Betty's v. Mill St. Brewery. Fight! ...and the winner is...

Mill St. Brewery

Few things go well with hot summer weather. Sitting down with a cold mug of beer helps. First round begins with baby steps at Mill Street Brewery followed moments later at Betty's. Both had outside patio which was great considering the recent spat of good weather (read: not sweltering, melt in your shorts hot weather) the city was experiencing.

Mill St. Brewery
Atmosphere: Pleasant but small. We were lucky and got there before the after work drinks crowd starting sauntering in. Mostly perturbed by the snarky young marrieds and entitled offspring of the area residents. The interior is no less impressive (save for the massive brewing vats on the restaurant floor).  Carbon copy of a Jack Astor's bar.
Price: Veggie burger $14, local shop beer $7. The burger was worth it's value considering we had a healthy portion of burger with a generous side of fries. The prices for the beer, however, considering the local shop beer was a dollar cheaper in the bar next door AND that it sold ONLY shop beer was quite disappointing.

Betty's: Shining Beacon of hope on King St.

Location: Secluded enough being at the Distillery District. Being hidden between buildings away from the streets means also less noise and traffic. Bonus. Unless your think is having grotty sandal feet at the end of the day. That's just nasty. Ill pass.
Range of liquid reinforcements: Dismal. About 10 or so beer with limited Scotch list. FYI if you only have Regular Johnny Walker don't even waste space on your drink menu.

Betty's

Front of Betty's

Atmosphere: Being totally unprepared as I entered this seemingly seedy booze shack masquerading as the backdrop for a Cheers revival but, upon entering threshold, and after initial disorientation from haze of cigarette smoke hovering before my face, pleasantly surprised by the truly awesome back patio. Crowd was relaxed and laid back.
Price: Budget-friendly
Location: For where its located - Id give this place extra points for not falling into the trap of being pretentious or too nouveau riche.
Range of liquid reinforcements: Impressive. I have a general theory that any bar that lists its drinks on those little standup drink placards offer said drinks at a reasonably price. True to word, Betty's offered a mighty foreign beer selection at a reasonable price. A shelf full of scotch also makes this place more inviting than the last.

WINNER: It was never a fair fight but this round goes to Betty's for its chill atmosphere and beer selection. Extra points to our waitress who gave me that sly look before pointing at the standup placard after I asked to see the drinks menu.