Bartenders who know their shit...

Yeah, I always love chatting up the barkeep, if things aren't crazy busy for them. There's often a reason they chose their line of work - they love beer (if it's a taproom), and they like people. Oh, and tip well for superior service!

 

Two local independent taprooms seem to only hire staff with knowledge and interest in craft. When a new beer is tapped, they all have a small sample if they're not familiar with it. They also wear name tags where they note their favorite of the current 40 taps. These folks are familiar with what's going on in the craft industry, and they participate and talk about local beer events. Whomever is hiring these folks seems to ensure a craft passion in the staff they hire. Nothing worse that having a taptender who is just a robot filling glasses.

I'll pick on Applebee's since this has happened to me there on several occasions; the wait staff expects that if you want a beer, you look at a beer list that is simply a list of brands. Then if you ask, they rattle them off - we got Bud, Coors, Coors Lite, and Boulevard. Based on this information, you're expected to choose. So, I have to ask which Boulevard beer they serve because there are dozens. I then either get a frustrated or confused look, but they'll usually run off and come back and say something useful like - it's light, or it might be some kind of IPA. I then order a diet coke, and get the rolling of the eyes.

I am so glad when whomever is serving beer - or anything - has some knowledge and interest in what they sell, rather than just being there for their shift.

 

While visiting Breckenridge, I popped into a local restaurant. I ended up chatting with the bartender for a while, who proved to be quite knowledgeable about beer, whiskey, and the local running/hiking trails. We spent quite a while discussing all of those over sample pours of beers and whiskeys. Not a lot of selection, but he knew his stuff and provided a fun and engaging conversation.

I had a great experience here at Cinderblock in town. I was coming back from visiting a festival up north and was solo. Decided to check out one of the breweries ~30 minutes away from my house on the way back. Ended up staying well past my first pour chatting with the bartender, discussing beers in the works, beers on tap, other must-visit breweries, and the local community. It turned my solo visit from somewhat lonely to cozy. While I'm not the biggest fan of their summer offerings, I'd certainly say they are a place folks should visit in search of a good atmosphere, friendly staff, and consistently good beer.

 

It's a fine line. Often the one's that "know their shit" are the pretentious ones. There are many local bars with amazing beer selections, here's looking at you Mule, where the bartender(s) refuse to say "thank you", "you're welcome", or smile b/c they're too damn cool to bother. On the other hand, every single time I've been to Black Back, the servers have been warm, polite, and exceedingly knowledgeable. I feel the same way at Burlington Beer Co (shout out to Trevor). So.... yeah, bartenders that know their shit, as well as don't behave like shit are the best, but sometimes a little hard to find.

 

Same here, I ran into s great bartender in Haw River Farmhouse. Right off these are styles thst I really have little to no framiliarity with. He walked me thru the menu, so I got to try some bourbon barrel aged breakfast Duble, funky saison with Brett, cucumber, basil and lime and others. It was actually very enjoyable, each half pour was only $3, you could have hit most of their on tap list and spend $20 or so. He had the knowledge of a Brewer as he explained how the beers were constructed. Then I bought some bottles for the BIF.

 

I've stopped ordering beer altogether at Applebees. In my old town it was the only place that served beer, I just stayed home most the time.

 

Or Club Apple as it is called by my son, I go there with him every now and then when he gets off work late, half priced apps $1 ZieganBock draft and a true shit show as all the staff when they get off are in the bar and smoking and talking loud, but cheap as shit.

My most recent good experience with a bartender was in Poland where he spent the time to tell me the best breweries to order from and then proceeded to tell me the best place to buy take home beer, which lead to me going to a small store with a great beer selection where another guy took the time to walk me thru the hundreds of beers they had and then pointed out the Belgian selection which netted me some Cantillon & Brouweri 3 Fonteinen bottles to bring home. I can tell you that experience with the bartender made me go back there more than any other bar in Wroclaw during my 10 day stay. I dropped a bit of $$ there. There were other bars I went to where the bartenders were somewhat rude, and those were one and done visits. Life is too short...

 

98% of bartenders or store owners I've met don't know anything beyond generic distributed stuff. Guess it goes with the business..but yeah. Yawn.

 

First place that I ask about the local craft beer scene when I'm out of town is the bartender at a bar the I know to be concerned about quality beer. I figure that, as far as beer goes, they have a greater chance to be "like me" than anyone else. Helps to get the lay of the land from someone who has first hand experience, IMO.

 

I was at a bar once where the bartender was spot on with his recommendations. You'd point to a tap and he'd tell you exactly what it tasted like and damn if he wasn't dead on.

He couldn't tell you what each style was tho. He had tasted them all, served them all etc but had no clue what the difference was between the sour in my hand and the stout on the wall other than taste/price.

 

Please tell me they had Coastal Evacuation? One of my favorite DIPAs!

 

As a counter-balance to the OP, if he doesn't mind, I ask if you guys visit a regular bar where the bartenders never tell you something's not up to snuff or always say, "Yeah, it's good."

Anyhow, my one of a few possible stories is from Myrtle Beach, or really just south of, where we were at an Inlet bar on the water. So, macro stuff mainly, and that's all that's on tap. We ask what "else" they have, and they have some local stuff in bottles and cans. A slightly skeptical bartender offers us the beer he thinks best suits our request (this was a few years ago). Once he sees our enjoyment he served us a couple alternate offerings and steered us from a couple others (they didn't have a great selection, beach bar and all). The honesty was appreciated. Either way, that day we were introduced to One Claw from Westbrook.

Simple encounter that I still remember for the service as much as the mentioned beer.

 

I rarely have the money/time/motivation to go bars anymore, but the bartenders at Hand and Foot in Corning, NY, are always incredible. Super friendly, they always remember your name, they know what they're talking about, they make useful recommendations, they're very nice, and they're passion about beer. That's my favorite bar I've been to in the Southern Tier, by far.

 

The ones I seem to find have some good knowledge, but tend to be condiscending d-bags

 

Yes sir. Haw River is always outstanding, but then again the whole area is great fun- Saxapahaw General Store, The Eddy, and The Haw River Ballroom.

 

At my brewery/taproom, we went through an extensive list of applicants for two beertenders to start with when we opened, and we hired two really great guys who love talking about the beers and love interacting with customers in a happy and respectful way. Us owners are the same way, and we wanted like-minded employees. We've gotten a lot of feedback/reviews talking about the great service/interaction with the bartenders, and I'm kind of blown away, like...we're just doing our jobs the way it should be done, is it that unique that people go out of their way to mention it? Then I remember there are some less qualified beertenders out there with their noses either in the air or in their phone. Our guys have set the bar high, and anyone who wants to serve at my place had better be up to the task of doing what these guys do. Because that's the experience I want when I got out, every time.

 

I’m surprised to see so much negativity towards SC beer places. I’ve had the opposite experience, have been to many places all over the state, and most are friendly and helpful. Sure, not always, but that happens in any state me thinks.

 

My expectations will vary depending on the type of place im in. If its a regular sort of bar or restaurant that doesnt have much of a craft selection, im not surprised or put off if the bartender/server isnt as knowledgable about what craft beer they do have.

However, if im in a beer bar/tap room/brewery I will expect more from the staff. Recently at a semi local brewery I was surprised to find that the beertenders werent very familiar with the beers and were no help at all assisting me find a beer that my brother might enjoy.

That said, i have had great luck when travelling, as i always inquire about where and what to drink.

I have also built a great relationship with the folks at my local bottle shop, as they are very friendly, knowledgable, and enthusiastic about what they are selling, and im more than happy to pay a buck or two more for the great service.