Posting this here in the hopes of wider audience, I understand if this gets moved to Help/Feedback. There are multiple formats to review beer from, but I'm curious about 'the tap'. Let's assume I don't have a home draught system of any kind. When I review from the bottle at home, I control the time, environment, glassware, pour, etc. If I were to review something on tap, it means I'm in a bar/pub. I can't control a lot of factors like the pour or environment. Unless I go to the bar earlier (before 3pm or so), there are plenty of distractions that detract from focusing on the beer. But perhaps the only way to get an awesome beer is a special keg (e.g. KBS). What do others think about reviewing in pubs? Do you do it, perhaps only under certain conditions? Are you against it?
Good points, especially about home being able to control for confound variables. There's a lot of variance in bars as well. Is this a loud venue, with music etc, or more of a mellow lounge setting or some darkly lit dive bar? Are you there by yourself/quietly with one or two friends or part of a larger more magnanimous group? I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with reviewing at a bar/pub: as you mentioned, that may be the only opportunity you have for many brews. Just think before you do it. Maybe not starting with the reviews at last call after drinking 10%ers all night, or if it's dark as shit and you can't tell a BSPA from a BSDA, or if you're stuck next to the bathroom and everything smells like piss. Ultimately, though drink what you love where you love, and if you feel like you can give a reasonably accurate review, go for it. I've actually found the limiting factor for me is more that I have fat fingers and hate typing on my phone, but that's a whole another issue...
Since there's no such thing as an objectively "perfect" or truly "accurate" way of reviewing, there's should be no issue with reviewing beers at a bar or anywhere else. Reviews are an illustration of a particular experience in time, nothing more, so the idea of trying to make the process some sort of monolithic event oughtn't be the top priority. Rather, the particular experience with the beer, given surroundings/circumstances/what-have-you, should be the focus. To put it another way, so long as people tell me what they think of a beer and why, the review is a "success" in my eyes...
For the most part while at a bar, I don't want 3 things: a shaker pint glass (strictly personal preference) the glass shoved up into the tap during the pour, and obviously, skunky/dirty lines (the last being a huge distraction from ordering tap beer at certain establishments). Oh, and lets not forget about the short pour... Sigh, why do I continue go out again?
If the beer is only available on tap, you don't really have a choice other than to brave the bar scene.
