Plenty of Good Selections on Tap at Bentley’s and Mike ‘N Molly’s
In this edition of “B-double E-double R-U-N, Beer Run,” I’m featuring two of the more comfortable and homey bars in downtown Champaign: Bentley’s Pub and Mike ‘N Molly’s.
Bentley’s Pub – 419 N. Neil, Downtown Champaign
Bentley’s features 12 taps and around 70 bottles. The draft selection leans heavily toward English and Irish beers such as Guinness, Harp Lager, Bass Ale, Smithwicks Irish Ale and Strongbow Cider. Prices run from $3.75 – $4.75, and the brews come in a 20-oz pint glass. Bentley’s draft offerings stay pretty consistent, and new taps are introduced one at a time. Two beers of interest are Schlafly’s Hefeweizen and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Schlafly’s Hefeweizen, from St. Louis, Missouri, is an American-style wheat ale. It differs from other German wheats by its lighter body and crisper taste, and it also lacks the clove flavor. Schlafly’s Hefeweizen is quite refreshing and runs $3.75 a pint. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout ($4.50 a pint), from London, England, is a delicious beer. Its rich, creamy flavor, enhanced by chocolate malts, makes for a smooth stout.
Relatively recent arrivals in bottles are Arcadia London Porter ($4), Arcadia Whitsun ($4), Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA ($4.50), New Holland Zoomer Wheat ($4.25) and Wild Blue Blueberry Lager ($4.25). The Arcadia London Porter from Battle Creek, Michigan is a smoky, malty Porter with a nice hop finish. The New Holland Zoomer Wheat is a seasonal wheat that has a citrusy bouquet. The Wild Blue Blueberry Lager from Blue Dawg Brewing in Baldwinsville, New York has a lively blueberry taste that avoids the cough syrup pitfall of other fruit beers.
Mike ‘N Molly’s – 105 N. Market, downtown Champaign
Mike ‘N Molly’s is another bar that regularly rotates new beers on tap and bottle into their lineup. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and accommodating with recommendations. A few recent additions currently on tap are: Rogue Tracktown 100 Meter Ale – a heavily hopped ale, Vlas Kop Wit – a dry, crisp and flavorful Belgian wit, Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale – another dry and crisp brew but with an apricot undertaste, and finally there’s Konig Pilsener – a straight forward yet solid German pilsner.
One of the unique aspects of Mike ‘N Molly’s bottle options is their offering of Russian, Lithuanian and Polish beers. Unfortunately, beers from these former Communist countries are sorely overlooked. These beers are tasty, affordable and often pack a punch without the alcohol content taking over the flavor. From Russia, the Baltika 4 is a dark lager that falls somewhere between a German dunkel and a black beer. Rich in flavor and very satisfying. The Baltika 6 is a porter that is similar in body to the 4 but has a headier malt content. Poland’s Okocim lager is a solid beverage. The best way I can describe it is that whenever I drink an Okocim, I think, “Man, this is a damn beer!” The other former Soviet bloc beer at Mike N’ Molly’s is Svyturys Ekstra made in Lithuania. Svyturys Ekstra has a lighter body but a strong and hearty flavor.
A couple other bottles of note are the Taras Boulba from Belgium and Tusker) from Nairobi, Kenya. The Taras Boulba is a citrusy and slightly sweet Belgian Ale. This is a nice beer to share. Tusker is one of my favorites. Tusker is a well blended, malty lager that is satisfying to the taste. Plus, it’s from Africa!
Next time I’ll be chatting with Tom Sheehan, one of Champaign-Urbana’s premier beer experts, as well as provide a rundown of Oktoberfest brews.
1 comments
Bar Goer
Mike and Molly’s is one of the most infuriating bars I’ve ever been to. First of all it smells terrible inside - which is fine because they have a nice outdoor patio. This is where it all goes wrong though. After sitting outside for an hour or two drinking beer a band showed up and started to setup. At this point a bartender (or whatever he was) started walking around asking for cover. We were told to either pay the cover or leave. I have NEVER been asked to pay a cover once I’ve been at a bar for an extended amount of time. Rather than have us drink more beer and spend more money by letting us stay for a band we didn’t go for they lost customers for ever.
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The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
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What? Echo! (Echo!) Where’s the dischord and dissent?
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hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.
Okay, almost 24 hours later and I finally got Issac’s Summer joke. I’m an idiot.
Excellent. I am glad sometimes American dreams are encouraged, rather than stifled.
Swap the dog for a fire pit and it sounds like you’re writing about my back yard. Very nice.
funny, as your summer begins, another Summer ends.
@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.
Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
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