Bartenders criticizing beer choices

Being a beer server myself I would say that I would have went about it in a different way. I def would have offered a sample and explained the style and flavor profile instead of saying its a girly drink. I have ran across some pretty crappy bartenders in my time. There is a place where Im from called Daliahs pour hose, one day me and my buddy sat down for a drink and the bartender asked what we would like to drink. I asked her what do you have in the way of ipa,stouts or BA beers. She obviously didnt know what I was talking about and grabbed another person behind the bar who was just as dumbfounded wich made me think "you run a craft beer bar and cant name one ipa you have on draft". After a moment she brought me the tap list and said "here this will help you find a style you like" um I just told you what styles i like is what I was thinking. Im a avid homebrewer and have been a beer server for a while so i usually tend to take it easy on people but If you work at a craft bar and dont know what a ipa is you should probably go jump off a bridge.. or at least do some damn research.

 

I've had this happen to me a few times in the past, but always in a much more tactful and positive way.

For example; When my friend and I were just getting into more adventurous beers, we visited Eulogy Tavern in Philly (awesome place, fyi). For the final beer of the night we wanted to go with something big and booze-y. We ordered Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot barleywine (Since I have a penchant for local fare), but were told by the bartender that "Blithering Idiot is a good beer, but it definitely doesn't do barleywines justice." at which point he suggested their bottles of 2001 J.W. Lee's Harvest Ale. It was clearly an upsell on his part, but HOLY CRAP it was worth it. Both of us were floored by how different it was from all the beers we had had prior to that. Definitely one of my first beer "mind blows".
But - I digress.

Bartenders chiming in with their 2¢ on your order isn't always bad. They just have to know their shit.

 

Many good points, great addition to the thread Regarding the Lambic, common sense would indicate that the customer who is ordering a $12.95 beer also knows what the beer is like/has heard of it because no one orders a $12.95 beer willy nilly.

It's odd that this never happens with food. Imagine if like I ordered up some coconut shrimp and the waitress told me that that's for girls and recommends the steak lol

 

Wow all that great service and no expectation of a tip. Seems like drinker's heaven

 

Bartenders are people too, my friend.

 

As are teachers, Cops, lawyers, clergy, IT people, soldiers....you got good ones, great ones and morons.

 

A few points here;

1) I'd go to Mussel Bar at Revel over Firewaters, but that's just me.
2) The server had an opportunity to be a hero and talk about the beer to confirm that your brother knew what he was ordering. Since its bottled a sample wouldn't be likely offered but some conversation would have helped the service and likely the tip. They whiffed on that chance.
3) If you feel service is not acceptable, don't bite your tongue. Either the server isn't savvy to know they screwed up and could benefit from your criticism, or they don't care and should be called out on it. As someone mentioned earlier, servers don't pull this nonsense with food orders. Why would your beer be different?

 

I have never had that problem. The only beer I would say that you don't want is any Anheuser- Busch beer or Corona. I don't usually drink lambics but I respect the style and I do like drinking them every once in a while.