Siren
I went a new bar in Iowa City, Siren. It is in the downtown pedmall, next to the new library. You’ll remember that this is where Burger King used to be, if your a long time Iowa City resident.
Inside it is a very cool place, with faux 30’s area feel. A pianist was playing while I was there (there was a 5$ cover to help pay for him.) He played for quite a long time and it really added to the overall feel of the place, along with the lighting and baroque metal railing on the stairs. The upstairs is very elegant and has a good size stage.
It is primarily a wine bar. I was there with my friend Larry, who is a wine distributor. We surveyed the wine list and found some nice reds, definately better than what you will find in a typical restaurant. The beer list though, was a catastrophe. I dare say the Chile’s at the mall has a better selection. There was only a few domestic micro’s and the ones they had were beers such as Boulevard Wheat and Redhook ESB. Probably two of the blandest Micro’s I can think of. The only exotic thing was Kirin on tap.. the budweiser of Japan. Its sort of shocking, that with 8 taps, and an exotic wine list, that this was all there was.
I got to meet the owner, Jackie, who was incredibly nice and a very generous. She was very receptive to the possiblity of carrying our products. She explained that during the rush to open, the beers were pretty much left up to the distributors choice. I tried to recommend getting some exotic belgians on her bottle beer list, but she was completely focused on wine (and I don’t want to be pushy!). *Sigh* We have a long way to go to make people understand that beer can be just as refined as wine.
I do recommend the place. It has a nice menu, lots of appetizers and fondue (though no main courses). Please go there and tell them that you would like too see some Millstream on the ‘beer list’, and maybe ask for a bottle of Duvel rather than Chardonnay.
June 27th, 2004 at 5:29 am
On the one hand, it’s great that a venue such as the Siren has opened in Iowa City (I haven’t been there yet, but I look forward to checking it out). On the other hand, it’s discouraging that a place that markets itself as a sophisticated club takes such a dim view of beer. The only thing we beer drinkers can do is to keep plugging away, letting others know that there’s more to beer than Budmillercoorsbuschlight. After all, how would the wine lovers feel if their beverage of choice was judged primarily on Thunderbird or Boone’s Farm?
June 28th, 2004 at 7:25 am
Well I already tried the John’s angle when I suggested she try some of the beers Doug is selling to the Red Monk in Des Moines. It turns out that she dislikes Wally (in the wine division) for some reason, and does not want to have anything to do with them. I’m constantly surprised by the number of people in Iowa City who are Anti- John’s grocery!
I think the best thing for right now is to for people to ask to talk to the “manager” and then ask that they carry the beer you wished they had. Its a pain in the ass, but it can be very effective just with a few people.
I see it more as a comparison of bud light to Sutter Home Pink Zinfindel. The problem is that the wine making process is intrinisicly easier to understand, and respect. Better grapes equal better wine. But what is it that makes Pilsner Urquel better than Bud Light? She asked me if I got my grain for my beers locally, which seemed to indicate that she didn’t understand at all what brewing actually involves.
Thanks for the comments though, i’ll be sure to mention them to her the next chance I get.
June 28th, 2004 at 11:52 am
I agree that the beer list is dismal, but my guess is that Jackie would be open to suggestions. I will bet her drinking interests are mainly wine, because her single malt list is very weak as well. I wonder if she would be receptive to meeting with the Motley Cow people (who do a great job of promoting beer) or Doug from John’s. I know some of the THIRSTY members have tried Siren’s and were quite disappointed in the non-existent beer list. A few of THIRSTY’s people would like to make recommendations.
June 29th, 2004 at 11:22 am
Maybe, we could entice her to a THIRSTY meeting and do a little education. Since, quite a few members of THIRSTY habit the club. My guess is that Wally isn’t hoity-toity enough of a wine guy. I bet she doesn’t like Tom at New Pi either. Somehow, somewhere, wine was able to elevate itself to appeal to the elite and be out of reach of the common man. Beer just doesn’t have that (thank goodness). With this lack of eliteness, beer tends to be presented as not as complex, tasteful and diverse as wine is.
July 11th, 2004 at 2:20 am
By all means, those interested should state what they’d like to see served there–if you show that you’ll support the business with your patronage if Millstream is on tap there, that’s an unavoidable incentive for any restaurateur, club or bar owner.
As a distributor sales rep, what’s most important is establishing a good relationship with a potential account. When a tap looks like it’s going to open up, you have to take advantage of the opportunity. The Siren is a brand-new business, and they’ll sort things out. (I will have two new wines going in in August.)