Drink in the five stiffest Drink stories of 2011

Hopfields: Hopfields fuses beer, nerdery, and French street food in a cozy space that moves mid-century France (church pew seating, vintage beer crates lining the bar) into the City of Lost Children and showcases 39 different taps...more

Bar Congress: With atmosphere provided by a white marble bar top, magenta booths, and grainy dark wood tables, this cocktail-aficionado counterpart to Second Kitchen serves a rotating selection of sips handcrafted by East Side Showroom and The Good Knight transplants...more

Bar Ilegal: Check out Bar Ilegal: the latest from the team behind Clive Bar, Lustre Pearl, and 96, it's a mezcal-only rambler-gambler-influenced cantina set in a 1920s stone shack...more

Yellow Jacket Social Club: Named for one of the service-industry-vet owner's high school mascots, YJSC has just opened in the former Cafe Mundi space, where they're slinging hefty snacks and booze via dog-friendly outdoor seating...more

Kingdom: From the Lanai and Barcelona industry vets responsible for bringing dubstep to Austin, this two-years-in-the-making club represents a complete re-imagination of a historic 5th and Congress building's ground level for those who appreciate electronic dance music...more