How do other actual brewers feel about 'Beer Flights'?

[Wolfbayte]

I like beer flights, I can't deny. The variety that satisfies. When a tray comes in, with ales galore and different flavors I explore I get excited. I want to taste them all. 'Cause those brews have got me in thrall. In the glasses they're pouring, I'm hooked and can't stop exploring. Oh yeah, I wanna savor brews, and rate their flavors too. My buddies tried to stop me, but those brews they got just taste so hoppy.

 

[Jack_0106]

I hate those bars/pubs where the locals think they run the place. As soon as you enter, they look at you like you shouldn't be there. Doesn't give off a very friendly vibe

 

[seatazzz]

We occasionally go on short road trips to try new breweries; here in Western Washington they pop up like blackberry bushes, it seems. We always get a flight, especially if we have a few breweries on the itinerary. Usually don't order a pint until we're at the last stop, and then it's usually something on the lighter side. Flights are nice. I recall a few years back when we stopped at Half Lion Brewing and ordered a flight; every beer, from the pilsner to the porter, tasted exactly the same. They've improved since then, to the point that last season at T-Mobile Park (where my awesome Mariners play) they had the craft beer concession. On the flip side, also a few years back I stopped at a newly opened local craft brewery by myself and did NOT get a flight; ordered a pint of their signature IPA, and had to choke it down. It had phenolics out the wazoo, and I'm too polite to leave a partially drunk pint on the table. I've been there since then, and they have also improved. One more story; on a brewery road trip also a few years back, we ordered a flight, and the pilsner they had on tap was absolutely awful. It also had a horrible phenolic taste. I even asked the person working the taps if there was something wrong with it; he admitted that they had a ton of sixtels of this beer to get rid of, and everybody working there knew it was horrible. Got a replacement taster of something different for that. Funny side note to that story; at the table next to us was a group of younger folks, with their untappd apps at the ready. Heard a bearded gentleman of the group praising the heck out of said horrible pilsner, to the point I snorted beer up my nose.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

A flight is a good way to sample “the new to you” brewery. One can linger and let more flavors come through, and of course sampling in a good order keeps the palette working. Hubby and I often share a flight then get a pint when stopping into a new brewery or if a favorite place has a few new selections, or the high ABV brews are calling.

 

[SanPancho]

when flights are priced appropriately (glassware, labor/time for 6 pours, setup and describe,etc) they can be a good way to get some volume going on the beers that are your non-core or one-off brews. everyone who doesnt like beer already orders hazies, people who tolerate beer will order the lager/blonde/wheat, and then you've got your main/core beers that already move quickly. samplers let folks try and find beers outside of this list that they may also like enough to buy a pint or two.

if those non-core beers tend to be ones that are fairly cheap to make (not super hoppy, not extended tank time, no expensive fruit or aging) they can help drive sales of beers that are more profitable than the expensive hoppy stuff that is typically core (hazy, ipas, ) these days.

but its a bit of a gamble, business-wise. glasses are kinda expensive, they disappear, server can get tied up for ages putting out two or three flights, etc. etc.

 

[Whisky River]

you guys really tip for bars, we might throw in a coin or 2 but these guys are usually well paid anyway...

I’m sure it’s different everywhere but in the US, restaurant and bar workers are paid much less than minimum wage, usually only a few dollars an hour. They rely on their tips for the vast majority of their income.

 

[cmac62]

I like flights also when gong to big name craft breweries because then I get to taste more of their amazing offerings. I live close to The Bruery in Placentia CA and they have amazing BIG beers and also sours and other things that I don't really want a pint of, so tasters and flights are the way to go. Their Tuesday beers clock in at 14+ % and I know they likely pour 10 oz for those, but I don't even want that much. I truly want a taster. It works.

 

[odie]

pretty much all breweries I've been to price their flights higher than a standard pint to account for extra effort and such. tip accordingly.

what pisses me off is when they serve a high OG beer as a short pour but still premium price it. Basically, you are getting charged double.

either short pour it at the normal price or full pour it at a premium price.

 

[eric19312]

Yeah I'm one of those that likes flights when I travel but can get annoyed when people order them at my local. That's not the customer's fault though it is that my local is pretty small and usually only has one person working behind the bar, even on relatively busy days. The flight they offer is a "taste all 10" I think they are 2 oz pours, and takes a long time to assemble with all the little cups and trays.. Line out the door of thirsty people and somebody orders a couple flights.

 

[odie]

yeah...only order a flight once at a particular brewery. If you can't decide what you like after that, maybe beer is not your thing?

 

[Whisky River]

yeah...only order a flight once at a particular brewery. If you can't decide what you like after that, maybe beer is not your thing?

Really? You only sample something new one time and then you commit forever? I once knew a girl who used to say things like that. Sometimes I wonder what happened to her but I’m still busy sampling. I thought most people preferred a little variety.
But maybe that’s not your thing?

