The student population at the University falls into two distinct categories: Townie and non-townie. And while geography is a good tool to measure this distinction (average Joe student stays close to South University Avenue, while free-thinkers and progressives are more apt to frequent State, Liberty and Main streets), the place where students choose to do their drinking can be a far superior method.

For many students of age, thinking about straying from Tuesdays at Mitch"s Place, Wednesday"s at Rick"s American Caf and Thursday"s at Scorekeepers-cycle, is sacrilegious. For many students, a venture across the Diag to S"keepers is the closest to downtown they will get in their college career.

I can see why. For the average Greek living on Washtenaw Avenue, a 20-minute walk to Main Street is not worth it. The bad parking downtown is a deterrent as well. Granted. That"s why the social scene of most people doesn"t move past South U.

For you who think Good Time Charley"s has good food, stop reading now you don"t deserve to leave your South U. ghetto. If you are not willing to abandon your South U. mentality, you have no business crossing State Street.

If you are willing to open your eyes, there are better bars out there. And if you aren"t afraid to mix with the "townies," Ann Arbor will be a totally different city.

For variety, two places come to mind when I get tired of the monotony of Thursday nights at S"keepers or Tuesday"s at Mitch"s. The first isn"t all that far away, in fact, it"s closer to campus than S"keepers: Ashley"s Pub at 338 S. State St.

"Life is too short to drink cheap beer": That"s Ashley"s motto and as the state"s largest multi-tap, you won"t drink debaucherized beer by that I mean a macro brew, i.e. Bud Light, Coors, Miller Genuine Draft.

The lowest grade beer they have is Labatt"s Blue and Amstel Light, considered good beer at a place on South U. But Ashley"s makes the beer seem glamorous Labatt"s Blue is described on the menu as a "pale lager, bland perfumy sweetness" while Amstel Light is a "light bodied beer, sharp on the palate with a dry finish."

You have to be adventurous. If not, you are desecrating the joint and opening yourself up to attack. (Once, I heard an entire section go quiet when someone asked for MGD.)

So what if you are in Ashley"s for the first time and are a "degener-brew" connoisseur, instead of someone who has an acquired beer taste? Don"t fret, follow these steps and you"ll be OK.

Ashley"s beer list is divided into the following sections: English ales, Belgian ales, Scottish ales, lagers, porters and stouts, specialty beers and wheat beers. If you don"t know what those mean, ask your server. All Ashley"s staff I"ve come across know what they"re talking about and are good at guiding you through the beer selection process. You can also sample beers to get an orientation.

My current favorite is Ruddles County Ale, after a year of ordering the Motor City Pale Ale, Celebrator Dopplebock and Dead Guy Ale.

All beers here are worth trying.

Try the Caledonian Double Dark from Scotland for $6.50: "Open copper boiling vessels impart a great mellowness to this dark ale."

Or one of Ashley"s specialty beers like De Troch Kriek from Belgium for $8: "A lambic beer, sweet cherry flavor with a long sharp finish.

Or Bell"s Kalamazoo Stout for $5: "Rich dark, ale malt brew, sweet with a hint of coffee aftertaste."

Ashley"s has more than 60 beers on tap and navigating the complete list can be a challenge. If you"re vigilant, willing to stray from the ordinary, you"ll find something that you"ll like.

Ashley"s liquor offerings are just as extensive and also has the city"s finest collection of scotch and whiskey, most in the $6-$9 range.

Ashley"s has grown to be my favorite bar in the city because of its good mix of townies and non-townies. I"ve run into my GSIs and even University Regent Dan Horning (R-Grand Haven). It"s a place for everyone to eat, drink and be merry.

Speaking of food, out of any campus bar, Ashley"s rates up there with some of the best non-drink offerings. (Try the Stilton Fries and the Lineman burger.)

Obviously, Ashley"s is more expensive than most campus bars. In the name of better beer, the price is worth it.

But what if you want to escape it all and blend into the woodwork at an exclusively "townie" bar? What if you want to totally escape the ass pants, pea coats and Abercrombie visors? Then try something downtown, like the Del Rio at 122 W. Washington St., just one block west of Main.

The Del isn"t a huge place. It doesn"t boast a beer selection like Ashley"s does, but the place, like Ashley"s, has steered clear of the campus macro-brew consensus, sticking to pub classics like Bass and Bell"s. Thankfully, you won"t find Honey Brown or Milwaukee"s Best.

Not much has changed at the Del in the past 20 years.