A restaurant's 'own' brew.

[Willy Boner]

I go to a great place, Cornacopia in Eugene OREGON, they simply have about 5 or 6 revolving taps from microbreweries up and down the West Coast that they keep changing in and out. Make for great R & D for your next homebrew! Along with some great Pub food.

 

[ndsgr]

One of the newer casinos in Vegas. Buffet has all you can drink.

Me: "Who brews your M lager?"
Server: "I don't know, but it's a special microbrew made especially for us."
*Order one, taste it*
Me: "Tastes like your microbrewery is selling their beer to budweiser."
Server: "Thank you!"
*wife gives me look of, "don't be an ass, let it go".*

Edit: a good example though: Go to Kelly's in Albuquerque sometime. I enjoyed their beer so much, I neglected to get food.

 

[Special Hops]

A restaurant in town sells their "own" beer to. But I know from taking to the guys at our local microbrewery it is in-fact their beer. The same as you can buy in bottles in the store.

to be fair their wait staff does tell you "it's brewed for them by the local brewery" if you ask them about it.

 

[Homercidal]

I found a new "brewpub" in Cadillac, which is like 1/2 hour from me. I called to ask their hours and where they were and stuff. I asked them about the beer they make and they said,

"We don't brew our beer. We have Bell's brew it for us." (I think it was Bells anyway. One of the breweries in the south part of the state).

So they call themselves a brewpub, but have someone else brew it offsite. That IS BS and I never ended up going.

As far as someone's contracted brew, I usually ask what it's like and see what they say. I find the conversation is usually interesting, especially when it upsets my wife

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I love Wisconsin...

Wisconsin State Statute §125.32(5):

SIGNS NEAR TAPS AND BRANDS ON TAP; CLASS “B” PREMISES.
Every Class “B” licensee or permittee selling or offering for sale
draught fermented malt beverages shall display a sign on or near
each tap or faucet disclosing the brand of fermented malt beverage
drawn from the tap or faucet and the name of the brewer or brewpub
that manufactured it. No Class “B” licensee or permittee may
substitute any other brand of fermented malt beverage in place of the brand designated on the sign with the intent to defraud or
deceive the customer.

§125.26

Class “B” licenses. (1) Every municipal governing
body may issue Class “B” licenses for the sale of fermented malt
beverages from premises within the municipality and may authorize
an official or body of the municipality to issue temporary
Class “B” licenses under sub. (6). Subject to s. 125.34 (5) and (6),
a Class “B” license authorizes retail sales of fermented malt beverages
to be consumed either on the premises where sold or off the
premises. A license may be issued after July 1. That license shall
expire on the following June 30. Persons holding a Class “B”
license may sell beverages containing less than 0.5% of alcohol
by volume without obtaining a license under s. 66.0433 (1).

Basically, if it says it at a pub, it had better be that. I actually called a local establishment on this a couple years ago.

Many local places serve contract brewed beers.

 

[PHBalanced]

We have a few places around here that sell their red. When asked they are very open in explaining that it's actually a bigger brewer that sells them the right to use their own business label on it. I know Schell and Leine's both do this for sure. The way I see it is I have a chance at something other than BMC and it's usually a little cheaper too. BUT SWIMBO and I do seek out true brew pubs whenever we can and make sure to send all business possible that way. just my/our .02

 

[springer]

We have a few places around here that sell their red. When asked they are very open in explaining that it's actually a bigger brewer that sells them the right to use their own business label on it. I know Schell and Leine's both do this for sure. The way I see it is I have a chance at something other than BMC and it's usually a little cheaper too. BUT SWIMBO and I do seek out true brew pubs whenever we can and make sure to send all business possible that way. just my/our .02

I have to whats a SWIMBO

 

[PHBalanced]

she who ingests my beer openly?

she who isn't my brown otter

she wants it mighty ------ ------

but the winner is..........

She who is my beer opener!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Just came from a steakhouse and had their house signature beer. Cattlemans Double Duece.

Asked em straight out who brews it and they told me that it's a first running beer from the berweries more popular market line (meaning low point).

