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ohiobrewtus · 04-16-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munsoned

Last week I ordered a Sam Adams at a local Red Robin. The waiter brought me a beer, but it definitely wasn't a Sam Adams. I asked, he brought it back to the barmaid who insisted it WAS Sam Adams. I took another sip, and looked at the color. No, it definitetly WASN'T a Sam Adams. I told him it didn't look or taste right. He brought it back to the bar again, then returned to my table a third time with the same glass of beer and told me "Oh yeah, the bartender said it's a seasonal--Summer Ale I think--we don't have the regular Sam Adams." I told him, "Thanks. Please bring me a Bass instead."

If it was the SA Winter or even White Ale, I would have just drank it. I'm not a fan of the SA Summer. I felt like a turd going through all of that with the waiter, but come on! If they're putting "Sam Adams" on the menu, they should at least tell you its a seasonal, or the bartender should be able to tell the waiter the difference the first time around rather than trying to foist it on the customer that way. I wondered to myself how many other customers must have gotten and just drank a totally different type of beer from what they ordered in that place... I also wondered if they spit in my Bass...

This is a major pet peeve of mine. You sit down and ask whta they have on tap, then after they get through rattling off 12 different versions of BMC, they say Sam Adams.

I say "which Sam Adams?"

The say "Just the regular one."

I say "I don't know what you mean by 'the regular one', they make over 20 different kinds of beer. Is it Boston Lager, Boston Ale, Sam Adams Lite, a seasonal?"

"I don't know, I'll have to go check."

Makes me want to whack someone upside the head. Then my poor wife has to listen to me complain about that for the next 10 minutes.

**Homercidal** · 04-16-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmbrewernw

I have had the same experiences before, I don't think your being a dick, usually I'll just drink what they brought me but if it's BMC and I ordered a craft brew I'll raise a stink. By the way the thing that annoys me more than anything is going into a brewpub and the wait staff doesn't know anything about the beer they make/sell. SWMBO always gets annoyed when I comment on this but I think it's so important for a brewery to have staff that is knowlegable about their own beer. Even if your workers are under 21 you can at least educate them about the beer. Personally I don't think I would even hire wait staff that weren't willing to try the beer that the brewery made, it's kind of like baristas that don't like coffee.

Precisely! My wife hates it when I ask the waitress what beers they have. "Here we go..."

But I want to know what options I have! Once they get past, "Bud, Bud Light, Miller, etc..." and see my face, they get all worried looking and ask what do I want. Well, I already know they don't have what I want, that is why I'm asking for a list!

The wait staff should know what beers they have as well as any of the food choices. If they don't then management should print out simple beer lists that they can carry around with them listing exactly what they have. I'm not talking about a corporate menu with the big breweries' logos. I want to know exactly what is on tap. So many times I've heard people say they don't carry certain beers because nobody buys them. But how can they buy them if they don't even know they are there!? Is it so hard type the name of your beers in word and print on your little inkjet printer?? Once a week maybe change the seasonal??

Gah. I'm getting pissed just reading this thread. If not for my wife with me all the time, I'd just get the manager and ask questions, or get up and leave and tell them they don't know how to do their job good enough.

**humann_brewing** · 04-16-2009, 05:05 PM

Knowing something about beers has definately changed the whole eating out scene for that portion. I often like to know what they have on tap if I didn't see the taps on the way in and the waiters/waitresses are never up to speed on what they have let alone know the differences between them.

I hate it when a brand is generalized like "we have sierra nevada" Oh, ok you have all of there beers, that is great. "no we have the one with the green label" You have to learn their simple lingo and assume a few things instead of them being educated on what they are serving.

I have a server a a place that brewed 1 beer that they served and it was a brown ale, but the guy tried telling me it was a porter and I had to restrain myself there.

Anyways, a lot of the time, if there is not a good selection or if there is just not a beer they serve that I feel like having, I just say to myself "I will just wait until I get home and have some homebrew". That just doesn't work when I am out of town

GuitarBob · 04-16-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homercidal

Precisely! My wife hates it when I ask the waitress what beers they have. "Here we go..."

