Bottoms Up

Photo: One tiny section of the beer coolers at Bo’s Barbecue.

Would you pay $18.75 for a bottle of beer? I did last night at Bo’s Barbecue, in Lafayette, CA. And why not? It was a 25 oz. bottle of Achel Bruin, from the Belgian Trappist monastery, St. Bernardus de Achel. It’s hard to find anywhere in California, but naturally, Bo’s would have it.

Bo is William “Bo” McSwine and he loves barbecue and good beer. His coolers (all of his beer is in coolers) are well-stocked; his ribs are famous.

When I walked in Saturday night, the line was out the door; the place was jammed and Lacy Baker and the Black Diamonds were pounding out jazz tunes.

This is white bread, deep suburban Lafayette. Well, things are changing. Bo’s in the middle of it all. And the ribs and the slightly sweet, earthy Achel were a perfect choice, worth the 45 minute wait.

Curious about Bo’s? Here’s what I wrote a couple of years ago:

PHOTO: Bo’s Barbecue owner, William “Bo” McSwine gives a little extra when it comes to his food and his beer. (Doug Duran/Contra Costa Times)

A backgrounder on Bo’s

- the Beer-Lover’s barbecue

If you love barbecue and beer, here’s a suggestion: Run, don’t walk, to Bo’s Barbecue, 3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. There is nowhere like it in the Bay Area. I’m personally a big fan of Doug’s on San Pablo in Oakland. But Bo’s has won my heart. The barbecue, like the ribs at Doug’s, is wonderful, but there’s much more.

My wife and daughter dragged me there the first time. There was a line, so I casually glanced into the beer cooler. I was blown away. Staring out at me was a bottle of Westvleteren Tripel (*****); next to it were bottles of Rochefort 8 (***) and 10 (****) and several beers from De Dolle Browers, including Stille Nachte (****). It was also well-stocked with American craft beers, including Russian River and Allagash.

I stood there amazed. Wound up with a slab of ribs and a bottle of Westvleteren.

Turns out William “Bo” McSwine loves beer. Raised in Grenada, Miss., he learned about barbecue and home-brewing beer before his family joined the great 1950s migration north to Chicago looking for decent jobs.

I caught him on the phone at 6:30 a.m. the other morning as he was preparing the day’s barbecue. He said that after college (University of Chicago, psychology; graduate studies, UC Berkeley), he went to Europe like many young Americans did, bought a Eurail pass and traveled.

He made it to Belgium and stopped. It was the beer. “I’ve always liked beer, but not necessarily the American beer everyone liked back then, Schlitz and Miller,” he said. “I liked Lowenbrau. When I was young on the farm, we made beer along with wine. I grew up having beer on the table and learned to respect it as a young person.

“To me, it’s a passion. I’m always on the lookout for something new,” he said.

A lot has been written about Bo’s Barbecue, but I’ve been shocked that no one mentions the beer. Go to Bo’s, of course, for the ‘que. But also for the beer. Hint: In the unlikely event that you don’t see anything you like, strike up a conversation about beer with Bo and ask if he has anything else in the back cooler. He usually does.

Bo’s Barbecue,
3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925-283-7133.
Open Mondays-Saturdays,

For a review of the ribs, check out Nicholas Boer’s report here.