 Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and this is the fifth installment of his beer column. He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd. Drink up. Amazing beer and great food are two things near and dear to my heart, but it’s often hard to find both at the same place. I find that pub food is generally OK, maybe the best restaurant in town serves Guinness and gastropubs are headed in the right direction. But what about those times you want olive oil poached salmon with a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA? Where are those restaurants? If you’re a wine drinker, you cannot relate to this. Food and wine have shared an incredibly long and successful run together and it’s time to give beer the same respect. A good restaurant cannot survive, or even have relevance, without a great wine list. But as patrons we’ve largely ignored the short shrift restaurants give to beer. All is not bleak in the world of fine dining and great beer, though. There are establishments all over the country that are doing it very well. San Francisco’s Monk’s Kettle has pairing for years and chef and owner Adam Dulye is the beer world’s unofficial chef de cuisine. Recent James Beard Awards finalist, Stephanie Izard, has given craft beer its proper place at the table at her renowned restaurant Girl and the Goat in Chicago. On a recent visit to New York I had an incredible meal at Hearth and the highlight of my meal was grilled octopus with a Cantillon Fou Foune. Denver’s ChoLon has taken a more local approach with chef Lon Symeson and business partner Jim Deters serving beers from local brewery (and one of my personal favorites), Great Divide. Decatur, Georgia’s, Cakes & Ale takes the beer and food relationship official with chef and owner Billy Allin even naming the restaurant after a Shakespeare quote that nods to both. I recently spoke with Allin, a 2012 James Beard Awards semi-finalist, about his thoughtful approach to beer and food. Nathan Berrong: What made you start Cakes & Ale with a focus on serving good beer? Billy Allin: My knowledge of beer was limited until we opened the restaurant four years ago. The craft beer movement was basically in its infancy in Atlanta, and when the laws changed concerning alcohol content it was like the flood gates opened. This opened the market to so many great producers and allowed the consumer to taste beers they never had before. The Decatur market, in particular, was already very beer savvy and it seemed natural to really make an effort to offer some of the exciting beers available. NB: Does food pair just as well with beer as it does wine? BA: I think it does pair equally as well and better in some cases. Beer can be extremely complex and be more likely to have several taste aspects that go well with a particular dish where a wine may have only a single element and in many cases deals with its level of acidity. NB: Why are there so many great restaurants in America that neglect beer but focus so heavily on wine? BA: Beer, though not for that much longer, is viewed as less a special occasion drink than wine. With the number of breweries offering special releases and more complex options I think more restaurants will look at beer as a special occasion drink. NB: Any parting thoughts on the relationship between food and beer? BA: As more and more breweries push the flavor profiles of beer and rethink the ingredient list things can only get better. I think right now it is almost in the mad scientist and experimental stage and that is great for the industry and consumer. The next stage is where the producers take a step back and look for balance and the brewer that finds that level consistently will be at the forefront of the next stage. My whole goal as a chef/restaurateur is to offer what tastes great and sparks interest in a guest and beer is very quickly catching on as an alternative to wine in dining . My plea to restaurateurs Chef Allin gets it. My hope is that others in the food world soon will too and start exploring the possibilities that beer can bring to the dinner table. So, to the accomplished chefs, restaurant owners, restaurateurs, and all the ones just now coming onto the scene, here’s my plea: put the same effort, dedication, and money into the beer you serve, as you do your wine program. If you do, I think you’ll be astounded at the results. As a restaurant patron, experiment with different beer styles and find out the ones that go best with your favorite foods and then go from there. If your favorite restaurant in town isn’t serving good beer, politely ask them to. Below, I’ve listed some of my favorite dishes and a beer and style I think goes well with each one. Cheers to eating and drinking well. A few of my favorite pairings: Raw oysters and Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout (Oyster Stout) North Carolina style pulled pork sandwiches and Russian River Supplication (Wild Ale) Brisket enchiladas and Victory Hop Devil (IPA) Seared duck and Ommegang Three Philosophers (Quadrupel) Pork belly steamed buns and Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier (Hefeweizen) Charcuterie and Samuel Adams Cinder Bock (Rauchbier) Lamb korma and Saison Dupont (Saison) Poutine and Westmalle Trappist Dubbel (Dubbel) Stinky bleu cheese and Great Divide Old Ruffian (Barleywine) Mexican chocolate macaron and Southern Tier Choklat (Imperial Stout) Do you have a favorite beer and food pairing? If so, I’d love to hear about in the comments. |
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Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre and a rare NY Strip Steak
Most of the high-end restaurants in Philly serve great craft beer. Beer dinners at these restaurants aren't uncommon either. But hey, that's what it's like in the best beer city in the country.
