We visited on the first Sunday the bar was open, and yet, from the first few minutes of walking in the door we felt like we had been going there for years. The bar exudes character, with black walls, red lighting, and subtle yet poignant red accents, including a ribbon around the front wall that proclaims, “one small bar for man, one giant bar for mankind.”

We saddled up to the bar before settling in at one of the burbon barrel tables in the center of the space, and were greeted by a friendly face: Louis of the Liars Club. When I told Louis how excited I had been to sample Pizza Port Carlsbad’s Black Lie at the SD Beer Festival (the beer was first brewed for the 7th anniversary of the Liars Club a few years ago), I was delighted to find it was also on one of the bar’s 40 taps. So I ordered fairly quickly, although the beer—as well as cocktail—lineup leaves plenty of time for contemplation.

Like Hamilton’s, Small Bar features a sprawling chalkboard behind the bar, with the current tap selections including price and ABV. The selection is diverse—premium Belgians like Rochefort 10 lie among craft beer staples like Pliny and Alesmith XPA, peppered with unique seasonals like the Black Lie and New Belgium’s Hoptoberfest. Several Anchor beers are included in the lineup, and Dennis explained that the plan was to have Anchor Small Beer as a permanent fixture, as a playful nod to the bar’s name. (Although having such a unique session beer always available is a plus in its own right.) At 3.3%, Small Beer is an excellent option for anyone wanting to go light on the alcohol but not miss out on flavor. (The beer is made from the second runnings of Anchor’s barleywine).

Unlike Hamilton’s, Small Bar has a full liquor license, and the owners have taken full advantage with an enticing mix of specialty cocktails as well as premium whiskeys. The bloody mary alone justifies the liquor license—the pint-sized drink is made with vodka, Guinness, steak sauce, bacon, and every accoutrement known to a cocktail bar (and then some): cherry tomatoes, gherkins, pepperoncini, pearl onions, pickled green beans, and, for good measure, shrimp. Oh, and the drink (inexplicably) comes with a bag of pork rinds (don’t worry—Louis made sure we weren’t vegetarians first).

If you’re still hungry after your bloody-mary-soaked skewer of snacks, Small Bar is open for lunch and dinner, and their menu features a flavorful selection of slightly (just slightly) upscale bar fare designed to be served quickly. Our order certainly lived up to Dennis’s claim—nothing on the menu takes more than 10 minutes, even when the bar is crowded. The prices are all reasonable, especially when you consider that the burgers are made with TallGrass Beef, and steaks are supplied by Hamilton meats. The beer mac and cheese was especially tasty—resonating with undertones of dark beer and generously spiked with pieces of bacon—as was the blue cheese burger, served on a soft, aromatic rosemary bun (that i’m pretty sure was Sadie Rose?). We also sampled the poor man’s cheese plate, which was a great option for noshing when you’re not sure if you’re staying for dinner.

The juke box is an exact replica of Hamiltons, so there was no shortage of good music playing throughout our visit. If the noise level inside is too loud (which it threatens to be when packed to capacity), Small Bar has soon-to-be-opened patio seating and plans for an outdoor beer garden out back (Dennis estimated spring 2010).

Many times when a bar first opens, there are plenty of things that seem like they need to be worked out. Not so with Small Bar—there was not a moment during our visit where I wished things were differently. It will be interesting to see how the space can accommodate larger crowds (most of the tables seat no more than 4 or 5), and I’m looking forward to the outdoor tables, but other than that, this bar has it down. Dennis and Blair know what they are doing, and they certainly know how to give San Diego another essential craft beer bar—one that we didn’t even know we were missing.

Note: this article originally appeared on Drink the Craft’s tumblr site on September 21, and morphed into a more formal piece, published on SDNN on October 2.