Beveridge Place Pub   

West Seattleites are smug about their beloved beer mecca: It's what all fermented beverage fans wish was just down the street, but few can claim. The house offers over a hundred beers from around the world by the bottle. Seventeen rotating drafts, plus a cider and at least one barleywine. (Boundary Bay IPA and Manny's Pale Ale are regional faves.) Appropriate glassware. A well-chosen wine list. Happy hour and daily specials Sunday through Thursday. Pool, darts, and big screen satellite TV. A weekly pub quiz. Staff so jovial you'd think somebody's spiking their Spatens with Xanax. Arrive early in the evening to snag a book or board game and seat on one of the sofas -- it's like home away from home. Foodstuffs are limited to snacks, but you can order in from a list of area restaurants (the best nearby are Greek and Italian). Check the on-line calendar for special events, like Oktoberfest, the IPA ''Cask-O-Rama," and ''Barleywine Bacchanal,'' a test of any imbiber's mettle.