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Brewpubs are a growing trend in the beer industry, combining microbreweries with traditional English pubs to offer unique beers and pub grub. They must function as a restaurant and comply with laws limiting beer sales to food sales. They are more common in Europe but are growing in the US.
In the world of beer, there are several establishments where beer aficionados can sample the wares. Some may visit bars or beer gardens that stock a substantial number of different beers on tap or in bottles. Others may frequent a local microbrewery or craft brewery, where more experienced brewers brew small batches of fresh beers for home use or limited commercial distribution. One alternative that is growing in popularity, however, is known as a brewpub.
A brewpub combines the efforts of a microbrewery or craft brewery with the concept of a traditional English pub or “public house”. Brew masters work within the confines of a pub style restaurant to offer customers unique beers on tap. The restaurant owners offer traditional pub grub or regional specialties to accompany the beer samples.
It can be difficult to tell a true brewpub from a local microbrewery, but many times the name of the establishment will provide clues. A typical brewery might be called “John Barleycorn’s” or “Hopper’s Pub”, or it would directly advertise itself as “Maggie’s Olde Towne Brew Pub”. Local microbreweries may also offer pub grub or a limited food menu, or they may simply rent out space for a separate restaurant operation.
Most breweries must comply with laws limiting the total ratio of beer sales to food sales. A brewpub cannot be considered a bar or beer garden that offers a limited amount of food or restricts restaurant operating hours. It is to function as a public restaurant offering a large selection of baked beers. Bars and other drinking establishments without food service must obtain a different type of operating license than restaurants that serve alcohol to customers.
Breweries are present in a number of countries in Europe, especially those with a rich tradition of craft brewing and other local brewing businesses. Breweries aren’t that common in the United States, but their number has grown in recent years. Brewery owners tend to locate in upmarket areas of larger cities in order to attract a customer base willing to try alternative or microbrew varieties alongside an eclectic menu.
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