Most "Dollar Bud Nights" have gone the way of the Dodo, with owners pushing the price of a bottle of beer to at least $2. But there are still values to be found -- try the "Happy Hour and A Half" at Bethesda's Rock Bottom Brewery and you may wonder why you ever paid $3 for a generic beer at a bar up the street.

On Tuesday and Thursday, Rock Bottom offers pints of its five house-brewed beers for $1.50 between 5:30 and 7. Yeah, yeah, you're used to "name brands." But there's something here for everyone: a straw-colored "Lumpy Dog Light Lager" for fans of Budweiser and Miller; a dark, rich stout; the hoppy "Rock Creek Pale Ale," which is a little less powerful than Sierra Nevada. My favorite (of late) is the Brown Bear Brown, which currently shows traces of Scottish beers -- sweet, with a nice helping of malt. Small "taster" glasses are available if you can't make up your mind.

Rock Bottom's bar is large, but not exactly spacious, thanks to an awkward layout of tables and an occasional lack of barstools. It fills up quickly at happy hour, so arrive early if you're meeting friends.

While there aren't any $1.50 beers on Wednesdays, there's still a good deal to be had. Buy a pint for $4.95 -- the price includes a glass emblazoned with the logo of one of Rock Bottom's beers -- and get refills for $2 after 5 p.m. And on Thursday, buy a large pitcher of any brew for $15, and not only can you take one of the sturdy glass pitchers home with you, refills are just $7.

-- Fritz Hahn (November 2004)