Pizza Boy Intangible new batch?

I'm very curious about this. Apparently talking to the guy who posted here, they have a liquor license instead of a "brew pub license". Really curious in the differences. I'm guessing it has to do something with being able to sell food? I would expect a place that brews its own beer to have a beer pub.

@StormKing47 Really dude? Get out of here with that nonsense. Myself, just like most others, couldn't give two shits about checking in on untappd or any stupid badge. It has to due with the fact that I'll probably never go back to this brewery, and I would have liked to have been able to try a few more beers without having to buy a 32 oz growler of something that I've never had before. I've bought more than one growler of something I don't like, and ended up having to pawn it off on other people, or poor it down the drain. Not to mention the fact there's plenty of beers I DONT want an entire growler of, and would be perfectly happy with a 4oz sample, or maybe even a pint.

I just drank the hop tart last night and even though I'm not a fan of sours(yet another reason I would have liked to try it before purchasing) I did enjoy it. Definitely enough IPA notes for me.

 

It was a pizza shop and bottle shop that sold beer before they began brewing their own so a license was obtained well before they began pizza boy. "or maybe even a pint" you can order pints so whats the issue?

Also to help clarify another reason for the non-samples is time. There's no waiters/waitresses to order from you order at a counter like most pizza shops and they bring the food to you. It's constantly busy and having to pour multiple flights constantly would cause a huge back log for people ordering just beers. If that happened I bet people would be on here continuing to rip their poor customer service that apparently a bunch of people receive from this place.

 

I call B.S. on the time response...this is just an excuse for not properly setting up your point of sale systems, training your bar staff, and frankly being lazy. Sure there are times when it could be packed and maybe you can argue it slows things down but, really what does it now take 30 seconds to get your beers rather than 25 seconds...I mean come on. If time is really the issue they are worried about impose a limit on how many samples one person can order at a time, like Tired Hands.

I mean give me a break have you ever been to Max's in Baltimore who has a similar amount of taps, doesn't have wait staff, and does samples ALL THE TIME, regardless of when it is. They could have a line out the door which occurs on every Belgian beer week yet they continue to pour samples for their patrons and you don't see people complaining.

Let's give another example three other guys and myself stopped in Pizza Boy this past weekend after going to Bullfrog, and Selins Grove, who shocker both did samples. Any believe it or not Bullfrog even poured samples the day they had hundreds of people there at all the same time for a beer release, oh the horror.

Keep letting them make excuses for why it's their way or nothing at all, but I'll prefer to not be in that prison atmosphere.

 

lololo

 

I think the old location did 5oz flights of at least the PB beers(I remember seeing a sign on the wall). Are these still available?

 

No they stopped after the new shop opened.

 

Yes, they sell their glassware. I have purchased a snifter before. They may not advertise it, but if you ask they will sell.

 

Whether its an excuse or not how can you accurately judge/review a beer with only 2-5oz? And you're right you don't have to support them it's your hard earned dollar. Imho I would just wait a few months before making an accurate opinion of them.

 

It's pretty easy to tell whether you like or don't like a beer from 2-5oz. Do you need to eat all 32ounces of porterhouse steak to know whether you like the quality/preparation?

 

That's right I need to have at least a growler of their beer before I can rate it...come on man stop being a homer and look at the situation. There's not doubt that they make some good beers...you can see that from how I've rated the ones I've had. This is not about the opinion of their beers/product quality, but rather an opinion on their service and how they operate as an organization.

 

No but do you go to a steak house and order a steak sampler and get 5oz of ny strip, porter house, del monico and t-bone cuts?

 

Agreed, but I can also see the other side. I liked the sample flights when they did them, but it doesn't bother me that they no longer offer them.

 

Because you likely live close enough to go often...Like I said, I'm 3 hours away and I'll most likely never go back. I would have liked to try a few more beers. This is literally the first brewery/beer place I've ever been that has not offered flights or samples. I emailed the owner about it just to inquire the reasoning behind it and he sent me a snarky smart ass reply that ended with "remember its not bad "customer service" just because you want something that we dont have.".....Sorry bud, but that is 100% poor customer service. A large percentage of your customers have requested something, and you refuse to do it despite the fact that nearly every other brewery does. Call it lazy, poor management, or greed...Whatever the reasoning behind it is flawed. As for the issue of being able to judge a beer based off a sample, I was in SC Monday and decided to stop at stateline liquor. I ordered a sample (4oz) of a beer before purchasing a growler of it. I drank 3 sips before I had decided not to purchase the growler, and after finishing the sample, and then later trying it again on draft at a restaurant I am completely glad I do have 32 or 64oz sitting in my fridge waiting to be poured down the drain. I still stand by my statement. Offer dixie cups of samples at $1 for 2 samples. It will take 10 seconds to pour, you'll make money off of it, and it wont create any extra dishes.

