Beer Bar Selections

[Ray Grace]

As I'm sure many of our members do, I've dreamed of opening a beer bar specializing in craft beers. I was recently having a talk with a family member who is a major coors light drinker and as he says it thinks craft beer is "weird" beer. We got into a discussion about places like the Stone World Bistro that doesn't serve any of the BMC beers. His point was why couldn't these places serve both craft beer and BMC stuff.

I'm curious how other members think about this? Should a good beer bar serve BMC stuff to attract a broader clientele? Or no?

[David Thomas]

Oh yeah they should! Cause every good beer drinker knows bad beer drinkers. And if the bad beer drinkers come along to the good beer drinkers bar, then they wouldn't have any bad beer to drink! So they might not want to visit that bar again. Having both would solve that problem. Honestly I want to slap somebody for picking a coors light over something better. But some people just like to stay simple and closed minded I guess.

[Rhoobarb]

Yes, if for no other reason but to drag some of the BMC crowd over to "our" side. But keep it limited. Bud & Bud Lite. It's all the same anyway. That'll keep 'em happy until they look around and decide to give one of these "other beers" that everyone else around them is having, a try.

[Art Gompper]

I would serve BMC stuff, but keep it simple. At least these folks drink beer. Sooner or later, the BMCs will drag their light beer fans to something closer to craft as evidenced by bud wheat and their Michelob selections. The BMCs feel the pressure and even though it's still a blip on their screens, they can see the enthusiasm for craft beer and it makes them nervous. Market share is everything to them and they don't want to give up any more. Some people wil never give up their Coors Light but they're still fun to drink with. Besides, if we had no one to convert, we couldn't bitch about anything!

[Jeffrey Austin]

I usually go to a place called Teakwoods in Arizona. They specialize in dark beers, brew their own but also carry BMC stuff. They are a "hit" here in AZ.

[Bob "Now go have a beer" Paolino]

"BMC"? Big Macro Crap? (Yeah, yeah, I know, you probably mean InBud-MolsonCoors-SABMiller).

No, I don't believe that someplace that wants to be known as a "good beer bar" should be serving BMC. If you can show me a BMC bar that also has a Cantillon tap or a St. Bernardus tap, then maybe I'll reconsider. And I'm not talking about a BMC that might have (this is Wisconsin) a NG Spotted Cow or a Capital Wisconsin Blander on tap, there are plenty of places like that (at least there are in Wisconsin) with something from a local craft brewer, but only their least interesting brands.

I do know of craft beer places that will have some bottles of Lite/Light hidden in a cooler under the bar, or might have one Lite/Light tapline, and, well, that's the pub owner's business decision. It's often explained to me as a matter of catering to groups of people who will go there to eat and have someone in the group who isn't a craft beer drinker, and one BMC drinker in the group can sabotage the plans for the rest of the group in deciding where to go (or how long to stay).

I know, it's easy for me to say it from my side of the bar, but part of being a good beer bar is who you support with your dollars, and I think it's possible to offer something to the non-enthusiast without having BMC on tap. Plenty of craft brewers have "transitional" beers that people who don't (yet?) like full-flavoured beers can enjoy. I mentioned two already, and there are also beers like Oberon, Flat Tire, 312, and on and on.

And, after all, isn't that why craft brewers make beers like that, to be able to attract and sell to a broader market? They're often spoken of as "transitional" beers for a reason. Have a few of those to help make the "transition" for that part of the clientele. If you give them the same old [suds] to which they're accustomed, when are they ever going to make that break? But if you give them a 312 or an Oberon and they like it, maybe that'll be their new regular beer (which is okay), but maybe they might decide after a while that they like Goose Island or Bell's and eventually decide to check out what else that brewery offers....

[Elizabeth W.]

I think a good beer bar should have a great selection, more craft and local brews. And then the staff and beer lovers there, should bring their BMC-loving friends, and say "hey- so you like Budweiser, try this!" Or even make that a featured night or menu item. "If you like Coors, try this!"
Make it more about the community and the education. More fun that way, to get people to try new stuff!

[Barry Wasser]

Have you been to Rattle n Hum? They have a great selection (40 craft beers on tap, 4-5 cask lines, and a great bottle selection. On one of the walls they write in chalk that says "if you like X BMC/Macro beer try this craft beer on tap. I feel that through their selection, frequent brewery events, style sessions, mug club, and good atmosphere that it's a great place to convert one's friends to craft beer. Some of the staff took to Cicerone test to become certified beer servers, which shows their dedication to craft beer.

[Ray Grace]

Unfortunately, I have yet to make it to New York, let alone Rattle n Hum, hopefully one of these days. I like the idea of suggestions for BMC drinkers of what they might like. I tend to agree that you shouldn't need to serve BMC stuff to stay open. I just wonder how much money and how many customers, if any, not serving BMC costs?

[Barry Wasser]

Rattle n Hum actually does serve BMC in bottle, but their slogan is "No Crap On Tap". Most people there are drinking craft beer anyways, but they charge enough for the few BMC beers that they serve in bottle so they don't lose money. Last night I went to a brew pub last night and they don't serve any AB or Coors, but they do serve (in bottle) Amstel and Miller light.

[Chris Haselden]

I don't think they should have to if they don't want to serve BMC beers. There are plenty of places that serve only BMC stuff, but that's who they cater to. Places like Stones World Bistro choose to go the other way by catering to the beer geek/enthusiast. If you don't like the beers they have you can choose to have something else, just as I do when I go somewhere where the selection has nothing that I'm interested in. Most places, even beer geek type, have at least one or two crossover beers that will satisfy most light beer drinkers, My FnL, who is pretty much a Coors Light drinker, can usually find something half way enjoyable when I drag him out to a good beer bar. Hell, he even found something he could tolerate at Bell's Eccentric Cafe when we went.

[Kimberly Kay]

I think it depends on how big your selection is. If you're planning on 50 taps, it's not a bad idea to give up one or two to BMC. It'll atleast bring a few people in who might not have come in otherwise. This gives you an opportunity to introduce them to something new.

I frequent an amazing beer bar in my area, he's got a ton of fantastic and hard to find beers. Sad thing is - his number one selling tap is Bud Light. As he puts it, it pays the bills and allows him to keep a good relationship with the distributor, who will be the ones to get him those hard to find beers.

Best of luck!!

[Joshua Kay]

I love the idea of suggesting crossover beers regardless of whether a place serves BMC beers. Part of what BMC drinkers are saying when they describe craft beer as "weird" is that they don't know much about it and don't know how or where to start. While we think of "community" as an integral part of the craft beer scene/movement, they don't see that community as accessible or inviting. By making suggestions about crossover beers, we're extending an invitation, an access point. We're welcoming them aboard.