Bad Draft experience. Conundrums of a beer snob.

So I had a bad draft experience at a bar in (on?) Long Island NY. I’m only not sharing the name of the place because I’m not entirely sure it’s their fault, although with one of the pours I’m almost sure it was. I’ll elaborate. Please share your feedback.

Pour 1: hill farmstead Harlan. Tasted amazing. I liked it better than the several Edward drafts I’ve had around NYC over the last 2 years. First time having this beer besides a draft at monks cafe in Philly in 2016 which I don’t recall but apparently rated not so favorably on Untappd. Anyways, this started off great and didn’t expect what was to follow.

pour 2: hill farmstead society and solitude #4 (citra and galaxy). First impression on the nose was cheese, spoiled, rotten, gross. Taste was the same. Thought maybe it was a rough transition from the previous beer. Gave myself a few sniffs and sips to adjust - still no. It can’t be what this beer is supposed to taste like. I mean it’s HF. This just wasn’t pleasant.

I asked the bartender if he’s had it. He said no b it said he doesn’t like doubles. He tried it and said he can’t really tell and it tastes like a double. Fair enough. And since I can’t get Shaun Hill himself down here to taste it I just asked for a replacement. I chalked it up to something going awry in the keg. Being HF my conclusion was that it is was a post-production flaw, which can happen even to the best breweries.

pour 3: Bissell Brothers substance. One of my favorite beers of all time. I had it in cans a bunch over the span of 2019 and 2020, having visited main that year and also surprisingly getting random fresh drops to northern VA where I was living at the time. I hadn’t had it on draft since 2016 when there was a special tapping at Mekong in Richmond VA. It did vary slightly in quality, with the latter batches dropping off a bit, but nothing too drastic outside of normal batch variation and supposed expansion quality declines.

But this draft pour - Yo! What the hell is this. Tasted like a Belgian pale ale. Definitely not substance. I’ve checked this beer in on Untappd 12x but have probably had it at least 2-3x As much. Either this keg is very old or infected or there’s some Belgiany beer stuck in the draft lines. So gross. The bartender said he couldn’t tell.

Ended up sending pour 2 and 3 back and getting another Harlan.

so beer geeks, what is one to do? I doubt my palate is failing me. While I never used to be that guy… as I’ve become more confident in my taste and expectations.. as well as the fact that I’m damn near $10 for a glass.. I figured it’s not only warranted but a duty.

cheers

 

Thanks for the responses. I will let the breweries know. I wish draft line cleanliness was more transparent. It should be posted at the bar right above the draft list. Lines last cleaned on said date. Or put it on your website that you clean draft lines every x number of days. Or share it on your social media. If I saw something like this I’d definitely be more inclined to go. I’ve never asked a bartender up front. Maybe I should. When I go to non beer focused places I never get draft.

 

I should let the place know too. And you’re right, the response would determine if I go back. Again, not sure of the root cause here, but i should give them the opportunity to get their best beer guy or gal on the issue to identify that and remedy it.

 

If I have to get a sample first to check the quality of a beer then I don’t want to go to that bar, honestly. A sample should be for if your trying a new beer your not familiar with to make sure you want a bigger pour. Not for quality. Bars I go to near my work in Brooklyn - beer street, torst, beer karma - I don’t even have to think twice about draft quality. Breweries always seem to be on point too. Breweries also have the advantage of the kegs seeing little to no time on the truck. Another reason why drinking at the source and drinking local is always a good call. A lot can go wrong in a keg coming down from Vermont or Maine in the summer heat. Multiple factors could have contributed. I’m keen to mouth to taste when something is off, but not enough to diagnose or pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

 

Extra Todd mode ON Long Island for sure.

 

Happened to me before too. A lot of servers/bartenders just don’t know or care. This is where some cicerone certification could come in handy. I’m sure some of the beer focused places encourage their staff to go through this program, but I wonder if any require it. It at least to have a few on the team so there could hopefully be at least one behind the bar at all times to address such issues.