Beer & Wine – Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Have you ever noticed that it is very difficult to get good wine and good beer all under the same roof? It seems that all good wine bars discriminate against what they probably consider the reprehensible beer drinker and beer bars victimize the allegedly high and mighty wine drinker. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Most wine bars have a few beer selections for those patrons that do not wish to partake in the grape. The problem is that they are most often uninspiring offerings such as Stella Artois, Amstel Light and, at Italian wine bars, good old Peroni. Wine drinkers quite possibly have it worse. Go to a good beer bar that offers extensive beers on tap and a massive bottle selection and what do you find for the discriminating wine drinker? Glass of red, glass of white, take your pick. These generic “red” and white” choices are mostly horrible, barely drinkable stuff that has been sitting — open — behind the bar degenerating for days. Count me out!

This whole issue has come up before and I must say that if Winemonkey and I had the gumption to open a watering hole in NYC — living the topsy turvy life of bar owners — then we would most definitely get it right. It’s not a difficult concept: interesting wines, interesting beers, all in one place and plenty of options. However, since this is not currently our inclination, I invite (no, beg) someone to “steal” the concept and give us somewhere to hang out with all of our wine loving and beer loving friends!

Then everyone could be happy. Cheers.