WISCONSIN BEER!!!
The servers and bartenders also need to get educated. If there is no education, you can't sell your product properly. Sam Merritt , Civilization of Beer, gives a great class for Beer Sommeliers. Every beer joint should do this. http://conta.cc/GRFl9f
Many years ago my wife and I were in Missoula MT after going to Glacier Park. Went to a pizza place in town. Of all things, they had Watney's Red Barrel on tap. A wonderful meal.
Yes, great beer is king, KIng! but the servers and bartenders also need to get educated. If there is no education, you can't sell your product properly. Sam Merritt gives a great class for Beer Sommeliers. Every beer joint should do this. http://conta.cc/GRFl9f
sorry for repeat post, computer issue
Caprese with a nice hoppy IPA. It's addictive.
This article is totally off. Does Berong even get out of Atlanta?
Cripes! In DC, there are several high end restaurants that focus on beer and food pairings. Granville Moore's on H Street and Brassarie Beck are both Belgian style restaurants that feature food and beer pairings. On 14th Street, we have Churchkey.
Even on the non-gourmet side, we've got spots that pair beers with food. Spike Mendelsohn's good stuff eatery pairs craft and imported beers with high end burgers, and he pairs several tasty lagers with pizza at his We the Pizza Restaurant.
Richmond, VA has a place called "The Beer Run", which is a mecca for hop heads. They've also got an amazing menu if you choose to dine in rather than take the beers home.
So there you have it. Off the top of my head I can think of three solid restaurants in DC alone that offer food and beer pairings. Beer's gaining a foothold, but writers who fail to leave Atlanta are likely to miss out on what the rest of the country is up to....AHEM Berong!
Belga Cafe & Locolat in DC do beer tastings periodically. Great beer paired with great food and desserts!! Check them out.
3. In all of DC. Compare that to the number of restaurants that do wine pairings and you made Nathan's point for him. I also live in Atlanta, and I can quickly think of at least 10 restaurants that do beer pairings. But again, that's 10. We have hundreds of restaurants here like any city. Nathan's point is not that beer savvy restaurants aren't out there, but that the quantity pales in comparison to the number of wine savvy restaurants. Also, that so many restaurants will serve high quality food right next to extremely low quality beer. Try ordering a Sutter Home White Zinfandel at any white tablecloth restaurant. I bet you get some funny looks. Next, try ordering a Heineken or a Stella. I bet you get your terrible beer. Why the discrepancy?
Boiled Crawfish and Abita Amber
beer and hamburgers, beer and hot dogs, beer and pizza, beer and mexican food, end of list pairings.
This is why you are probably big, fat and have not taste. Drink you Bud Pee water
Bombay Talk restaurant has earned a reputation for over 30 years of experience in the food. which also includes the famous Via Oak Tree road restaurant are Khasiyat, Paradise Biryani.
Oak tree road restaurant
Beer is the drink of the Barbarians (those brutish Vikings)! NO respect!
Wine is the drink of the Civilized (southern parts of Europe)!
Silly stuff…..who cares?
Actually beer is the reason that civilization exists. You couldn't have large groups of people in one place without beer because all the water gets contaminated. Beer is boiled, thus killing any bugs in the water.
It is documented that the Ancient Egyptians paid workers building the pyramids in beer.
Not to mention that bones of ancient civilizations actually showed that their beer contained elements of antibiotics that helped keep the people healthy...I guess Alexander Flemming officially discovered penicillin, but it existed in beer well before his time.
Screw the restaurants, the people that need to wake up to beer culture are the Bible thumpers who are convinced that you're going to hell for drinking a beer (obviously they can't read, Jesus turned water into wine [Arabic or English there is no distinguishment between fermented and unfermented wine in the bible])...In Tennessee we need to repeal stupid "Sunday Blue laws" that are forced on people us due to someone else's religious beliefs. We need also need to increase the the limits on Alcohol content so that Grocery stores are allowed to carry High Gravity Beers. Also we need to eliminate counties from being able to say they are "dry." So dumb, people are going to drink alcohol period, so why direct revenues outside of your county?
Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs steamed with Old Bay vinegar and butter....with National Bohemian
You hit the nail on the head.
O'so Rusty Red and pizza for lunch anytime!
Beer is great to cook meat with, or in fact some sauces...just love it anytime
Free beer, free beer, that's my favorite brand.
If I didn't have to buy it, it's the best beer in the land!
Warm, flat, funky; it don't matter to me,
the greatest beer in this whole world is the one you buy for free!
Great point indeed! I have convinced my workplace Atelier Crenn to host a beer dinner next month. Very rare beers to come!
Double Mountain Hop Lava IPA (Hood River, Oregon), grilled Angus burger with sweet potato fries.
Beer? Please. That's kids' stuff. Be a man: drink gin!
You do realize that "back in the day" gin was considered a woman's drink?
Beer Street vrsus Gin Lane
There is a reason that beer is yellow, foamy and smells bad: it's yeast pi$$.
Bob...that's short for Roberta right?
Bet you're quite the babe too VanHagar! Nothing says delightful bimbo like your sexism!
It was a joke–sorry if you were offended–wasn't intended to be a slight against women, just Bob's sissy post (oops, did I offend another affinity group?)
What are you, 6? You honestly think all beer is yellow and smells like piss? Try an amber ale, a nice black stout....or you know what? Don't. Just go on thinking that Heineken is the nicest beer on earth.
Wassup, Troll!!! Most of the beer I drink is not yellow. I pour it so it is not foamy, and it sure doesn't smell bad. In fact malt, and especially hops, smell as good as brownies to me. So your whole argument is blown out of the water. Click on a Nancy Grace article if you wish, but stay out of this one.
more for me
Chili beer by Cave Creek distributors paired with pizza from Bombay Pizza company in Houston / Sugar Land TX. I expect it would do well with any spicy offering incuding Cajun, Thai, and spicier Mexican dishes. It also helps you finish out those last couple hours at the end of a hard long day of yard work. The spicy / crisp flavor really cuts through the dry thirst that I developed after cutting on my giant Oak tree for 6-7 hours. Other customers at Bombay pizza really seemed enthusiastic about this beer as well. It was on $3.00 special that night and it was flying out of their cooler.
This article is spot on. And this is why I live in Colorado. I'm much more likely to find a place with suggested beer pairings than wine. Of course, I eat at a lot of brewpubs.
LOVE BEER> There is a resturant called, Eureka Burger, In California, great food, and great food. Always switch our tabs so the beer is always changing, amazing IPA's. And there is also a WildRockets, same thing. the have a quadruple IPA (Hop Chanic) AMAZING!!!!!
I've been drinking beer for forty years. Weaned on Coors, then switched to Bud or Bud products, and now it's
Miller products because I do the Miller 64 to keep my weight down. I also like Shiner flavors and if we go out
for Mexican food it's Dos Equis, Chinese it's Tsing Tao, etc. Just because people drink domestic doesn't mean
they're kids. I don't care for the taste of stouts or ales and fruit flavored beer is insane. To each is own.
There's nothing wrong with drinking domestic beers; but for too long Americans have been conditioned by ad campaigns (featuring rugged guys and large-breasted/skimpily dressed women) that Bud/Coors/Miller/PBR etc. is the only way to go for beer drnkers, especially if the beer is "lite". I stopped drinking beer, years ago, because all of the beers were essentially the same: weak, tasteless Pilsner-style fizzy yellow water. A few years ago, my son brought me to a brewpub where I could get six 2 oz. samples of beers, and I was hooked. You say you don't like the taste of ales? Well, you could spend a day in a brewpub and not sample all of the styles of ale that are out there. For stouts, there are many which are far better than Guinness. I'm with you when it comes to fruit-flavored beers (except for Harpoon UFO rtaspberry Hefeweizen); but once you fully investigate the world of craft beer you will never go back to the mass-produced stuff again. Even if pilsners are still your favorite, there are pilsners out there which will make you wonder why you ever liked Bud and its cohorts.
How about a nice hefeweizen?
Totally!
Anything by the Highland Brewing Company from Asheville, NC is amazing!! That is my go too beer selection!
Come to SAVANNAH, GA! Moon River Brewing Company, the Rail Pub, the Distillery, Crystal Beer Parlor, &c. &c. &c. Best of all you can TAKE THAT BEER TO GO. I recommend staying at Avia or the Doubletree. First go to the Rail at Congress & Montgomery St.
