El Bait Shop - Des Moines, Iowa

On the edge of downtown Des Moines and attached to The High Life Lounge (a retro kitsch temple of classic cheap beers and comfort food), El Bait Shop has one of the best beer selections you will ever find. They have about 105 beers on tap and over one hundred in bottles.

The selection is not just large, it is special and varied, and I guarantee you will find a beer that you have never had, and a beer you can't believe they have on tap. I had three beers (Old Man River Brewing Backpocket Gold Coin Helles Lager of McGregor, Iowa; Goose Island Summertime Kolsch Bier; and Great River Brewing Hop-a-potamus of Davenport, Iowa) and reached my 1600th different beer while at El Bait Shop.   There were several more I wished I had the time to try. Man, I could spend a whole weekend here. The beers were fresh and the food is good bar fare (wings, apps, burgers, sandwiches, etc.). The wait staff while I was there were very knowledgable about craft beer.

If you love beer and are ever in Des Moines, you must not miss this place.  Highly recommended!

Update - I was able to go again on June 20, 2011.  There are so many beers here I want to try that it gets a bit dizzying.  However, I noticed that they have a great idea in that you can try pre-picked flights of beers, or pick your own flight of six different beers for only $8.  The pours appear to be about a 4-5 oz. tasting pour.  I tried Empyrean Brewing Super Nova Summer Ale, Great River Saison, Capital Brewery Dark, Summit Stout, and Rock Bottom Brewery Helles Bock and Danish Farmhouse Ale.  I also tried the Big Sky Double India Pale Ale and the Great River Farmer Brown.  There were still several more beers I was dying to try, but the flight helped me try quite a few.  As at my last visit, not only were the staff beer knowledgable, but most of the persons sitting at the bar were very knowledgeable about beer as well.  An impressive place that any beer lover should make a goal of visiting.