Self-Service Beer Taps

good way to get the hep c

It's a novelty, no more no less.

Craft beer faces a problem bigger than many realize: The sample. The sample is for people who can't commit to a full pour of a beer unless they know for sure they'll like it. I generally like all beer so I can't particularly empathize, but I do believe people should get samples if they ask.

But it poses so many problems. A bartender spends time and energy giving someone 2 ounces (17% of a normal beer) entirely free of charge, when the bartender could spend marginally more time and energy pouring a full priced beer. A small difference to win a customer over, right? But at breweries and craft beer bars that shit adds up quick, and many bartenders would testify to that.

Self-service Beer taps solve this issue, but won't last forever in this industry. The tried and true method of drinking a beer outside of your house is the longest standing one: the bar where you ask for a beer and someone gives it to you, and you sit down with your shoulders relaxed and stare at your phone while you catch a buzz before you drive home.

People won't want to pour their own beer forever.

>>9062919
I never thought about that with samples.
Usually I know what I like and what I like to order at breweries and places that have lots of different beers so I don't get samples too often. Usually when I go somewhere new I'll get a flight to try more without getting dickered on 9 and 10 percent imperial stouts and whatnot.

I have buds on the other hand who are so fucking indecisive, it drives me mad to the point where I sometimes don't go out if I feel like i'm not going to be able to stand the 15 minute deliberation on what beer to get and the 4 or 5 samples they ask for.

I know places that charge maybe 25 or 50 cents for a sample as a deterrent to this sort of behavior.

>>9062954

I've probably tried hundreds of different beers since I turned 21, but could count on one hand and name the beers that I refused to finish or poured down the drain.

The craft beer collective has yet to come up with a successful, universally practiced method for giving samples. Right now, if you went to a bar and asked to sample a beer, they will give you a sample, but only disdainfully. I've consulted bartenders about this and most will agree they are paid to dispense beer, not help you decide what you want.

Charging 25 or 50 cents for sample is one I haven't heard of. It might work, but the only drawbacks is that it obligates you to commit to both buying a beer and opening a tab since most people don't keep coins with them.

The self-serve taps was a fun experience for sure, but it's not the kind of bar you'd frequently visit. I had one when I lived in Asheville and I remember going twice and opted for a brewery or bar most other nights. The hugest selling point for these kinds of bars is that there are so many great beers that almost nobody wants a full glass of (triple IPAs, imperial stouts that pour like motor oil, etc.) Pretty much any beer that is great to try but not enjoy a full glass of is a great candidate for self-serve.

>>9062954

Oh and sorry about your painfully indecisive friends. I feel for you. Next time, tell them to nut up and order a beer. Nobody has ever refined their beer palate on samples alone. Besides, it's 5 bucks, and plenty of beers can grow on you. You never have that chance with a sample.

>>9063000
>Right now, if you went to a bar and asked to sample a beer, they will give you a sample, but only disdainfully.

I ask for samples to make sure the lines are up to my QC standard. If they refuse or give me any shade about it then I don't order beer. They are hiding something.

>>9062779
you mean hep b, you get hep c from blood contact.

>>9062919
Norcal, Humboldt County poster here

There's a godly microbrew culture up here, and everybody uses pretty much the same system.

First, the beers usually have a decent description, so if you know a little about beer you can see what you would like.
Second, the bartenders/waitstaff know what's on tap that are enjoyable for pretty much anyone, so getting their recommendations usually works.

Finally, you can just buy a group of 10 samples of different beers. This is best for groups, especially when they aren't regular beer drinkers.

I do this when I take family out to dinner at a brewery. Just order a decent spread, pass around the samples, and then all the noobs can at least point at a glass they like and pick that one.

>>9063028

>implying your bartender has any clue about the quality of the beer lines

They literally don't know shit about the quality of the beer lines, just fyi. If the lines have been cleaned, chances are it happened before the bartender even walked in the door. Not to mention that at any given bar, the QC of the lines is a toss up. Very few bars will clean their own lines, most rely on the distributors and their draft techs to clean them, but they do a shitty job since it's a shitty way to make a living.

I work for a local brewery that has their own draft tech who cleans lines at bars that have our beer on tap, so you could guarantee that our beer at any bar is going to be the same. Not many breweries do that.

tl;dr it's a toss up and you'll never now just how clean or filthy the lines are unless you taste off flavors in your beer, and if your beer tastes bad you can likely get another beer on the house.

>>9063034

Not that I would mind, personally, but...

>10 different mouths on the same glass

Anybody else see a problem with that?

>>9063047
Your whole post was worthless. I don't ask the bartender shit other than a sample; if it tastes good I order if not I don't and may or may not let them know why. If I know the bartender or they are sissyrone then I will get into the details.

File: 1492631696608.jpg (68KB, 232x288px) Image search: [Google]

68KB, 232x288px

>>9063066

wew lad, your patriciandom just blew me away.

>>9063056
Just to clarify, the samples are 2oz each. I didn't mean ten people order ten different beers. The breweries will sell you 10 2oz samplers for about the price of a pint.

10 people is kinda extreme, at that point you would order more than one group of samples for people to share.

If you're in a group of 4-5 people, especially family, most adults don't care. If they do, tell them to just order their own beer

>>9063000
>I've consulted bartenders about this and most will agree they are paid to dispense beer, not help you decide what you want.

Lol. Anyone can pour beer, a bartender should be personable and that includes helping customers decide what they want.

>>9062720
yes in my hometown and i love it
>me'n'eds.jpg

>>9062720
I remember at some restaurant we were given a bottle of vodka and the waitress said it was illegal for us to serve ourselves. It was a thing for New Year's so I'm wondering if this is legal.

>>9063523
The bar wench always laughs at me when I want to try a some fruity cocktail. I drink a case a beer every night and just want to switch it up when I go out to get pussy. Also its usually the bar keep I bone

>>9062720
>Start a tab at the bar or a table, receive a bracelet tied to the card, then go up to the taps and be charged by the ounce.

That sounds weird as fuck, tee bee aych. Got a good beer bar near me with shit I've never heard of before, but they still charge by the pint.

>>9063555
Like bottle service at a club? Barely drank while visiting other states so I have no idea how some booze laws work.

I know some states allow drinking on shift. It is super illegal in NC but we do it off camera all the time.

>>9062720
>charged by the ounce.
> Charged by weight rather than volume

>>9064385
Eh fuck you buddy.

>>9063523

Maybe if you left the house to have a beer at the same time other people do (Sunday-Thursday 6pm-12am / Friday-Saturday 5pm-2am), you'd realize that most bartenders are expected to perform miracles. That shit is not easy during peak hours.

>>9063555

Self-serve taps combat this by using a little bracelet that's given to people who showed IDs at the door, and they wave the bracelet over the tap while opens the line and allows you to dispense beer. It also measures how much you poured and adds it to your tab.

>>9062720
>going out to a bar to drink beer you can get at the grocery store
>paying the huge markup bars charge
No thanks normies, I'll get drunk on my couch for not even half the price of a night at a bar, thank you very much.

My friend saw a bunch of these kind of things while she was in Croatia. I'm excited to try this out. Seems way easier and faster than waiting on samples and whatnot from a server.

>>9064673
Good luck picking up a bar wench for a one night stand that way. But I forgot, you have your anime pillow.

>>9064703
That's what Tinder is for.