Nothin beats a good ol' case of PBR and some Dominos!
If you can get a sampler selection of beers and tapas, that can make a great combo.
I usually prefer an ale to go with a meal like steak, then follow with a desert beer like a triple or quad to match a dessert like a pie or ice cream.
For those interested in the dynamics of beer and food pairings the beer equivalent curently available is the Cicerone program which was developed by Ray Daniels. Essentially it seeks to train people as beer sommeliers. I am sure other programs will someday follow, but this is the only one I know of and was long overdue. Anyone that has made wine and beer knows beer is a more complex drink to make and anyone that has tasted a wide variety of each knows wine is somewhat simple when compared to the wide variety of beers within the flavor spectrum. The US is exploding with breweries – we have the highest number since the 1880s according ot the Brewers Association and a huge wave is planned for 2012-2013 that will probably set new records in terms of the number of breweries. Even in states like Texas microbreweries are exploding and more and more people can tell the difference between beer styles. In Austin, among the 18 craft breweries in our town there are three micros that only make Belgian inspired beers on draft or 750ml bottles.
This is a fantastic class in Jersey for just that ! http://conta.cc/GRFl9f
West Coast
Ensenada style Fish Tacos + Alpine Exponential Hoppiness
Pulled chicken Burrito w/Trinidad Scorpion relish + Pliny the Elder (Younger if you can sneak it out of the brewery).
Organic Grass Fed Sirloin + Deschutes Black Butte Porter
East Coast:
Maine Lobster Roll + Allagash White
Troegs Nugget Nectar + Pan Seared NC Yellowfin tuna
And many many more
I love beer especially Stone, I have an arrogant bastard ale sitting home in the fridge. I have no idea what to pair it with. Personally I like a light meal with beer because is a carb and it's heavy. Another thing I enjoy is getting Taj Mahal when I go out for Indian or Sapporo and sake with sushi, etc..most of my friends always get margaritas when we go out for Mexican, but I think the sweetness takes away from the food so I usually opt for beer also.
One of my favorite pairings is Stoudt's Abbey Triple with the schnitzel at the Black Angus Restaurant in Adamstown PA. Also, I've been craving a Brains paired with a basket of fish and chips ever since a trip to Cardiff. Too bad you can't find the stuff here in PA.
Most people don't know anything about beer because the only beer available in most areas is crap. The ridiculous and inconsistent local regulations make it to where only the largest beer companies are able to effectively distribute. See all those beers mentioned at the bottom of the article? Yeah none of them are available in my state due to alcohol level % issues and ABC approval required before distribution.
Spoken like a true snob. I like Miller Lite, and make no apologies for it. Served below 32 degrees, please. Ahhhhhh....
A good strong Belgian quad with a big plate of liver...it's good because it's ironic.
Come to Oregon. Beer gets great respect and is often paired with even the most elaborate of meals.
I agree with Sherwood, Oregon - specifically Portland, "gets it". Even the strip clubs there have excellent craft beer selections - I kid you not. In order for a restaurant to survive there, it needs to serve good beer. Portlanders have pretty high standards. #truestory
Victory Golden Monkey – my favorite beer in the whole wide world. Tastes great with fried whatever and I had it a few weeks ago with stone crab claws. For a moment, I thought that I had found enlightenment. It's great with burgers ... it's just great. I have to go pick up a six after work!
True. In Oregon, the question is how many great restaurants do not have great craft beer available. Pretty much every one of them does. Opening up a great restaurant without great beer is suicide in Oregon. Apparently, the author never bothered to see what kind up beer culture we have up here. It is exactly what he's looking for.
I'm aware of the beer culture in Oregon...it's great. I wrote about it in a previous post, actually. There are pockets of places across the world that understand food and beer and Oregon is definitely one of those places. But, by and large, the restaurant industry still has a long ways to go in regards to this. I mentioned some specific places that do it well but I obviously cannot mention every one.
Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout with a dark chocolate lava cake. Heaven!
CHECK OUT GREEN FLASH WEST COAST IPA
RUSSIAN RIVER PLINY THE YOUNGER
some personal favorites....