 

[Displaced MassHole]

I know one of the owners of a bar in Scottsdale AZ, they do this "house beer" thing too. Since he knows that I brew and has been to my house and drank my beers I asked him about "their" beer.

He said that their house beers change quite frequently and that all they do is get the cheapest stuff from their distributor and call it there own. He said it's pretty much clearance beer that the distributor needs to get rid of and the yuppies in scottsdale just soak it all up.

I guess ignorance is bliss.

I call it BS, but his response was "whatever pays the bills."

 

[the_bird]

Hadn't even though about places doing this, but I guess it explains why the Water Street Grill had a "Water Street Pale Ale." Figured that it was just something that they bought in only because of the name, hadn't thought about them relabeling something else.

It's a ****** move, I don't know how you argue otherwise. Even having a beer that's brewed for you by a contract brewer - at least that's a specific recipe you're having made. Taking another beer and just changing the name on the tap, that's just crap.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Not to be confused with Water Street Brewery in Wisconsin which does brew their own beers.

 

[Jughead]

Living in true brew pub central. It's nice to have a "house" beer and know it came from onsite (cause you can see the fermenters usually) and ask questions about it, and get intelligent answers. But there is a lot of "contract" breweries around here that a number of restaurants use to make house brews. I'm sure it's a set recipe list that you can tweek a lil, but most of them are acceptable beers. I have called out some places for selling switched label brews. I had a "house" IPA in one place that tasted like Sierra Nevada. I asked the bartender, and he said "we just stick our own tap handle on random kegs and sell twice as much of it, I call BS. 95% of the public could give a S#^T, but us 5 percenters know the difference. It's all marketing, Oh and bars need to pour an honest pint! But that's another story.

 

[midfielder5]

For a suspicious "house" brew or other new beer to me, I will ask for a small sample before plunking down the cash. Especially if they cannot adequately describe it.

It is easier to do with a bartender then a table server, tho!
Had a pale ale at SFO International airport (i'd guess it was Gordon Biersch), and I bought it after the free sample. it was that or heineken

 

[alcibiades]

never heard of jungle jims, is it any good for beer?....if I'm going out for drinking beer, I'm going to the green leafe (they recently had Avery Maharaja on tap!), despite their poor food selection...

Interesting. I just find it odd that these guys can tout it as 'their' brew when it isnt, and tastes EXACTLY like Bud! I just hate being lied to!

alcibiades - Im in Williamsburg as well. If you stop by Jungle Jims by the Great Wolf lodge, Try their 'custom' brew, and tell me it isnt Budweiser!

 

[dougf]

never heard of jungle jims, is it any good for beer?....if I'm going out for drinking beer, I'm going to the green leafe (they recently had Avery Maharaja on tap!), despite their poor food selection...

Its horrible for beer, the food was ok though.

 

[alexdagrate]

Tasted like Killians to me.

Totally. When I worked at a restaurant/bar in Seattle, we had a dozen taps with nice micros and several imported german beers.

The owner found out that Killians was super cheap. He tried selling it for $1 a pint and we hardly sold any.

He renamed it our special house beer, upped the price, and it went like hotcakes.

Sleazy, but effective.

 

[DevilsCreekBrewing]

I live in a beer wasteland. The LCBO and The Beer Store control just about everything.

However, there is a local brewer, Grand River Brewing that has done house beers for The Golden Kiwi, the Argyle Arms, and the now defunct Castle on King. I really liked the Castle's beer, Executioner, in fact I preferred it to any of the regular beer by Grand River. The landlord of the Castle worked with Rob, brewer at Grand River to come up with a great recipe that he would like to drink, as well as sell. I think that a house beer can be a great thing to do, if done right.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I can understand a place wanting to have a house beer and rename it as their own. Nice restaurants have house wines, but I hate the idea of a place calling itself a brewpub and not brewing or fermenting on premises. Its effin' bull$hit.

I like the local chain brew pub that has a centralized brewhouse that makes wort and ships it to the restaurant/brew pubs in dairy trucks to ferment and serve.

