More restaurants with solid beer lists

I've noticed recently that more and more restaurants in my area are serving good-to-great beer. Last night, I sat down at a little grill near my place and opened up the beer menu to find Allagash White, Old Rasputin, Boont Amber, and a bunch of other great options. And the other day I went to a burger place with seriously awesome beer choices. (I finally decided on some APA I had never heard of, but they had Racer 5, Moose Drool, and DBA on tap.)

I suspect restaurants now understand you can get more $ by selling craft beer, but I also have to believe that demand for the product is driving this boom. It's really awesome to see (and drink, of course).

It's definitely a regional thing. I visit Phx frequently now that my gf is down there and have found almost every restaurant we go to has at least a limited craft bottle selection. Up here though it's like trying to pull teeth. Can sometimes get some Boulevard wheat or blue moon/shock top but you have to pick and choose the eatery if you want something else. I was in a burger place the other day that had about 5 craft bottles (Goose Island IPA!).

I agree though, even here it's slowly on the rise.

check out the taplist for the tap and mallet in rochester
I LOVE IT THERE

Ya, most big metro cities i've found are getting better. Phoenix has a growing beer scene which definitely helps us. Part of the reason is that Four Peaks brewery is the de facto place to be in Tempe, which helps craft beer awareness. But yes, it's definitely nice being able to find a good craft at most restaurants in town

We have a few places here in Houston that cater to the craft brew crowd - I definitely notice that the interest in craft brews has increased over the last few years. One of my favorites is a place called Liberty Station in the hip new redevelopment spot in town, Washington Avenue. Their slogan: no crap on tap.

Its getting much better in the Boston/Cambridge area. There are definitely still a few great standouts for beer lists but many more unexpected restaurants are offering at least a couple of good choices.

What I find most interesting is that people I would have never pegged as "beer" people are really developing some sophistication. I mean, most of my friends and acquaintances don't know the difference between a bock and a tripel, but they do know that they like IPAs, "dark" beers, and hefeweizens more than Heinekens.