How many taps is too many?

Place near me uses this, but they never update the damn thing. You'd think that would be a given--spend the $$$ on it and then provide real time updates, but the last time I was there, the first three requests resulted in "that's kicked." Didn't know the replacements, and the paper menu (which was different that the digital screen) was also off. Frustrating. Looks cool though.

 

There can't be too much beer
Of course, tap quantity depends on how many people visit a bar.

 

20 seems to be the right number for me if craft they are all craft. 25 if the bar wants BMC taps.

 

I said 60+ because the vast majority of the time you can go at least 90 days without a noticeable change in flavor. I've heard some folks talk about the noticeable difference between couple days and couple weeks for some IPAs, but I find it funny that the people making these comparisons are always doing it for the super-hyped IPAs like Pliny. I bet if most people had a blind test there'd be no difference. I've never had Pliny or Zombie Dust though, so maybe those are special, but I doubt it. I can say from my perspective the first 60-90 days for Jai Alai (in-can, never had on-tap at brewery) doesn't make a bit of difference; that's just the most well-known one I can reference.

 

More important to me is variety of styles. I'd rather go to a bar that has 15 taps with a wide variety of styles, rather than a bar with 30 taps, but 20 of them are some type of IPA.

 

Even if the lines are clean if that keg is old the beer will still suck.

 

I don't bat an eye between 10-24. My place of employment has 8 and it works perfectly for us.

 

I have to disagree. Jai Lai is great fresh but falls off quickly. I have had it 3 days fresh compared to 60 days and you can tell the difference.

 

Gun in mouth.

 

The more the merrier to me.

 

Because this thread alone is just whiney/dumb. I know that I'm contributing to the cause but shit man, I love having options. Is there such a thing as too much? First world problems breh.

 

Nailed it right here! The huge tap selection is a big marketing tool but the places tend to get annoying as that never have an accurate list, the staff never knows, and it becomes very annoying. I would much prefer little or even no draft selection and a nice selection of bottles and cans.

 

Every bar is different. I know bar owners that would rather sell a beer at a loss rather than let it go bad on tap. I know one place that is a bud light kind of bar. The owner brought in a craft beer on one tap. It was a 9.6ABV Belgian Triple. He could not sell it. His customers did not want to pay for good beer. Another bar owner I know will simply take a keg off line if it is not sold in a reasonable time. Clean lines are a different story. Any bar that does not clean all of their lines regularly is not worth visiting.

 

There are a lot of factors that go into this, including how competent the staff is at keeping the lines clean, how they are at keeping inventory levels reasonable, and the overall craft beer market in the area (both the number of beers available and number of craft drinkers). My ideal bar would be around 20 taps - large enough to have a good variety but small enough that one is forced to be selective about what goes on tap.

All of that said, I currently work at a bar with 58 lines.

 

I really don't sweat this issue. Since most good craft is in the smaller 1/6 kegs and all good bars have good CO2 systems, then the more the merrier. The good stuff never lasts long anyway, and I tend to know what is meh! and may be sitting for some time.

 

A well run place is the deal. No hoopla, just good and diverse beer. A smart person keeps his/her hand on the plan! Real is the deal. Also, I would like to say, Neal, you did a yeomans task making your Mom comfortable. You are a kind and special person. Peace to all!

 

If I'm hanging at a place with many taps, I now prefer to just walk up to the bar and scan the tap handles. My wife and I had dinner at a beer-savvy BBQ restaurant in north Orange County on Friday night. I ordered a couple drafts listed on their chalkboard, only to discover later in the evening that they had several tap handles that weren't listed as options on the board. I asked the bartender if those kegs were blown, and she replied that they were not. Rather than wasting breath by asking her why the f*** those beers (which were very good beers) were not listed on the chalkboard, I just sighed and ordered one. Yes, these are first world problems, but it's really not that difficult to accurately convey to your clientele what's available on draft. Seems like a no-brainer.