Overlooked pet peeves at bars (consumer standpoint)

I imagine you don't have to wear coats as much in CA as we do in WI but yeah this. I've walked into a bar in the middle of winter when its 0°F out and nowhere to put my coat. How dumb can you be honestly.

 

Looks like we can't agree. Perhaps local sports bars (not microbreweries) who DO have a bunch of TV's should start carrying much better micro brews. This way, the smaller craft breweries can be more for social interaction and less about sports. I'm sick of having to choose between the same IPAs and wheat beers only to avoid drinking bud light wherever I go watch football, hockey, etc.

It's bush league I tell you!

 

That can be annoying. Luckily the bar here with 100 taps has new lists printed up every day.

 

My biggest pet peeve is the lack of education in drinks that either bartenders or host/hostesses have. When I want a recommendation, I expect the bartender to know the menu, ask the style(s) I'm into, and give me a drink accordingly.

My 2nd biggest is choice of glassware. This includes both frosted mugs, and serving a drink in a glass not made for that style.

 

It's not a pet peeve, but I enjoy going to a bar where the staff is knowledgeable about the beer they serve.

 

When places won't serve you a certain beer in the glassware of your choice, even if they have it. My biggest problem though is places that refuse to serve half pours, specifically with high abv stuff, it's like they want to encourage people to drink too much. Also more small brewpubs need giant TV's, they'd get lots more people on game days if they did.

 

Bad stemware
Dirty lines
Shitty attitudes behind the bar

 

TVs, way too many fucking TVs, I go to craft beer places to focus on beer and/or to just talk to people, not to watch some ridiculously overpaid entertainers/athletes make fools of themselves.

Unless the Kings are on, then it's NOT ENOUGH TVs!

Hahah, but generally, yeah, way too many TVs.

 

No coat racks. I hate the purse hooks under the bar, if you actually hang your coat there, you end up kicking your own stuff the whole time. Where I live, everybody wears fleece and Gore-Tex this time of year. Plus, most folks carry a laptop bag, backpack or messenger bag. Hang up you rain jacket and bag under the bar, and there's nowhere to put your legs.

I'm ambivalent about the TV's. When I want them (baseball, NASCAR, Olympics, hockey), I really want them. Plus, I'm something of a loner, and even if there's NBA, golf or kickball on, I can look at it to keep unwanted chatter to a minimum.

Which brings me to my next peeve, people who think I want t o get involved in a conversation with them. If I'm sitting alone, doing a crossword puzzle, no, I DON'T want you to get "just one" of the answers for me. I also probably don't want to hear your idle chatter about whatever pop culture thing of the moment. I don't mind if people ask what beer I'm drinking, or what do I suggest, stuff like that, but I just want to stab fools who just walk up to me and start yammering away. Social interaction is somewhat over-rated, IMHO.

 

When I read your thread title I immediately thought of the oppressive smell of cleaners in some bars, ha.

Aside from that one, I am not a fan of TV's in bars. Maybe one small one that's out of the way, but having a TV on every wall is annoying. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one.

 

Average tap list ABVs of 6.5% (and up)

 

Regarding the short pours, I could not agree more. I was at a place about a year ago and they had DFH 120 on tap and were serving 12oz pours. I had one beer and wanted the 120 for my second. I asked the bar tender if I could get a half pour... he looked at me funny and said he was not sure. I reminded him that they were service 12oz of 18% beer and that I had an hour drive ahead of me. He had to ask the manager, who then agreed to let me have a short pour. Unfortunately this is not always the case, as the same location has denied this same request on subsequent visits. And there are many others that flat out refuse to do this. I have had some places where I told them the options were a) a half pour of beer X or b) I will take my check, and most of the time I end up with my check. Absolutely does not make sense.

 

Relatively I'm a BA newb, which makes this annoyance more annoying. If I could notice this, shouldn't the staff?

I was recently at a good craft beer and craft cocktail bar in houston. Excellent beer list. I'm sitting at the bar and there are large sprigs of rosemary in glasses on the bar for bartenders to use in some cocktail or something. The pungency was infiltrating every sip of beer. Mostly the aroma. Like I said I'm not that in-tune with subtleties of beer, but this was wrecking my enjoyment of the beer. Felt too snobby to say something. Shouldn't the much more experienced staff or owners noticed this?

 

"ICE cold" craft beer... if they even have craft beer...
Airhead bartenders that say "oh we have EVERYTHING", which means every variety of crap light
Loud TVs
Loud kids
Assholes - I know, there's one in every bar...

My favorite pub has a few craft beers on tap - Southern Tier Porter and IPA and a few others, a pretty decent bottle selection, one TV on low (usually on the golf channel), no music, no arrogant college kids, and no assholes... just a nice neighborhood pub... where you can sit and actually enjoy your beer with friends and don't have to scream

 

returning from a brewpub to report this: their porter was served at miller lite temp. I had to explain how I like to appreciate dark beers.

 

Preach, brother!

 

When the bartender or server takes away a glass with one sip left without even asking if you're done. Besides that bartenders that are to busy to get me another beer because they are watching TV or texting.

 

If you're watching hockey you could be in Canada... could be... just sayin'...

 

Biggest pet peeve: servers texting while on duty. At least TRY and hide the fact you have NO respect for your job. Then, complain to EVERYone you know that you got jipped.
Ginger, please.

 

My wife calls those purse hooks. Coat hooks are on the wall.