Am I the only one annoyed by beer store clerks...

[Bernie Brewer]

DesertBrew that was not nice! I was on the phone when I scrolled down and saw that and busted out laughing! India was not amused. Mainframe job abends are serious business.

May not have been nice, but it was damn funny! I almost blew homebrew out my nose when I saw that!!!

 

[Moonshae]

Though I find that bar/wait staff that don't know how to serve a beer properly in a beer-centric establishment even worse. Pouring a 6 oz of a quad into a shaker pint because "it's the only clean glassware currently behind the bar" doesn't quite cut it.

I have to ask. Does the *glass* really impact the *beer*? I mean, when you drink your homebrew, or serve it to friends, do you always make sure the "correct" glass is used? I really fail to understand how the glass matters. I apply this to wine and mixed drinks, too. It strikes me as a way for "knowledgeable" people who know the "rules" to feel superior to those who do not, rather than actually having anything to do with the drink being served.

 

[Moonshae]

Me - "What beers do you have?"

Server - "Oh, we'll have anything you want."

I've never heard this. I usually ask what's on tap, and they always rattle off the list.

 

[Pugilist]

There is a kid that works at my local that must be stoned 24/7. He has puffy eyelids and bloodshot eyes, and always a hint of a silly grin on his face. When he starts tossing my $6 single imports into 1 bag with no dividers it sends me into orbit!

 

[andypantz13]

I have to ask. Does the *glass* really impact the *beer*? I mean, when you drink your homebrew, or serve it to friends, do you always make sure the "correct" glass is used? I really fail to understand how the glass matters. I apply this to wine and mixed drinks, too. It strikes me as a way for "knowledgeable" people who know the "rules" to feel superior to those who do not, rather than actually having anything to do with the drink being served.

I think it matters to an extent. Certain glasses are curved certain ways to concentrate aroma, and in some cases even to attempt to have the drink hit the proper part of your tongue first. There are other things to consider too, such as when you serve champagne, the point of the flute is to keep the carbonation in the drink longer, if you serve it in a glass with more surface area open to the area, its going to lose its carbonation quicker, go flat and no longer taste properly.

Now this isn't to say that for certain things one glass won't be as good as the next. Especially with every Belgian beer on the planet having its own specific glass, I doubt they are going to make that much of a difference. However as brewt00l said, getting 6oz of a quad in a pint glass would be a little upsetting, especially if you are at a place that is known for their beer.

 

[Donasay]

Honestly I love beer, and always have, and I like people who enjoy beer, but if I was working at a liquor store for minimum wage, I could care less about not tipping bottles. I would just want to get my day over with and get out of there. Working minimum wage sucks, and you not buying the beer doesn't affect the cashiere one bit, talking to the manager, could get them in trouble which to them is pretty much meaningless or get them fired, which would suck, but there are plenty of other minimum wage jobs out there. High rates of employee turnover in the retail setting are quite common, and in short retail doesn't pay people enough to care.

When I go out to buy wine, I go to a mom and pop shop that has higher prices than a normal liquor store. I usually either talk to the owner or the assistant manager about wine these guys are paid to care about the customers and know about their wine. The owner is affected by you not buying wine and the assistant manager is paid enough to care about the customers and about the wine. The rest of the staff is a little better and is paid to "try and care", but this is because many of them have been working there for years, and are paid better than minimum wage. Granted a few of them are still cluelsess, but at least they know where stuff is on the shelves.

Is it worth it for me to take the extra 10 minutes of commuting to get there and the extra 2 to 5 bucks a bottle they charge, sometimes it is because I like the service and I know I will get a good bottle I have never tried before. But the reason this happens is because the place pays their employees more, enough that they stick around for more than a few months and subsequently charge more for the goods.

In short good service and higher prices go hand in hand. Have you ever gotten good service at home depot? Now how about your neighborhood hardware store how was the service there, is it worth paying an extra $2 for a paint roller to go to your neighborhood store? Is it worth waiting a week while they order something for you that they don't stock because they aren't a giant warehouse?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Within 5 miles of my home I have no less than 7 stores that have an excellent selection of what is available here, which isn't thta broad a selection.

