What makes a good beer restaurant?

I love having a large beer selection especially if it takes a notebook to list all the beers. In those cases I'd always go there whether or not the food is good.

 

Nonic/Imperial pint glass (or something similar), or tulip for a DIPA. If the bar isn't getting the glasses for free then yes, I wouldn't mind paying an extra $0.20 per beverage to account for any increased cost.

Obviously I don't want to pay more for less beer. It's reasonable to assume pricing will be commensurate with volume

 

Figured with you talking about spending $9 for a beer, it'd be a high ABV beer, which would normally mean a tulip glass, which would mean fewer ounces than a pint, which is why I wound up with my post.

 

Not trying to pile on, but do you often find pumpkin beers in January?

 

You need a good beer manager, whose job is to keep the line up fresh, the selection appropriate and to train the staff. I go into many 'tap' bars with a great selection and occasionally get a bad beer, either old or dirty lines or whatever. If the bartender simply offers to get me something else I'm happy (just like wine right). Don't try to convince me that it's supposed to taste that way and show off beer knowledge that you don't have.

I also see strange line ups, like mostly IPAs or mostly stouts, due to poor planning (excluding tap takeovers). I want a variety of beers from different styles.

So those first too can be covered with knowledgeable staff and management.

Also, IMO you don't need 40 taps to get a good selection, a dozen is more than enough. And keep the gimmicks to a minimum.

As far as food, I agree with one of the other posters, good classic bar food is much more preferable to me than fancy gastro stuff. I like to visit the gastro places but those aren't the places I choose to hang out in on a regular basis.

Good luck, I wish you the best.

 

As far as I'm concerned having a decent selection and a somewhat knowledgeable staff goes without saying, as does something like keeping your draft lines clean. Also, good food goes completely without saying. If your food sucks you could have had the best beers in the world, but I'm not staying beyond a few rounds at the bar. As such, I will add these three areas of importance to the conversation.

1.) Offer good beers on tap, not just bottles. Maybe it's all in my head, but I much prefer draft beer to bottled/canned beer. Going to a restaurant that boasts a huge beer selection only to find out the selection is mainly in bottles, blows. You don't have to buy super rare kegs of stuff, but have some solid craft stuff available in draft pours.

2.) Freshness of product. The obvious stuff like having Oktoberfest on tap in February is a no brainer. But also, that collection of bottles in the bottom level of the low boy fridge behind the bar should be swept clean of old product on the regular (not just IPA's either. A stale pilsner is pure rubbish too).

3.) Update your damn website. If you can update your food menu online, you can update your beer menu. In 2014, on a night out with friends/loved ones, a final decision on where to eat dinner may be made when I look up what's on tap on my phone.

 

1. good selection of beers.
2. good food
3. a menu that suggests beers to pair with food
4. knowledgeable staff to steer you correctly if you're undecided.

 

First and foremost, you need someone running the bar that is passionate, personable, and able to educate. Both staff and patrons.
In the restaurant setting, a small portion of your patrons are actually going to be beer geeks. So having someone that can educate your staff and be around to talk to people about the product will go a long way.
Behind that, the food as to be good. If the food sucks, people will go to a real restaurant, and drink something less sought after by us beer geeks.
And lastly, clean lines. Don't call yourself a beer bar, and serve beer thru bad lines. Simple enough.

Other than that, if you serve inferior beer, than people will let you know. Listen to your customers.

 

This man knows what he's talking about thru experience.

 

Its become clear that we all need variety, knowledge, and freshness. How about the atmosphere? I read a few people say that they rarely drink when they "go out to dinner." Lets say were talking about a pub(beverage focused) that liked to serve quality food. The kind of place people would go to eat not looking entirely to have a few beers. What should the atmosphere of a place like that be? Sports on TV? Music? Bottle selection? Beer memorabilia all over the walls, or class it up? I like a place that covers both ends of the spectrum. Dont have to eat there, but can eat well if Im hungry. I think Breakside Brewing in Portland does this as well as anywhere I have been. Thoughts?

 

Tapas

 

Often? No, but it happens. I've also seen plenty of old pumpkin beers kicking around on store shelves

 

not at alll lol

 

Offer a pint of any beer they brew, along with a cheeseburger and fries for 5 dollars on a Monday and I will think that is a GREAT beer restaurant.

 

Make it easy for people to know what's on draft - post online, or update BeerMenu, etc - keep it up to date. Have a wide range without gaps as much as possible - ABV range, style range, etc -

On the restaurant side - have interesting small fare plates - not typical bar grub

 

All great points Jack. To these I would add:

-You need a good "beer" manager. This person should understand distribution in the area, have a finger on the pulse of what beer drinkers want, and have the connections to acquire them. Also this person needs to educate the staff. The staff does not need to know the difference between bottom and top fermenting beers, but they should at least be versed somewhat on flavor profiles and what's on tap/special. Make sure that if they have questions, ask. Nothing is worse then having the person serving you telling you an untruth that could quickly be resolved with a quick google or local at the menu. Every time I eat out, I tend to order beer. I was in SoCal a little while ago and the menu mentioned "Ask your server about our local beer offerings". When I prompted the server about this, I was told their local was "some Rogue IPA in a 22oz bottle". I did not order any beer at this establishment.

-Good food. I know there are many that will come even if the food is not spectacular, but why stop short? Good beer and good food go hand in hand. Personally, living in Philadelphia, I have a wealth of delicious food and beer options available. More often than not, the places with the best combination of beer and food win my limited spending money. Good food also gives us beer lovers an excuse for going to a certain beer bar for beer under the guise of good food; "but honey, you love their duck confit tacos".