 

[day_trippr]

Hahaha! It's on! Who's making the popcorn?

Cheers!

 

[Whisky River]

Oh geeze, not trying to start a range war here just kidding around and trying to carry the flag for variety!
After all, isn’t that why we’re all here?

 

[mac_1103]

Is it really variety if you order the same flight every time?

 

[bruce_the_loon]

It's been a few years since my last "flight" but I enjoyed them in the past.
Some of these "flights" shown look to be volumetrically quite large - this one looks like at least 4 ounce glasses times 10 beers.
"Hammer Time"?

View attachment 822294

Someone's gonna have some explaining to do when they get pulled over by the local gendarmes

Cheers!

The writing on the flight looks like it is Afrikaans, and as such, the local South African gendarmes probably won't be visible or might happily take one of the samples as an on-the-spot fine.

 

[odie]

Really? You only sample something new one time and then you commit forever? I once knew a girl who used to say things like that. Sometimes I wonder what happened to her but I’m still busy sampling. I thought most people preferred a little variety.
But maybe that’s not your thing?

no. but if I sample something I like, I'm gonna go back and bang it and not keep just kissing it...

 

[wsmith1625]

When I'm at a brewery with my wife I will typically order a flight and sample. If something stands out, I get a full pour to get the full enjoyment of that particular beer. When I'm at a brewery with my HBC, I just commit to something and get a full pour. If it's good, I buy a 4 pack to take home with me.

 

[Kharnynb]

The writing on the flight looks like it is Afrikaans, and as such, the local South African gendarmes probably won't be visible or might happily take one of the samples as an on-the-spot fine.

could be dutch too, at least the first one is dutch(though also used in afrikaans), sadly the handwriting is so bad that i can't make out more

 

[bruteforce]

Flights at peak hours are a dick move, but I'm pro-flight. Plenty of places with a 3 beer limit and 12+ taps, and I appreciate being able to try out a few more things

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Comments have been posted regarding the disadvantages of flights for a brewery, time for the pour extra glasses to wash etc. Many that I visit will give a taste maybe an ounce, and I saw a clown come in tasted half the taps, and didn’t have the courtesy to order a beer. After the request for a third sample the server should have offered a flight to the moocher.

 

[MaxStout]

Some breweries might have a dozen or more beers on tap, but flights come in 4s or 6s.

Once you've tried one beer, you gotta try them all.

 

[odie]

Chicago Brewing at the 4 Queens in Vegas has 10 beer flight. Most challenging...

 

[Airborneguy]

I’ve never heard of there being controversy over flights until this thread.

I’m of the mind that if the place offers it, at no time is a customer wrong for partaking. If the bartenders don’t like it, their beef is with the owner.

I’ve been ordering flights for decades. No one involved - servers, bartenders, owners, brewers, etc - ever implied negative connotations.

 

[mashpaddled]

I'm not the biggest fan of ordering them. Often it's poorly poured just by nature of the type of glasses and size. Unless I'm worried about the quality of the beers or there are just too many beers available I want to try, I'd rather order a couple half pours. That's just me.

The only thing that drives me insane is the newer culture of people thinking they can go into a taproom and ask for "splashes" of multiple beers before buying one. It's fine if the staff offers one or two, but if you came in wanting to taste six beers, you should buy a flight and move on.

The craft beer industry is built on flights. Back in the day craft breweries were complete novelties of either the brewpub or a brewery tucked away in a warehouse district. The few beer bars out there had a bunch of beers and beer styles most people had never heard of. Offering flights was the only way to get people to try beers and try to find something they liked. If craft beer had committed to full pours, we'd still be drinking old kegs of SNPA and Boston Lager out of the one bar in town with those weird beers.

 

[Pkrd]

I first read "flight" and then in the first post OP asks about "Beer Floats"

I was wondering about a flight of floats too.

 

[uweschmitt]

Am I the only one who is put off and very annoyed at 'Beer Floats'? I first saw those seemingly pointless handmade and overpriced pieces of plank with holes called 'beer flight' at craft shows and when told what it was, I just assumed it was for the mainstream 'Pub Crawl' folk that I always found highly annoying when they'd show up at one of my hang-outs, with their pretentions of 'trying out beer and places' when most places served the same mainstream crap as every other place, when in fact they were just out to get trashed and laid and had no actual palate or discerning taste whatsoever..... Beer is not wine. You don't just take a sip, spit it, have a piece of bread and move on to the next. Something as simple as a strong hop character on the one, will radically alter the taste of the next one.
This is what annoyed me:
https://windsorite.ca/sponsored-stories/county-pints-city-flights-celebrate-ontario-craft-beer-week/ These are some good breweries, and of course, being disabled I can't actually go, but just seeing some of these fine brews being served in a way that I personally know will utterly misrepresent and denigrate everything after the first two samples, just pisses me off.... it tells me that tasteless folk who don't deserve good beer are the true target of the whole event.
Is it just me?

