If a beer blogger could have a beer list, what would it look like?
There are so many factors. First, you’d simply want it to kick ass. You’d want a hundred taps with a complete range of styles and breweries the world over. You’d want killer local beer. You’d want cask. You’d want bottle conditioned. You’d want to outdo everything that’s ever been done.
But this isn’t a dream list, or even a desert island sort of exercise. This is for the place I’m opening. Here. I live in rural Iowa, not exactly Beer Mecca. Since the world’s not perfect, I had to make some choices. A hundred taps would be a scientific study in sour lines. A hundred bottles would be an expensive cellaring experiment.
I’m about a week away from opening Electric Burrito, and my beer has begun arriving. I have two taps that will feature Iowa beers, three Mexican beers and around a dozen regionally focused microbrewed bottles. I’ll have an Iowa-made hard cider. We’ll feature Native wines from a new winery that’s but a couple of miles from our front door, as well as a chard and a cab for those that don’t find Iowa hybrid grapes groovy.
What have I settled in on?
On Tap: Millstream Brewing Company’s John’s Generations White Ale (Amana, IA) and Raccoon River Brewing Company’s Stonecutter Stout (Des Moines, IA).
In bottles: Millstream’s Iowa Pale Ale and Schild Brau, Schell Brewing Company’s Pilsner (New Ulm, MN), Summit Brewing Company’s Extra Pale Ale (St. Paul, MN), Boulevard Brewing Company’s Wheat Beer (Kansas City, MO), Goose Island’s IPA and Nut Brown Ale (Chicago, IL), New Belgium Brewing Company’s Fat Tire (Fort Collins, CO), Sutliff Hard Cider (Lisbon, IA), as well as Corona, Dos Equis and Negra Modelo (it is a Mexican joint, after all).
Even with this modest lineup, I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ve got staff and a community to educate. This is a cool little town with many good folks, and I’m simply going to tap into the potential. There’s tons of it, with more on the horizon, and that’s not just me talking like Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy (”I’ve got vision and the rest of the world wears bi-focals.”)
If you’re planning your vacation, come see me.
May 7, 2008 at 8:29 am
[...] My other blog will tell you what the final beer list looks like. You can find that here. [...]
May 7, 2008 at 11:06 am
I think that sounds like a very realistic yet still solid list. If I stumbled upon your restaurant looking for a Burrito and I found those taps and that bottle selection I would be very very happy.
May 7, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I think this is an excellent list as well, Wilson! The John’s Generations White on tap would be enough to get me in the door alone. This is a very good white ale in the bottle, in my opinion, and I’d love to give it a shot on tap.
The wife and I love Mexican … if we find ourselves in Iowa, we’ll be sure and stop in! Do you offer a beer blogger discount?
You’re doing great work. Keep it up!
May 7, 2008 at 4:16 pm
If I knew you were coming into town, Shawn, I’d pull something out of my private stash. Not that there’s much there. I’ve really gotten into my cellar lately.
May 7, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Bravo for honoring the local craft! what a good thing to do.
May 8, 2008 at 2:27 am
I’d stick to a list of no more than a handful of beers personally
May 8, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Of COURSE Stonch has to be the Debbie Downer…
May 8, 2008 at 2:13 pm
[...] being a beer guy, spent some energy planning his beer menu recently. Sounds like he found a good balance between his natural beer-loving tendencies and the general headaches caused by adding a million [...]
May 8, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Naturally!
May 10, 2008 at 11:30 am
I can’t wait to see what you’ve put together, I’ll see ya soon.
May 11, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Hmm. An interesting topic - fantasy beer lists are one thing, but fantasy beer lists that are actually accessible and deliverable is totally different. Ours would look different, just because of what’s available to us. Yours looks fab though!