ALSO IF YOU LIKE BEER, AND GOOD FOOD, COME TO PHILADELPHIA. THIS TOWN HAS BEEN KILLING IN THE LAST FEW YEARS
It's true! I thought this article was a little off, but then I realized I may just frequent places that really have their finger on the pulse of fine dining and beer. I've been to two fantastic seafood restaurants in Philly that also specialize in Belgian beer and have had wait staff recommend beer pairings for our food selections. Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth, DE makes beer that's very worthy of fine dining, and as a result, they have a monthly beer dinner where they serve outrageously fancy food and put a lot of thought into the beer pairings. So this is all happening, it's even happening where I live in Charlottesville, Virginia – it just may not be at the stereotypical places that food critics frequent.
*High Five* for Philly Beer. Two more weeks for gormet hot dogs in the beer garden at Memphis Taproom. (Mouth is watering just thinking about it.)
Kimchi and Raging Bitch IPA (Flying Dog Brewery)
Rock Bottom Brewery is a small chain of restaurants across the country that makes their own beer.
On a serious note, beer does have some problems when compared to wine. First beer is often sold in cans of 6, 12, 24, or 36. Wine is sold in bottles (but infrequently in packs of 4). So beer has the perception of being cheap and readily available ergo not special. For restaurants, wine sells for more money for a higher profit. The third problem is a bit of a double edged sword. There are more kinds of beer than wine and it's hard to judge the flavor of a beer just by its name. People who know about wine know about merlots, ports, etc and how they taste. But beer doesn't really have set guidlines (and the Belgiums found ways around them). So how do you know if you should have Magic Hat #9 or Spitfire with your burger based just on their names?
Thanks for reading. Although there's a beer can revolution currently taking place, most of the well crafted breweries bottle and most have several styles in 750ml bottles, which are the same size as a wine bottle. One brewery, named The Bruery, *only* produces beer in the 750ml bottles. Regarding the money situation, that could be true in some cases, but if a restaurant is already serving bad beer, there's no reason they can't make a change and focus on well crafted, good-tasting, beer. The difference in profit/mark up from the cheap stuff to the more costly/craft stuff couldn't be much different, if at all. And lastly, almost every single beer clearly states the style on its label. Also, finding this stuff out, from a restaurants perspective, happens the same as it does with wine – ask the distributor/sales rep/importer. Basically, restaurants have no excuse to serve bad beer, ha.
Agreed, most interesting craft beer these days can be bought in bottles with the more expensive in 750ml corked or capped bottle carbonated. One thing to also note si that US appreciation and knwoledge of craft beer is growing rapidly in tandem with the growth of mircobreweries and brepwubs, which are exploding in this country once again. I am sure it won't be long when everyone that cares about food and drink knows the difference between an IPA and a pale ale etc. Along with that movement there is the Cicerone certification developed to provide the beer equivalent to sommeliers – beer deserves just as much (or more) respect as wine when it comes to pairings. While wine is simply fermented grape juice, making beer encompases more steps, more ingredients and more variables in fermentation and conditioning, and hence more flavor variances.
God Bless PJ Whelihans over here in Downingtown PA...at least 40 craft brews on tap that change every few weeks.
. . . or the original here in Westmont, Nj.
Busch beer is the best!
Fail.
Well played sir. Spread the word.
<- FAIL .. WOOPS.. DIDNT MEANT TO POST THAT THERE. .. Meant that for the article. Not guy w/ the Busch comment.
I usually just go around at parties and drink whatever my brahs leave around half empty.
Lone Star and Road Kill of any kind...
New Holland Dragons Milk with a real-cream vanilla bean ice cream!
One word: Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, DE (ok, 9 words). There are also three other locations in MD and VA.
yuppies with overly sophisticated opinions on beer piss me off
What always surprises me is finding people that go to brewpubs and still insist on one of the Big 3 (Bud, Miller, or Coors). I know as a nation we are having to re-learn about beer, but if more folks will, then we can get more variety at more places.
its nobodies fault that Miller Lite is the best beer ever made. just because the beer wasnt made in some tiny little quaint irish brewery doesnt mean its not good
I suggest you stop seeing import beer as an enemy and open up a little. Miller Lite is about as generic a taste as one can get, and for that, it is fine for someone who is just getting into beer. Ill admit, it was my first beer too. Then I moved on as I realized that beer can be more, so much more, than a pale yellow taste that doesnt interfere with buffalo wings. Go to a beer tasting (they are more common than you think at local bars and even some wine shops such as Total Wine and at grocery stores like Krogers) and learn what the differences between the styles are before you just label one beer as the best in the world. There is no such thing. Everyone has a different pallate, and because of that everyone has a different favorite beer (mine for the record is either the Belehaven Wee Heavy or Samuel Adams Oktoberfest) but Miller Lite is so far down on the list of generic beer that when you say its the best you only expose yourself as a newbie or underage.
