Being a craft beer evangelist is fraught with many dangers. Wondering if I’ll actually have to dig a pair of Sanz-A-Belt slacks out of the Do Not Go There Drawer is only one of them. Another is the risk of missing a critical plot twist in Homeland while responding to a friend in need – a friend in a far away, unfamiliar bar. A friend in need of emergency advice before the bartender loses his or her patience. I get those texts so often that some of my buddies don’t even bother to type words. They simply send the name of the bar or send a picture of the tap list (often a daunting challenge to decipher after they’ve already had a couple of starter brews).
A couple weeks ago a good friend was on his way to Kansas City for business and knew he’d have a few hours of free time one evening so he asked me to suggest a good bar. Not knowing where he’d be staying I set out to look into the local KC craft beer scene by checking out some reviews on RateBeer. Before long I began reading multiple reviews of the Yard House and, being somewhat familiar with the bar, I was surprised to see so many negative comments. First things first, I sent my buddy there (though he never made it), then I went back to the reviews. Some clear patterns emerged. The more I read, the more I understood the reasons for the complaints but the more I disagreed with them – for the most part.
The Yard House is a moderately large chain. By my count there are 44 currently open and 8 more on the way. I’ve been to two of them: Scottsdale, AZ and Pasadena, CA. As best as I can recall I’ve visited each location 4 or 5 times and I’d happily return for another 4 or 5 sessions. So why is it that my opinion of the Yard House differs so significantly from that of so many other craft beer fans? Simple. They’re all wrong. That’s usually the case – well, maybe not always (I did say “usually”).
Here’s the thing: The Yard House isn’t a craft beer bar and it doesn’t hold itself out as one. Unfortunately, many of the people who give it poor reviews do it from the wrong perspective. They hold it to the same standards as a they would the Toronado Pub in San Francisco, Blind Tiger Ale House in NYC or Map Room in Chicago. The comparison is unfair. No Yard House location with its 120+ gleaming taps can match any of those iconic craft beer bars. Again, it doesn’t try to – doesn’t need to.
Nice Job With Those Pours
The Yard House is more than just beer – and there’s a lot of that. All of the locations have a similar, though not identical, industrial design, large casually upscale pub-influenced menu and classic ’70s & ’80s rock. Who can get enough of REO Speedwagon, Flock of Seagulls & Dexy’s Midnight Runners? Not me – and I’ve tried.
The star of each space remains the beer. Most locations have well over 100 taps, usually arranged around a large center island surrounded by a stainless steel bar. Sleek, clean, industrial, purposeful. So with over 100 taps what is everybody complaining about? (Well, not everyone complained. I noticed a Canuck who still hasn’t figured out that Canada is Milwaukee’s largest suburb posted some complimentary remarks).
The truth is that craft beer flows from only a minority of those 100 taps. It bears repeating: this isn’t a craft beer bar. When I want to visit a world class craft beer bar in Scottsdale I hit Papago Brewing but when I want to catch a game, listen to some Men Without Hats and have a Bear Republic Racer 5 or Deschutes Black Butte Porter, I’m heading to the Yard House. Granted, many of the taps are domestic and import Big Beer swill (Bud, Miller, Coors, Molson, Corona, Stella, etc) or widely available “Big Craft” (Sam Adams, Shiner), but you’ll find a handful of solid craft choices as well. One criticism I do have is that local craft brewers aren’t well represented. Last time I visited the Scottsdale location they only had one Four Peaks brew and no other Arizona breweries and there were no Craftsman handles in Pasadena.
Typical YardHouse Tap Island
That said, craft beer fans can multitask here. While enjoying a New Belgium Ranger IPA they can introduce their buddy or, better yet, their second date to a New Belgium Fat Tire (OK, maybe handing her something with “fat” on the label would present additional challenges regarding plans/hopes for later that evening but you get the picture). We often talk about gateway beers such as Blue Moon. Perhaps the Yard House is a gateway beer bar. Yes, the tap list skews a bit heavily towards quantity over quality but there are some gems in there. Might not be diamonds like a Founders KBS but there will be a few gleaming rubies and with such a wide spectrum there are plenty of opportunities to help open minds and educate palates.
And for the hard core craft beer geek (like me), when the game’s over at the Yard House Scottsdale there just might be an Alaskan Pilot Series Double Black IPA with your name on it in the cooler at Papago down the road.
Cheers!
The AleMonger 
Surprised that you didn’t find more locals on at the Yardhouse in Scottsdale. They normally have beers on from Papago Brewing and San Tan Brewing.
I was surprised too. At a minimum I thought I’d see something from Papago. As a national chain (though mostly in the west) I understand that they value consistency in tap offerings (probably cost efficient as well given the volume they buy). Hopefully I’ll get out there again and I’ll be sure to seek out Grand Canyon or San Tan as well.
Cheers!
SanTan Hefeweizen is on tap later this month and Papago Orange Blossom can be found at all 3 Arizona locations. With the addition of the Chalkboard Program there are more locals and more limited hard to find craft beers there now.
That’s good to know. The lack of truly local/limited brews is really my only knock against it. I guess I may not make it out to Papago quite as early next time.
Cheers!
Regrettably, I must agree with you. The regret does not involve your point (which is a good one). It is more just trying to get my head around get inside your head (very dark and scary there). I find that some craft beer enthusiasts have become almost snobs. Like boorish oenophiles who think that fine wines can only come with a hefty price tag and cork. There are plenty of “gateway” craft beers to be enjoyed and if the Yard House has 10% of their handles dedicated to true craft beer then that should be more than enough for crafties to get their fill. Again, your point that they are not trying to be a craft beer emporium is obviously lost on most of the naysayers.
And, I must give you kudos for another cohesive thought regarding filling the handles with local beers. I am a huge proponent of boosting the profile of local brewers by stocking their offerings. With 100 – 120 handles, I think you could squeeze out a few Big Swill offerings in favor of an extra local brewer.
I think its sometimes simply a matter of blindly concluding that a bar with 25 or 50+ taps has to be a dedicated craft beer place. Quantity is just that – quantity. More often than not, the hard core craft beer places have less than 20 brews on tap but most, if not all, are top notch. The Yard House bridges the gap between craft beer and sports bar and does it by offering something for everyone (including killer onion rings).
This is a very intriguing post. You start off going down the usual path, i.e. with the Sans-a-belt reference (boy do I wish I had a pair on during last night’s Brewer’s Plate! 14 hours later, and I’m STILL full!), but then you went, dare I say, NORMAL!
One of two things happened during the creation of this well balanced and very lucid analysis. (1) You either drank A LOT, or (2) you didn’t drink at all! I’m not sure which came first, the Craft Beer or the cuckoo. Only you can answer this!
Regarding your other points, with regards to the “What should I order?” texts, I had the good (mis?) fortune of being caught in the middle of the text barrage with one Dr. Bones during his tipsy texts from his Book Of Mormon weekend in NYC with His Goat (or is he Her Dr. Bones?). Quite amusing! The texts were fast and furious and you gave some solid advice!
And with regards to the Yardhouse, it certainly does sound like a something for everyone kind of place, which is never a bad thing. I’m all for a place that has the rare and hard to find, but if they can’t move the stuff, then what you wind up with is a sub par product. Better a bar with very good and always fresh. And FYI, you had me at onion rings! Now if they did a version of Wicked Pickles….
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