Using the Word "Try" at a Bar

Simple. Use taste and add in a hand gesture..... Or go to a tasting room. You go to bars to order full pints/pours.....

 

Yep, same here. I can definitely see how try could come across as a taster, but I am clear in the sense that I always call a sample a sample. Anything else means full pour.

 

Similar problem...
I'm at a bar that has over 50 taps, I'm about halfway through my first when I notice a beer on the menu called M'fer or something like that, so I ask the bartender "how is the M'Fer?" He replied, it's pretty good and walks away. Couple of minutes later he sets a pint in front of me....I could have just sent it back, but I was curious and it wasn't bad so I drank it. The only real complaint I had was when did "how is it?" Become an order?
As far as "try" goes, if you're not going to ask for clarification, I'd serve anyone who says "try" a sample. Eventually they'll get it straight.

 

For me it's
Can I have a little taste of... sample
Let me have a.... full pour

 

ha, I had this happen just last night. I said I'll give beer ----- a "try", that is give me a full pour, and the bartender was unsure if I meant full or sample. I'm to the point where I'm willing to commit to 10-16 ounces of any beer I've never had, it's the fun of the hobby, and I've already research the beer ahead of time in most cases.

 

What other product is this even an issue with.
23yo Pappy Van Winkle? Can I try that? Dry aged steak in a restaurant? Can I try that first? Just commit to a beer. Problem solved.

 

This whole thing with people saying they need a whole glass of beer to really taste it, I get it. But if I take a sip of something and that little sip tastes like shit, I wouldn't be wrong to assume that a whole glass of this same liquid would also taste like shit.

 

Ran into this recently myself. I'm the head cheesemonger at a place that is a cheeseshop/wine bar. I'm minding my own business behind the cheese counter and a dude sitting at the bar flags me down because the bartender is running some food for a swamped server. He says to me "Can I try the Monk's Cafe?". So I pour him an ounce and go back to my business, selling cheese to people. The bartender comes back over and asks him if she can pour him another and he says "Yeah, I asked for a beer and this is all I got", all shitty like. The bartender knew exactly what went down and poured him a beer, and then we commiserated over what a twat he is. Because that's what you are when you're impatient and vague, a twat.

 

In new england if you want a sample you ask for a sample. Can I try means you are committed to a full pour. Different evrywhere.

 

How did this thread make it to 5 pages?

 

Good post OP; it helps to be cognizant of how my orders might appear to the bartender. I've used the "Can I taste" before if I just want a taste, but I'm guilty of using "let me try" when i want to buy a brand new beer that I've never had before, because from my point of view, I'm still trying out a full pour. If it's a beer I've had before, then I usually say "Can I get/have".
Going forward, I think I'm going to skip "try".

 

Or, you could have just said it to his face at the time.

 

Spot on.

Though, I find it odd how a lot people now say "I'll do a (insert beer name)". When did people start "doing" a beer? It's not a bong-hit, it's a beer.

 

Quite a few places around here will let you have a "taste" prior to ordering a full pull, however you have to ask for a taste or sample. I used to work at a bar that had a high tech pouring system that tracked how much product was flowing through the taps down to an ounce. The owner would not allow people to have samples, now this was before "craft" beer came on scene and we had seven taps of Standard American Style Lager and one Light Lager, all of which tasted pretty much the same. But tasting/sample availability depends on the establishment ownership and even though in the current market denying such may seem like a bad business move it still happens.

 

It irritates me when I see people "taste" the whole beer menu at said beer bar. I get one or two but come on. With detailed menues specifying the tasting notes these days there is no need for this. Sorry it just bothers me when folks try every single beer without shelling out a dime. rant over//

 

It's okay to sample a few taps... but when you're taking twenty samples it's probably time to admit you're trying to get a free glass of beer-- there's always flights which is a great way to sample a few brews at a reasonable price. It is not very classy though to make your way through a bunch of beers that you're obviously not going to buy a pint or two afterwards of.