Makes sense for me for a brewery I don't know yet. But I also think the glasses are a bit too small to "understand" a beer, I often need half a pint to adjust to a beer and appreciate or dislike it. Still, if I don't know the brewery I can get a rough picture of their offers and profile. And luckily I know myself not to drink a pilsner after an imperial stout.

 

[GoodTruble]

This thread actually inspired me to order a beer flight set. I always have four beers on tap. So it's an easy way for guests to try all four or many guests to sample one to see if they want a pint. I used it last weekend because people wanted to try my coconut lime kolsch. (1 person asked for a pint =c) ).

 

[kurds_2408]

Went to a local cidery a couple months ago, they had 6oz pours for $4 and pints for $8. It’s fancier cider so pricey but was ok with pint price. After struggling to decide on their 10 ciders the bartender offered their flight of four as an option, which wasn’t listed on the menu. Me and my wife each got a flight of 4. I assumed like every one of the 11 breweries within 3 miles of my house, which I’ve had flights at all, that 16oz of flight was priced same as a pint as long at nothing you get is imperial. Boy was I wrong. After leaving tab open and having a pint after the flights, we got the tab and was blown away. I paid $12 for the same amount of cider they charge $8 for. They were all rung up as $3 4oz ”tasters” on the receipt. Thats not offering a flight, that’s selling me separate 4oz pours served on a stick. I said nothing and just paid it but left a bad taste in my mouth for the place.

 

[OleBrewing]

i remember the good ol days when one was undecided of what to choose from the tap list they would just pour you a sample free of charge. Maybe the waitress was hitting on me and didn't realize or wanted more tips. but it was nice.

 

[day_trippr]

Well...I've always found one can get "a taste" with a smile and a modicum of discretion (like, not when the 'tender is under siege)...

Cheers!

 

[kurds_2408]

i remember the good ol days when one was undecided of what to choose from the tap list they would just pour you a sample free of charge. Maybe the waitress was hitting on me and didn't realize or wanted more tips. but it was nice.

Lol. All the other breweries in town don't hesitate to give you a few free samples to help decide.

 

[Pkrd]

i remember the good ol days when one was undecided of what to choose from the tap list they would just pour you a sample free of charge. Maybe the waitress was hitting on me and didn't realize or wanted more tips. but it was nice.

Yeah, waitress being nice is hitting on you for sure.
Or maybe just doing their job.

 

[pvtpublic]

Here in Montana we only get to serve 48oz per customer daily, thanks to the Tavern Association clowns. Therefor, the limited amounts of enjoyment at the brewery is best spent on flights unless you know what you want.

 

[mac_1103]

I don't think they pay the servers well enough to hit on me.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Here in Montana we only get to serve 48oz per customer daily

Geez, hardly getting warmed up with that amount . . . . .

 

[Yesfan]

I like flights. Never thought there would be a negative about them, until this thread. I don't order them at the local joints, unless they have a bunch of new arrivals, because I know what I usually like there. If I'm out at a new brewery, then I'll usually get a flight of the 4-5 that I think I'd like but can't decide on. After sampling, I order a pint of the winner and just stick with it until I leave.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Brewers can be a tough crowd to please going into a brewpub. Like most, if it's a new place I will get a flight unless there's one that really stands out. Even then I might be reluctant. I'd rather leave a small sample at the bar than a pint.

 

[Drewch]

I'm not a brewer, but I'm pro-flight.

I travel a fair bit for work and like to try out local breweries when I go somewhere new. The only way I can responsibly sample a decent portion of the menu is with multiple small pours.

 

[jrgtr42]

i remember the good ol days when one was undecided of what to choose from the tap list they would just pour you a sample free of charge. Maybe the waitress was hitting on me and didn't realize or wanted more tips. but it was nice.

If I want to sample one or 2 before committing, that's one thing, but any more than that is a dick move. I was out with a friend of a friend that did that - went down the whole line asking for a sample, then went for a half pour of the lowest test they had. He was almost going to ask for a water but he saw the glares coming at him from all sides.
Personally I like flights when I'm at a place I don't know. 4 or 6 small samples, and I'll usually get a full pour of something. And not when they're super busy, obviously.
And needless to say, we don't go out with that friend of a friend anymore.

 

[Yesfan]

If I want to sample one or 2 before committing, that's one thing, but any more than that is a dick move. I was out with a friend of a friend that did that - went down the whole line asking for a sample, then went for a half pour of the lowest test they had. He was almost going to ask for a water but he saw the glares coming at him from all sides.
Personally I like flights when I'm at a place I don't know. 4 or 6 small samples, and I'll usually get a full pour of something. And not when they're super busy, obviously.
And needless to say, we don't go out with that friend of a friend anymore.

I remember those type of friends. They also showed up to about every keg party uninvited.

Beer vultures.