Lefty, in the tone of your comments, I suggest you stop being a beer sn ot and leave other people to their own opinions and, as appropriate, let them make their jokes, too.
Why don't they just call it Miller Diet?
on a similar note, a beer isn't necessarily "good" just because bikini clad women on TV promote it...in fact if a company has to resort to large breast to sell me something I drink it makes me wonder about the quality and how gullible we are.
Believe it or not.... Deep Fried Twinkie with Raspberry Sauce & a nice Trippel or an IPA with a Polish Sausage dog at the racetrack. We always bottle a couple of plastic bottles with every homebrew batch so we can get them into the Drag Races in Bristol TN. It's nice to sit in the stands and have a few homebrews while the yahoos drink the Nattie Lites.
Around here there are a few places that have great beer selections. Perky's in Altavista Va looks like a place to get a good hotdog from the outside. From the inside it's great steaks and etoufee' and a beer selection to die for. One of our local Mexican Restaurants is owned by a homebrewer. It's hard to believe how good a dark belgian IPA goes with some chorizo...
This just made me really hungry...and thirsty!
It's nice to see more of these articles pop up as more people start learning about good beer and demanding it as part of their dining experience. I remember 7-8 years ago, when I was first able to afford to go to quality restaurants, the server would inevitable crinkle their nose when I didn't even open their wine list and asked what beer they had. "Let me check," was the usual response and at best they would uncover some Sierra Nevada IPA... In Buffalo, where there are many amazing small restaurants, this is no longer the case. I can't remember the last time I went out to eat and got stuck with a Sam Adams as the best beer in the place.
In particular, Shango bistro on Main St. has an incredible selection of craft beers in bottle along with a good set of revolving draughts. The chef/owner Jim Guarino has been ahead of the curve on both the locally sourced ingredient and microbrew movements. He even goes so far as to have 'Beer Dinner's once every few months. These consist of a several course meal with each course being specifically paired with a beer. They also usually feature either the brewmaster who made the beer or a "Cicerone"(the new term for the beer equivalent of a Sommelier) in house to talk about and answer questions about the beers and brewing process. They are always incredible.
Restaurants neglect BEER because the influence of French cooking still prevails just about everywhere. The wine-oriented chefs need to learn that some people like really spicy hot food, and, in general, BEER goes better with that than wine does. Heaven help us with this nonsense of "pairings" as applied to BEER and food - that pseudo-intellectual exercise never worked with wine and it won't work with BEER any better.
One of my favorite pairings is ceviche with an American Pale Ale or American IPA. Both can feature strong flavors, with some peppery spice in the ceviche and the bitterness of the beer. Then the citrus of the ceviche can play with the citrus flavors and aromas of American hops varieties like Cascade.
Boiled crawfish and Coors original...The Banquet Beer
Great article. Beer is too often relegated to second class status on the drink chain, which is unfortunate because more and more people are starting to appreciate its complexity and the skill needed to craft a really fine beer. I have always found that restaurants and pubs that have a great beer selection usually have great food as well, and often use the beer list to decided whether or not I want to go to a particular place to eat!
While you are correct, you must realize that most US "beer drinkers" prefer a flavorless American Pilsner (coors, bud, miller, PBR, etc). Unfortunately, "beer drinkers" give beer the reputation as a drink for alcoholics. Have you noticed that restaurants that don't sell beer don't sell shots of whiskey either?
Craft beer has a lot of different styles and flavors, but it is rare to find one that majority of people like. That makes it hard to stock enough variety. Unlike wine, beer needs to be kept refrigerated and lasts 6 months at the most. That results in a limited selection of top selling beers, which are tasteless clones of one another.
If you want a good beer paired with good food, then you should visit brew pubs. People who appreciate fine beer also appreciate fine food, so many brew pubs have a higher food quality than your standard Bar & Grill. Fine wine and craft beer aren't intended to be consumed in mass quantity. That's why brew pubs won't sell $1 beers, even though it costs them less than buying domestic beer that is often sold at $1 prices.
Stone IPA with Cantones estyle steamed Red Cod with scallions and soy/brown sugar based sauce!!