6 of them have no clue as to how beer should be kept. 4 of them keep their beer up front right against the glass. And it seems that the clear and green bottles are closer to the store front than the browns. Ironical.

I have caught several clerks, literally, BS'ing customers about a beer brand. Meaning they had no clue what it was on their shelf but wouldn't dare be honest and admitt to it.

I would much rather hear from a clerk that "we have soo many products here I haven't tried this one yet" than get BS'ed about something.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I think it matters to an extent. Certain glasses are curved certain ways to concentrate aroma, and in some cases even to attempt to have the drink hit the proper part of your tongue first. There are other things to consider too, such as when you serve champagne, the point of the flute is to keep the carbonation in the drink longer, if you serve it in a glass with more surface area open to the area, its going to lose its carbonation quicker, go flat and no longer taste properly.

Now this isn't to say that for certain things one glass won't be as good as the next. Especially with every Belgian beer on the planet having its own specific glass, I doubt they are going to make that much of a difference. However as brewt00l said, getting 6oz of a quad in a pint glass would be a little upsetting, especially if you are at a place that is known for their beer.

True, some glasses are better in delivery of aroma. And some glasses intensify the color by bending light this way and that but, no matter what shape the glass is the flavor will stay the same. Aroma does impact the perception of the flavor.

Mostly, IMO, the glass simply heightens the experience more than alters the beer. It can be fun to choose the glass based on the beer profile. But this should never equate to snobbery cause person X knows what glass goes with what beer.

Heck, in the old days. Beer was served up in pewter, wood, or clay and they drank it, and it was good.

 

[rdwj]

True, some glasses are better in delivery of aroma. And some glasses intensify the color by bending light this way and that but, no matter what shape the glass is the flavor will stay the same. Aroma does impact the perception of the flavor.

Mostly, IMO, the glass simply heightens the experience more than alters the beer. It can be fun to choose the glass based on the beer profile. But this should never equate to snobbery cause person X knows what glass goes with what beer.

Heck, in the old days. Beer was served up in pewter, wood, or clay and they drank it, and it was good.

80%+ of what you think is taste is actually smell. That being said, as long as you're drinking from an open-mouthed glass, the smell isn't going to be drastically different, you just may get more of it, but that's about it.

I think glassware is cool, but in all honestly, I don't think it makes much difference in taste. As long as it's capacity is in line with the serving size, the rest is mostly for looks.

 

[FlyGuy]

When I go out to buy wine, I go to a mom and pop shop that has higher prices than a normal liquor store. I usually either talk to the owner or the assistant manager about wine these guys are paid to care about the customers and know about their wine. The owner is affected by you not buying wine and the assistant manager is paid enough to care about the customers and about the wine. The rest of the staff is a little better and is paid to "try and care", but this is because many of them have been working there for years, and are paid better than minimum wage. Granted a few of them are still cluelsess, but at least they know where stuff is on the shelves.

But that's my point -- if I am going to go out of my way to shop at the 'high end' liquor stores, I would hope (not necessarily expect) that I would get a little better customer service than at the big box liquor change staffed by starving students.

 

[Bobby_M]

I have to ask. Does the *glass* really impact the *beer*? I mean, when you drink your homebrew, or serve it to friends, do you always make sure the "correct" glass is used? I really fail to understand how the glass matters. I apply this to wine and mixed drinks, too. It strikes me as a way for "knowledgeable" people who know the "rules" to feel superior to those who do not, rather than actually having anything to do with the drink being served.

Right, but you're going to a place that you expect to cater to beer snobs. Whether the proper glass matters or not, part of the service is to cater to people who thinks it does.

I'm only a half snob. I require that beer is poured into a glass first. After that, I'm pretty flexible other than not wanting a stout in a pils glass and vice versa.