Mislabeling Beer at Bars.

I was told Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter was on tap. It was clearly just SNPA. I don't think they were lying. The waitress probably just made a mistake. What's worse for me is when a beer is announced and 5 hours later when I show up it is kicked. (Farm to Face)

 

One of the beer fests that i went to got a Keg and tri-eagle mistakenly billed the keg as Vanilla Rye, but the keg wasn't labeled. However we soon figured out that it was regular BCBS & it must have just been an error.

 

Was not aware of such a law, although I do understand the intent behind it. That said, there are popular top craft beer bars that use generic black handles on their tap faucets. Two examples are Churchkey in Washington, D.C., and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens Escondido. Perhaps DC and Cali don't have such a law.

 

I have had this happen before and have notified the management. Every time it was a case of switched lines. That is just my experience with this sort of dilemma.

 

In the op at least it was labeled right, they just posted the wrong beer.

 

Perhaps so, but it definitely isn't enforced, at least in dc, ohio, kentucky, Tennessee, indiana, missouri, and south Carolina just off the top of my head. Plenty of places use generic handles or ceramic handles, and far more just tape a note to whatever to handle they're using.

 

I have seen this happen a few times. The best one happened when our trucks were loaded with Budweiser American Ale instead of Budweiser. Budweiser American Ale was tapped at about 5-6 of my accounts, sales rep were scrambling the next few days as our accounts noticed this beer was a lot darker than Budweiser. It's happened a few other times.

 

Just had this problem at a nice dinner with my wife. Ordered Born Yesterday and got Brown Shugga. I was really excited to try Brown Shugga and advised the waiter of the issue. Watched him go to the bar a lot of shaking their heads and pointing. He than brought me a bottle of Born Yesterday and let me pour once he saw the difference in the color he went back to the bar and more talking. The waiter came back and told me he was sorry that indeed they had not yet tapped the Born Yesterday. Even my wife thought I was crazy and could not tell the difference between the beers.

 

Seems like the more obvious situation. Fire the web master.

 

Honest screw ups are going to happen and I wouldn't make a huge deal about it other than expecting your beer on the house. Actively trying to deceive customers is pretty rare but I'm sure it happens. Anyone that does this intentionally to pass off a cheaper beer definitely deserves to be called out publicly as a sleazy douchebag.

 

Unless they drove to Oregon and got the keg, they didn't have Boneyard.

 

How do bartenders know which tap handle is which without some branding or signage? (I did not imply that the laws require brewery-made "official" handles only that the beer must be identified by brand. So a sign or the generic handles w/small blackboard would be adequate in some states.)

Well, I guess I have some time for some Googlin'- a few of the states named above and some others :
Ohio:

Michigan

New Jersey

Louisiana

Idaho

Pennsylvania

California

Colorado

Indiana

Minnesota

 

Which establishment was this?

 

There's probably a bartender on here who can say for sure, but they probably just have a list in back for which beer corresponds to which tap spaces 1 - 20 and start memorizing which is which fairly quickly as each night goes on. I've been to a number of bars that have tap spigots coming through the wall with just a small black pull handle above. No labels. Can't recall though if the menu actually numbered the beers itself. It may have; maybe that's the loophole to the law.

 

Birch & Barley in Washington, D.C.


Stone Point Loma


Stone


Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens Escondido

 

Beautiful looking spaces. I wonder if they have any problem with mistakes while pouring.

 

Again, I did not claim such regulations are always followed by retailers or properly enforced by the local ABC agents (I even called them "...an often neglected requirement...") only that they exist.

Washington, DC - Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration:

(Kinda like traffic laws - because I'm going 70 mph on the NJ Turnpike and people are passing me, does not mean the Speed Limit isn't 65 mph).

 

I hear ya, and I relate completely to your speed limit analogy. Just thought I'd post a few photos that relate to the overall conversation. Apparently some bars prefer the clean look of the uniform row of tap handles. Kind-of like soldiers in uniform standing in formation. As to how it works within the laws, I do not know.

 

I walked into a bar and ordered a beer that I myself had brewed, an American IPA. I was given an oatmeal porter (which I had brewed as well). I was fine with that, but informed my bartender that they'd mistakenly tapped the wrong keg which was met with incredulity! In fact, it became a big issue, and eventually the bar manager was called over! I repeated that it was simply an error, and that I was the brewer, and could they simply change the name and style of the beer? (Is that too much to ask?). After storming down to the cellar the manager returned and threw the keg collar (oatmeal porter) at me telling me that they'd ordered the APA. ... ... ... ... ... ? ... ... ... ... Perhaps I should note that I never asked for a free beer, and I was being totally friendly wanting to support the bar and keep my beers on tap. How I turned into the villain on that one I'll never know, but as an aside, they are out of business.