-Rotating taps. I know you mentioned it above, but I really think this needs to be stressed. Having some good house beers is great, but people love new. Going into a "beer bar" one week only to return 3 weeks later to the same selection is not always the most appealing. I think bottle selection is important but not pertinent. Keep it simple and keep things that will move and things that are fine with age. Also the mention of your server pouring it for you...I cannot stand it. If I spend +$10 on a bottle of some good, I usually want to pour it myself, though I may be in the minority here; giving the consumer an option solves both these problems.

-Reasonable prices. Great beer is a gift and should be shared. Restaurants already make a large profit margin on alcohol sales, and I don't enjoy the feeling of being fleeced for a "special pint". For example, a local place had 120 Minute on tap; only charging $9 for a 10oz pour. This is a bar I will be guaranteed to return to. Another option for these "rare" beers is limiting the pour size. Just a few weeks ago I "walked" out of a bar after drinking 5oz of Sucaba, 5oz of Sweet Repute, and 5oz of Bourbon Black costing me $10.50 in total. I also think you'd

-Specials that make sense for the consumer and the bar. I know a lot of bars that will offer weekly specials, and they usually involve something along the lines of $3.50 DFH 60 on Wednesday nights. While this special may be good, that DFH 60 will probably move with or without specials, some beers just will not. A local bar does "keg kicker" specials. They offer up a beer or two each night for $3 a pint. It helps the bar clear their lines for more beers (rotating taps), and entices the consumer to try a brew they may not have tried before. Most of the time these beers aren't too rare or hard to find, but sometimes they like to treat their customers, for example at the beginning of winter they had a '12 Black Chocolate Stout on the keg kicker special.

-A chalkboard/menu with available beers and at least their ABV is a huge plus, but I'd also consider beer "menus". These give names, styles, abv, and other pertinent beer information. My local beer garden produces a new one every so couple days that includes a "next up" list. When one of the kegs on tap kicks, they cross it off the list and check a box next to a beer on the "next up" list indicating that it is on tap. This is one of the only places I have frequented regularly where I have never ordered a beer to only be rebuffed that the keg was kicked.

I could continue writing, but I'll stop there. Whenever the question of customer service or returning customer's comes to mind, I often harken back to this Maya Angelou quote: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”...I guess we should add the caveat that beer lovers also will never forget what you had on tap and how knowledgeable your staff is.

 

What Andy Warhol referred to as 'Atmosphere.' It's really important, cos a beer serving foodhole should be comforting and welcomes people in to spend time, and some money with you.
But on top of that.
Chill management that loves beer, and is probably cicerone certified. i.e. no ball busters or micro management freaks.
A bar crew that loves good beer and is serious about it. i.e. cicerone certified, or ready to be.
clean lines.
Foh crew that knows their shit, loves beer and actually works with boh.
boh crew that likes foh crew, loves beer, and can kick ass and take names when you get busy, and not screw up when you get slow.
Food that goes well with beer.
Beer that goes well with food.
People who like music handling the music.
What makes a really good place? Owners who take care of their staff.

 

A thing that I have liked lately is the tablet with the drink menu on it. Not sure of the scale your trying to achieve but this option is cool. You go through all the types of drinks and when you tap on the specific drink it gives a description. This will give you the out so the staff doesn't have to be a beer, wine, mixed drink, and anything else expert.

I also think that less is better with rotating bottles and buying smaller kegs. No point in buying a 1/2 barrel for a beer or 3 cases that will take over a month to sell when you can get two or three different beers in to change the rotation. I think some places get to caught up in having 10+ taps and 50+ bottles but no one drinks 2/3 of the selection.

Food pairing is a great idea too. I like being able to get different appetizers too. Soft cheese with crackers and olives or something different than just fried food.

 

I love a bar/bar-restaurant that has a large chalkboard menu. Something I would stress here is some level of organization, either by brewery or by style. I think this takes some pressure off of staff and allows the entire party to peruse the selection at once. I would think this also decreases any production costs/time recirculating an updated menu (however little they may be). Don't hesitate to throw some color in there.

 

I am sure I am going to be in the minority on this, but you asked for opinions from everyone, so:

Class it up. I go to restaurants to eat first and foremost, so the food has got to be good. If you've got TV's all over the place, beer memorabilia all over the walls, an "authentic Irish band" covering Dave Matthews songs, I know your food is going to be crap. Don't get me wrong, heavy, greasy, overly cheesed, fried stuff has it's place in my life, but rarely am I going to dinner for such things (those are usually reserved for 2 AM pizza places/taco trucks/hot dog joints/etc.). So the "pub grub" type joints aren't usually my cup of tea. If I'm going to an actual sit down dinner the food has got to kick ass. Now, if you're shooting to really nail the pub grub stuff and I mean really nail it with fresh fish and fresh chips for the Brit beer drinker, homemade sausages for German, Irish and Italian food lovers, an authentic pierogie dish for the Polish couple that comes in, more power to you, but you gotta nail it and nail it right. If I see "Grandma's Traditional Chicken Parm Sandwich" or "Tex Mex potato skin sizzlers" on the menu I'm having a couple of pints and walking the fuck out. If that's your gig, cool, you'll probably do fine with it providing you have the right location. Moreover, the collecting of beer cans all over the wall will probably work, as will the 19 50" TV's. Again, depends on the type of joint you're going for. I'm commenting from the point of view of a guy who knows how to cook fairly well, goes out to eat to get things he can't make/things he doesn't have the equipment to make/things that are new and exciting to the culinary world. I am also speaking from the point of view of a guy with a 21 month year old son, who rarely gets a night out with his wife so when he does he doesn't mind plunking down coin for a great meal. As such, take all of this with a grain of salt.