Bar Review - 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

In America, more is always better, and choice is imperative, even though 90 percent of us choose the same thing. That's why there are lots of Mexican restaurants but they all have the same menu, and there are 50 varieties of nearly identical SUVs in dealer lots and the most popular color is white. So when I go into a sports bar in the suburbs, I expect to be able to choose from 15 games on TV and a draft beer selection that includes six varieties of the same tasteless American light lager. Walking in the door of Summits Wayside Tavern in Snellville, there is nothing at first glance to think this joint will be any different. But then you look over the food menu and see ... noodle bowls? Ostrich burgers? A side of sauteed red pepper spinach? Maybe this place is a little different.

Then you see what you came for: the wall of beer taps lining the bar area. The wall offers more than 100 varieties, plus four hard cider choices. The separate bottled-beer menu lists about 150 more, although I am not sure I would count the six flavors of Smirnoff Ice Malt Beverage. Still, that includes 10 types of beer from former Russian satellites and eight more from Russia proper, plus selections from Kenya, Lebanon and Zimbabwe.

Summits has a close relationship with Rogue Ales of Newport, Ore., which makes the bar's house brew. You can sample nine of Rogue's adventurous brews, including the highly hopped and potent Old Crustacean barleywine. Other new "high-gravity" choices on tap include the clean-tasting, caramely Spaten Optimator, and the raspberry-flavored Cantillon Framboise Lambic from Belgium. Wander around and check out the colorful tap handles to help make your next choice. Our crew had a blast passing around the different glasses and sharing the vast world of beer. If you are squeamish about cooties, you can get your own sample glass for $1.49. Meanwhile, the guy at the bar next to us was getting a Mike's Hard Lemonade. Go figure.

Our sassy server, Carrie, clearly enjoyed our enthusiasm for good beer and advised us on worthy choices. This is unusual for this type of place, where I usually get a crinkled-up nose and a comment like, "I don't really drink beer." I can't vouch for the rest of the staff, but Carrie knew her stuff. We were having such a good time that we really didn't care that our respectable first half trivia score fell precipitously primarily due to the more frequent sports questions. We didn't stand a chance against this crowd; it is still a sports bar, after all. Now what do I want to try next?

Summits Wayside Tavern, 3334 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-midnight. 770-736-1333. www.summits-online.com.