Beer prejudice at restaurants?

[user 7154]

It's seriously laughable. I've never heard of Guiness being described as a "Special Premium Import" before...or for $4.25!!

$4. 25 for a Guinness? Do you think that is expensive? That's on the low to average price in NY. Hell, the local bar sells Bud in a bottle for just a little less.

 

[brewt00l]

It was La Croix at the Rittenhouse. After dinner, it was a quick cab ride down to Monk's for dessert, so that made up for the lack of beer while eating. :rockin:

I dunno about when you went but Lacroix has a liquor license, which likely doesn't permit them to allow you to bring beer on premises.

Course, you made up for that just fine w/ desert

 

[torgan]

In Omaha it kind of varies. Obviously the main stream Applebee's, Chili's and such are strictly BMC, however some of the local restaurants seem to understand and appreciate the varied and vast selection of beers and have a tendency to stock while not a lot of them, a decent selection, which more cases than not will satisfy a more discerned palate.

We also have a few specialty restaurants that cater to beer snobs such as myself. One the Dundee Dell is famous for its vast selection of beers from around the world. It also has a very large selection of Scotch, Whiskey's, and more recently a great selection of Tequila.

The owners/managers are very nice people too, and are more than willing to assist in pairing food with beers. If you ever get to Omaha you should definately check it out. http://www.dundeedell.com/

 

[katja]

Rural PA is sort of a different story - in addition to the big three, we have Lager, the yeungling lager, which is on tap at any and every establishment. Only at a sushi bar will the waitress not understand when someone simply asks for "lager, please". Maybe it's the PA german thing, but I don't ever have trouble finding a fair selection of respectable micros & imports. In my town we have an Irish pub with a truly spectacular tap & bottle selection and another place that has a revolving beer menu that even shows the new beers they will be bringing in.

 

[llazy_llama]

One of the good things I've found about my new home (Rapid City, South Dakota) is a little place called the Firehouse. It's an old fire station that's been converted into a brewpub. They've only got 9 original brews, and they rotate in availability, but every one of them is amazing. All of their waiters are able and willing to suggest which of their beers will pair well with your meal. Oh, and they have an ale gorgonzola soup that is just... well... it's beer and cheese. You figure it out

 

[dogfishandi]

a lot of brewpubs and even simple restaurants are begining to have rotating taps, meaning when they run out of one beer they get a whole differnet beer. most of them have anywhere from 5 to 30 microbrews on tap. almost all of them have the good beer on tap and the macros in bottles which i think is great. by the way im from buffalo ny.

 

[Loweface]

$4. 25 for a Guinness? Do you think that is expensive? That's on the low to average price in NY. Hell, the local bar sells Bud in a bottle for just a little less.

that's still cheaper than here!!!

 

[0202]

back to economics.
15.5 Gallon Keg of Bud is $99.00 sell a pint for $4 equals $$$$$
15.5 Gallon Keg of Langunitas pale ale is $169.00 Sell a Pint for $4 equals $$

More money in BMC -vs - Craft brews. Simple.

I think the issue is that there is a large and growing crowd of people who
would gladly spend the money for a proper beer selection when they go out.
I don't expect restaurants that cater to bud drinkers to start carrying Stone,
but it would be nice to see more places that DO cater to people that want
to drink craft beers.

To be fair, in the two metro areas I've lived in there have been no lack of
places with a 100+ beer selection. I don't think I've ever even had time to
read the whole list at Brickstore

 

[dontman]

Where did you go in Philly that was BYOB but wouldn't allow beer?

I won't let a beer menu dictate where I eat. I would would enjoy the meal, and possibly go to a better place afterwards. UNO's Chicago Pizzeria is a chain with mediocre food and excellent beer though.

I was wondering the same. You know what doesn't count in this "no beer" byo policy? 22 ozers. Those are treated more like wine. I took a couple Iron Hill champagne corked 22 ozers to the LaCroix and they didn't bat an eye.

LaCroix is not really a byo in the traditional sense though. It has a liquor license yet allows you to bring bottles in.

