The Answer to the Ultimate Question

Douglas Adams once pointed out in his science fiction novel, “The Restaurant on the Universe,” that civilizations pass through three phases: survival, inquiry, and sophistication or how, why, and where. He says, “The first phase is characterized by the question ‘How can we eat?’ the second by the question ‘Why do we eat?’ and the third by the question ‘Where shall we have lunch?'” For sophisticated life forms, that final question plagues us with some regularity.

Choosing a restaurant is a problem that we are confronted with on a fairly frequent basis. Nice dining restaurants are everywhere, yet it always seems tricky to determine exactly which would satisfy our enigmatic cravings. For many, the process of choosing between nice dining restaurants comes down to one major factor, characterized by another question. “What do you have on tap?”

The term “pub”, short for “public house”, refers to an establishment that serves full meals, usually originating from Ireland or England, and that usually also serves beer. Pubs are especially popular in Britain where there were more than 50,000 in 2011 to serve a population where 80% consider themselves regular pub goers. Pubs are also fairly popular in the U.S., especially as craft beer restaurants. Essentially, they’re nice dining restaurants that serve popular craft beers.

For many, the craft beers are enough to help narrow down a selection of nice dining restaurants. If you aren’t on board yet, though, here are a few reasons to jump on the craft beer train, or more appropriately, into the craft beer barrel.

What is Craft Beer?

Craft beers are brewed by small, independent, traditional brewers. That means that these brewers produce less than 2 million barrels a year, are not controlled by major alcoholic industry members, and has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.

Why Drink It?

1. Taste. Many feel that craft beers taste better because brewers spend time focusing on the quality of their beverages instead of on marketing or business. While major manufacturers often cut costs by watering down their beers, there is no such occurrence in the craft beer industry.
2. Higher alcohol content. Most craft beers range from five to 10% alcohol by volume, but some even reach 30 and 40%. Most big beer companies produce beers with 2.5 or 3% alcohol by volume.
3. More choices. There are almost 1,600 craft breweries in the U.S. alone that brew thousands of types of flavorful craft beers.

While many nice dining restaurants offer a wide selection of beverages, it takes a special place to offer great craft beer. Look for pubs and restaurants that support local craft breweries and you’re sure to find a new standby. Learn more.