Garrett Oliver on the Crimes Against Beer

Totally agree on lack of knowledge and bad glassware. When I ask places what they have on tap. they often say, "Everything." Then they actually list "everything" and it's all BMC variants. I don't think I've ever been to a bar that served me in a proper tulip like I would like.

I don't mind the lack of press and haven't experienced overly chilled or dirty glassware personally.

 

I find myself agreeing with pretty much anything Garrett says - he knows his stuff, and has a great way of delivering it

 

Eh, he's talking about restaurants, I think it's expected that they'll know more about wine than beer. That'll change organically as customers get more savvy, which is happening quickly. And a lot of those are things that won't happen at good restaurants, especially beer-centric restaurants which are popping up like weeds now. I don't think he's quite tilting at windmills here, but it's definitely a bit quixotic to be complaining about these things when the natural forces of customer opinion are pushing them in that direction anyway.

Although maybe getting some press in food and wine will change a few minds in the industry. Who knows?

 

I agree with everything except #5. More press is exactly what craft beer does NOT need. It's spreading like wild fire with simple word of mouth, and the shear volume of new breweries popping up in every neck of the woods out there.

 

Agreed. I think its getting even worse because more locations, gas stations, restaurants are jumping into the Craft Beer market because they see the growth and potential profit. These places are actually doing the market an injustice because they know very little about the product and how to care for it. I had to dump a 6 pack of Lagunitas Pale Ale because the store had let it sit for over a year and it was really oxidized. Not the fault of the brewer, just the store not paying attention to their product.

 

He's pretty much spot on, if a bit gloomy in his outlook. I think it's coming around faster than most people think.

 

Anything that helps people understand not all beer should be treated like macro light lagers and be respectfully dispensed is a good thing.

 

I think with #5, he's not referring to the relative popularity, but its treatment by media outlets. He specifically refers to wine columns, and here I have to agree--wouldn't it be nice to see the local paper review a few beers every week, locals, just to give it a credibility boost? People who read that won't become fanatics necessarily, but may just take notice of craft due to its presence in a "legitimate" (i.e., not digital) source.

 

Just got a bottle of 60 minute...not only was it old as hell (should have known better bad on me) but I got it in a chilled glass.
Didn't bother to ask for a new glass though, I don't like to be a PITA.
Am I mad about it? No, it wasn't a craft beer place. Honestly I was surprised they even had it.
Give it time, normal restaurants will eventually catch up. For now you've gotta know the place is about the craft beer, and there are more and more popping up everywhere.

 

Depends on context really. In an high end place I would expect better.

That brings up expectations I guess. Also depends on how much of a beer connoisseur you are.

Do the right glass means a big deal to you? to me not really.

Clean is clean, I drink all my beer from a glass, but I am not a clean freak. I been known to pour a different beer in the same old glass, who cares? I also do not expect to walk in the chilli's or outback and expect them to know beer, I just do not. Heck I do not expect most bars to know. should I? hell I am happy they have what I want for a price I can pay. In this country most places seem to server most beer in shaker glasses...sometimes the hefe gets a special glass and the fruit lambic maybe have one also. big deal as my mother used to say it all goes down the same pipe. Its just beer, its not wine and I am happy there is NOT all the BS wine has.

 

"We have EVERY kind! Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, Amstel Light, Stella, Guinness, and I think we just ran out of Sam Adams."

 

I agree with what Garrett brings up. Your average restaurant knows far more about serving wine than they do about craft beer. Yet, these same places promote that they have craft beer to draw in customers. Knowledge of their offerings is something I've come to expect; unless the place is a craft beer destination its hit and miss that the server will know much about the beer they are selling. Glassware I'm less accepting of. If you are going to serve higher end beer then have appropriate and clean glasses. Same with the temperature. If a place is going to keep *all* their beer at 40 degrees then why bother selling craft beer. I've actually seen this improve in the last couple years.

 

I disagree on the premise that you cannot commit a crime against beer. You might commit a crime from being overserved. You may use beer to commit a crime, ie serving a minor. But nowhere on this earth has beer been given rights, civil or otherwise. If we're going to get serious we either need to stop using cliche's or recognize that beer needs a set of civil rights. Don't give me The Reinheitsgebot argument either, that's more of a principle.
In all seriousness, there is a time and place to expect #1,#2 and #4. #5, i think a lot about this in general. Just this information age we live in, the 24/7 news cycle and the internet's rise to give everyone a voice. But that goes beyond this discussion. I think #3 is spot on, i can deal with a server or even a bar tender not knowing a lot about what they have on tap, and I can deal with a 16 oz pint glass, I can admit that i'm not well schooled on the overchilling issue especially when I go out. But if I have a dirty glass, that's when I get annoyed. Or a fly in my beer. These things happen, and frequently i have it shrugged off by the server. I don't think you can expect a chain steak house to be as dedicated to beer as for example Sunset Bar and Grill or Lord Hobo. For my part I rarely go out and order a "special beer" anywhere other than a craft beer bar. There's places that get it right, and there's places that don't. But I do support anything that gets a conversation going. Cheers.

 

The temperature thing doesn't bother me, if you serve me a RIS at 33deg I'll just wait to drink it until it warms up, glassware style I also don't really care about. If you serve me a barley wine in a pint glass it's not the end of the world.

Just give me a clean glass that isn't frozen with beer that's gone through a clean tap system and I am right as rain.

 

How about breweries selling sub-par products to customers.

 

While I certainly agree with you, I do think restaurants should have an important role in actively educating people about beer. Just as restaurants have proselytized for movements like slow food, they can advocate beer.

Sure, some big cities in the US are already seeing this happen. But, there's a long way to go. London has an amazing culinary scene, but I defy you to find many places that serve and are knowledgeable about good beer (beyond Bar Boulud, maybe). It's curious, considering how strong the microbrewing scene is here.

 

Dirty tap lines is one I notice a lot at some of the more "popular" restaurants/chains. They aren't doing craft beer any favors by leading people to believe it is supposed to taste like wet socks mixed with hops.

 

We can complain about this as much as we want but unless customers a pushing back the beer served to them for the reasons above or any other reason then it will stay this way.

 

#1 on the list trumps all others. The only thing worse are folk who are wilfully proud of their ignorance.