bruning, 35. "None of this fits together. And that's why it fits together."

Lesser entrepreneurs might not get away with this. But these are the same guys whose fleet of unique bars have revamped the culture and nightlife scene in downtown Des Moines. Reputation alone should make this bar a hit.

First came Cajun eatery Buzzard Billy's in 1999. Then the Royal Mile, the amazingly authentic English pub, in 2001. In 2004 they opened German beer hall Hessen Haus, and put the Red Monk, a Belgian bar, upstairs at the Mile.

Last year they opened the High Life Lounge, which features the "Champagne of Beers" and teleports customers to their grandfathers' basements, circa 1964.

"We don't do anything — and don't want to do anything — that anyone else has done before," Bruning said.

With el Bait Shop, it started with all that beer. First, they wanted 35 beers on tap. Not enough. Then they thought 50 might make a statement. But when someone asked "Why not 100?" Nobody had a good answer. So 100 it was. Extra space allowed them to fit 105.

"Most places that open are going to have six to 12 beers on tap, and they never step outside of that," Bruning said. "I think there's a lot of people who want to drink new beer."

Bruning envisions a sportsmans' lounge by day. Decor is heavy on taxidermy — offbeat stuff like a fox, piranha, squirrel and a rather ravenous-looking chicken, all courtesy of eBay. Videos of "Wild Kingdom" and Jacques Cousteau will play on the TV.

"We'd love to have guys in hunting outfits fill this place during the day," he said.

At night, they'll turn up the black lights and play "Speed Racer," Jackson Five and vintage cartoons. With the High Life next door, patrons can walk between bars and also between decades.

The menu will be Mexican dishes like fish tacos and meats smoked on site. They wanted a vintage look for the bar, much like the High Life, but much less refined. The signs outside recall an old gas station. Inside, the walls and floor are all wood and there are exposed ducts on the ceiling. The walls are full of posters and other '70s remnants.

Then there's that shower near the door that leads to the High Life. Bruning doesn't know how — or if — people are ever going to use it, but it works, just in case.

There are plenty of other twisted plans swirling around for el Bait Shop that may or may not happen — like the one about painting the parking lot blue, or sticking an ice fishing lodge on the deck in the winter.

sounds like a real nice place I wonder if they will have some prize if you can drink all buck O five of in a time frame say two weeks maybe less I would say sounds like there on the right track with that set up but I didn't see Guinness on the menu I could be wrong but if not they should have

Oooh! Aaah! Yet ANOTHER compelling reason to go to Iowa (although it pales in comparison to the PorterPlex).

Nice selection of beers. Lots of Midwest micros. I like it that they are focusing on "local" beers.

I've been to places like this. Sometimes, they're great. Sometimes, they don't sell enough beer that everything remains fresh.

Who am I kidding? If this place was close to my house, they'd have my paycheck in the bag.

Randy, be sure to give us a report.

In reply to:

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We'd love to have guys in hunting outfits fill this place during the day

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What could be more fun than a healthy combination of guns, ammo, and alcohol?

If it's good enough for the veep, it's good enough for the rest of us!

Well I'm at home, no hang over, but watching my youngest today as our daycare provider is sick.

Last night was great. First of all my technical team went to an afternoon Iowa Cubs game, and watched them get beat by Colorado Springs, oh well...I had 20 dollars of cubbie bucks I spent on $5.75 beers at the game. Gotta love it when you can drink on the company dime.

After that we walked to the Hessen Haus Des Moines German Bier Hall and drank a few leters of Spatan Lager, hmmm hmmm and had a brat. Ya gotta go to this place...




Following this we thought we would live the 70's, so we headed off to the Miller High Life lounge. The entire bar is done in a 70's theme with shag carpeting, signs, lights, and the works. Beers like Miller, Schlitz, etc... on tap all times. I actually had a Guiness which they actually know how to poor correctly.


We almost walked down to the Royal Mile after that, but the El Bait Shop was right next store and we wanted to stay somewhat close to where we parked the cars.



Now, the El Bait Shop is real close to where the Des Moines and Racoon rivers meet. The idea was that fisherman could stop, take a shower and down some beers. Yes, they actually have a shower at the bar, but I think it is just for looks.

I started off with a few Belgium Lindeman’s Framboise, which is like a rasberry flavored beer, not bad. In then had a Calif. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, followed by a Wisconsin Leines Honey Weis, followed by an Oregon Rogue Dead Guy Ale, after that I don't remember what the hell I was drinking, I think somewhere in there I had an Apricot flavored beer...Anyway, it was a blast, hope to go back soon.

Oh yeah, and the chicks were smokin hot.....

"Oh yeah, and the chicks were smokin hot...."

But after all those beers, you definitely had your beer goggles on!

Did you happen to see any ducklings?

And somewhere on a scrapbooking forum, there are some smokin' hot chicks talking about these obnoxious guys they saw at El Bait Shop.

Bren R.

I have been in the beer goggles state of mind before, back in the college day. However, working for a company that is like 3 girls for every guy, and 12,000 employees just in Des Moines, many of them are young Hotties before you even have your first beer slam. Funny thing, back in my 20's, I don't remember girls looking the way they do today. They must be taking something these days.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8665165075181153390&q=beer+goggles