***** about stupid bartenders here

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rph33

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Sorry if this has been said before, but I CANNOT FREAKING STAND IT when I go to bars and I ask "Do you have anything dark on tap" and they answer with "We have Bear Republic IPA" or something similar.

Bartenders should be forced to learn a few "spectrums" of the beer world, including but not limited to:

Light <----------> Dark
Malty <---------> Hoppy

You'd think people would follow the school teaching they've learned since age 5, and when they look at a beer like Bear Republic's IPA and see that it is yellow in color and pretty translucent, they would associate it with the term "light" as opposed to "dark". But something in these people's minds has told them that "strong taste" = "dark", and they therefore call beers such as IPA and Amber Ale "dark".

I think that if I keep getting people recommending the Sierra Nevada when I ask for a dark beer, I just might flip out ninja style one of these times! :drunk:
 
I really hate going to a restaurant that "specializes" in beer, meaning they stock several hundred bottles, but then pour every beer at 30 degrees into a frozen mug. It honestly pisses me off.
 
I once asked a bartender: "So what sorts of imports do you have?" She replied: "Well, we have Michelob." And she said it with a straight face. I left.
 
I think the worst case of dumba$$ bartender has been with understanding up charging with imports.

I've been upcharged with these beers...
  • Sam Adams Boston Lager
  • JW Dunde Honey Brown
  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • New Belgium Fat Tire
If they said all micros & imports are this much and BMC is this then OK.
 
Sorry if this has been said before, but I CANNOT FREAKING STAND IT when I go to bars and I ask "Do you have anything dark on tap" and they answer with "We have Bear Republic IPA" or something similar.

Heh...at least they have Bear Republic IPA. ;)

I went to a bar/restaurant once and asked what they have on tap: "Oh, we have a wide selection. Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft..." :rolleyes:

The worst was I heard a server describe a stout once to a patron as "it's dark...you probably won't like it", and this was at a BREWPUB. I happened to know the brewmaster and asked him WTF was up with their waitstaff.

I really hate it when they refer to BMC as "Domestic". Like American micros are produced anywhere else??? I don't expect every bartender to be well-versed in brewing but they should at least have an idea of what they're serving. :rolleyes:
 
Heh...at least they have Bear Republic IPA. ;)

That's what I'm saying!

I was at a restaurant in San Francisco last week, and they had Anderson Valley Boont on the menu. I asked what kind of beer that was and the waitress replied "It's pretty dark... but it's good."

Ummm... it turned out to be an amber. What gets me is that if you're a chick asking about beer, people assume you won't like "dark" beers. :rolleyes:
 
There's a bar/restaurant around here that had an ad in the local papers touting their selection of "Summer Ales." I liked this place because of their wide selection of tap beers, only one or two in the BMC catagory, so naturally, I headed over there one evening for a burger and a beer.
Looking at the tap handles, which change regularly, I saw no "Summer Ales", or anything even close. When the bartender came over, I asked about the Summer Ales, and was told, "Well, we have Miller Lite, which I really like on a hot day, and we have ..."
I stopped her there, and explained about the ad, and the difference between beer and "Summer Beers" and she looked at me like I was an idiot, until the guy a couple of seats down leaned in and told her, "This guy's probably a beer geek. He's looking for something special for summer." The bartender rolled her eyes and said, "This is what we have. We don't have anything special."
I ordered a burger and a Sierra Nevada, and as politely as possible, told her that the attitude really wasn't necessary, I'm not the one who put the ad in the paper, and it's not my fault that I know that there is a difference between beer and summer ales. She got mad, and called out the manager.
 
I ordered a burger and a Sierra Nevada, and as politely as possible, told her that the attitude really wasn't necessary, I'm not the one who put the ad in the paper, and it's not my fault that I know that there is a difference between beer and summer ales. She got mad, and called out the manager.

LOL! Let alone the fact that Miller Lite's a LAGER and not an ALE.

