Ever since it was announced more than 18 months ago that Birch & Barley/ChurchKey would be taking the place of Dakota Cowgirl and Ramrod in the Logan Circle neighborhood, anticipation has been building. The PR machines and press cranked, listing anticipated opening dates to ad nauseum. So it wasn’t that surprising that more than 30 people were lined up outside of the bar starting around 4:50 p.m. on Thursday night, anticipating a 5 p.m. opening. But alas, they had to wait until 5:35 p.m. watching the delivery men roll cases of beer and liquor up the stairs. Even now, the bottles have not been inventoried and will not be available until next week.

Regardless, you still have plenty of options to choose from. The bar is stocked with more than 40 taps, and five cask ales. The menu is an education in beer, listing the type of glass the beer is served in, brewery, state of origin, and percent ABV. Four ounce tastings are available ranging from $1.50 to $7, making it easy to try a full range to discover your favorites at a reasonable price. Beer director Greg Engert has done a fantastic job of selecting beers, and we didn’t see a PBR, Bud, Yuengling or Coors in the house. But even if those are your favorites, you should still be able to find something to enjoy.

ChurchKey has an innovative cooler system that sits in a loft just above the main room. Four HVAC style tubes run the lines from the keg rooms down to the taps, with each room set to a specific temperature to match the style of beer being served. Pretty geeky, but pretty great. Behind the bar, there’s a ladder that goes up to the kegs for changing, and when the first keg kicked last night, the bar broke into applause as Engert climbed the ladder to change it over. It’s hard to say if having the kegs above the taps is better for keeping lines clean, or just to save space, but it’s an interesting feature.