The Alstrom brothers, those two fine fellows who have worked their fat fingers into near frenzy building a playground for the many beer denizens of this tiny rock to rally upon, have, among other things, a quite impressive dossier of information on our fermented wonder over at their BeerAdvocate website. While at the site, aside from reading and reviewing beers you can also learn about the best glassware for drinking beer, how to taste beer, the different kinds of hops available and their history, you can read all about every beer style available, how to brew beer, how to pair beer with your favorite food or cheese, and why you should support your local breweries, among other things.
But, one of my favorite articles I’ve come across so far at the Beer Advocate website is “Tips to Turn Your Bar Into A Better Beer Bar“. As with every thing they do, the Alstrom’s have, in this short little ditty, managed to make portable a few strong and effective means for bar owners to not only become more knowledgeable about beer, but give them actionable steps in order to see that knowledge applied in service of a better beer world for everyone.
“The cost of giving into too many of these mega-brewery corps and wasting your time with their “order takers” (many don’t deserve to be called brewery representatives) is your bar turns into just another bar and your customers are faced with the same boring selection of beers. It also does nothing to help support the local beer scene.”