Why do restaurants neglect beer?

And yet, the places that commit to it, find it works. The article had many examples as did the comments and this thread. And I can name some too.

 

I went to Euclid Hall in Denver last week. VERY beer-centric.... while the menu doesn't pair beers specifically, just ask the server and they will tell you what goes..... they are good (Matt Smith was excellent). They have a small but stellar taplist, and many bottles, including a "rarities" section. FreshCraft in Denver was good also.

http://euclidhall.com/

 

Two weeks ago, went to one of the nicer restaurants in my town ordered grilled lamb chops. With the appetizers of sauteed crab claws I ordered a Sierra Nevada, then had to ask for a glass. When my entree came out I quietly mentioned wish I had a Dubbel...the waiter heard me, asked if I wanted another beer and I told him they did not have what I wanted. Killer wine list and wine by the glass though. Guess beer connoisseurs need to start writing to establishments letting them know that a good beer list is just as important as a good wine list.

 

In my experience as well this is key. Just having a few beers printed on the menu isn't commitment. Commitment is offering a selection of good beers based on both their desirability and their "pairability" with good food.

 

Yeah I'm just not feeling the sentiment of this thread. There are many options for well prepared and presented food and wonderful beer these days if you do your research.
I think that it is unreasonable for us today to expect as standard at most "nicer" restaurants six craft beers and a semi-deep bottle list (specifically selected to pair with the menu). That may never happen. But take advantage of what you do have.

 

I have dreams about their calzones

 

Thanks for reminding me of this post. While in Copenhagen I had better pizza than I ever had in California. Fucking Copenhagen. Why can't anyone in California make pizza right?

 

What about California Pizza Kitchen?

But seriously I'm not that surprised that Copenhagen has good pizza. Such a big part of making a great pizza is using fresh, quality ingredients, which Europe has in spades. None of that sweet tomato sauce you see all over the place here. I've had some really awesome pizza in Amsterdam too.

 

I don't really think Italy has better tomatoes than the US, they're from south America! California grows asstons of great tomatoes. Plus I can great good pizza from 3 different places in my hometown in RI, population 10k. I think that Californians just don't understand/appreciate/demand good pizza, there's no other explanation for the abominations that most places make.

 

The lack of quality pizza in southern California is probably a function of a lack of Italian immigrant communities there; that have traditionally existed in Baltimore, Philly, New York, Connecticut, Boston and in cities in the midwest like Cleveland all which have great pizza. But hey you want bright sunshine 12 months a year AND a great pie?

 

Some of the best pizza I had was in Croatia

 

Yeah both of these are really good points, but I'm not sure this can be limited to California specifically, this is probably true of most of the country. You probably wouldn't expect to get a great pizza in Wyoming but you would expect to get one in California because it's just as big and cosmopolitan as NY or Chicago, but maybe lacks the right people/culture to make it happen.

 

I just don't think that when you think of a culinary or food destination in California... the last thing on your radar is pizza.

That's it in a nutshell, when.... you can have so much else...

 

Add Auburn Thai Garden to the list,

they have 45+ beers on and off the menu, yeah that's not a misprint 45. They currently serve 12 of the top 100 on their list, for example; Pliny, sculpin ipa, abyss, parabola, supplication, temptation, speedway, beer geek brunch, consecration, stone Ris, rochefort 10 and more!

Auburn Thai Garden
175 palm avenue
Auburn, CA 95603

www.auburnthai.com
(530) 887-8696

 

100% right on!

 

I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I think the main reason beer has never been associated with fine food here in Belgium is basically a marketing/budget problem. There isn't a massive gap between what we call "special beers" (risking generalization: pretty much any ale) as opposed to the "lager-swilling masses", but the craft beer scene is tiny here when compared to the US or other European countries, especially when you look at our presumed status as "greatest beer country in the world".

The only brewery that actively promotes food pairing with their beers (sadly) is AB InBev, mostly with their Leffe series. Most beer geek tourists I've met are actually stumped by how little advertising you see for beer as opposed to wine and spirits. The only two regions in Belgium that have beer-themed restaurants are Brussels (probably the most stereotypically "Belgian" city, at least according to what most foreigners perceive as such) and Western Flanders (obviously including Bruges AKA the biggest tourist trap in Europe). Those regions also have the highest density of craft brewers by a considerable margin, which I don't see as a coincidence.

I think the abundance of craft brewers in a certain area is a good yardstick for the "love of beer" in general, which is also reflected in beer-food concepts. Thankfully, the scene is expanding here and there are a few fine restaurants that have a great beer list now. I can see beer becoming the hippest trend in gastronomy in the next few years. I mean, just look at the pioneer work: Noma has its own beer, and lots of 3-star restaurants are knocking on microbrewers' doors now. Can't wait to see what comes out in the next few years!

 

It was a relatively slow process for good wine to find its way into all restaurants, not just the fancy ones. Just as it has taken time for the craft beer movement to gain acceptance and followers, craft beer into restaurants will take time. Hopefully craft beer enthusiasts will let the restaurants know what they are looking for with their wallets. The trend for better restaurants to carry better beer is already underway, even if those restaurants only carry bottles. And there aren't many better restaurants that I can think of that sell draft beer to begin with because I believe draft beer still has that working class stigma. Be patient.

 

Eleven Madison Park in New York is a high-end restaurant that has a good beer list, including their own beer that was brewed especially for them by Brooklyn Brewery. Never had the beer, but I hear its quite nice ! Albeit pricey.

 

I'm from Philly and back in the 90s our city got the nickname "Brussels on the Schuylkilll (river)" in the US craft beer community due to the relatively wide availability of Belgian beer in the city; something other US cities didn't have. Back then my favorite hang out was a Belgian restaurant named Cuvee Notre Dame (sadly closed). It was there that I not only got more into Belgian beer but "Cuisine a la Bieres" and Belgian cooking generally such as moules fritte, and chicken waterzooi. So it was from this experience that I thought beer and food in Belgium were more naturally a pairing partner. Not that I thought that this necessarily carried over to fine dining as well but I was surprised by your post that there's little beer-food connection across the country; outside Brussels and West Flanders.

 

There are actually very few dishes that are intrinsically linked with beer. Only the stuff that tourists think we eat every day (like steak or moules frites, since both steaks and mussels are stupidly expensive), are usually paired with a beer. Usually a basic one, like Hoegaarden or a simple pilsner.