How often do you get half pours or flights?

Haha well if you are gonna order a flight and you are behind me in line it might be better for you if you don't let me overhear you discussing it. Ya never know, if I hear that I might just decide to get samples of every beer on tap before ordering my full pour. You won't mind, will you? After all they wouldn't offer samples if they didn't want me to try a sample of every beer before deciding my order..

 

I got a more-or-less half-pour last night while I was waiting for take-out at an Indian restaurant because the bartender couldn't figure out how to pull a glass without filling it with foam. He filled four glasses of head, scooped the suds out and combined them together, resulting in about two-fifths of a pint glass of actual beer. The tap handle said Lord Hobo so I asked which Lord Hobo to which he replied 'their lager.' (So far as I know, Lord Hobo doesn't have a lager). Frankly, I'm pretty sure it wasn't even Lord Hobo. It might have been a Kingfisher. Maybe all of their taps are Kingfisher.

At any rate, there's one reason why I usually drink at home.

 

Naw, you wouldn't do that, even then.

You're one of those folks who prefers getting to know and then enjoying the flavors in a well crafted beer over trying lots of small samples of different beers so you can enjoy ticking several while looking for the beer with the boldest flavors that drowns out the quiet voices of any others.

So, you'd just imagine doing it, smile quietly to yourself and then go sit down to explore and enjoy what that beer you've chosen has to offer.

 

Well, at least it gives us a good sense of how many folks there are on the site who are not bothered by FOMO.

 

I love half pours as it allows me to try as many new beers as I can. Often a half pour of something I enjoy turns into a full pour later on.

I usually only pop on a flight at a new brewery. It's fun to split up flights with friends.. sip, discuss, dissect, evaluate.. then head back to bar for full pour.

 

Never, but I do taste a lot of beer. Sometimes my favorite brewery barkeeps will line me up 4 or 5 new beer to try when I walk in.

 

Love beer flights when travelling. Can't tell you how many great beers I've discovered that I most certainly would have passed on for getting a pint of something else. At the local bars at home I'm ordering full pours; I can always come back to try another.

 

Big difference between folks saying that they don't chose to do flights than saying they have never done it; beer fests are a completely different concept with one choice, one size.

It just seems that so many places do it so poorly--takes forever to serve folks, then folks are sloshing around the small samples, glassware everywhere. A few places do it ok and seem to control with some limits on hours.

This again is where I have come to appreciate the half pour--8 oz --esp when a lot of the things are over 7% and want to experience a few things.

BTW--was in Vancouver and one place--Alibi Room had a BC takeover--unbelievable stuff and had flights (6oz) or individual 6oz/13oz options and did it all well. Had not seen flights of that size but seemed more reasonable. Some of the best beer I have ever had.

 

Not really, flights have very little to do with FOMO in my opinion. Most folks distraught with FOMO are tickers, value sips as ticks, split tasters 4 ways. Flights are great for exploring a line up of beers, it's like sampling at a farmers market, your trying things to see what you want more of. Similar to a fest, you are trying things to see what you like. 8/10oz pours are pretty rare in a lot of places, generally you are in on the whole beer or not. With so many new releases, such inconsistency in craft brewing and creativity, I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to sample first.

 

Yeah, perfect example of a beer bar that knows what they are doing.

 

true, but I am generally not sampling 6-8 different pints in a sitting. now that would be evil...well the next day anyway.

 

Just wanted to chime in here that I just got back from a weekend trip to San Diego. I drank about a gallon of beer (if I remember correctly). Only 16oz of that was in the form of a full pint, and that was at a restaurant with a limited beer menu which I doubt offered smaller servings. Everything else was in the form of 5oz tasters or half pours (8-10oz). I guess I know where I stand on this issue!

In all seriousness, I tend to order small beers when I go out unless there aren't multiple beers on tap that interest me. I almost always drink a full 12-16oz serving when I'm at home. I don't go out much.

 

Never because the trend is to price half pours at more per ounce than full pours. I don't like this policy. I think it stinks.

 

I can usually only handle 24 oz. (regardless of ABV) before I feel full. I have no problem with flights. They simply help me discern if the the beer I am tasting would be one that I would make a point of ordering. I give much thought to the few sips provided and take my time. Admittedly, this only gives me a general impression, but for me, that is usually enough.

I refuse to rate a beer based on a smaller portion, simply because I can articulate all,the nuances with such a small sample. I don't think it is fair to the brewer.

 

Never.

 

When they make sense like for me like $4 for 10 oz vs. $7 for 16 oz. That's 3 and a half pennies less an oz for the short pour.

 

I enjoy a flight at a new brewery or a craft bar with a huge selection. I've never ordered a half-pour... To me if I'm choosing one beer, i'm going to drink that beer, if i'm in the mood to sample, i want to sample as much as possible

 

I have recently been won over by the half pours.

 

Never get flights. IMO the oz per beer is too small to even determine if you like the beer, especially if there is 7 or more beers on the flight.

Half pours rarely, the price per ounce is crazy most the time. I tend just to get full pours.

 

I travel a lot for work and go to new breweries often, so I love flights. Generally speaking, I think flight sizes are usually enough to get an idea if you like the beer or not and get a good grasp on the brewery. There is a LOT of mediocre and bad beer out there and I've been to breweries where even the flight size of certain beers was too much to stomach. Plus it's fun to see the different ways flights are served since some breweries put a LOT of work into with unique glassware, holders, etc. I've been at some breweries where the flight pours are 2oz--which really isn't enough--and others where they are 7oz--which is really too much when you have 5 of them. It's to the point where I rarely do full pours except at more typical bar/pubs since even if it's a brewery I'm familiar with, they'll often have several new things on tap.

I'm spending next week in Czech Republic and Slovakia, though, where it's all about quantity of beer and not variety, so maybe my opinion will changed with all of the 1-2 Euro half liters of beer everywhere.