Stupid bartenders

[Coastarine]

State laws differ on alcohol discounts. In PA there's a reg that alcohol can only be discounted for 2 (IIRC) hours a day.

 

[Weizenheimer]

I had a server the other day try to tell me that yuengling was a dark beer and when I told her it wasn't she started to argue with me about it.

 

[jmulligan]

I had a server the other day try to tell me that yuengling was a dark beer and when I told her it wasn't she started to argue with me about it.

My dad, who is a top-notch bullsh*tter and likes to pretend he knows more than most, came up to me about 3 months ago and says "Hey, just thought I'd share with you since you are getting into beer now, I found this great little microbrew that I've been drinking lately. It's called Yuengling... ever heard of it?"

I had to work really hard to not laugh in his face, but it was HILARIOUS, especially since he was acting like he was sharing a neat little secret with me.

 

[rdwj]

My dad, who is a top-notch bullsh*tter and likes to pretend he knows more than most, came up to me about 3 months ago and says "Hey, just thought I'd share with you since you are getting into beer now, I found this great little microbrew that I've been drinking lately. It's called Yuengling... ever heard of it?"

I had to work really hard to not laugh in his face, but it was HILARIOUS, especially since he was acting like he was sharing a neat little secret with me.

That's pretty funny, but you have to give him credit for trying

 

[david_42]

I'm spoiled as well. There are enough brewpubs around here that I don't need to eat anywhere else, unless I have a craving for TexMex. It doesn't bother me if the waiter/bartender doesn't know what hops are in a beer. I don't see it as part of their job, but "I don't know and will find out for you." is the correct response.

 

[cubbies]

Consider this: I am pretty sure that for a wine EAC my "I like red wines" statement pisses them off the same way the 'light and dark' commentary pisses off some of you beer EACs. Know what? I don't give a crap. It typically gets me what I like and I don't really have enough interest to be 'educated' about wine. And if some bartender/waiter started giving me a lecture on wine, they'd probably end up irritating me and irritating customers tends to have a negative impact on their income.

I guess what I'm saying is this: cut these guys some slack. It's retail work where they are servicing the lowest common denominator. Adjust expectations accordingly.

Very well said, and I totally agree. However, I do have one thing that gets me in a restaurant/bar. If I go in and I ask for a beer list and they say they don't have one, I will ask what they have. When they say "we have all kinds of stuff, what are you looking for?" It ticks me off. Could you imagine if they did this with wine? Even the average Joe Winedrinker would probably be ticked.

I know I shouldn't, but I always screw with these people. What is especially funny is the places that "have everything" usually don't have more than a hefe and a pale ale at the most. When they tell me they have everything what do I want, I usually start asking them what they have in a RIS, or Belgian Golden Ale. That usually gets me a beer list.

All I ask, is to be treated like any other customer who was ordering a glass of wine. Most every restaurant has a wine list and if not, the server could definitely tell you the different types of wine they have. That is all I ask. If you don't have a beer list, at least train your servers good enough to tell me what is available.

 

[Iechyd Da]

I had a server the other day try to tell me that yuengling was a dark beer and when I told her it wasn't she started to argue with me about it.

I don't know, I think Yuengling Porter and Black & Tan are pretty dark colored.

 

[Bobby_M]

Any restaurant with a beer list usually gets me to come back, all things being equal. There's a BBQ place around here where I asked for a list and he told me they have EVERYTHING. Ok, so how about just telling me beers that are NOT BMC? Oh, ok, We have Killian's and Boston Lager. Oh... wow, you really DO have everything don't you! I do look down on people who literally think there are 15-20 different beers out there MAX. It would be bad enough if you're just completely disinterested in beer, but these people are in the service industry. I don't really like wine much but I know there are 10000s of wines out there.

