MdV: Merchant du Vin beer e-newsletter –
Wednesday, October 18, 2006: Great Beer
Spots
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock is available year-round
in bottles, but a limited number of kegs come to the US in the
winter . . . and they are arriving now.
More:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/ay_ce_drft_0607.pdf
Seventeen years ago, most Americans had never heard
of a Winter Warmer. This year, the seventeenth
vintage of rich, deep Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale is now at a great beer
spot near you. More:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/ss_ww_0607.pdf
Reports & reviews are glowing this year - Ayinger
Oktober Fest-Marzen is disappearing fast but you may be able to still find
some. More as a 689k .pdf:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/ay_ofm_06.pdf
Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout on TV in Florida;
Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen in newspapers from Asheville to Atlanta; Samuel
Smith’s Winter Welcome in Maxim; articles about organic beers; beer tastings
& events in Austin, in Boston, and in Chicago. Beer
media coverage and great beer choices continue to grow! We keep a current media recap, a national beer
event listing, and an archive of this e-newsletter at:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html
Beer Chat from the Beer Court Jester: Great Beer Spots
It’s true that not every
restaurant or store in the US
carries a variety of beer styles, covering the range of flavors and offering
choices to consumers. But it’s also true
that America
is now a great beer country and that we have some of the most fantastic beer
stores and beer bars in the history of humanity. Even respected non-American beer writers and
industry folk will acknowledge: if you are a beer seeker, America in 2006
is a great place to be seeking beer.
What makes a great beer
spot? We think a great beer spot can be
a beer section within a store; a stand-alone store; a bar; a restaurant; or a
brewpub. Great beer spots do offer some
things in common:
- Variety: While most beer drinkers have their
favorites, there has been a major change in preference over the 28 years
Merchant du Vin has been in business.
Once upon a time, beer drinkers wanted Their Brand when they wanted
a beer. Nowadays, beer drinkers have
multiple favorites – they want a stout with their oysters, or a pale ale
with their beef, or a hefe-weizen with their Cobb salad, or a raspberry
lambic with their chocolate mousse.
Frequently, they want to try a beer they have never had, because they
are also always seeking a new flavor experience. (A note: in our opinion, variety does not
always mean “the most number of beers.”
It does mean “however many beers we sell, they cover a range of
styles.” We like long beer lists, but a dozen beers can offer excellent
variety.)
- Commitment:
A great beer spot takes special care of its beer. Draft lines & taps are kept clean;
beer is rotated carefully; servers and staff have been educated and *each
is personally committed* to serving beer in the best condition
possible. If a fragile selection
sells too slowly to keep serving it fresh, a great beer spot will –
sometimes reluctantly – replace it.
Great beer spots also seek out new beers to serve, tracking down
distributors and breweries, asking, insisting . . .
- Enthusiasm:
The server that brings your beer, or the store employee that
answers your questions, honestly wants to enhance your life via good
beer. Most feel fortunate that they
are selling a product they love; they welcome questions and will
appreciate information if it’s accurate and offered politely. It can be very encouraging to ask someone
at a great beer spot what their personal favorite is: you can see enthusiasm
flow into their body language as they answer.
- Professionalism:
When confronted with a challenge, a great beer spot will try to
make it right. They may not be
happy if you return and tell them that their bag split and the bottle
broke in the parking lot, but they will understand your dismay and usually
will seek a concession. Bartenders
at great beer spots, even when they are buried, will acknowledge a guest
and make every effort to get to them in order, in as timely a fashion as
possible. And great beer spots tend
to sell their beers based on quality, not on ultra-low prices or
promotions or “all you can drink” deals.
- Ambiance: Difficult to define, many factors
contribute to ambiance - a great
view, a historical building, or a super-cool backbar; an innovative food
menu; cool furniture, fixtures, and lighting . . . even personally-written,
unique shelf-talkers in a beer store can add to ambiance. Ambiance can be the highest of the high
end, or gritty and down-to-earth, but you know it when you feel it.
Dive
Bar ambiance: They may have duct tape on the barstools, a cooler that’s too
small, a creaky front door, and a restroom door that crashes into the pinball
machine if you’re not careful, but some Dive Bars (known in Belgium as
“brown bars”) are great beer spots. These
places proclaim sincerely that beer is more important than building
maintenance. They often have art &
music that leads people to strong feelings.
Dive Bars may be the last bastion of smokers and non-smokers socializing
together, and where else are you going to see a 23-year-old with full sleeves
and a Mohawk talking to an 80-year-old retired college professor over a fine
beer?
So
kudos to the great beer spots: they make it possible to experience beer
flavor. By doing the actual selling,
they allow brewers to stick to brewing.
Great beer spots put their money and their energy into great beer, and
they rescue folks from boredom – they enhance our lives.
What
are you waiting for? Forward this
e-newsletter to a bunch of your friends, and get to a great beer spot.
Merchant du Vin, America’s
Premier Specialty Beer Importer Since 1978
http://www.merchantduvin.com