But I want to know what options I have! Once they get past, "Bud, Bud Light, Miller, etc..." and see my face, they get all worried looking and ask what do I want. Well, I already know they don't have what I want, that is why I'm asking for a list!

You know it's a real shame places don't have more variety. What the point of having a bunch of different kegs that contain basically the same beer?

What a frustrating world for a beer snob to live in. Maybe we need to claim Mars for our own and make sure the colony has good beer on tap.

carnevoodoo · 04-16-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humann_brewing

I hate it when a brand is generalized like "we have sierra nevada" Oh, ok you have all of there beers, that is great. "no we have the one with the green label" You have to learn their simple lingo and assume a few things instead of them being educated on what they are serving.

Oh come on! Int the eyes of 95% of the population, there is one Sierra Nevada. There's one Sam Adams. The big companies have a flagship product, and luckily companies like New Belgium were smart enough to call it something different than the style. Most people wouldn't know the difference. Even in a great beer bar, if I were to order a Sierra Nevada, they would know what I was saying. I would be more specific if I wanted a Bigfoot or a stout.

Assuming an Applebee's is going to have Sierra Nevada stout is like assuming their food will be good.

**Homercidal** · 04-16-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnevoodoo

Oh come on! Int the eyes of 95% of the population, there is one Sierra Nevada. There's one Sam Adams. The big companies have a flagship product, and luckily companies like New Belgium were smart enough to call it something different than the style. Most people wouldn't know the difference. Even in a great beer bar, if I were to order a Sierra Nevada, they would know what I was saying. I would be more specific if I wanted a Bigfoot or a stout.

Assuming an Applebee's is going to have Sierra Nevada stout is like assuming their food will be good.

I agree, but the Applebees I've been to (Big Rapids and Plainwell Michigan) have always had good food.

**humann_brewing** · 04-16-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnevoodoo

Oh come on! Int the eyes of 95% of the population, there is one Sierra Nevada. There's one Sam Adams. The big companies have a flagship product, and luckily companies like New Belgium were smart enough to call it something different than the style. Most people wouldn't know the difference. Even in a great beer bar, if I were to order a Sierra Nevada, they would know what I was saying. I would be more specific if I wanted a Bigfoot or a stout.

Assuming an Applebee's is going to have Sierra Nevada stout is like assuming their food will be good.

Sierra Nevada's seasonal beers are popular around here, especially the celebration. Your right about New Belguim somehow skirted around that problem, I guess because no one likes saying I'd like a New Belgium please.

Anyways, this thread is hilarious and makes me mad at the same time. I have to show this to the wife and she will now know that I am not the only one.

vtchuck · 04-16-2009, 05:29 PM

but I had lunch at one yesterday and they had Sierra Nevada PA, Switchback, Magic Hat #9 & Long Trail Ale on tap... as well as SA, Bass, Blue Moon. Pretty decent selection for a chain.

jerrysfinger · 04-16-2009, 05:30 PM

Is it wrong to ask for a glass that is not frozen? My local bar has a few good things on tap. At the moment New Castle is nice. They keep glasses in the freezer and when it gets to you it is pretty cold. Too cold IMO. I felt kinda like a d-bag when I asked for a unfrozen glass last time I was in there.

And we are going out to eat (not our usual) when a little women gets home and all these stories will be fresh on deck. I'm just going to walk over to the bar and find out on my own from now on so I'm less annoyed with the clueless wait staff.

johntangus · 04-16-2009, 05:32 PM

i ordered a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at a Buffalo Wild Wings after seeing it was the best beer they had on tap. Also after quizzing our poor clueless waitress as to their lineup.

She brought me a PBR. She went back and got me a SN after i pointed it out and let me have the PBR for free. yipee.

I will actually drink a PBR once in awhile, but not when i paid $5 for a SN and instead get a $2 PBR. After i got the SN and drank it, i couldn't bring myself to finish the PBR.

I really won't stand for overcooked steaks, wrong beers, or anything in a restaurant. I've worked at restaurants in different capacities, and know that as long as i'm not a dick about it, they don't seem to mind fixing their mistakes (or the bartenders).