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CRAFT BEER GOES BIG

with Beer-Infused Menus and Brew Pubs

Chains bring beer into the kitchen

Casual and fine dining embrace the beer trend

The revamped beer pub

Brew pub chains capitalize on their draw

Independent brew pubs add their own unique touch

Summary

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In the past, beer often took a backseat to wine in terms of classy beverages. It was considered an afterthought on many restaurant menus, especially in the Fine Dining realm (if it was considered at all).

In Datassential's quest to keep you on the cutting edge of current and upcoming industry trends, we've found that beer is infiltrating the market in a myriad of ways. For example, the term "sommelier" can apply to both beer and wine aficionados nowadays. Innovative beer cocktails are an increasingly popular option at bars across the country. Brew pubs continue to pop up around the U.S., offering artisan-quality beers in a variety of styles and flavors. And perhaps most interesting of all, restaurants not otherwise known for beer are experimenting with it in the kitchen, infusing appetizers and entrees with a kick of hops and malt. Beer is definitely having a moment, both on the beverage list and beyond.

Chains bring beer into the kitchen

Restaurants infusing appetizers, entrees, and the like with alcohol, is certainly nothing new. A Datassential MenuTrends DIRECT report released in June 2011 found that just under 45 percent of restaurants use alcohol to enhance their entrees. The same report also found that beer is found on 20 percent more entrée menus compared to three years ago. The terms stout and ale are also showing up on more menus as operators get more inventive by naming beer varieties as well as brands. Although beer isn't used as regularly as wine, it's becoming more commonplace as a beverage of choice and as an important ingredient in restaurant dishes.

Traditionally beer as an ingredient has been reserved for battering fish and French fries. Operators are now going a bit further with their kitchen experiments. They have moved toward beer-infused sauces and grilling glazes. These are just several of the many examples of beer-infused menu items introduced at U.S. major chains since the beginning of the year.

Casual and fine dining embrace the beer trend

Some Casual and Fine Dining independents these days focus solely on beer, creating extensive beer lists and detailed beer-pairing menus. Chicago's Public House, which opened in January 2011, offers over one hundred different kinds of beer and six cicerones (another term for beer sommelier) to help guide patrons' selections. Beer is also featured in a few of the restaurant's dishes, serving as the pickling agent for carrots, a flavor enhancer for the cheese fondue, and a braising liquid for onions in the Baked Onion Soup, among other things.

The Publican, another recent addition to the Chicago food scene, labels itself as a "beer-focused restaurant," serving stouts, Belgian-style ales, lambics, and so forth from breweries located all over the world. Other establishments, such as San Francisco's Starbelly, are dipping their toes in the trend by starting with beer cocktails. Starbelly's mixologists concoct classics like the Michelada (beer, lime juice, and hot sauce) and the Shandy (beer and lemonade), as well as the Diabolito (a Michelada that includes tomato).

Restaurants and bars in general have also extended their beer lists to incorporate microbreweries and craft beers. For example, Father's Office in Los Angeles devotes multiple pages of its menu to both local and international breweries. This popular spot also features Chimay-infused cheese and ribs glazed in a spicy honey blossom and oatmeal stout sauce.

The revamped beer pub

Besides the addition of longer beer lists and beer-infused dishes, another strong indicator of beer's rising popularity is the increasing ubiquity of brew pubs. A June 2011 Datassential MenuTrends DIRECT report describes brew pubs as "casual and reasonably priced" with food that's "a bit more upscale than traditional bar fare." The food may be slightly fancier, but the main appeal of brew pubs are their signature beers, most of which are brewed on-site. Brew Pubs are a combination of craft beers and an artisanal dining experience. They are redefining what once constituted "bar food."

Homemade, specially brewed beer is what initially set the beer pubs apart from their casual dining counterparts. The menus tended to be similar—burgers, steaks, and other hearty, all-American fare—until brew pubs began experimenting with how to expand on their main appeal. The answer? Beer-infused dishes. Now both brew pub chains and independent establishments highlight their signature beverages all over the menu. Burgers and steaks are still offered, but with each brewery's specialized mix of hops and malt.

Brew pub chains capitalize on their draw

Some brewhouse chains also include beer suggestions alongside their menu options. Granite City Food & Brewery has a recommendation for every item on the menu, such as pairing Buffalo Chicken Wings with Wag's American Wheat or the Mediterranean Chicken with Brother Benedict's Bock. Karl Strauss has a featured beer pairing every month; recently, the restaurant offered a Bloody Mary made with its signature Pintail Pale Ale as the perfect beverage to go with chili-lime broiled shrimp skewers.

Independent brew pubs add their own unique touch

The expanding public interest in craft brewing has led to a number of independent brew pubs opening around the country as well. Like the aforementioned brewery/restaurant chains, independents are branching out beyond beer-battering and frying to create a space for beer within the artisan food realm.

Brew pubs were once known for good beer and mediocre food, but these establishments in particular are clearly serious about both their beers and their food, giving equal weight to both on menus. The table below offers a small selection of what independent brew pubs in the U.S. are putting on their menus.

Straddling two prominent industry trends

Independent brew pubs are the ones really pushing the boundaries of pub cuisine to include fine dining characteristics—artisanal and house-made ingredients, a focus on local and organic, and naming of proteins. The list below includes establishments in the U.S. that truly exemplify both the beer-infused-menu and craft-foods trends.

Stone Brewing (San Diego, CA)

• Mac 'n Beer Cheese: "Made with Mike's Stone Smoked Porter & Garlic Beer Cheese and basil, along with Stone Smoked Porter Sausage from San Marcos' T&H Prime Meats & Sausage"
• Wild Boar Baby Back Ribs: "All natural wild boar baby back ribs, first seasoned in Stone's special dry rub mix, then braised in Stone Smoked Porter before being grilled and slathered with our own Chile Agave Glaze"

Deschutes Brewery (Portland, OR)

• Beer Nuts: "Roasted Marcona almonds and cashews with brown sugar, Black Butte Porter and sea salt"
• Hot Corned Beef: "Green Lakes Organic Ale braised corned beef, Gruyere cheese, gala apple kraut, 1000 island dressing on Black Butte Porter rye bread"

Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus (Colombus, OH)

• Smoke Tomato Bisque: "Nut brown ale, black beans, ground tenderloin, tomatoes, onions, green pepper, cumin, garlic"
• Mama's Pot Roast: "Candied carrots, redskin mashed potatoes, Dopplebock demi-glace"

As you can see, the menu descriptions for the house beers and the food at these brew pubs are equally elaborate and detailed. They both entice and educate a consumer base that is increasingly particular about what goes on their plates and in their glasses. In fact, the overall trend toward artisan-quality fare is what has really propelled the current brew pub movement. The public has embraced the conversion of comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and hamburgers into gourmet goods. Now the trend is moving toward beer, once stereotyped as the exact opposite of gourmet. But as craft brewers all over the U.S. have shown us recently, beer can be just as nuanced and finely made as the most expensive bottle of wine.

Summary

Look for brew pubs to continue gaining momentum within the restaurant industry. And as Independents keep experimenting with beer-infused cuisine, expect that the major chains will do the same. Those who don't will likely acknowledge the beer trend otherwise by adding more localized beers to their beverage lists. Midscale and Quick Service eateries, though less focused on alcohol, are slowly introducing beer-infused menu items through cooking methods and ingredients familiar to their customer base: frying (beer-battering) and savory sauces (beer-infused barbecue sauce, for example).

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