Both a great choice!
I agree but we don't really have this problem too much in the Upper Midwest. Nathan needs to quit going to yuppie restaurants or else just leave the west coast. Where body image is more important than beer.
Agreed! We've got a pretty good selection of places down here in Fort Lauderdale & Miami. Long live the DRB (Democratic Republic of Beer) in Miami:)
I don't know. I live in the midwest and have been in places that are literally around the corner from great local breweries but won't carry anything but Budweiser or, for their luxury beer, Heineken.
why would you ever leave the west coast to find good beer?? the west coast, particularly california and oregon have some of the best (and most abundant) breweries on planet earth. and the amount of restaurants and brewpubs that serve amazing beer is mind boggling.
Hey Rick, thanks for reading. For me, it's not about yuppie restaurants or expensive food, even. It's about the inconsistency of restaurants that serve good food and focus heavily on their wine list, but neglect their beer offerings. Also, even though I love it out west, I actually live in Decatur, Georgia...
Nathan, what's the beer scene in Decatur like? i'm moving to the area next month (Cumming) and would like some recommendations. i know about the Brick Store obviously, anything else? thanks.
Hey Chris, send me an @reply on Twitter and I'd be glad to tell you about all the good spots in the area. And welcome to the South!
Come out to Oregon. Most establishments carry at least one, and usually a number more of the local brews. Indeed, the coors, bud and miller are something of an afterthought on most beer lists here. 10 Barrel's Sinister Black Ale–yum–is finding its way into a lot of eateries as of late–goes with any hearty meal!
I've been to Oregon and it's one of my favorite places! I wrote about visiting your lovely state and the amazing beer scene they have. You can check it out here: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/06/27/berrong-on-beer-going-big-on-west-coast-brews/
Thanks for the comment.
My favorite is Sun king Osiris with a deep dish pizza. Yum!
Grilled rosemary lamb chops and Daves Deviant IPA.
Beer gets no respect in AZ. Not only do restaurants not offer any craft other than SNPA every once in a while but then they put it on the import list. SNPA is imported from Chico California dipsticks!
I love the comparison of Bud and Sutter Home wine. To each their own, not everyone likes expensive wine just as not everyone enjoys flavorful beer. That said it would be nice to have the option for us who do. Some of the new trendy spots are up on their craft game and I have seen a few local beer as well as a few Odells out there but it is very few and far in between.
Thank you for opening this discussion. It always irritates me when restaurants present a well thought out wine list with only a few bland domestic brews at the bottom as after thoughts. Thankfully the craft beer movement is slowly changing that.
Probably my favorite pairing is a good sour ale (like the Rodenbach Grand Cru or Duchess de Bourgogne) with shellfish like lobster or crab. Delicious!
Come visit us at BrewChief.com! http://www.brewchief.com
In Melbourne, Australia we are fortunate.....one local restaurant (Mrs Parmas) always has 10 or so craft beers on tap. Another restaurant here (Josie Bones) has 200 beers on their beer list and even has a beer sommelier.
one of the key ingredients in my bbq sauce for my bbq chicken is Ithaca Brewing Co Apricot Wheat.
Leon Negra with Vanilla Habanero Ice Cream at La Lunita Riviera Maya
Nice article! It always makes me sigh when I go to a nice restaurant that has a multiple-page wine list but only a dozen beers – half of which end in "lite."
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I am so happy to see this. I opened a restaurant 2 years ago in Lyons, CO, with this exact idea in mind...nothing bothers me more than going out for a nice meal (in my very rare spare time) and not having a strong choice of good craft beer to enjoy with my food. My husband and I often decide where we will eat based on this fact. :) Thanks!
Lyons, CO, huh? Next time you run into Dale Katechis, please tell him "Hi from Duse & SC!" and at least pat him on the back to say "Thanks!" I'd tell you to kiss him on the forehead for me to show my gratitude, but that might get awkard for all parties involved.
Debbie, since you are in Lyons and since my last post was not "approved," please tell the founder of Oskar Blues "Hello from SC!" if you see him.
Stone Sublimely Self Righteous and a nice funky Bleu Cheese
Great article. I wholeheartedly agree!
It doesn't hurt that Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Coat is a mere one block walk to Haymarket Pub & Brewery, one of Chicago's most innovative brewpubs.
Great article.
Your best column yet.
Beeerrrr!