At an Italian restaurant in Clayton, I recently thumbed through a multipage wine list — from $30 California whites to $500 Tuscan reds — searching in vain for beer.
I knew I was in trouble when a look of surprise, then confusion, came over a server's face before he scurried off to the bar to inquire about beer. He returned with disheartening but predictable news: The options were mostly limited to a few domestic light lagers.
Beer has long taken a back seat to wine at restaurants. But that's changing, thanks to a growing appreciation from chefs and diners of how well beer can pair with food. In the past two years, St. Louis has seen the birth of several restaurants that are taking beer seriously: Brasserie by Niche, Bridge, the Good Pie, Newstead Tower Public House and Pi, to name a few.
Here are some of the elements I look for in a restaurant's beer offerings. I hope owners take heed and make some room on their menus for quality beer — I think they can find space on the page with the super Tuscans.
SELECTION
"The key to a successful beer list is having a well-rounded selection that matches nicely with your food," says Coby Arzola, general manager of Pi's Delmar Loop location. "For us, that means a mix of wheat beers, hoppier beers and some German-style lagers."
Arzola is overseeing an expansion of Pi's beer program that will increase the Delmar pizzeria's tap handles to 20 from 12 by July 4, along with plans to offer beer dinners, cask nights and flight specials.
"The whole beer-and-food movement is really heading in the right direction," Arzola says. "People who enjoy good food tend to have good taste in beer, too, so we want to give them lots of choices."
SEASONALITY
Brasserie in the Central West End shows its beer-first mentality on the food menu: Six seasonally changing draft beers are printed on the front; you have to flip it over to find the wine.
"A beer list should rotate with the seasons, just like food," says STLhops blogger Mike Sweeney, who worked as a consultant in helping Brasserie sculpt its beer offerings.
Brasserie swapped out the malty, burnt-sugary St. Bernardus Prior 8 dubbel — a perfect match for winter stews and root vegetables — for the lighter, crisper St. Bernardus Witbier once it got warm outside. The keg space that Schlafly Winter ESB occupied in the cold months now contains the St. Louis Brewery's Helles-Style Summer Lager.
STYLE
In many ways, offering a smart mix of beer styles is more important than having a huge selection. For Brasserie, Sweeney focused on French and Belgian styles like biere de garde (Castelain Blond, Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza) and saison (Boulevard Tank 7) to pair with French and Belgian food.
"Those are just fantastic, all-purpose beers that have spicy components and enough effervescence to lift away fattiness from duck, pork, chicken, anything," he says.
SUGGESTIONS
I give bonus points to any restaurant that suggests beer pairings next to its menu items.
At Newstead Pub, the menu lists a salad of wine-braised mushrooms, arugula, brie, potatoes and champagne vinaigrette with a suggested pairing of Orval Trappist Ale. I've never tried the two together, but I imagine the Belgian brew's bubbles and dry, lightly floral flavor would do a wonderful dance with that champagne dressing.
Of course, just like with fine wine, some people are understandably apprehensive when it comes to ordering beers they may never have tried. It's why, on Brasserie's bottled beer list, a $3 Budweiser is listed along with a $14 New Belgium Le Fleur Misseur (22 ounces). At Pi, they take a different approach to customer satisfaction.
"People come in and ask, 'Where's the Bud Light?'" Arzola says. "It's our job to say, 'Well, we don't have that, but here's a taste of Schlafly Kolsch or New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner. Try it; you might like it.'"