I understand the "domestic" advertising reference though. See, they are really talking about BMC in order to differentiate MOSTLY from Heinies and Amstel which they serve to the people who think they're high brow and are willing to pay more. There's probably a better word or words than domestic to get this across but it won't fit on a banner so well. "macro brews"... nah, sounds too technical. "Bud Miller and Coors" should work.

 

[BrewWench]

When the beer selection sucks, most any place can pour a decent glass of Pinot Grigio or make an acceptable whiskey sour or margarita. I always go in expecting the absolute worst as far as beer goes, and often I'm pleasantly surprised and I get a few pints, but not always. And I'll get wine or a cocktail well before I pay money for BMC.

 

[Guzzizzit]

In my neck of the woods, "we have everything" ussually means they have both Bud light AND miller light.

I should also clarify, my post about the the $3 New glarus was ment to be more about my pet peave. I didn't actually yell at the bar tender or anything. Also, MOST bars offering a special like that with use a * to note that it dosent include certain brews. Plus, the bar/resturant we go to for fish on fridays DOES offer 2 for 1 on spotted cow during happy hour......

 

[BrewWench]

Oh, and that's still not as bad as the ******* who couldn't make me a margarita.

Me: I'll have a margarita on the rocks, please.
Him: We don't have a blender.
Me: Yeah, on the rocks is fine.
Him: We don't make girly drinks here.
Me: <Oh no he DINT!> Do you have tequila?
Him: <digging around and pulling out a bottle of Jose> uh, yeah.
Me: Do you have lime juice?
Him: Yeah...
Me: Can I have some tequila with a shot of lime juice? Over ice?
Him: Yeah, I can do that.

Effing jerk.

 

[jmulligan]

That's pretty funny, but you have to give him credit for trying

I totally give him credit - and he has been willing to sit and listen to me ramble out whatever new knowledge I gain about different types of beer, etc. It was just classic, given the popularity and prevalence of Yuengling at most bars I've been to.

 

[olllllo]

You can get more brands of cigarettes at some bars than you can beer (let alone good beer).

Somewhere on the internets there must be a board for people who enjoy soft drinks complaining about waiters not knowing the difference between Sprite, 7up and Sierra Mist.

 

[FishinDave07]

You can get more brands of cigarettes at some bars than you can beer (let alone good beer).

Somewhere on the internets there must be a board for people who enjoy soft drinks complaining about waiters not knowing the difference between Sprite, 7up and Sierra Mist.

THATS SOOOO TRUE!!!

When i use to waiter for Cracker Barrel (They don't serve alcohol) i had a funny "incident"

Me: Hello, welcome to cracker barrel, blah, blah, what can i get for you to drink?
Little girl: Dr. Pepper, please
Me: Oh, i'm sorry we don't have Dr. Pepper, but we do have Mr. Pibb!
*Mom gives a glance of fright to the little girl*
Little girl: No thank you then.
Me: Are you sure? It tastes similar.
Mom: We actually are Dr. Pepper connoisseurs.
Little Girl: Yeah, Dr. Pepper connoisseurs
Me: Alrighty then...

I could understand beer and wine, but C'MON!!!! DR. PEPPER CONNOISSEURS!!!

 

[BigNick73]

This thread reminded me of something my borther said once, after coming back from college to visit.

Him: Have you tried that new cheap beer? It's not too bad.
Me: I dunno what's it called?
Him: I can't remember they just started selling it, I just found it a couple of weeks ago, its blue something.
Me: Pabst Blue Ribbon?
Him: Yeah!
Me: ROFL. Thats a good one, go tell dad.

 

[DubbelDach]

My biggest pet peeve as a customer is frozen glasses. I was at a place this weekend, 24 taps, 200 bottles... I ordered Bell's Cherry Stout (was actually on tap for $1/pint) and it came in a frozen pint. A stout. Frozen.

As a bartender in a brewpub, I enjoyed this thread... I am going to have all of our servers/bartenders read it. Most beer geeks that come in are pleasantly surprised at how much I know about the beers we sell. But what else would I know about if I wanted to do my job right?