I'd been a lot less polite after receiving her attitude. "Want a tip? Learn how to do your ****ing job." :D
 
How about this place I stopped at while on home for Xmas. They brew all their
own craft beers, had a huge long bar inside. Sweet.

The bartenders couldn't describe the beers outside of their color, obviously had
not tried them or many other beers, didn't know the ABV and couldn't tell me what
style the beer was. When I asked they just said "We wouldn't know anything about
that!"

Like I was asking a librarian.

The beers were just named witty plays on the pubs namesake. If I didn't get 4 free
beers and a free shot of Grand Marnier I would've left after #1.

Speaking of which - how do they stay in business!?
 
LOL! Let alone the fact that Miller Lite's a LAGER and not an ALE.

I'd been a lot less polite after receiving her attitude. "Want a tip? Learn how to do your ****ing job." :D



As a former bartender, I know enough not to piss off the tender until I'm ready to leave. Although, after another argument with the manager there, who insisted on turning off all of the TV's for karaoke night, even though there were more people watching a ball game then there were for karaoke, I won't go back there. Now, I go to a biker bar right around the corner from me, that has an amazing beer selection, considering that it looks like a dive.
 
kjung said:
As a former bartender, I know enough not to piss off the tender until I'm ready to leave.

Agreed. Same with people who make your food and nurses that can put large-diameter catheters in small-diameter orifices. :eek: I would've left after her attitude issue.

Like I was asking a librarian.

Heh...my wife's a librarian and probably knows more about beer than most bartenders. ;) She apparently pays attention when I talk. :D
 
meh

I've got sick of complaining about how beer is handled around here. If it isn't BM, it's just not going to be on tap. No coors around here as well.

One pizza/bar I frequent recently started getting microbrew in bottles for $3.50 a pop. I know it's not going to be handled well and all the sediment is going to be stired up on the bottle conditioned beers, but $3.50 for a 9% Trippel (or Trip Ale as they refer to it) is hard to pass up, even with stirred up yeast.
 
What did the manager do?



Not a thing. I tried the whole "summer ale/beer" explanation and got a blank stare. I even tried to explain that when they're catering to a more knowledgable beer clientele, they should be more careful how they word their ads, and got the "Well, the ad was placed by the owners, not us" excuse.
Keep in mind, this is the same manager from the karaoke story, too.
 
Not a thing. I tried the whole "summer ale/beer" explanation and got a blank stare. I even tried to explain that when they're catering to a more knowledgable beer clientele, they should be more careful how they word their ads, and got the "Well, the ad was placed by the owners, not us" excuse.
Keep in mind, this is the same manager from the karaoke story, too.

You can't argue to the bartender and manager about an add. You can mention it, but like he said, He has no control over that crap, He's just the poor guy that gets stuck listening to snobs. I too am a beer snob and hate the selection in bars, but you ahve to realize, to everyone 1 of us there are 10000000 ordering Bud and miller. They'd be stupid to cater to us.
Also you act so knowlegable of beer, yet you're still asking for "Dark" beer. If you wanna be a snob ask for porters or stouts.
What would you have done if when asking for a Dark beer the waitress came back with, We have several Porters, Stouts, Ambers, ect, could you be moer specific?
And to the ones complaining about getting ambers as responses to dark beers. People who are only somewhat educated expect those selections when asking for a "dark" Beer.
If I was a bar tender and got asked for a "dark" beer, I would assume the customer wants to think he knows beer and just wants something besides Bud, bulight and Miller light, aka yellow fizz. Amberbock, and the like are all reasonable responses to this customer starting to venture out of pee fizz.
 
Wow... being in Chicago they have zero excuse for not know that their ad was a blatant lie. It would be much more understandable if they were in an area with very little beer culture.

I would been pissed too, I hope the tender got reprimanded for being a dick.

Most places around me a pretty good about beer knowledge, unless people are new and then it is understandable.

