Restaurants : THE WINE LIST

The best thing about the wine list at Russell’s is the beer.

Wine is fine for many things, but some festive occasions call for arcane beer, and Russell’s offers an array, from the sublime (Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner, $5) to the absurd (Leifman’s Franbozen, raspberry beer, $9, a must-try).

Twenty-five beers grace this list, from aperitif (Pink Triangle Select Light from Iowa, $4) to dessert (Rogue Shakespeare Stout, a bitter, chocolate-scented monster, $8).

There is also an odd wine list with some older vintages of great wines, some overpriced, some bargains (1984 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon, $28). For those who’d rather do upscale soda, there are four flavors of Sioux City, a boutique producer.

But beer seems the focus here, and the nice touch is that each beer has a comment about it, describing the expected tastes. The note on Buffalo Bill’s Alimony Ale says: “The bitterest beer in America, just don’t tell your spouse.”