What it takes to be a great craft beer city

Poor distribution, marketing set us apart, Dave Wilson says.

A few months ago Vogue magazine suggested that Vancouver might be the “New Craft Beer Capital of North America,” and this newspaper echoed with the question, “Is Vancouver the new Portland when it comes to craft beer?” Well, no. Vancouver has a very long way to go before it can be compared with the great beer cities in North America.

Yes, we have great — maybe the best — craft beer and breweries, but that’s often where it ends. Great end-user distribution is what sets craft beer cities apart and Vancouver needs to do better. Our important craft beer industry deserves better.

Here’s my list of improvements needed before Vancouver will rank up there near Portland — and I’m not talking about our liquor-licensing laws that are too often blamed for all that is wrong. I’m talking about basic customer service and sales in bars, pubs, restaurants and retail stores: Serve our local beer: Far too many establishments, and especially hotels, don’t offer craft beer on tap or even in bottles. They get deals from the big multinationals that encourage them to serve only their products, including their fake craft beers and local-sounding, massproduced offerings. In contrast, in Portland there isn’t a restaurant or bar in town that doesn’t have a full variety of local craft available. They likely wouldn’t survive if they didn’t. Provide better information: Craft breweries offer useful information about their creations, and independent assessments are also widely available, but many outlets don’t pass anything on to customers. You either have to know your beer or buy blind.

Educate servers: Restaurant and bar staff are often clueless about the beer they’re serving. There are huge differences in style and taste; that’s what craft beer is all about. Servers need to be able to answer questions and provide suggestions. Offer, and encourage, tastings: If a customer is going to try different craft beers from time to time, it’s imperative that a small complementary taste or two be available to make a decision before committing to a full glass of beer that may not suit their tastes. “Buy a flight” isn’t an answer. Most places in Vancouver are good about tasting, but there are notable exceptions. Do you hear me St. Augustine’s? John B Pub? Stop short pours: Whether it’s sloppiness or intentional, it’s still a problem in Vancouver, despite flurries of negative publicity from time to time. Yes, I do know that the top portion of a tapered glass holds the most volume, and no, I don’t think that a massive head on my beer makes it taste better.

Provide glass-size information and options: Customers should know how many ounces (or millilitres) they’re being served in a glass of beer and should also have the ability to order smaller or half-size glasses. And please don’t call a glass a “pint” when it isn’t.

Stop charging such a premium on Bombers: Those 650-mL bottles look attractive and big, but they contain less than two regular-size bottles or cans. The premium price is outrageous. Perhaps we should boycott buying them. Bring back tall cans: Tall cans have been good value, but we’re seeing fewer of them. I’m told by some brewers that this is because B.C. Liquor Stores don’t want to stock them, despite their displaying stacks and stacks of cheap imported lager in tall cans.

Enough with faux Irish pubs!

Let’s get with it, Vancouver! We can be a world-class beer city!

Restaurant and bar staff are often clueless about the beer they’re serving. Servers need to be able to answer questions and provide suggestions.