A Watering… Wall?

Serve yourself a foamy one.

A couple of weeks ago, I returned to my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to lend support to my family while Mom was in the hospital. Though Eau Claire is only an hour and half from the Twin Cities, I don’t spend much time there, as most of the people I knew from when I lived there have moved away. My parents are not very outgoing, either, so I am rarely up on new spots in town. However, through a Facebook connection, I learned that an Italian restaurant between my parents’ house and the hospital had undergone a renovation and now was a hipper American bar & grill. Yawn… until I read that one feature of the Empire American Bar & Grill was a thing known as the “beer wall,” a technological serve-yourself. Color me curious.

My dad likes beer. My brother likes beer. One of my sisters has a narrow appreciation of fermented barley beverages, too. We would need one after a long day at the hospital.  (FYI, Mom is fine now.) We opted to enter the Empire. Right away, I appreciated the change to the decor. It went from bland conference room with food to cozy cabin, with rough-hewn wood accents, old brewery advertisements, and more intimate lighting. My eyes, however, were fixed on the beer list. I admit, I was worried when I saw that there were neon signs for Miller Lite and Coors in the window. The beer list, though not huge, did offer some decent beers, such as brews from New Belgium and New Glarus (beyond the icky Spotted Cow). The beer wall featured six beers, and above each tap was a shiny iPad with a magnetic circle next to it. The waitress gave us two “keys” in return for our driver’s licenses (or a credit card), and with that, we could pour whatever we wanted from the wall. My father, if he goes back there (and he might), will order a tap beer instead of getting anything from the beer wall. I, however, am a bit torn about the experience. Here’s why:

1. CON: All of the beer came out supremely foamy, even following the proper glass-tilting procedures. At first, Dad dumped out some of the foam, but then he realized that we were being charged for it, for everything that came out of the tap. Fortunately, if you wait a couple of minutes, the foam reverts to beer and you can drink it, but it is annoying.
2. PRO: You are charged by the ounce, so if you just want to try a beer to see if you like it, you can get a small sample. I tried three beers: New Glarus Cabin Fever, New Glarus Two Women, and Alaskan IPA. I never would have bought a six-pack of those beers, particularly the New Glarus ones as the styles (a honey bock and pilsener, respectively) are not ones I usually enjoy. However, by being able to give myself 3-4 ounce pours, I discovered that I actually liked the Cabin Fever.
3. CON:  I’m sure they change out which beers are on the wall, but the six they had when I was there were all in the mid-range (e.g., amber) and lighter beers (wheat and the above mentioned styles). Nothing dark. They’re going for mass-market appeal, I’m guessing, but they are missing out on an opportunity to show the citizens of Eau Claire that there’s nothing scary about dark beers. (Seriously, I’m a little tired of hearing people cringe in fear at the thought of a dark beer. Have these people not tried an IPA? Hoppy bitterness seems to be more outside of a person’s normal palate of flavors than a porter, black lager, or even a lot of stouts. And if you drink proper coffee — not “church coffee”–then stouts should not be a problem. Anyway, off my soapbox.)
4. PRO: Cheap! I had approximately 20 ounces of beer, spread across three different varieties, and it came to $6.32! Some of that reflects Eau Claire prices (versus a larger metro area like the Twins), but still…. It would difficult to get comparable beers here for that price. (Not to mention that New Glarus only sells in Wisconsin.)

So if you happen to find yourself in Eau Claire, check out the Empire at the corner of Clairemont Ave. & Menomonie St. The food is respectable pub fare — nothing fancy — but it is good for what it is. (The burgers are the best options, I’ve heard.) If you decide to try the beer wall, be aware of this: You have to check in with a server once you pour 32 ounces. It’s a check to make sure you haven’t consumed too much. For that reason, it is best NOT to share a beer token with others at your table because after three full beers, your account will freeze until you check in with a server. Just get your own token.

Back in the Twin Cities, Mr. NN and I ventured over to the Eastside, St. Paul. There hasn’t been too much of a reason for us to hit this neighborhood, other than the terrific Strip Club, but now we have another: Ward 6 restaurant. Beer-wise, it serves primarily Minnesotan beers, the exception being Hamm’s, which used to be brewed in St. Paul once upon a time. Indeed, Pour Decisions, Surly, Flat Earth… they are here. The food is eclectic and locally-sourced from sustainable outfits when possible. Poutine, that French-Canadian comfort food,

Dutch Baby at Ward 6.

is served along with a Korean sandwich (at times) and other slightly tweaked versions of other foods. The cocktail list is interesting, too, and with none of the selection pricing more than $8, I’ll be heading back to try a Classy Broad or a Don Draper Says What?. Considering all the local breweries, I think it’s great that new restaurants like this are taking advantage of them.

I’m just hoping to see more breweries in St. Paul coming soon….