There used to be this kid who tended at my local pub who was 21 and didn't like beer. I had to rant at him several times and do his job so that the customers would get correct answers. I know everyone there and the other bar tenders would just stand back and laugh. It was a pretty good hoot actually.
 
I have to agree with Pulse.... if I was a bar tender and someone asked me what dark beers I had, I would assume they like Guinness and think that makes them hardcore.

Also, I think being a beer snob is dumb. If you know more about beer than most people great! Use that knowledge to further someone else's knowledge not to compensate for you small wiener. People like this make me ashamed of knowing a lot about beer. The other thing is there is always someone who knows more about beer than you. For example, most who call themselves beer snobs know just enough to be annoying but don't really know that much or are likely not current with the trade.

For example, I used to be very up on my beer but know I am not. I get most of the new big offerings but don't spend my time (or money) on it like I used to. Most people here do not have that big of a beer background and those who do, often don't flaunt it (e.g., carnevoodoo). Next time you are out trying to be all beer snob cool, remember the weird looking dude next to you may be laughing at some dumb ass comment you are making. Always be humble and the world will like you.
 
You can't argue to the bartender and manager about an add. You can mention it, but like he said, He has no control over that crap, He's just the poor guy that gets stuck listening to snobs. I too am a beer snob and hate the selection in bars, but you ahve to realize, to everyone 1 of us there are 10000000 ordering Bud and miller. They'd be stupid to cater to us.
Also you act so knowlegable of beer, yet you're still asking for "Dark" beer. If you wanna be a snob ask for porters or stouts.



The manager is the owners rep. on site. That IS the person that you talk to in a situation like that. She then forwards the problem to ownership, who then either takes care of the situation, or ignores it.
With a beer selection like they have, WE ARE the people that they're catering to.
Also, the O.P. was the one asking for a dark beer, not me.
 
I think at times you have to dumb down the beer-speak for people who are not really beer savvy. You can ask for a porter or bock and I'm guessing often you'll get a blank stare.

I generally don't get offended by people being ignorant about beer. I usually ask what they have and work with them get what I want.

I hate people thinking they know about beer and try to BS me more than anything else.

Awhile back I posted about a micro that was giving me Irish Reds. Each beer was different. It wasn't until I stood at the bar and saw I was getting their micro-brewed bock watered down with Miller Lite. The Irish Red was gone, the keg was dry.

NOW THAT IS A REASON WORTH GETTING PISSED OFF. They should have erased the chalk board saying

Micro Brews On Tap:
Wheat Beer
Irish Red
Bock beer
 
I think the worst case of dumba$$ bartender has been with understanding up charging with imports.

I've been upcharged with these beers...
  • Sam Adams Boston Lager
  • JW Dunde Honey Brown
  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • New Belgium Fat Tire
If they said all micros & imports are this much and BMC is this then OK.
I've had Shiner Bock charged to me as an import, and I live in freaking Texas :confused:
 
The manager is the owners rep. on site. That IS the person that you talk to in a situation like that. She then forwards the problem to ownership, who then either takes care of the situation, or ignores it.
With a beer selection like they have, WE ARE the people that they're catering to.
Also, the O.P. was the one asking for a dark beer, not me.

I apologize, I was assuming normal bar/restuarant style management. Maybe mention that section next time when speaking of management of this palce.
About the "Dark" beer, my mistake, I was thinking you were the OP.
 
Well I AM the OP...

Also you act so knowlegable of beer, yet you're still asking for "Dark" beer. If you wanna be a snob ask for porters or stouts.
What would you have done if when asking for a Dark beer the waitress came back with, We have several Porters, Stouts, Ambers, ect, could you be moer specific?

I don't want to "be a snob". I just want a goddamn dark beer. You act like the assumption that an employee of an establishment will KNOW WHAT'S ON THE MENU is out of line, and what's more, you seem to think that the question "Do you you have dark beer" is somehow pompous or said under false pretenses.