One of the things I love the most about Philly is that there are so many excellent BYO restaurants. Not just 5 or 10 or a couple dozen. But probably a couple hundred. Really good restaurants. + I get to bring my own homebrew. FTW!

True there also some good taprooms and brewpubs but I hate to pay 3-400% markup for beer or wine. I am very much spoiled by BYO.

The wife and I ate dinner at the Fountain at the Four Seasons last weekend and the tab with wine was $540. (yes, for two) $260 of that was wine! Never asked about beer.

By contrast last month we went to Marigold in University City and the tab was $240. This meal was better than the Fountain meal.

I've gotten to the point where I hate to find out that a restaurant has a liquor license.

 

[babalu87]

Oh, major props to the Red Robbin chain. The last time I was in there, they had Red Hook Long Hammer IPA, Stella, and Fat Tire on tap. Not amazing beers by any stretch, but good enough for a burger joint.

+1

The kids love the place and the beer selection makes it a good outing

 

[mmb]

I always have to bit my tongue when you ask the wait staff what beers they have and they reply something like "everything" or "too many to list" then rattle off 20 different types of American Standard or Light Lager.

I always want to answer the "everything" with "GREAT! I'll have a Westvleteren 12 please and I'll pay extra to keep the bottle and cap."

My wife would kill me, though.

 

[remilard]

I always have to bit my tongue when you ask the wait staff what beers they have and they reply something like "everything" or "too many to list" then rattle off 20 different types of American Standard or Light Lager.

I always want to answer the "everything" with "GREAT! I'll have a Westvleteren 12 please and I'll pay extra to keep the bottle and cap."

My wife would kill me, though.

I try not to be a dick and I have the choice of where I eat but I have a hard time with this too. Often they will say something like "What do you want, we probably have it" and really that approach is not going to work. Rather than answering with what I want I answer with a few things I think they might have that I wouldn't mind.

My wife and I both like beer though so we eat like 90% at places with a good selection.

 

[penguinfogel]

What's so unromantic and wrong about dinner at pubs? I'd rather go spend $30+ for a meal for 2 and a pitcher at Boones Treasury, then head up to fancier places and drink soda, cause lets face it wines nasty and inferior

 

[SumnerH]

Great beer is showing up at a lot of wine restaurants. I just had my anniversary dinner; the place is noted as a wine bar, but there were at least 20 Belgians on the beer menu (along with tons of other stuff, but I was in the mood for a Belgian--I noticed Dogfish 120 was the priciest at $20/bottle).

I wound up drinking a St Bernardus Abt 12 and a Rochefort #10 with dinner. They had Arrogant Bastard on tap along with at least a half-dozen other intriguing selections; I'll definitely be going back: Bilbo Baggins Global Restaurant 208 Queen Street, Old Towne, Alexandria, VA 22314 703-683-0300

Probably more than half of our favorite restaurants have at least 10 micro/craft options either in bottles or on tap.

 

[rico567]

It's an uphill battle at some places. We were in an old, very highly regarded local restaurant last night...but one I never happen to have been in in the 40 years we've lived here. Great food, awesome wine list......and no beer listed on any menu. When we ask the waitress about beer, she said "We've got some great beer.....but bottles only." Right there, I had a good idea of what was coming. The usual BMC pisswater, three or four Euros (Heineken, Peroni, Stella- the BMC of Europe), and Sam, Goose Island, Anchor Steam. My wife had the Goose Island Oatmeal Stout, I had the Anchor Steam. Everybody else I could see in the room we were in was drinking wine.

I think you just have to ask, and make diplomatic suggestions that they really need to broaden their beverage horizons.

 

[penguinfogel]

Anchor sounds like a awesome choice to me. It's deffinatly up there on my list of beers I enjoy. I just found out about a local place in Salem that lets its customers suggest its beers. The owner doesn't drink, so he has no clue what tastes good, therefor he relies on everyone else. He runs a rotating tap, and usually doent run a beer for more then three kegs, and I think the average price is around $5 a pint. He also has an awesome selection of bombers to choose from although they tend to all be 9% apv and up.