On the heels of my latest column in the Celebrator, in which I extol the merits of eight cafés, brasseries and restaurants where it is possible to combine excellent beer selection with outstanding food, and in anticipation of my involvement in a new beer cuisine restaurant and bar in Toronto, I've been thinking a lot about places which sell beer and what separates ordinary ones from the cream of the crop. While such judgments are obviously very personal — if what I think makes a bar great was what the majority thought, Hooters would be a tiny mom and pop operation and Denver's Falling Rock, Antwerp's Oud Arsenaal and London's White Horse at Parson's Green would be the anchor establishments of hugely successful, national chains — I do think that there are a few qualities worth highlighting.

     For me, passion is the ultimate ingredient in the making of a good bar. By this, I do not mean what goes on among the patrons, but passion in the proprietor for what he or she is doing, which is why most truly great bars are one-offs while most chain outlets are mere soulless drinking parlours. From the point of view of an ordinary punter, if the owner or operator — who are preferably one and the same — can't get excited about the place, it's hard to understand why my response should be any different. But on the other hand, if the owner is dedicated to making their place a great place, then I'm going to feel more inclined to respond the same way.

     Drink selection is another obvious ingredient in a good bar, but this is something that necessarily varies according to what country you're in. In the United States, for example, a great bar should offer a variety of beers to begin with, and supplement that selection with an appropriate array of fine spirits and wines. In England, on the other hand, a stellar pub should not be expected to offer a vast array of beer styles, but should instead offer a reasonable cross-section of cask-conditioned ales and quality draught taps, rather than merely the easy-to-get stuff of the national brewers. And in Germany and the Czech Republic, where bars often carry the wares of only one or two breweries, freshness of product and a range of available styles is the key.

     (For specialty beer bars, where selection is of more obvious importance, it deserves noting that passion once again plays strongly into the mix, since an operator without a passion for beer is simply not inclined to go the extra mile to obtain the best beers possible, while someone who truly does care will do so without a second thought. And nowhere should the mere number of beers available be assumed to indicate that a bar is or is not great. In many instances, a shorter, well-selected list is infinitely preferable to one as long as the bartop and about as interesting.)

    Food should also be an issue, but not necessarily one connected directly to the kitchen, since many bars have limited or no food service. That being the case, however, the bartender or waiter should be able to steer you towards good fare that you can bring back with you, preferably from some nearby place. If the bar does have a kitchen, it should bring forth food of good quality, even if it's just a burger and fries or pie and chips. Because after all, if you're going to care about what you drink, shouldn't it stand to figure that you would also care about what you eat?

    Finally, and most ephemerally, there is ambiance. Again, this is something that is going to flow naturally from the owner operator — you can't get instructions on how to build it from a book, and neither can you force it if it's not happening. Great ambiance comes from the combination of honest, thoughtful décor — rather than pub-in-a-box kits — a welcoming atmosphere, and perhaps most importantly, proprietors and staff who care about more than just the bottom line. Which is perhaps why a great bar remains a rare and treasured commodity.

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• Announcing a New Great Canadian Beer Guide, May 2001
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• Y2Beer -- The Year in Review, January 2001
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• A Tale of a Tasting, November 2000
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• In Defense of Beer, May 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Part II, April 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Part I, April 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Introduction, April 2000
• A World of Stout, Mar 2000
• The Glass From Which We Drink, Feb 2000
• The Year As It Was: Brews, Fests and Damn Foolishness , Jan 2000
• New Years Eve, Dec 1999
• Beer in the Land of Stout, Nov 1999
• Visiting the World's Best Beer Fest, Oct 1999
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• The Mixed Marriage of a Beer and a Cigar, Aug 1999

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