What makes a good Beer Bar?
What makes a good beer bar quantity, quality, price or the atmosphere?
Lets start with quantity. How many beers does it take to make a desirable list? While most might agree that 20 beers is hardly a big list but what about 50 well chosen beers? When you consider that even a basic list of the styles of beers consists of around 25 styles a list of 50 would only be two of each style we obviously need a wider selection. How about 100? That seems to me to be a decent starting point. If well chosen you could represent most variations within the 25 basic styles. Of course when you expand the styles out to the sub styles you are only getting about 1 per style. So if 100 is the minimum quantity to be a good beer bar then 200 is where things start to get interesting. Now we can enjoy the difference of a Scottish Light 60/- verse a Heavy 70/- or the distinct difference of an English IPA vs. an American IPA. When you get a list of 400 or more you are getting close to beer nirvana. And where does the Holy Grail lie? I would say in the rarefied world of 1000 beers. That is a list that truly puts a smile on a Beer lovers face and a whole in their wallet. Of course quantity is nothing without quality.
So lets look at quality. There are three main things in regard to quality. First is the beer on the list. While a list of 200 beers sounds great if 60% of it is average at best then you really only have 80 beers that might be good. Eighty beers hardly represents a huge selection to beer lover. So lets assume a good beer list needs at least 80% of the beer to be good quality or better. Everyone will have there own criteria of what a good beer may be. For some it may be Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for others it might be Stone IPA. But it is unlikely to be Budweiser American Ale. Second we need to make sure the list is accurate. If you ask for a beer and get an “I’m sorry we don’t have that anymore” what is the point of it being on the list. While it is reasonable for places to run out of beer (especially seasonal and special beers) it is reasonable for us the patrons to expect an up to date list. If more than 1 in 20 beers is not available then the establishment is letting us down. Last is the actual beer. What is worse than ordering a great beer having it brought to you and it being off? Now while this is bound to happen on occasion if it is a regular occurrence (any more than 1 in 20 seems unreasonable) then they obviously have a problem with their setup. I would rather have a list of 200 beers in their prime vs. 400 with a large portion that have been there for years and no longer taste good. While the odd beer will go off the establishment should at a minimum swap the beer for another without giving you any lip (yes I know that an IPA has a strong taste just not of dirty socks). Any less is unacceptable to a beer lover.
The third thing is a hard one to deal with and that is price. Our financial situation will be unique to us. For some dropping a $20 on a single beer is not that big a deal. Of course dropping a $20 on a 12 oz Founders Breakfast Stout is a bit pricy. As a rule of thumb for me if it is twice what I could by it in a store it is overpriced simple as that.
Last on the list is atmosphere. We all have unique taste so what I like may not appeal to you and vice versa. What I look for is a chilled laid-back atmosphere. I prefer smoke free and with out loud music. Yes I may be getting old but I am hear to enjoy beer with friends so I want to be able to talk, savor the flavors of the beer and not feel rushed or crowded. I am not hear to shout, have all my beers taste like Rauchbier and be pushed around in the mad rush to the restrooms. Oh and the right glass is definitely appreciated. Frosted mugs need not apply.
Am I missing anything? Probably but these are the criteria I would rate a beer bar on. So based on this I would rather go somewhere that has 50 high quality beers in good condition at a reasonable price where I can relax than somewhere with 500 average quality beers in poor condition with many out of stock and all overpriced in a smoke filled crowded establishment. I will leave it up to you to think about your requirements for what makes a good beer bar.
Now what about a brewpub or a taproom? Check back in a few days to find out.