I've been there for over three years and have trained a fair amount of servers. I stress more than anything, "YOU WORK IN A BREWERY. KNOW YOUR BEERS!!!" I'm always happy to stay after hours and go through a sample flight and teach them. You get asked EVERYTHING about the beers, you have to know them. My favorite is girls that are hired who don't drink beer because it's yucky. 1) Don't apply to work at a brewpub, and 2) Learn the damn beers anyway. Know what you sell!!!

It also makes me a real prick when I am out at a local beer bar and the service knows nothing...

 

[Homercidal]

We went to Applebees the other day, and I ordered a Blue Moon (cause I'm doing wit style of beer at home) and the lady says they odnt' have it, but they have Oberon. Last time I had Oberon, I was nto impressed. But, I think I should try it again, and she brings it out WITH AN ORANGE IN IT!

I picked off the orange and drank it, and it was pretty good. I asked my kid's dance instructor, who worked for years as a waitress/bartender about fruit in beer, and she said, no, they should always ask before putting anything in the beer. Ok, so she's just not trained properly.

Last week went to Bennigans and I ordered another Oberon (we need more beers at our restaurants...) and the guy brings it out with an orange in it!!

Damn it! DON'T FRUIT THE BEER!

 

[RodfatherX]

My biggest pet peeve as a customer is frozen glasses. I was at a place this weekend, 24 taps, 200 bottles... I ordered Bell's Cherry Stout (was actually on tap for $1/pint) and it came in a frozen pint. A stout. Frozen.

As a bartender in a brewpub, I enjoyed this thread... I am going to have all of our servers/bartenders read it. Most beer geeks that come in are pleasantly surprised at how much I know about the beers we sell. But what else would I know about if I wanted to do my job right?

I've been there for over three years and have trained a fair amount of servers. I stress more than anything, "YOU WORK IN A BREWERY. KNOW YOUR BEERS!!!" I'm always happy to stay after hours and go through a sample flight and teach them. You get asked EVERYTHING about the beers, you have to know them. My favorite is girls that are hired who don't drink beer because it's yucky. 1) Don't apply to work at a brewpub, and 2) Learn the damn beers anyway. Know what you sell!!!

It also makes me a real prick when I am out at a local beer bar and the service knows nothing...

I use to bartend too at this pretty upscale place that did a lot of wine tastings. They even once had a Macallen guy come over and do a Macallen tasting. (it was pretty cool I got to try some 50 y/o scotch that cost $5000 a bottle) Anyways, they let us taste the wine there also and taught us a lil bit about it. Point being as with anything........know your product Also, whoever said bartenders do not make a lot, I've had other bartender friends that would make upwards of $400 on a weekend night in tips at some bars.

 

[Danny013]

^ Speaking of Applebees and Blue Moon, I ordered one there the other night and when I get the check it was $5.99 for it! wtf?

My biggest pet peeve about getting beers out is the price. How can they justify charging $4-5 for a nice import?

 

[rdwj]

We went to Applebees the other day, and I ordered a Blue Moon (cause I'm doing wit style of beer at home) and the lady says they odnt' have it, but they have Oberon. Last time I had Oberon, I was nto impressed. But, I think I should try it again, and she brings it out WITH AN ORANGE IN IT!

I picked off the orange and drank it, and it was pretty good. I asked my kid's dance instructor, who worked for years as a waitress/bartender about fruit in beer, and she said, no, they should always ask before putting anything in the beer. Ok, so she's just not trained properly.

Last week went to Bennigans and I ordered another Oberon (we need more beers at our restaurants...) and the guy brings it out with an orange in it!!

Damn it! DON'T FRUIT THE BEER!

More times than not, if you order a wheat bear, it's going to come with fruit on the glass. Personally, I like it, but I understand why some people do not. If you have a strong preference, I'd suggest ordering it that way. The server is not a mind reader and I'd venture to say that there are more customers that are glad to have the fruit than ones ones who don't want it.

