Beer snobbing

[RIT_Warrior]

I'm confused, why did she give you a shaker glass? What were they using for pouring tap beers?

They serve tap beers in room temperature 16 ounce shakers. Why they keep frozen 12 ounce shakers behind the bar is beyond me.

 

[shivalotus]

It is all a question of where you are. To use coffee as an analogy, if I went to Starbucks I am certainly not going to talk to them about the roast on the beans or the shot. They simply don't spend that much time on the coffee and they can't change it even if they want to. Now if I go to a local shop that roasts in house and I think there is something wrong with the espresso I certainly think they would take it in stride. Further I would expect the baristas to know what they are talking about. Coffee is their business and they should know it.

I don't expect beer knowledge in a dive bar, but I certainly expect it in a place that advertises itself based on its selection of German beers.

I rarely have issues at bars but when I do I don't feel the need to get technical with the server and never had to prove why I wanted something sent back. He/She probably won't understand and doesn't care. I think it's definitely snobbery throwing around brewing terms.

I'd have to laugh if I saw someone lecturing a server on Maillard reaction when they got burnt toast.

 

[Atvar]

Just today I went to Red Robin for a burger, and as the waitress seated us she mentioned it was happy hour, with beer prices being $2.50 domestic and $3.50 for premium beers. I normally don't bother getting beer there, but I decide to check what they have. The menu says: ask our servers about our wide selection of craft, domestic, and imported beers.

I can see they have on tap but ask anyway:
Bud Light
Miller Lite
Coors Light
Bass Ale
Sam Adams Noble Pils
Yuengling Lager
Guinness
Blue Moon

Me: What craft beers do you have?
Waitress: What is craft beer?
Me: Um... microbrews? What's your premium beer list?
Waitress: Oh. I've been waitressing for 15 years and never heard it called that before. *starts naming the Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Yuengling Lager*
Me: Wait Yuengling isn't considered domestic? (Note: we're in Pennsylvania)
Waitress: No, since that beer is a lager.
Me: I'll stick with my water. MOVING ON...

I remember now why I never get beer at Red Robin.

 

[bruin_ale]

Me: Wait Yuengling isn't considered domestic? (Note: we're in Pennsylvania)
Waitress: No, since that beer is a lager.
Me: I'll stick with my water. MOVING ON...

I remember now why I never get beer at Red Robin.

Around here it's the unspoken rule that BMC is the only "domestic". My go to beer at these types of places is SNPA. It's actually difficult to find somewhere that doesn't have it on tap.

 

[RIT_Warrior]

Once I ordered an Allagash Tripel off of a menu simply because it was described in the menu as a "Belgian Strong Dark Ale". I was planning on playing dumb with the waiter when he came back and ask why my "dark beer" was "yellow". Didn't pan out, though, the restaurant was a bit too busy.

No, since that beer is a lager.

Oh man. I'm probably the least argumentative person there is when I'm in a restaurant, and even I would have to put my foot down with that one. I do accept the domestic/[premium|import] split that bars and restaurants have (as it really refers to the price and not the location), although maybe naming it "regular" and "premium" would be better.

 

[Atvar]

Around here it's the unspoken rule that BMC is the only "domestic". My go to beer at these types of places is SNPA. It's actually difficult to find somewhere that doesn't have it on tap.

Here in PA, if you order a "lager" it's assumed you mean Yuengling lager. It costs the same as BMC at ~$17-18 a case, so why the heck would it be priced differently? Yuengling is by far the closest brewery of anything they offered, and 100% American owned and operated to boot.

 

[redcoat_or_rebel]

Just today I went to Red Robin for a burger, and as the waitress seated us she mentioned it was happy hour, with beer prices being $2.50 domestic and $3.50 for premium beers. I normally don't bother getting beer there, but I decide to check what they have. The menu says: ask our servers about our wide selection of craft, domestic, and imported beers.

I can see they have on tap but ask anyway:
Bud Light
Miller Lite
Coors Light
Bass Ale
Sam Adams Noble Pils
Yuengling Lager
Guinness
Blue Moon

Me: What craft beers do you have?
Waitress: What is craft beer?
Me: Um... microbrews? What's your premium beer list?
Waitress: Oh. I've been waitressing for 15 years and never heard it called that before. *starts naming the Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Yuengling Lager*
Me: Wait Yuengling isn't considered domestic? (Note: we're in Pennsylvania)
Waitress: No, since that beer is a lager.
Me: I'll stick with my water. MOVING ON...

I remember now why I never get beer at Red Robin.

this is one of my biggest pet peeves about bars in Texas. Shiner is ALWAYS priced as an import. I could drive 45 minutes and get it for free from the brewery and you want to charge me $6 ??

 

[rico567]

this is one of my biggest pet peeves about bars in Texas. Shiner is ALWAYS priced as an import. I could drive 45 minutes and get it for free from the brewery and you want to charge me $6 ??

It's priced at $6 because they can get $6.

"The price of an item in the market is exactly what it will fetch."

- Some chairman of some oil company

 

[D_Struct]

There was a "beer tasting" event at our local zoo last weekend. It was a neat little fundraiser in the zoo, with around 15 or so stations serving different styles of been one can find at our local grocery store.

I came upon the booth serving Blue Moon and Grolsch, and I overhear the guy pouring them say "This Blue Moon is a German Hefeweizen."

I politely waited for the previous participants to leave, and I leaned over and told him as politely, and quietly as I could that he was incorrect, that it was actually a Belgian-style witbier, as it was made with coriander and orange peel.

About an hour later, I walked by the same booth and overheard him tell another patron, "You'll like this Blue Moon. It's a German Hefeweizen."

 

[Chuginator]

That would piss me off!!!

 

[bknifefight]

That would piss me off!!!

To the point of bold, italics and multiple exclamation points?

 

[Dome555]

There was a "beer tasting" event at our local zoo last weekend. It was a neat little fundraiser in the zoo, with around 15 or so stations serving different styles of been one can find at our local grocery store.

I came upon the booth serving Blue Moon and Grolsch, and I overhear the guy pouring them say "This Blue Moon is a German Hefeweizen."

I politely waited for the previous participants to leave, and I leaned over and told him as politely, and quietly as I could that he was incorrect, that it was actually a Belgian-style witbier, as it was made with coriander and orange peel.

About an hour later, I walked by the same booth and overheard him tell another patron, "You'll like this Blue Moon. It's a German Hefeweizen."

Hey, you did your part to try to help the guy out. I'm sure the beer tasting event attracted enough beer folk that the general response to his advertisement was "Oh, so he's an idiot. But there's idiots everywhere, at least this one has the common decency to give me a beer."

It is that sort of stuff that gets to me in bars/restaurants though. An employee just tossing around words they read on a label somewhere in order to make them sound smart and the product sound attractive. It bothers me because they are the same employees who, after offering you let's say a German hefeweizen, will argue with you once you send back the blue moon because it's not what you were ordered.

 

[Chuginator]

To the point of bold, italics and multiple exclamation points?

LOL! Yes. At the time I forgot about the text resizing feature.

 

[weagle05]

From a hotel restaurant menu in Utah.

 

[Chuginator]

Overpriced and misinformed.

Gawd, I am a snob!

 

[JayWeezie]

I saw a specials board that had east coast vs west coast breweries. The last one on the east coast side was Stone Brewing. Which is in San Diego right? Right. Almost said something to the manager but I held my tongue.