Drink a toast to rock 'n' roll

Many of those who enjoy craft beer are baby boomers, whose musical tastes favor what are generically called "oldies," ranging from early rock 'n' roll to psychedelia to '70s electric bands. Others who are younger, in spirit if not age, may have more modern or eclectic tastes, but they still appreciate hearing the stories and learning the trivia from the good old days -- who all "American Pie" is about, what really went on at "The Last Waltz," where Jerry Garcia's favorite bar was, etc. As Hard Rock Cafes prove, even teen-agers can get into the history of rock.

Why drink beer in just any bar when you can enjoy one in a place where music history was made? Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Morrison and Chuck Berry are a few of the names you'll encounter at establishments that serve good beer. With a little help from Fodor's Rock and Roll Traveler USA, the Beer Travelers offer a brief list of bars that pay tribute to popular music.

Today you're still likely to see actors and musicians hanging out at Barney's. Artist Edward Kienholz immortalized the place in his sculpture-tableau "The Beanery," back in 1965, and its roadhouse charm still attracts and intrigues all kinds of people. Barney's has dozens of beers on tap and hundreds more in bottles, plus 40 chili dishes and 140 versions of hamburgers.

Don't go to Threadgill's without bringing along plenty of appetite. This is Southern cooking at its finest, from chicken-fried steak to meatloaf to fabulous vegetables, and you can wash down your meal with several local beers.

"What Hard Rock Cafes would be if they were cool," is how we described Blueberry Hill in The Beer Travelers Guide, and we still mean that. It's a great place to grab a local brew and browse, a museum of pop culture where you'll find an "Elvis Room" and the guitar native son Chuck Berry used to write "Johnny B. Goode." Berry is feted throughout the building, and pictures show owners Joe and Linda Edwards with many of the celebrities who have stopped in, from Buddy Ebsen to Eddie Vedder. The draft beer selection includes imports and micros, with Schlafly and Boulevard beers always available. Blueberry Hill turns 25 this year and is expanding, which should please those who've had to wait in line for a table. The St. Louis Walk of Fame, on the sidewalks outside, bears stars for many musicians who hailed from the area, including Tina Turner and Miles Davis.

The beer selection is above reproach, with 27 tap choices mixing just as completely as the music. Standout imports such as Fuller's ESB, nationally known micros like Sierra Nevada and plenty of Texas micros are available. This was one of the first St. Arnold Brewing Co. accounts to offer cask-conditioned beer.

Music history is still being made on a regular basis at places that serve good beer around the country. Go to Crescent City in New Orleans and you can hear jazz any night of the week. Barley and Hopps in San Mateo, Calif., promotes itself as a blues venue as well as a cigar bar. Blackthorne Tavern in South Easton, Mass., offers an eclectic mix of music five nights a week in a pub setting, and Richard Thompson has been know to drop by. New York's Knitting Factory, long known as a jazz venue, also features independent-leaning rock music. And there's Carrollton Station in New Orleans, which we've written about before and which is frequented by Peter Holsapple and the Continental Drifters.

Whether you go to these places first for the music or first for the beer, there's a good chance you'll end up staying for the other.