No More Taproom Samples

Your “take as a customer” sounds biased as a result of your biased “take as an employee.”

 

Well, if beers were $5 here I would agree to just buy what you want to try. Beers are $7 and up for “pints”. I have asked for a taste in my time but not too often. Most places here will give a tiny taste that does not really let you know what the beer will really be like. I know Monks won’t and never have offered tastes but I know they will pour you two small beers and charge you the full pour price if you get the right bartender.

Asking for a taste to pick a flight? I would ignore that customer and serve someone else.

Enjoy

 

Go to the store,buy a watermelon, bring it home and its rotten inside. I dont and never have returned fruit as I look at it as a crqp shoot going in.
When I buy a 3 oz pour,mug,or pint of milkstout brewed with coffee,chocolate sprinkles,twinkled and god knows what else its a gamble right from the start.just take a chance just like fruit
Plus some of the funniest most entertaining moments in life is when things go wrong anyway and I can just laugh it off like trying funky beer

 

There’s a restaurant with 48 proud taps near me. On their beer menu, they say ‘beers are non-returnable’ and ‘if you’re not sure, ask for a taste’.
That’s pretty fair, given the number of options they offer. Right?

 

I can tell if I will outright dislike a beer with a small taste but need a 12/16 OZ pour to find out if I really like it. I don't know of any taproom in NJ that won't give you a taste or two. You are lucky $5:00 pint more like $8:00 here.[/QUOTE]

 

Many places around me will offer a sample when you walk up to the bar. If they're offering and I'm on the fence about something, I'll take them up on it

 

Yes, all of them.

They are not $5 at my local brewery taprooms. @Giantspace discussed this above.

Cheers!

 

I'll ask for a sample if it's a beer that sounds like something that's very possible I won't want a whole glass of. Weird added ingredients, pastry stouts that might be too sweet, heavily fruited IPA, dessert kettle sour, etc. And if I'm at a brewery for the first time and they don't do flights or half pours I might ask for a couple samples. But I'll ask if they offer them, not ask in expectation that they'll give them to me.

 

I can’t think of a good beer bar or brewery taproom near me that doesn’t give out samples. In fact, if you are sitting at the bar at pretty much every brewery tap room I go to, you are often offered a taste of something new without asking.

Not everyone coming in to try something is a seasoned beer drinker. You want to give people a chance to choose the beer they will enjoy the most. Makes for happy customers.

 

I don’t but will try anything offered. Outright dislike might have been to strong a term to use. Up to par would have been a better choice.

 

Thanks.

Really? People are likely not "implying" that. If they felt that way, then why would they come to the taproom in the first place? Does anybody ever ask for a sample and then leave w/o ordering a beer?

Oddly enough, something I see often is a situation where a customer asks a question about a beer and the bartender just hands them a sample instead of answering their question. I get the impression that in those circumstances either the bartender doesn't want to get into a dialogue with the person or they feel like the best thing is to just let the beer do the talking.

Dozens? Are you going to tremendously understaffed breweries at arenas? That just sounds like bad manners on their end. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of lines where you work but I can never relate to this and it always comes up on BA. I was at a taproom yesterday and the bartenders (outnumbering waiting customers 2 to 0) looked bored out of their minds waiting for some customer interaction.

I don't ask for samples but bartenders often try to provide them to me. Sometimes a bartender just hands me something out of nowhere while I'm already enjoying a beer and they say, "Here, try this one too." It just feels like a friendly gesture on their end. I've even had a bartender do this because they wanted the conversation. Other times I'm looking at the beer menu and the bartender automatically offers samples of anything (which I politely decline). It's funny when I order a beer and a bartender says,"Do you want a sample first?" I decline and then they say "Are you sure? You can try it first." I decline and they ask "Have you ever had a beer like this before?" Then after I insist that I'm sure I want the beer they tell me that they were trying to push the sample on me because they are used to too many customers getting a pour and then returning it after they find out they don't like it.

Anyway, I would think that you've dealt with some annoying customers, but my point is that it's a bit much to paint the entire idea of getting a beer sample as a story of customers being entitled and insulting.

 

I haven’t done much of samplers or tastes since 2020. But there’s definitely been a few times where I’ve gotten beers to go and wished I went on more than the flavor description from the brewery. Of course this will be the best beer you’ve ever tried, and it will exceed all your wildest dreams!

…on the other hand, I hope ya bums tip well when you’re getting a buncha samples!…

 

If I am at the bar of a brewery and it’s not busy sometimes I’ll ask if I can get a taste. It’s mostly when there are a few options I am interested in and can’t decide. Most of the time I am only having 2-3 beers and would rather get the 2-3 beers I want the most.

I was just at a brewery and the bartender asked me if I want a taste of something let him know. So, I asked for two ipas to decide which one I preferred.

 

I’ve never asked for a taster glass even at places who offer it near me. I’m typically at breweries to try new beers. An ounce or two just doesn’t do it for me. If I want a small amount, a flight it is. Then, I’ll order a full pour of what I liked. Or, proceed to try other beers. I definitely feel like the option to taste is a benefit waiting to be taken advantage of as well as holding up the damn server. Cheers.

 

I tend to drink strong beers, and when I go to a taproom I'm going to have just one drink. If I'm trying to decide between two, I'll ask for a sample of my first choice, and if it sucks, I'll get the other, good or bad.