Pittsburgh - New Beers & Local Breweries

Same with being called "skinny," just because you're not overweight. This is usually thrown around by someone with some heft to them and not necessarily in a deliberately pejorative sense, but it fails to recognize people who exercise with success.

 

I never really understood the term either, but I was under the impression that it was a stout like say, Proprietor's (coconut) or Huna (chili, cinammon) that has flavors added as opposed to something like Toppling Goliath's SR-71 or Assassin.

 

I must not be talking to the right beer nerds. I've definitely never heard this.

 

Most breweries/wholesalers sell these "limited" kegs to their good accounts as a thank you for buying tons of their regular beer the rest of the year. Founders is definitely very big on this. But the bar is definitely still paying for the keg. And in the case of something like this, probably paying quite a bit. I don't know CBS pricing, but I've definitely seen plenty of $250 sixtels wholesale, which means if you're charging $1/oz, you're making maybe $300 on the sixtel after factoring in loss (and you can be sure you're going to "lose" a fair amount of CBS to your staff).

So to put it on their half off happy hour and still make anything on the keg, they'd have to charge $1.50+/oz during their regular hours, at which point they'd have people bitching about gouging.

There's something to be said for a thank you to your customers, but A) you've gotta make a little money just to keep the lights on, and B) how many times have you guys been to Mad Mex (or to any one particular non-brewery bar) in the last 6 months when there isn't some sort of special event or tapping going on? I could be wrong, but I get the feeling very few of us are the regulars that these places want to reward with customer appreciation. A smarter Mad Mex customer appreciation deal would probably be free-chips-with-a-beer Wednesday or something.

 

Unlimited refills of chips and salsa are free at Mad Mex if you sit at the bar.

I do agree with how ridiculous both them and The Library are regarding the pricing of their beers. I actually frequent both establishments on a somewhat regular basis, but I never go during non-happy hour. It's basically feast or famine when it comes to drinking here. You can be drinking $3.25 drafts of Sculpin or be drinking $6.50 drafts of Oberon.

 

Do you think you would go more often or stay longer if the prices were lower? Just curious.

 

With The Library, absolutely. Regarding Mad Max, they almost always have a 22 ounce $5 beer of the month which is usually something decent. I always opt for that during non-happy hour, and if it weren't for this special, I would never be here. And I lied above. I'm here quite a bit during non-happy hour.

 

Do you guys have a steady staple of bars that you go to, that you think charge a reasonable price for beer? I feel like I go to breweries way more than I do bars.

The only bars that I go to regardless of time are D's (because of proximity to my home) and Independent (same reason).

 

We are in different geographies, but my frequents are Fatheads, Mad Mex (happy-hour pricing) and Korner Pub. End up at Cains when Korner's list is lackluster, but their pricing is generally awful.

While I definitely consider pricing, I am more concerned that a bar have clean lines.

 

Thanks...but I should be able to get over there at some point...is there a deadline or anything?

 

I think they said you have a month.

 

Apropos, can't recall from the nuked thread (though I'm sure the discussion has been had before), but which bars are known for either always having clean lines or notorious for never cleaning them?

I'll start by noting that Pipers takes pride in cleaning their lines. And I'm aware that Fatheads maintains theirs as well.

 

$5 22oz special to wash down that carnitas burrito and don't look back.

Citrussnesnses was easily my least favorite Lagunitas beer since Hairy Eyeball.

Dirty lines:
Hough's
Smokin Joe's
Hal's

 

Anyone know about Caliente's? Or do they just retap previously tapped beers.

 

I think you will find that the list of bad/dirty tap lines far outweighs good/clean tap lines

 

That is sad to hear

 

I ordered a Black Note from Hough's a few months back and swore they gave me a Blushing Monk instead. I used to love that place, too.

 

Has anyone voiced their concern to the offending parties?

 

Totally agree.

 

With my wallet.