As I was sitting waiting for my pizza to arrive another customer walking was heard saying "no flights?! What is this, comunist Russia?!?".

Again, good beer, no complaints with their products...However their customer service is sub par.

Also no tips on credit cards?! Come on PA laws!!! Get with the times. Good thing I had cash.

 

I also Live about 3 hours away and have had no problem with the no samples. Could be because I don't order flights even if they are offered. If I want to try a beer I order the beer. If you've been drinking beer long enough you should know what you like. I don't think there is any PA law against tips on cards, I've left many tips while using a card before. It seems maybe their point of sale system doesn't offer it.

 

That's silly. A good steakhouse will have good preparation regardless of the cut, and if you like a sirloin at Outback, you'll like it as much (or more) at St. Elmo's. Saying "I like steak" and "I like beer" are totally different.

Also, if I share a bottle of beer among a few friends, is it unfair to judge/review that beer because I didn't have a full 12/22/25.4oz? Will I suddenly change my mind and like a beer significantly more with the 15th sip than the 14th?

Not doing flights makes sense from a cost (time, glassware, etc.) to revenue perspective. Not giving a quick pour to someone who's unsure about a growler fill makes no sense. Obviously there has to be discretion involved and the bartender makes a judgment call to stop samples for someone who goes up and orders 5 samples per 1 beer they order, but refusing a customer a 1oz sample before filling a 64oz growler is horrible service.

What? That's not a PA law. PA law requires restaurants to report tips from credit cards as taxable wages. I've never been to a restaurant ever that didn't allow me to leave a tip on a credit card unless there was a strict no tipping policy. That's horrible for their employees and I'm sure they likely lose a lot of tip dollars from people that don't often carry cash. Also, before someone says "people going to Pizza Boy should carry cash", the responsibility of a business is to meet the needs of the consumer, not the other way around.

 

I feel like my earlier post has raised up quite a response both pro and con. For this I am glad this forum exists.

To clarify for earlier post:

I understand if a brewery/brew pub does not offer samples if it is because of archaic liquor laws. My issue is that if you brew your own beer, you might want visitors to try it especially if it is their first time there. I would be happy to try a flight, buy sample tokens, or even pay for a tour so as to get a overall taste of what they do. I was also making a long drive with this as a lunch stop, so could not drink much more than a pint before having to get back behind the we wheel. I am sure that once they begin to release their new batches of bottled beers they will grow in acclaim and success. I hope this policy does not handcuff that growth by alienating perspective new fans.

 

Let's sum up: yeah, it would be nice if samples were available. It would probably be a decent business decision, as clearly more people would fill up their glassware. But they don't give samples. So it's up to the consumer.

Me? I'll be passing my mid-July, and I plan to have a pint and then fill two small growlers based on that one taste and BA ratings. If I like, I will return.

--30--

 

This. 100% this.

I get (and admire) the attitude of catering to locals first, but at some point a pizza shop isn't just a pizza shop and it's something much bigger. As a business, I would think that's a really good thing. Perhaps not.

 

Like @Greenplastic615 said, that's not a PA law. That is something Pizza Boy chooses to do (for reasons I have no clue). I was a bit taken back by that the first time I went there and paid with my credit card. I felt bad about walking away without leaving a tip, so I ponied up the wonderful - what - $3 surcharge on their ATM so I could withdrawal more money than I needed to for a tip. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy Pizza Boy and am naturally now better prepared but I can see how that would be quite a bit of a shock for a first timer (it was for me).

And I would love to see them do flights, too.

 

The only reasoning I can think of for not allowing credit card tips is having a PoS system with only one "operator" logged in at a time, rather than being able to select a server/bartender from a list. That's a bad idea for other reasons beyond credit card tipping, but this is Beer Advocate, not Tech Config Advocate, so I digress.