Bartenders who know their shit...

Maybe a little off topic because it happened in a brewery tap room. My wife and I went to a brewery yesterday that has only been open for 4 months. Place was hopping, maybe 75 people.
One of the owners walked by with a dog and my wife struck up a conversation.
Guy talked with us for over 15 minutes about beer, beercations, breweries, dogs and all the trials and tribulations of his build out.
I was really impressed, especially for how busy the place was. Nice guy, nice service, nice beer. Nice touch, I will go back.

 

Cape May brewery makes some good beers, i live up in Hunterdon so we don't sell it here but their IPA is a nice change up when i go to the shore.

i rarely find places that the employees can give a good recommendation. i will say, the local Apple Bees carries some amazing beer ALL THE TIME (Kane, Carton, Conclave, Lone Eagle +others guaranteed). the one bartender there is fantastic and really knows his beer. get that man a raise! and a beer

 

Craft centric bartenders are usually pretty knowledgeable.
General restaruant and pub bartenders sometimes but usually not.
Waiters/waitresses very rarely have a clue unless its a restaurant that specializes in a good list of high-end craft beer.

 

Must vary with manager - our local Applebee's manager and staff are clueless on craft, clearly are macro or non-beer drinkers. Since Bud pretty much denotes one beer, they think craft brands equate to one beer, so if they tell you they have Lagunitas that should explain everything.

 

It must be tough in some places to get good help (Or maybe you just got to pay better) Got a new taproom just a few miles from the house, this is a resort area so I never expect too much from the servers. Went in ordered a beer and had to point to the selection on the menu, Number 38 (Ninkasi Tricerahops) Server brings it back and says "here is your number 38" Wow, OK, I guess that's better than making stuff up. Then went to the bar and in the cooler I see Wehinstephaner Heffe, I order one and I have to go point at the bottle. Oh man, I love their selection but the staff needs a LOT of work.

 

Beer\ sports bars, condescending d-bags with little or no knowledge. Tenders and servers in the brewpub more committed to the craft and the product, and have to know their shit, lest they earn a cdb label.

 

The selection varies by location as well, the best i can get at our local Applebees is Sam Adams seasonal offerings.

 

i know the manager at ours and she is a big craft beer fan as well. they have the best craft beer selection in our town. 100% of the time they carry great local beer

 

Two nights ago I walked into a bar called the Alchemiste Belge in Salzburg, AT. I asked the bartender (whom I now believe was also part owner) for a beer list and he said "I am the beer list"! Sure enough he knew every bit of his inventory inside and out and could make suggestions based on what you said you liked or a beer you'd had before.

 

At a minimum, tending any bar is a service job. One never quite knows what will pop up dealing with the public, but quality service is the standard to be desired by everyone. At its best, tending bar can elevate the lives of the patron and bartender at the same time. I ran one bar for a few years when the best beer was Beck's Dark, Gablinger was the light beer choice, and Blatz was served in big ice cream soda glasses for less than a dollar. In all honesty, running The Pickwick was every bit as good an education as the other one I actually achieved. I'm sure I had my off days, but to this day I meet people from those days and I know I did the best I could because of the recounted collective memories. It was also a really good way to meet girls.

 

Which town is that? I'm out in hunterdon county fairly often to visit the in-laws.

 

I've tended bar for almost ten years now. It can be rewarding in more ways than one if the right attitude and outlook are applied. I definitely can relate to and appreciate many of the comments so far on this thread. After years of being on both sides of many bars I can say that prompt/polite service is the most important quality I look for when visiting a bar.

As far as knowledge goes, I usually know what I am looking for so it isn't too important to me what the bartender knows. It is, however, a pet peeve when a bartender/server uses their knowledge to shame or embarrass a guest. It can actually be quite funny when they correct you and are in fact wrong themselves. I've had this happen in front of groups of friends and just take the high road and let the server think they are correct. (But then laugh about it with my Wife or my friends).

With the amount of information available online and through books the customer is often as educated regarding their specific interests as the employee serving it. I try to remember this and take a humble approach where I will not say anything as an absolute so I don't end up with my foot in my mouth. I appreciate bartenders who also don't take their jobs TOO seriously while maintaining a level of professionalism.

 

When I need a surgeon I want someone trained, skilled and well experienced with that particular procedure.

When being served a beer it's not important that they know anything at all because I already know what I'm ordering.

 

in Flemington

 

@Wiffler27 @bbtkd @Realsambo @donspublic

Is this a mass Troll thread or something? 34 posts and about half of them relate to the beer selection and beverage service at Applebee's?

I know in some parts of the country you aren't blessed / privileged with excellent independent restaurants but... for me, eating Applebee's is like smoking meth, I always knew -someone out there- must be doing it but I never actually met someone who did!

::I'm not trying to be a dick if ya'll like eating there, but I wouldn't go into a national chain and expect up to snuff beer lists or them to have knowledgeable wait staff::

 

i imagine the food is the same nation wide but the beer lists vary. the food isn't the best in the world but it's not terrible, sorry i'm not a classy ass cracker.

the beer list at my local Applebees is really damn good, 100% of the time. the manager is a beer fan and likes having a great draft list

right now they have:
-Founders Mosaic Promise
-Conclave Chosin
-Carton IDIPA
-Kane Overhead
-Lone Eagle Maiden Flight

they switch between Carton beers and it's usually Kane Head High instead. it's a damn good list

 

Not half the posts, but yeah they're easy to criticize. We have plenty of good chain and independent choices that are better, but the wife likes it, and their food is okish, and diet friendly. Just frustrating that any restaurant claims to have craft when most or all of it is AB/InBev, and the management and staff are craft ignorant. Granted minimal wage and all that, but if they're just going through the motions of having craft, then why bother? I suppose AB/InBev reps are advising them how to "do craft" and are more than willing to handle the lineup for them.

 

I have been 2 or 3 times in the past 6 years. Every time it was with my son, and he likes it because it is cheap and he can take me out on his dime. So no trolls here. I am just gobsmacked that @Wiffler27 has such a good tap list.

 

I'm going to the wrong places.

Places that know their stuff are super rare around here

I mostly encounter bartenders who dont know what they have on draft. So they either have to ask or get a list, which is usually out dated. Plus if they are busy and slow to take orders, it can become a hassle. Then it becomes an issue because so and so keg has kicked, so back to an outdated list (a lot of times it only has a brewery name and no beer listed, so they have to ask too). All the while your pint prices are already outrageously priced. When you find a gem like OP did, cherish the hell out of it.

BEER is your #1 money maker and these bartenders dont realize a party of 5 drinking beers will net quite the tip. I've stopped going to places for beer alone in the past 6 months. If I do feel inclined to want a drink, I do my own leg work and go to the bar area when I "go to the bathroom", which can includes haunts like Applebee's (a place thats gotten better as far as local draft options)

@HopsDubosc I went to Black Back a few months ago. Easily one of the best places on our trip. Kegs were kicking rather quickly that night, but an informed 3 person staff in a smaller setting and tons of beer talk from the patrons and bartenders left me feeling right at home there.

 

I had a bartender earlier today tell me the beer they had from @augiecarton was a DIPA. It was actually Boat.
Oops, Sorry. I thought the title of this thread was "Bartenders that know shit"