I got away from the blog for
awhile, but with the new year starting, I am vowing to get back to it on a
regular basis with the goal of covering a short topic daily.
With that being said, I began
2014 with having lunch at Twain’s Billiards and Tap, a brewpub in Decatur,
Georgia. Now when I think brewpub, I
think of an establishment that is a full-service restaurant and serves just its
own craft beer that is brewed on the premises.
Twain’s offers a full menu of food, serves the beer that is brewed there,
and it also has an extensive menu of bottled/canned beer that isn’t brewed at
Twain’s.
This last item is mostly okay
with me because the list contains a good selection of craft beer, many of which
are local (even others brewed in Decatur).
The disconnect, however, is that
this bottled/canned list also contains several of the usual, macro
suspects. Why does a place that brews
its own craft beer and has at least ten of them on tap at all times feel it
necessary to have these macro bottles/cans?
Why does a place that brews its own craft beer and has at least ten of
them on tap at all times AND has a very extensive selection of craft
bottled/canned beers feel it necessary to have these macro bottles/cans?
A few possible reasons jump out
at me right away. Maybe they decided to
keep serving these macro beers for their regular customers since they didn’t
start serving their own beer until ten years after the opening of the
establishment. Maybe Twain’s recognizes
that not everyone is a craft beer drinker and just wants to offer options to
those people in order to get them in to eat food, play pool, etc. Maybe the distributor is the culprit by
making sure they get bottles of Bell’s Hopslam as long as they sell Budweiser.
Whatever the reason, is this
approach a good idea, bad idea, or are you wondering why in the world I even
brought it up? While my opinion is
certainly not meant to be a condemnation, I would have to say I don’t agree
with the approach. Twain’s is a small,
local business that provides quality, artisanal craft beer. The craft beer community is very tight and I
am completely fine with having guest taps and offering other craft beers where
craft beer is brewed. However, I just
get a feeling that when the macros are offered, this is devaluing the beer that
is lovingly crafted just on the other side of the wall.
Is business hurting because these
macros are offered? No. Would business drop if these macros were taken
off the menu? Probably not, as hopefully
the macro drinkers would give the beers brewed at Twain’s a shot. I’m certain a suitable replacement or two could
be found.
With the globalization of the
world, too much has become homogenous. I
cherish the individuality of local bars and restaurants, and I don’t need to be
able to count on seeing something familiar wherever I go. So, stay true to that craftsmanship and value
all that goes into it.
Cheers!
