everytime ive gone out over the last 2 years, which is exceedingly rarely, the beer has been horrendously overcarbonated. this is a cost saving measure, isnt it?
Interesting. I’ve never noticed that and if anything, my experience has been the opposite. I’ll occasionally get a draft beer that borders on “flat”. But my biggest beef with how beers are served in the standard bar/restaurant is the temperature. Usually far too cold, draft or bottles.
How did the beer taste? It might be that the establishment is not maintaining / cleaning their lines? I know I no longer order draft beer from our local Chili’s restaurant. They almost never clean their lines and the beer tastes horrible!
I do see many bartenders pouring very foamy beer and pouring lots foam into the drain to make a full glass of beer. I never think the beer tastes over carbonated, but I do wonder how much beer they are wasting.
I agree with Megary. Nothing pisses me off more than ordering a nice craft beer and having it served in a frozen glass. Even when asking for a room temperature glass, the beer is often too cold. I’m sure many draught systems are set up to serve BMC and both temperature and carbonation level are set accordingly. When I’m paying 7 or 8 bucks for a pint, I expect it to be served at a reasonable temperature and carbonation level. If it isn’t, the establishment loses me as a customer.
A lot of breweries struggle with getting Co2 right if they don’t know how to check the stone whetting pressure or don’t have a way to measure Co2 (such as a Zahm). Bartenders get used to just pouring off the foam. You are right, it’s a big waste.
Of course, there’s also the issue that some bartenders don’t really care how much beer they waste since it isn’t their money.
I’ve always wondered if flow control taps might save money for bars in the long run.
But, also, I have always assumed Majorvices is right, a lot of bartenders probably don’t care. But, they would also save time at a crowded bar and maybe take some pressure off themselves if they didn’t have to pour off so much foam.
So, that was a latenight drunk post on my part, but it was true and somethings I have experienced more than not.
The beer tasted as it should, it was one of the few craft beer bars in the city, but immediately i got the sensation of too much gas in my stomach that I get when I drink bar draught beer, but not beer from home, or even commercial canned beer.
it was also far too cold, it wasn’t frozen or anything, but definitely so cold it muted flavours.
i haven’t been out in a long time, i saw the beer board and most of the beers said 13oz, so i figured “ok, small “craft pint” glass”, but it was a tulip, then i noticed almost everyone there had a tulip.
i tell ya man… sigh…
Yes, i was mostly just downing it so I could leave that bar, so not trying to analyze their pours, but I do remember seeing at least 2 small cups filled with a small amount of beer sitting in the long pouring area.
This is a very interesting observation. When we visit local brewpubs I’m shocked/amazed how much beer is poured down the drain (aka, dumped) as the person severing obviously doesn’t have a clue on how to pour a beer.
i recall one non-homebrewer, non-craft beer aware person i knew well. he would always brag that he worked at a pub when he was younger and that he knew “the correct way to pour a guinness”. he said this on a few occasions, and yeah i guess you have to let it settle when it comes out of a pump, but its not rocket science. it seems just one step more than pouring normal draught.
unrelated anecdote i guess is that in east asia in almost all circumstances i was poured draught, the glass was considered full when the head was anywhere between 95 to 99% to the top of the glass, even if the top 20% of the glass was head. it was ridiculous sometimes, but it was cheap enough that it didnt bother me too much.
Beertenders are just actors. It’s a performance, so that you tip them more. They actually hate their customers (hoo boy, trust me on that). But they put on a good show, and are nice to you so that you feel important…so that you tip them more. It’s all performative.
I loathe beertenders because 1) I know how fake they are; 2) they know far less than me about beer, but they pretend to know, and think they know, everything about it–and also they hate you if you try to talk to them about beer because they think you are simply trying to show them up; and 3) they make waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more money than anyone on the brewing staff. I don’t think anyone outside the industry realizes that vapid, uneducated people doing nothing more than pulling a handle to fill a glass can make close to upward of $60-80k a year.
Granted, it’s stressful to pull a handle and fill a glass. I get it. And wiping a counter/table with a rag takes pretty much everything ya got.
You are so correct about the whetting pressure thing. Where I worked, we’d simply put our ear to the FV and listen for just the right volume of hisssssssss as we turned on the gas. And then a Zahm-check when it tasted right. Kegs were behind a wall from the taproom and literally just a couple of feet from the taps, so we didn’t have to worry much about balancing the lines.
love it. not just that, but to get a cushy position like bartender rather than dishwasher or kitchen, there is generally a requirement that they be aesthetically pleasing individuals as well.
tbh i left that bar and went to a dive and got a pint of 50, which felt far more appropriate. that one tasted like dirty lines, but it felt like a bar. and i got a bigboy sized pint rather than “a 13 oz pour”
To be fair, I should also add that beertenders often have to press buttons on a screen and, sometimes, have to keep track of small items (e.g. credit cards, the space between their ears). These people have an insanely simple job that pays them insanely well. Just don’t ask them about the off-flavor in your beer.
I’m not quite as cynical as you are. I appreciate all the restaurant and bar servers who come to work every day and strive to put a smile on their face even when they’re confronted with customers who have absolutely no respect for them or the service they provide and, as such, I tip them handsomely.