Last Call for the Beer Bar?

I've never been a big bar person. With the exception of visiting Surly Goat in West Hollywood when they have vintage Parabola or Fremont stuff on tap i never understood paying the price of half a pack for 1 pour of something

 

It might be interesting to start a thread with a poll on BAs preferences on going to Brewery Taprooms vs. Craft Beer Bars.

Prior to the pandemic I would go to a variety of local craft beer bars. While being shutdown for an extended period of time I have found that after being allowed to 'go outside' I have been going predominantly to Brewery Taprooms vs. Craft Beer Bars with no conscious thought here. Maybe just a situation that I am fortunate to have so many high quality small, local craft breweries (with associated taprooms) nearby?

Cheers!

 

There aren't terribly many "beer bars" billed as such near me - a Yard House downtown is the only thing that jumps out as an example, and it doesn't exactly specialize in rarities, imports, or the like. There are some odd niche places, like Taste of Belgium carrying 12+ quality Belgian imports on tap at all times, though it's primarily a waffle restaurant as opposed to a bar.

That said, the better bottle shops around here typically have 20+ taps now, and serve pints while one browses plus growler fills to go. Seems to be a lucrative business model.

 

Hanging out with friends and not having to worry about cleaning your house, people watching, meeting new people, picking up chicks, etc.

 

Yea i get that. But we kids from South Central/ Inglewood . We drank in the projects or in alleys
. Now we're old and married and shit . I do frequent taprooms because of the choice of not having to pay for a full ass pour of something you may hate. 4oz 8oz and 16oz options are the shit. Have met and chatted with new people but that's fun for small time

I understand everyone's different and i don't wish for bars to disappear.

One thing i wish for though is baby/kid free taprooms. Make it stop

 

I didn’t think about this aspect but very true and I see it happening here as well. One of my favorite bottle shops usually has a half dozen taps which in my area of Mid-Michigan is as much “craft” beer as you will see on tap at any given place that’s not a brewery. So, I really have no good reason to frequent a bar at this time. Overall, like others have said, I feel I’m more inclined to visit a brewery in general as opposed to a bar. Cheers.

 

Glendale Tap ain’t bad either for vintage CA stouts and Barleywines… cheers

 

They can screw themselves.
You seen what happened when the people of color exercising their rights as citizens showed up??
Never setting foot in that place ever.


Thanks for the advice tho. Cheers!!

 

I hadn't really thought about it until this thread started, but nowadays my default in-person "go to" is a brewery rather than a bar. The prices are lower, the servers are generally more knowledgeable, and the beer is fresher. Plus there are probably fewer people in your immediate vicinity (thank you, COVID-19). I'm not sure this is a good thing, but it's one more example of the ways that the pandemic has changed our lives.

 

One thing i forgot to mention.
Servers at the taprooms i frequent always suggest having their beers at the taproom as oposed to a bar. They touch on freshness, proper keg storage and temperature factors all of which the taproom wins in.
Sucks for business/ bar owners but they know the risks and all and i HOPE they have a plan B

 

I have only been to breweries to have a beer since re opening. I’m sure I will get to a bar at some point but $6 fresh pours at a small local spot is much better for me than a bar.

Enjoy

 

I’m not down for $20 burgers and truffle fries (which seem to go in hand with craft beer bars). Either way, umm, shit…I dunno anymore.

 

There was no place in the entire world that I would rather drink a beer at than Falling Rock. I will certainly miss that place.

 

There is plenty of room for a solid beer bar if they provide good service and products at a reasonable price. I prefer draft and cask conditioned beer over bottles/cans, so I continue to try to both breweries and solid craft beer bars in addition to beers I bring home.

Any time I head to a new city, I always check out what craft beer bars and breweries are available. Special places like The Silver Stamp (Las Vegas), San Diego Tap Room (Pacific Beach), ChurchKey (DC), HopLeaf and The Beer Temple (Chicago) do such a great job curating their selections and always having great offerings that these types of places should remain in business (baring continued shut downs, the reason a few places in the news article cited for closing), and will always be among the first places I visit.

I agree general places with a few local and regional beers, not well curated, places with bad lines, stale kegs or service, places with nothing special to offer will have a harder time hanging on in this climate. And I don't go to or understand the 60-100 tap places, not sure how any of it can stay fresh/turnover.

In terms of Breweries and their Tap Rooms, many breweries brew bad beer. I'd peg 40-60% + should close for the long term health of the beer community. Four breweries recently opened closest to my home since COVID, and they are either terrible or mediocre at best (at least for non haze or pastry stouts, which they mostly brew and I don't drink). Many young drinkers stick with or switch to seltzer, because Americans eat and drink a lot of sweet products, and seltzer is consistent like pop, unlike the hit or miss haze/pastry beers that are common today.

 

Aren't brewery tap rooms just tied house beer bars? Isn't it ultimately a question of quality, variety, and general vibe?

I am sure that the explosion of breweries (offering fresher and cheaper beers often) has eaten into demand for dedicated beer bars, as has the permeating of craft beer into the mainstream to the point that many dives or sports bars carry a taplist that serves the beer needs of casual drinkers. But (like @ChicagoJ said) if a venue is willing to make the effort to offer something special then I definitely still see a niche that can be filled.

My favorite local beer bar may not be a daily drinker spot due to prices but it does offer beer that cannot be had any where else. They currently have sours on from cantillon, fantome, and Russian River. A Pohalla stout that is insanely good, several vintage imperial stouts, Sierra Nevada porter, and just kicked a taras boulba keg. They also have a rotating slew of ipas from highly regarded breweries as well as great selection of European imports and classic styles from exceptional domestic breweries.

On top of that the bartenders are all top notch and extremely well informed and seem genuinely into beer and the other patrons you encounter at the bar are generally an interesting lot. Certainly not as much beer for my buck as I could get at a local taproom or at some other local bars, but absolutely unique and exceptional offerings that are worth it to me regularly

 

It's more serious than I realized guys!

Denver Shuts Down Bar for Operating Without a Brewery

 

Really would be a shame to lose all craft beer bars. I love popping into them for a pour of something I'd have to otherwise drive 30 minutes across town to get, or to get a pour of a limited bottle that I may not otherwise want to buy. It helps to try hyped beer, whereas a bottle may carry an extremely high trade value or sell out instantly, but remains on tap for a day or two.

I do spend a majority of my draft beer money at breweries, but I will gladly visit one local craft beer bar. The owner does a good job of keeping real local taps on, and getting some really great distro stuff too.

Emphasis on local, because those beers are made within the city metropolitan area.

 

I think craft beer bars are going to struggle going forward if the beer is the primary focus of the business, it needs to be a quality restaurant first and foremost with a high quality craft beer taplist as secondary to survive.

 

You do know the Onion is a comedic journalist site and not real?