Beer Study

This place is awesome!  It's part beer store (in the sense of a specialty store with a good selection), part beer shop (in the sense of a coffee shop that serves beer), and part bar.  We came for a drink on a Wednesday night, and to pick up a four-pack of my favorite hard-to-find beer.  The mix of different atmospheres is really cool.  Some people come to shop--and it's a pleasant shopping experience because it's not so packed that it would take you 30 minutes to find what you're looking for (cough cough Sam's Quik Shop).  And the proprietors really know their stuff and what beers they carry so they're super helpful.  Plus, it's also a bar, so as you browse, you can buy a pint (they had maybe 10 taps? including Steel String, which is relatively new so I hadn't had it before).  The vibe is very relaxed, mix between trendy-coffe shop-hipster.  There was some sort of board game group going on while we were there, and other people typing away on their laptops.  We sat at a table and enjoyed our pints (it was an IPA special night) and really enjoyed it!

Only sad thing is that it closes at 10 and it's somewhat out of the way.  Other than that, I definitely recommend checking it out for the really friendly staff, good beer selection, and unique concept.

This place has me psyched.  

I've only gone once so far, but from that one experience I can say I dig it.  It's a shop with a bar.  All the possible beer you could buy to take home, and beers on draught to sit and enjoy while hanging at a table with chairs that look like they're straight out of an elementary school.  In a great way.

We came in around 11pm on a Friday night, after Bowbarr turned down the lights and turned up the music.  Beer Study had a great sized and interested crowd: not quite the usual Carrboro hipster but not quite the usual Chapel Hill college student.  It was really bright in there, which took me aback at first but after a while it was comforting.  Better than the dark bar scene (I WANT TO SEE MY FRIENDS!  I'M OLD!).

It looks like they have a TV and video games up front, which a lot of people were crowded around.  We got our beers (I had a black lager) and sat at a hidden table near the bathrooms, which by the way did not smell bad and were pretty damn clean.  

I really dig the decor in here.  The lights make me feel like I'm in someone's college den but someone who really has awesome taste in beer.

NINTENDO. Enough said.

But really, why would this place ever get anything less than 5 stars? Great beer selection. Bar, store, knowledgeable AND friendly staff... Comes recommended from me!