Do we have a whiskey/bourbon/scotch thread? I vaguely remember one, could use some advice there.
I’m not sure why you’re expecting a wide selection of craft beer at a chain, Italian restaurant. Neither of those adjectives usually go well with good beer, though obviously there is good Italian craft beer.
That said, we have a similar thing over here where Peroni is often pitched (and priced) as a premium lager, when it is no such thing. It’s bizarre to see it sold for more money than actual quality beer, including some premium Czech lagers.
Quite honestly, I’m spoiled. I usually avoid chain restaurants, not out of spite, but just because we have a lot of good locally owned options. I have to go out of the way to hit a chain, mostly due to the locations of them from where I live. t seems all the localized restaurant have embraced the newer craft beer culture, and even more so, the local craft brew scene as well, as most will have a tap or two of local brews.
But that being said, I understand how beer distribution works, as well as the availability of craft brews in the area from nearly every distributor. So this seems a bit more of refusal by the chain to include any variance in the offering, even allowing a franchise to select 1-2, “in addition to,” choices. If it’s about pairing, there are plenty of beers that would go with Italian. If it is about keeping the menu the same from location to location, there are still options for more selection that have entire US distribution.
I guess to summarize, it’s my fault that I didn’t expect this from a chain, but I guess my point is, why haven’t the chains … changed?
Given those options I would have had the Peroni or the Stella. Or had wine. You still see ethnic food restaurants with beer lists like that. What is sad is when you see a place doing 'American" food and they have a list like that. It usually means I don’t go back there…no matter how good the food is.
I think this is the thread you remember.
Because they have what they consider good deals with the distributors of larger brands, and most customers of chain restaurants don’t know or care about the difference? Particularly for Peroni, it’s the only explanation I can come up with for it being in so many London venues.
I have to go to some chains every now and then. In part this is having a kid to please, and part of this has to do with going out with a variety of people with different tastes and dietary needs. Chains tend to cater to those needs more, and tend to have more offerings that are kid friendly. Especially for picky eaters. I prefer to find a local place, but sometimes a chain like this is necessary, and we shouldn’t have to apologize for going to them from time to time.
I’ve been to Carraba’s once. I think it was for my little brother’s graduation dinner. I’d never even heard of the place, and the first time I heard someone say the name of the place I thought he said, “We’re going to Grab Ass.” So I called it that going forward, much to my little brother’s delight.
It’s annoying that they can’t be bothered to up their craft beer game, though. Even places like CPK (California Pizza Kitchen, which my kid loves) offers seasonal draft beers, and every now and then something local.
Glad you didn’t get Blue Moon. I’ve come to really despise that beer, which is owned now by Coors or somebody.
My go-to cocktail in these situations is a Perfect Manhattan on the rocks. But you have to like vermouth for that to work. I order that because I can’t make it at home, which is the way I deal with restaurant food as well. I want something I can’t (or don’t know how to) make at home.
-xtien
@Otagan that’s the one, thanks for that link, sir.
You guys are all right, I’m just not thinking of the venue. Repeat customers of a pretty specialized demographic that probably order the same things repeatedly, or within a small variance.
Back to the mention of Blue Moon though, I have a bit of a soft spot there. It was my first foray outside of american pils/lagers. It was different. I can still drink one, though I understand the hatred of it too, the orange slice, the completely different taste that throws off American lager drinkers, and the non-craft status that throws off craft lovers. It’s tough love, for sure.
But it’s not a bad beer at all, formerly from Sandlot in Denver under a different name. And speaking of Denver, if you go there you can actually go to the Blue Moon location and enjoy a whole ton of decent original craft style beers … which are all still owned by Coors.
I like the standard Blue Moon Belgian witbier, but can’t drink much more than a half-pint of the stuff. There’s something about the unfiltered nature of it that gives me a splitting headache after not too much of it.
I don’t have the same problem with too many other unfiltered brews.
Believe it or not there are still a huge number of people who still think of having a Coors Lite or a Bud Lite as drinking beer. I have friends like that. Some have expanded slightly, but many just hate the craft beer flavor I guess. Part of it though is also the craft beer alcohol percentage.
Oh I believe it. My SO is a bar manager. Top 5 beers they serve are:
Bud Light
Miller Light
Mich Ultra
Stella (because it’s on draft)
Guinness (because it’s on draft)
But they have a ton of craft selection that, in total, sells more. It’s just that it takes that combined total to do so.
Morreti is a decent lager. I think it’s important to be able to appreciate a decent mass produced beer even if you’d rather be on some 10% DIPA or whatnot. I don’t mind the odd Guinness and it’s a good emergency option when I’m stuck in a pub offering Stella, Carling, Fosters, and Greene King “IPA” and maybe a grim guest ale that’s clearly been on the bar for over a week and will likely taste of vinegar.
It always blows my mind when I go on holiday to New York and go to a restaurant and see the beer selection. Last time I was ordering shit like Maine Beer Co IPAs and Westbrook Gose with my meal. Insanely jealous. Restaurants here in the UK don’t GAF about beer, it’s all about wine, which I really don’t enjoy.
That’s been changing, at least in London for a certain kind of restaurant. I was at a place the other day which had about 8 different craft beers. But certainly not chains or for want of a better word, ethnic restaurants.
Here in Vermont, where it seems everyone with two cents of capital has opened a craft brewery, you pretty much can’t open a restaurant (other than an ethnic food place or a food cart) without a raft of craft beers on tap. Sadly, in so many cases it’s 90% IPA. Not that there’s anything wrong with IPAs, but I had my fill a couple years ago and tend to prefer other stuff these days. Then again, I drink about maybe one beer a day, if that, and I’ve been skewing away from the higher ABV stuff I used to like.
Though there are some Old Rasputin barrel aged bottles available at the local store…$23/per, but my birthday is coming up…
Old Rasputin is insanely good, too. I think you should indulge.
We broke open the bomber of La Fin Du Monde last night. I don’t think my GF has ever had anything from Unibroue. She enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing like a smooth and tasty Belgian tripel that hides 9% to blow your mind.
I’ve had the regular Old Ras but not the barrel aged. I have had North Coast’s barrel aged Old Stock, though, and it was killer.
Oh shit. I missed the barrel aged part of your comment. I haven’t had that either and now I want to go find some.
Oh, yeah, regular Old Rasputin is excellent. The regular Old Stock is excellent. The barrel aged Old Stock is fabulous, so I’m thinking the barrel aged Old Rasputin will be, well, if not actually worth $23, good enough so I would not feel totally idiotic about buying it.
The barrel aged Yeti is good too, as is the Hibernator from Great Divide.
I had the barrel aged old Ras XVIII at the Well in Brooklyn last December. It was absolutely gorgeous. I’ve no doubt whatever version it is it’ll be well worth it. Treat yo’self.
XIX I think.