Same thing applies to frozen glasses. It wasn't long ago when I was extremely happy to see a frozen mug.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Blue Moon is a fancy beer in Applebee's. People in Applebee's who order Blue Moon usually *want* the orange slice because it makes them feel like beer snobs.

Frozen mugs are along the same lines. Most people drink BMC. They've been taught that BMC is supposed to be served just barely above freezing. Most people think that the beers that they see at their local gas station are just about all of the beers in the world. Therefore, they think that all beers should be served very cold, in frosted glasses.

 

[BrewWench]

I like the orange slice but I eat it separately. I don't squeeze it into the beer or anything.

Bah, I don't care either way. All it means is I'm getting a wheat beer.

And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one underwhelmed by Bell's Oberon! I had heard nothing but raves but it wasn't anything spectacular.

 

[Homercidal]

I guess I figure if the people want fruit, then they can order it that way. You can't really take it out once you put it in. The smell and flavor sticks around. The guy at Bennigans offered to get me another one, but I just drank it. I didn't want to waste beer over something that small.

Frosted mugs are good for some beers. I've gotten to drinking some beer warm, but usually I enjoy it cold out of the fridge. It warms up pretty quick anyway.

LOL! Just reminds me that my father-in-law put ice in his beer this weekend (labatts). He said it was too warm. Then he threw it out. Said that didn't work cause it still tasted like crap! Stilll trying to get my friends to learn to like other beers. Starting with Belgian Wit. They all said they liked my homebrew version, so maybe there is hope after all.

 

[rabidgerbil]

I went out with a bunch of people from work last friday, and ordered a Mannys from Georgetown Brewing Company. The bartender sets this thing on the counter in front of me, it was a glass that was completely filled with foam, pouring out the top and over the sides of the glass. The glass was so cold that the beer was turning into something that resembled a slurpee as it moved down the side of the glass. By the time the foam died down, the head took up about 1/5 of the pint glass. Nasty.

 

[BrewWench]

I went out with a bunch of people from work last friday, and ordered a Mannys from Georgetown Brewing Company. The bartender sets this thing on the counter in front of me, it was a glass that was completely filled with foam, pouring out the top and over the sides of the glass.

Maybe it was the cryogenic glass, but there are an astounding number of people that don't know how to pour. They half-ass the tap handle so that only foam comes out - I had to help a dude at the airport (one of those private rooms where you help yourself to free beer) because he was just barely pulling the tap handle and kept dumping out foam. I think he felt silly.

 

[the_bird]

If you don't know how to pour (you'd hope a bartender would get some basic training), it's not exactly intuitive that you need the tap fully open for a good pour. Instinct is - I'll just open the tap a LITTLE bit, so only a little bit of beer comes out and it flows into the glass gently!

 

[BrewWench]

the bird - Yeah, I'd think a bartender would know how to make a margarita too, but there ya go

 

[Homercidal]

Well, I didn't know how to pour from a tap.. Learn something new every day! Good thing you guys told me before i got my Keg system up and running!

 

[WVHeep]

THATS SOOOO TRUE!!!

When i use to waiter for Cracker Barrel (They don't serve alcohol) i had a funny "incident"

Me: Hello, welcome to cracker barrel, blah, blah, what can i get for you to drink?
Little girl: Dr. Pepper, please
Me: Oh, i'm sorry we don't have Dr. Pepper, but we do have Mr. Pibb!
*Mom gives a glance of fright to the little girl*
Little girl: No thank you then.
Me: Are you sure? It tastes similar.
Mom: We actually are Dr. Pepper connoisseurs.
Little Girl: Yeah, Dr. Pepper connoisseurs
Me: Alrighty then...

I could understand beer and wine, but C'MON!!!! DR. PEPPER CONNOISSEURS!!!

Dr Pepper>Mr Pibb