Let’s be real, these days, a lot of first dates are blind dates. Online dating is blind dating. Yeah, you can get an idea of what someone looks like and a glimpse of their personality, but essentially, you’re going into your rendezvous cold. So picking a date spot can be tricky. You want somewhere relaxed, but not too casual (like Chipotle, that’s a third date venue). But you also don’t want to act like a showy jerk and end up at a six course meal with a bottle of wine you can’t afford.
The happy medium? A beer bar. I’m not talking a pub that has beer, I’m talking about a full fledged taphouse. Somewhere that has at least 15 beer options. Here’s why.
You Have The Variety Without Intimidation
I adore cocktail bars, but they can be intensely obscure when it comes to ingredients. While beer is just as diverse as hard liquor, it’s a one ingredient show. Cocktails, on the other hand, can have a dozen things in them. While you probably won’t recognize every beer served (if your date does, lock that down), you’ll recognize categories: porter, lager, ale. No time spent feeling like you need to navigate anything but your date’s childhood memories.
If The Date’s Going Well, You Can Eat
If I could live on a diet of beer snacks, I would. Cocktail snacks and wine bar small plates are great, but they’re usually delicate and artistic and you typically can’t make a meal out of them. Beer snacks are hearty. They fill you up. Think burgers with fried eggs, seasoned chips, and jerk chicken sandwiches. That being said, if you’re not feeling your date after the first round, you’re not locked into ordering grub like you would be at dinner.
The Atmosphere Is Friendly
Beer bars are jovial, rollicking places. Spilling your drink is okay and people are all over the place – at the bar, seated at a table, dancing in a corner, dancing on a table… Long silences aren’t really my thing, and I’m guessing they’re not yours, either. A beer bar provides a soundtrack of festive white noise that’ll put you in a good mood no matter who’s sitting across from you. Worst comes to worst, strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you. Two points for beer friends.
When It Comes To Beer, Less Is More
It’s not always the case, but beer is usually less expensive and alcoholic than cocktails or wine. That means you can enjoy a few rounds without worrying about bankrupting yourself (or your date) or ending up comatose with your face in a pint glass. Look, you can get sloshed and spend a ton of dough, it’s just a slower process than it would be at a liquor bar. This is ideal, unless your date is going really badly, in which case you might yearn for tequila.
Don’t Worry About That First Kiss, Both Of You Will Have Awful Breath
I’m really odor sensitive, whether it’s on me or on you. I’m not saying everyone worries about their breath being rancid before a first kiss, but don’t tell me it hasn’t been a concern of yours at least once. The good news is, you and your date will be on an equal playing field. There is no way, and I mean no way, your date will have fresh breath. Beer breath is a mighty, heady scent that will cling to your for the next several hours. Go ahead: pucker up.
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