Buying bottles at a bar

A craft burger place by me offers Sucaba for $22. Didn't know what to think about that.

 

I'm with you on that, I usually don't even bother with bottled IPA's at bars

 

Depending on the situation, I can't imagine a bigger dick move than asking a server to inspect the freshness date on a bottle of beer, especially if they are busy. I'm not saying you should drink a skunked beer, but if you think its a possibility then don't even bother ordering it.

 

Seconding the 'Philly has bars with bottles worth ordering' concept. Eulogy, Theresa's and others do very well also. As many have said, this is assuming Belgians, stouts, etc and not IPAs.

I was in Torst in Brooklyn recently and got more bottles than drafts there as well. Their tap selection was great, just nothing really stood out especially with vintage gueuzes on the bottle list.

Where might that be?

 

I'd totally try that assuming it wasn't crazy expensive. I actually have a coulpe DD put back to see what happens. I don't have high hopes but, heh, why not since I've had it fresh?

 

I'd have thought, damn, I guess I'm drinking a bottle of sucaba as my side instead of fries!

Edit-wait, is that for a bottle or a glass…?

 

That's gotta be for the bottle... PA is expensive but I doubt the place was that ridiculous... I'm still trying to find out where there's a "craft burger" place (that has Sucaba no less), unless he meant "craft and burgers"...

 

This is why I go to bars I can trust.

...or just stick to the taps. Rarely do I go to a bar that doesn't have a good tap list.

 

Yes that's a steal at an on-premise establishment. It's like $13 retail.

Generally I stay away from craft bottles at the bars just because the pricing can get outrageous. It is what it is though, at a restaurant that $100 bottle of wine can probably be bought for $10 at a store...

 

Again, probably a Philly anomaly; but the only place I was able to get Hopslam back in January (since I missed the first wave that came through Philly, Wayne, and the surrounding areas) was at Monk's Cafe. It wasn't on the menu, but I was having a conversation with the bartender about upcoming beers and he mentioned in passing that he would sell me some for takeout. 'Twas an awesome weekend.

 

What I do is ask to see the bottle because I'm not sure if I've had it before but seeing the label will help refresh my memory. Then, if the date's within reasonable freshness, I say, "Oh yeah, I've had this before and it's great! I'll take one." Then I proceed to review the new tick on my phone. Little white lies don't hurt anyone.

 

The last time I had a bottled beer in a bar was over 2 years ago. It was the first time I ever drank Founders Imperial Stout a beer I had wanted to try for a long time.

 

What I will do in such a situation is ask to see the bottle first, rather than grill the bartender about it. Then you can check the freshness date (if any) and other info on the beer, then tell them whether you want to get it or pass without looking like a beer snob.

 

This happened to me this week. Ordered a Hop Devil. After starting to drink it, I noticed the date. Best by Jan 26 2014. Oh well. Still drank it. But lesson learned. Going to check before buying.

 

I have had this happend more than once. I most cases I tried the beer if it was Ok i drank it. If it tasted off I told the bar staff and they didnt make me pay for it. (if the tried i would refuse).

 

In Belgium and Netherlands and other areas, its quite common to order bottles. Even the good places have usually limited taps. The good stuff and by that I mean NO IPA's are old...

No to mention if you ever hit the cafe de Verde, at westy its 3 bottles or nothing.

 

Same here with having draft when out but there are those restaurants when there's no draft and I want a beer. I request the bottle be brought to the table unopened and if I get a funny look, I just say "you do it for wine, why not beer?" If I still get a look, I say forget it and the gratuity will reflect it.

 

What do you typically expect to see for markup on a bottle? There is a place by me selling Bois for $60! I think that's absurd.