I don't ask "Do you have porter / stout" because most bartenders around here don't even know that these words refer to a type of beer. If I was in a brewpub, I would ask for a stout, but it's just a bar, so I try to be a little more general.

What's further, if a bartender said "We have several stouts, porters, etc., could you be more specific", well, YES I COULD and I would be very appreciative of their knowledge, and I would then ask them for a tall glass of either Old Rasputin or anything resembling RIS that they had. It isn't like I would balk and stutter and say "oh, I'll just have a Guinness".

I have to agree with Pulse.... if I was a bar tender and someone asked me what dark beers I had, I would assume they like Guinness and think that makes them hardcore.

Also, I think being a beer snob is dumb. If you know more about beer than most people great! Use that knowledge to further someone else's knowledge not to compensate for you small wiener. People like this make me ashamed of knowing a lot about beer. .

You're honestly saying that my question of "Do you have anything dark" is unreasonable? That it's just some attempt to make myself look hardcore? You REALLY think that the question is some sort of rhetorical, general question that I said to puff up my own ego?

So by that logic, if I go into a Mexican place and ask "Which dishes are spicy?", I am just trying to prove what a hard-ass I am? :confused: Kind of ridiculous reasoning I'm afraid.

If you want seafood, you ask "Do you have any fish on the menu?" You don't say "Do you happen to have parmesan-encrusted line-caught open-water roughy filets with lemon-cream sauce?" And so by the same reasoning, I ask "Do you have anything dark", not "Do you happen to have bottle-conditioned micro-brewed Russian Imperial Stout made with a blend of black patent and chocolate malts, primed with molasses, stored in the cellar of a goddamn church for a year, and with preferably over 75 IBUs?"

If I just drank Guinness all the time, I would just order a ****ing Guinness. The question "Do you have something dark" is totally valid and is not in any way pompous or self-ingratiating.
 
I am not saying anything about you... really, no hard feelings at all :)

My point was, from the side of a bartender, most people who ask for a dark beer, are people who think Guinness is a big heavy monster beer. Not you, just most people. A different approach may work better. Or I could be way off and the dark thing is the best where you're from ??? I don't know, I just know how it goes around here.

My approach is to ask for what they have on tap other than Bud, Miller, or Coors products. Then I ask for a list of what they have in bottles. If you are nice about it, 99% of people will be very helpful. You situation could be that one percent, in that case a cockpunch usually fixes things ;) kidding, but sometimes you are just SOL.

Related story, at this TexMex place I go to they serve their beer and glassware so cold that the beer literally turns into a slushy! I have to specifically tell them to put my beer in a hot glass out of the washer and order two at a time just to avoid a weird jelly beer thing..... I always get weird looks fro the wait staff, but at least I get what I want and it is no sweat off their back.

Cheers
 
I am not saying anything about you... really, no hard feelings at all :)

My point was, from the side of a bartender, most people who ask for a dark beer, are people who think Guinness is a big heavy monster beer.

Related story, at this TexMex place I go to they serve their beer and glassware so cold that the beer literally turns into a slushy!

Cheers

I just woke up and haven't had caffeine and might have taken it the wrong way :D 'Cos don't get me wrong, I AM definitely a beer-snob, my point was just that I don't flaunt it, and I never ask questions with the purpose of broadcasting my beer-snob-status.

I guess you are right about MOST people ordering "dark" beer and expecting Guinness as the be-all-end-all of dark beers. I still have some ******-pig friends who, upon seeing somebody drink a Guinness, will say something like "OH MAN, THAT STUFF IS LIKE BREAD IN A BOTTLE!" :drunk: It's comments like this that REALLY make me want to turn on the beer-snobbery and go on a rant about real stouts, but I am able to keep that side of me in check. :)

And the Hooters across the street from where I work ALSO serves the beer so cold that it has frozen beer pieces in it. It's good if you are ordering their big-box swill, 'cos drinking that stuff cold is the only way to go, but it makes ordering any of their more flavorful ales pointless.

prost
 
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