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

[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.

 

[Yesfan]

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.

That can depend on the brewer and the brewpub. One brewpub in my area in particular when I was starting out homebrewing, I'd pick the headbrewer's (also the owner) brain about anything and everything brewing as he used to be a homebrewer. The fact he had King Crimson playing in the background helped too as we also talked about prog music. He was one reason why I joined the club I'm in now as he was one of the old school members from when it started.

I know all brewpubs are not all like that. I guess if the vibe doesn't feel right, I just order and keep to myself.

 

[pvtpublic]

I find it important to point out that there's a difference between samples and flights. Especially when it comes to the folks that want to taste everything. Sampling every tap down the line is a just poor manners (pour manners?). It's a cheap shot. If you're interested in sampling more than two, just order a flight so your not wasting someone's time and essentially receiving a flight for free.