Craft Beer Snobs

"Hi, do you have any Old Speckled Hen or anything like that?"

(Bartender, rolls eyes, sighs...) "Umm...NO. Like, do you even IPA, man?"


I gotta tell ya, that seems to be the kind of thing the op is relating, and it seems really snobby to me.

 

I feel that I am said snob. I go to an establishment and I ask what they have on tap. Especially if there is no tap list . I will not choose beer I do not want to drink , either to review or to have with a meal; and while I have been to buffalo wild wings I tend to order their lemonade rather than the heineken or the one local offering. The idea of craft means changing menus. The chain restaurant cannot seem to understand this idea. Also do not go to a steakhouse and order the pies as they say. Buffalo wild wings specializes in wings the same way that brew pubs or craft breweries specialize in beer !

 

That post came across as rather snobby.....

 

Dude, you either are patronizing bad bars, or you are a bad patron. I've never had a problem at a bar with being treated poorly. The undertone of every conversation I've had with a bartender is, "How can I get you to spend more money and tip me more?"

 

Wandered into a bar with a small bottle shop selection at the back during my latest work trip. There was only one staff member there at the time, but he spent a few minutes walking me through some good, local selections. One of the few occasions I've tipped on to-go beers.

 

Detroit is infested with hipsters and neck beards. Bad, condescending service seems to be the norm at a lot of the restaurants and bars lately. My buddy and I twice made the mistake of going to Traffic Jam 'n Snug dressed like we did actual work for a living. We were virtually ignored while the ironically dressed kids at tables around us were treated like they were wanted there.

Some of the bottle shops are getting that way too.

 

Without looking at other responses, it sounds like you need to scope out your destinations more. If a place labels itself as a craft beer bar, you should probably call ahead or check online to see if they serve labatt blue. A lot of craft places still have craft lagers to try, so that may be worth your time to check out. Other than all that, rude bartenders are a big turnoff for me too. If they truly were just being turds in turn to your politeness, your gripe is legit.

 

Abso-fucking-lutely.

 

Snobs are soooooo beneath me.

 

Ehh . . . this is everywhere. There are places that the wifey and I go here in Pittsburgh that we know to expect less than stellar service, but we go there anyway because of the atmosphere, food, and drink. They're not snobby, however, just not great at their jobs.

T'was just in NYC and every place that we went was aces, whether it was a "hip" place or otherwise. Never had an issue getting something to drink and having the bartender pay attention to me. Maybe I just look like I'm serious about drinking?

 

This is why I drink alone.

 

With nobody else?

 

That's fair. We didn't get much details as to what exactly upset you in the opening post, so I was curious where the frustration was coming from. Although details so far make it sound like you weren't served a macro beer at a craft bar.

If they kept saying "we are are a fine dining establishment" when a request for a macro lager is made then perhaps they are a bit snobbish, but then again, there are much snobbier ways of putting it from their perspective. I suppose it depends on your mood at the time and the tone of the response made. There also isn't a great way to sugar coat "no", aside from potentially offering up a craft alternative.

At the end of the day, craft beer bars and pubs are known for serving craft beer, and in my experience, many don't serve macro offerings.

 

No ink, my beard is neatly trimmed, and I just got my semi-annual haircut so I feel pretty...

I get the idea (well, at least a little) and I think @EvenMoreJesus had the right word - it can be intimidating to walk into a new environment. I've had it happen at some small, local watering holes. You get that "you ain't from around here look" by the devotees clustered at the bar. Then I think fuck it they put their skinny jeans on one leg at a time like I do except mine ain't anywhere near skinny... I am remarkably good at filtering people out of the equation...I can ignore like nobody's business.

I generally don't drink when I got out to dinner and I am not a bar scene guy. Where I have run into snobbery is at tasting events - whether "seminars" at a liquor store or some other somewhat limited event. There's one peckerhead who has to show they are the be all, end all, know it all by talking over the presenters and pontificating loudly to people who could give a rat's ass about what they are saying. I find it pretty amusing when there's more than one of these types in the same room - freakin' hilarious.

Short version, there are asshats everywhere and they need to be ignored.

 

I always giggle when someone like this treats my wife like she doesn't know anything about beer. She doesn't drink it, but she knows more than most craft beer geeks just from hanging out with me. The looks on their faces never get old. I just sit back and smile.

 

I'm a lucky guy I guess. Never had anything close to an experience like that. Maybe that's a NJ thing!

 

I just grew out my beard so hipsters would think I'm one of them and give me good service. Really I'm just too lazy to shave, but everyone with a beard now is a hipster so what the hell...

 

But you aren't out in an establishment standing on a table telling everybody else what to drink, either (Hmmm...you aren't, are you???)

It sounds to me like the OP is more upset about choices than snobbery. If you walk into what is CLEARLY a craft establishment, what's the expectation? Oh yeah - we got both kinds of beer...Bud and Bud Lite? You want to compare craft vs. non-craft beers, there are certainly other ways to go about it, and I know when I walk in the door of a place what to expect - there's this new thing called Google, right? I don't walk into certain Italian restaurants and ask "where's the chicken at" knowing full well chicken is not part of the cuisine and then get pissed off because the waiter looks at me like I have three heads...