Toppling Goliath in Chicago (2018)

Tastes like middle-of-the-road mosaic haze instead of classic Sosus.

 

From the sip off a friend's beer at Decorah, I thought the same thing.

 

Had some TG Mornin Delight at Timothy O'Tooles in downtown Chicago last night. I thought it was pretty good if a little sweet and mapley.

BUT Minor Rant:
Timothy O'Tooles website and facebook invitation for the tapping said that last night they were only offering a 5 oz pour for $9.50 and that tonight they would offer a larger snifter pour for $16.50 in addition to the 5 oz pour. Last night I asked for two pours (me and a buddy, my turn to buy a round) and the bartender lady brought out two snifters and said that will be $35.68! Ive never paid that much for two beers at a bar in my life.

She never asked me which size pour I wanted and I never thought to ask because their website and facebook event said that last night would only be the smaller cheaper portion.

I feel really ripped off, I would never have purposely ordered such an expensive beer pour but I paid and drank it and today I sent an email to the manager. Any other suggestions?

 

This is actually how quickly the price of TG stouts increase. Just a few years ago you could get KBBS for $20, and now it costs $100.

MD is subject to the same inflation. Sure, it may have cost $$9.50 just a few days ago when it was advertised, but that was a few days ago!!

Just wait until next KBBS release when it is $250 (gotta keep up with the secondary market after all!!)

 

Should have just returned that glass of beer and asked for a smaller pour.

 

All they'd do is set it aside and see if someone else orders one soon. Or split it into multiple smaller pours for other people. I doubt it would go to waste.

 

I would have sent it back and told them it tasted like someone spilled coffee in the glass...

 

Except for a little snark the consensus seems to be not pay for it and ask for another order of the size pour I wanted. If it ever happens again somewhere, Ill take a deep breath and try to say that.
I guess after hanging in my little bubble at super friendly local taprooms it was a little shocking to be confronted by a sports bar 20-something waitress in this manner and it kind of threw me off.

Thanks!

 

What? Dude you ordered a beer and they brought you the beer. I have never been to a place where the short pour is the default size. If you wanted the short pour you should have asked for it.

 

Sosus is legit.

 

Yea, I'm drinking a can of Sosus now and it's awesome.

 

Normally I would agree with you, but in this case you are 100% wrong. Below is their event posting from Facebook with a date of 12/18:

Join us for a Toppling Goliath Morning Delight Tapping. This beer is ranked in the top 25 beers being produced. It is an American Imperial Stout, 12% ABV, “A Huge Imperial Stout with an explosive espresso aroma followed by strong notes of maple syrup and vanilla. We will be pouring 5oz samples for $9.50 on 12/18. 12/19 it will become available in a snifter for $16.50. Jim DeBolt the Illinois representative for Toppling Goliath will be at O’Toole’s for the release from 5-7.

From @rac2000 's post above - he was there 12/18. If you put the above on your social media description, if you're at the establishment on 12/18, the default should be what they say is the only option on 12/18. Not what they say will be another option the day after the date in question.

 

That said, I wouldn't have sent it back. I'd have told my friend they were out of MD and drank the 2 snifters myself.

 

Oh yeah. That's bizarre. I totally would have said "isn't it supposed to be 5oz for $9.50?". I mean I probably would have kept the pour but would have said something for sure.

 

Yep. Came here to say just this.

 

OK, obviously it was a mistake. BUT, what happened to speaking to the bartender...you know, another human being? Let her know that you thought the pours were 5 oz., as advertised publicly. Give her a chance to make it right. We can’t be so quick to complain about (any type of) customer service w/o granting the opportunity for correction. It’s pretty simple really.

 

Your point is on but also applies to our culture at large. We are increasingly non-confrontational but more open to post things online. We should give people a chance to fix things first face to face (I need this advice too)

 

It's only a big deal if you make it one. Just be polite about it. A simple "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were only doing 5 oz. pours tonight. This is a bit more than I was expecting." should be enough. If things went south from there, well then it's on the bartender and in that case, I'd ask to speak to the manager before leaving.

 

I think a lot of people are clueless on how to handle these situations. I've seen people blow up because they got fries when they ordered tater tots, like it was some kind of personal affront. On the flip side, I've seen waitstaff that don't know how to accept any form of criticism. People just generally suck at face-to-face communication, and it's so much easier to sit behind a screen and tap on a keyboard. I don't bother with reviews or complaint emails unless it's something really egregious. I'd rather get an answer at the moment than feel like I have to go back to some place for them to make it right.