Clark's Ale House

Clark's Ale House serves its house beer, Armory Ale from Middles Ages Brewing in Syracuse, though a beer engine. As if his bar didn't do enough to promote the craft beer category, owner Ray Clark has set up at beer festivals since 1993, taking along a handpump to dispense Armory Ale.

Clark's, located in part of an old theater in downtown Syracuse, is a bar for regular folk. "I always wanted to run a place that served good beer, but all the places that had good beer were stuck up," Clark told us several years ago. "It was, like, you can't drink good beer unless it's pricey. I wanted to abolish that."

You may have seen the T-shirt that read, "22 taps . . . one sandwich." Actually, there are 32 taps including those that serve cider. Clark has added a roast turkey sandwich to the menu for the weekday lunch crowd, but at night and on weekends the "only" choice is still the famous roast beef sandwich that overlows its bun. The bar also offers sides of cheese and New York wines, port and sherry by the glass or bottle.

Eight years after it opened, Clark's doesn't have a television set. Blacksmith's puzzles, board games, newspapers and beer publications are the alternative.

Multiple visits