"Would you like to see the beer list?" may sound like a silly question, until you realize how serious some restaurants are taking their beer selections these days. I recently had dinner at a restaurant in San Francisco called The Monk's Kettle, which actually suggests beer pairings alongside its entrees. Good thing, too, since the intimidating beer menu features more than 100 brews.
The whole experience really made me appreciate the rich variety of beer and how the different flavors complement certain foods β something I usually only think about with wine. Extensive beer lists, and the pairing of those beers with food, are definitely growing trends in restaurants, so to hear more about it, read more.
One of the quickfire challenges on this season of Top Chef had the cheftestants creating dishes to pair with beer, and the trend isn't limited to TV shows.
One beer aficionado in New York City has created an entire website, called Beer Menus, devoted to spotlighting beer lists at restaurants and bars. Places like Monk's Kettle in SF and Beerbistro in Toronto focus on acquiring a wide variety of brews and cooking dishes to match. Some restaurants are even hiring beer sommeliers to handle the task.
What do you think about this trend? Do you appreciate a good beer list? Do you ever think about pairing beer with food? Have you been to any of the restaurants following this trend?
Ben Sherman
i would LOVE to learn to better pair my beer with my meals! i definitely appreciate a good beer selection. =)
1Me too, llendril...I'm not always in the mood for it, but I love beer. And I love trying different kinds. My father and husband always bring home different brands and unique flavors to try.
2That sounds like my kind of restaurant. I love beer. I don't drink wine except on holidays.
3unfortunatly for beer most americans think of budwieser and coors when they hear beer, and think thats what all beers are like. When in this country alone there are some pretty amaizing micro-brews, and different varities that go well with anything, not to mention some amaizing imports that you can find at most liquor stores if you know where to look.
4I love restaurants and bars with huge beer selections and i especially love when the chef or beer sommelier recommends beer pairing with a meal. It's almost surprising how a great beer can really bring out the flavor of food.
5I am totally all over this.
6I wish all the people who loved Bud Light would go to a place with beer lists and expand their palates a bit. I drank BL over the weekend and UGH.
7I consider myself a beer snob just like some people consider themselves wine snobs. I LOVE good beer. We went to a beer and cheese tasting and tasting all of the different combinations was great. This is a great idea!
8i'm used to seeing beer lists at places that brew their own...but i think that it's a great change from the usual wine list cause sometimes you just don't want wine paired with your meal, and an amstel isn't the best 'go to' to match with your dish.
9There have been beer list restaurants here forever now I feel like. Guess we are just ahead of the times!
I have even been to beer pairing dinners. They are super fun!
10I love a good beer. My all time favorite is Troegs. My boyfriend got me hooked on it. Anytime we go to a new restaurant and there is a list of beers, we both pick out something different just to try it out. To go somewhere with a list of 100+ would be amazing.
Also, I like the idea of meal and beer pairings. Usually, the waiter/waitress can give you a recommendation, but listing them in the menu is also a good idea.
11I love it when I hear someone say something like, "I like a good heavy beer, like Guinness."
Uh, Guinness has like 3% alcohol. Try a beer with 8-11%, that's what is considered heavy!
12Beer, ick.
13@esk4: not all americans, only white trash and college kids.
And i have seen tons of restaurants with beer lists, but never the matching. i love microbreweries where they offer a sample pack!
14MMM!!!beer...
15I generally don't drink beer in restaurants, but I still like it when restaurants give me a lot of drink options.
My favorite theater, which happens to serve food, has an extensive beer list that rivals most beer pubs in town. Movies and beer...there is nothing better.
16If you're in Washington, DC try Brasserie Beck, they have an extensive menu of beers. Birreria Paradiso also has a nice selection.
17http://www.beersuggest.com/
18I love a good beer and my DH and I like to try new ones whenever possible. And when we travel its always a plus if there is a brewery along the way because we are so there!
19This is such a good idea -- it would promote local brands.
20I love this. I'm much more of a beer drinker than a wine drinker so I appreciate this much more than a wine list. I love to try new ones whenever possible.
21Theyre all over europe, especially belgium or holland, even the uk...
22Here in Philly we have Monk's Cafe, a Belgium Beer Emporium and Restaurant. They have a Bible of 200 beers from all over the world as well as 25 Belgian beers on tap . And the food is amazing. They have won many awards, including a trade magazine that listed them as one of "The Top 10 Places in the World to Have a Beer Before You Die."
23me and my boyfriend try as many beers as possible, especially when we're out dining. i actually prefer beer to wine.
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