CHALK OF THE TOWN: The Porch, which opened July 17, 2010, features the best selection of craft beer in Key West, with 12 taps and a wide variety of bottled beers.

My happy place just got happier.

For a handful of years my family has visited Key West, Fla., in the springtime. For me, it’s the one place on Earth where I feel completely at ease. The weather is great. There’s a thriving arts scene and a variety of amazing restaurants. You can walk everywhere. The sunsets are picturesque. And the population is diverse and almost universally accepting. All that without even taking a dip in the ocean or getting sand in your shoes.

There was one drawback to Key West, though, and it became more obvious as I grew increasingly interested in craft beer. For years, there has been a dearth of quality suds on the eclectic island that represents the southernmost point of America’s contiguous 48 states. For a weeklong visit in 2010, I did some Internet pre-scouting and ultimately visited Finnegan’s Wake for draft beers, Conch Republic Liquors for bottles, and Kelly’s for local beers brewed in the southernmost brewery. The results ranged from acceptable to disappointing.

But lately, things have changed. “The Key West beer scene is getting a lot better,” says Chris Shultz, co-owner of The Porch craft beer and wine bar. “It had been lacking for quite a while.”

Shultz, along with business partners Keith St. Peter and Jamille Cucci, has been largely responsible for the rising craft beer tide. The trio’s 8-month-old bar boasts 12 taps and countless bottles in addition to a sizable wine selection. Finally, Key West has a legitimate craft beer bar.

The catalyst, according to Shultz, was the move by Miami distributors 18 months ago to make artisan beer brands available throughout the Keys. That wasn’t the sole impetus for the venture with his friends, though.

“We just wanted a good place to go to that was fun and comfortable and accessible to people and provided a way to serve good stuff,” Shultz says. “Drink good stuff and hang out with good people. That was pretty much the key.”

The island’s laissez-faire attitude is evident in the welcoming spot, which according to Shultz credits 80 percent of its business to locals. On my first visit to The Porch in mid-March of this year, I ordered glass of Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron on draft—a personal favorite that I had only previously had in bottles. I closed my tab with my order, intending to be one-and-done with this sipper of a beer that clocks in at 12 percent alcohol by volume. Well… as I walked home from the bar three hours and two beers later, I knew there was something to The Porch.

As a visitor, I felt included in the conversation from the moment I ordered my first pint. Over the course of five visits during a weeklong stay, I met and talked with a number of local beer enthusiasts; I was invited by staff to sample the bar’s new beer cocktail during its moment of creation (a saki bomb with Magic Hat #9, tentatively dubbed “The Angry Munchkin”); I was introduced to The Porch’s theme song—an unsolicited hip-hop jam created by one of the regulars that name-checks everything from Chimay to Bud; and I attended a special event at which the bar uncapped over a dozen big bottles, like The Bruery’s Mischief and Cigar City’s Vuja De, and let participants leisurely sample them. Hell, I don’t feel like that much of a regular at my normal Nashville haunts.

Speaking of haunts, The Porch is located within the striking Porter House, a mansion dating back to 1839 that was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Dr. Joseph Yates Porter, who was born, practiced medicine and died in the home. I didn’t have any paranormal encounters during my visits but the staff pays him healthy respect, going so far as to attach a brass “Dr. Porter” nameplate to one of the chairs to make the spirit feel welcome.

“He’s pretty cool,” Shultz says of Dr. Porter, who has reportedly been known to throw glasses and deposit pennies and dimes on the bar. “The first time I was a little wigged out by it but he’s a pretty neat dude and we give him a lot of respect.”

While craft beer enthusiasts vacationing in Key West should make The Porch a priority, another beer bar worth noting is also now open on the island. Attached to the tourist destination Sloppy Joe’s, Joe’s Tap Room is a smaller bar that features 10 taps and, unlike The Porch, serves food. It’s worth a visit, but nowhere near as charming as The Porch. (Visit beer blog Mug of St. Arnold for its review of Joe’s Tap Room.)

Photo Slideshow

View photos of The Porch in Key West, Florida:

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