Borrowing a leaf from the many chefs who champion local foods, some operators are promoting beverages made close to home as appealing signature items.
Locally produced spirits and beers, like local foods, have a special aura of quality, proponents say. Also like local foods, they may have a lower carbon footprint than products shipped long distances. Yet another reason for going local at the bar may be to cheer for the underdog, to support the small-scale producer that competes against major beverage corporations.
Local pride is a factor, too. At Elway’s restaurant in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, bar manager Ky Belk vouched for the grassroots popularity of small-batch, craft-distilled whiskey and gin made right in Denver.
“With my crowd, I don’t think it is an environmental issue,” Belk said. “More than anything, I think they are proud that these products are ours.”
At the Rumpus Room in Milwaukee, a brand-new gastropub opened by the Bartolotta Restaurants based there, patrons are enjoying a limited-edition amber lager that was brewed locally and flavored with cascade hops grown in northern Wisconsin. The Rumpus Room is one of the few restaurants to get the beer, and general manager Omar Andrietsch said he will continue to seek unique local and regional beers for its patrons.
“Our customers love this,” Andrietsch said. “After all, this is Milwaukee, a city with a great beer heritage.”
Michigan craft beers are big sellers at the five Bagger Dave’s Legendary Burger Taverns in that state, a casual dining concept of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, based in Southfield, Mich.
All eight of the beer taps at the eateries are dedicated to Michigan craft brews, which account for about 70 percent of beer sales, said president and CEO Michael Ansley. Major domestic brands, imports and craft brews in bottles make up the rest.