Granite City: http://www.gcfb.net/

I prefer the local brew pubs that have the whole deal though.

 

[SwampassJ]

Totally. When I worked at a restaurant/bar in Seattle, we had a dozen taps with nice micros and several imported german beers.

The owner found out that Killians was super cheap. He tried selling it for $1 a pint and we hardly sold any.

He renamed it our special house beer, upped the price, and it went like hotcakes.

Sleazy, but effective.

The average consumer for any market is under educated on what they are buying and easily swayed into paying more. For example, people buying a laptop from bestbuy and paying their optimization scam, sorry I mean fee, to remove trial ware.

 

[Schlenkerla]

The average consumer for any market is under educated on what they are buying and easily swayed into paying more. For example, people buying a laptop from bestbuy and paying their optimization scam, sorry I mean fee, to remove trial ware.

Regarding the beer....Its the classic fallacy, it costs more so it must be better!

 

[BBKing]

I can understand a place wanting to have a house beer and rename it as their own. Nice restaurants have house wines, but I hate the idea of a place calling itself a brewpub and not brewing or fermenting on premises. Its effin' bull$hit.

I like the local chain brew pub that has a centralized brewhouse that makes wort and ships it to the restaurant/brew pubs in dairy trucks to ferment and serve.

Granite City: http://www.gcfb.net/

I prefer the local brew pubs that have the whole deal though.

I'm also a fan of Granite City though I didnt realize that they had their wort shipped to them like that.

Their wheat beer is by far my favorite.

 

[TheManes]

Sorry for the delay, here is what I found out from my Sam Adams rep:
Sometimes they will let a bar/restaurant sell Boston Ale under the bar's own label - whatever they want to call it. They allow this usually on some slower accounts to move more of their product. He also said that when he was with Coor's, they did the same thing with Killian's and Coor's Banquet (regular coor's). They don't charge anything, they just get an extra line out of it.

 

[dougf]

Awesome, thanks for the response. Its still BS what restaurants pull

 

[anson]

My first post and here it goes: You don't think they actually hand batter fresh fish for the fish and chips or smoke the baby back ribs in house in the majority of restaurants do ya? WE all know better, it's just another restaurant scam to increase their profit margin and capitalize on the craft beer movement, although it's the equivalent of house wine. And if the server can't answer a simple question about their 'house' beer, management either sucks or is indifferent about the staff's knowledge, a very bad sign. Stick with a good micro or get a free sample. Sorry for the rant, but it's up to us to be educated consumers. I assume that I am the only one with my best interest in mind

 

[olllllo]

Really? Your getting duped by Restaurants?

You all are quick to condemn the restaurant, but you should know that breweries, even craft breweries, market some of their beers to be sold this way at restaurants.

No one I've ever asked has tried to cover this up. Just ask, "Who Brews your house beer?" If they can't or won't tell you , why would you even consider ordering it?

About the only "house beer" that I know to be specially brewed for a select group of establishments (I'm sure there are more) is RR Publican which is brewed for Monks, Falling Rock, Brouwers, Horsebrass, and Toronado. http://www.publicannationalcommittee.com/

 

[MeatyPortion]

I'm at Granite City right now. I should show them this thread.

 

[olllllo]

Just to pull the covers back a bit more. Several chain brewpubs do not brew on premise. BJ, Rockbottom come to mind.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I'm at Granite City right now. I should show them this thread.

Granite City looks at brewing with equipment utilization. They find centralized wort making is more efficient and its best to ferment on premise. They brew in two shifts or 16 hours a day and fill multiple trucks with wort throughout the day. Its a pretty cool operation.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Granite City looks at brewing with equipment utilization. They find centralized wort making is more efficient and its best to ferment on premise. They brew in two shifts or 16 hours a day and fill multiple trucks with wort throughout the day. Its a pretty cool operation.

Yeah, I've seen the conical fermenters they have there. It's kind of interesting and the beer is decent and well-priced. Food's not bad either.