Half pours at breweries/bars

I do! The only time I'd ever send anything back was if it was messed up from dirty lines or other sanitation issues. If it's something I just don't like too much, I'll drink it and appreciate that (in most cases) the brewers achieved what they were going for and it just doesn't agree with me. There's lots to learn by trying beers that are well-made but not your particular cup of tea, I think, so bottoms up!

 

There are plenty of beers that I'll order without trying. I know what to expect from most styles. But before I commit to anything unusual, say an IPA brewed with basil or a saison brewed with peaches I'd probably like to taste it first. I think that's preferable to having a full glass that I have to politely tell the bartender to dispose of. If I don't like the taster I'm going to order something else and no one has to 86 a glass of beer.

It's not at all like food... The beer is there and ready to go; sampling a dish at a restaurant would require someone to make a small portion of it which is a completely different situation.

 

^ Dirty lines in another hot thread right now. Put spots and breweries on blast, we're the consumers. You're obligated.

 

Nobody to blast right now. I'm just saying that's the only reason I would send it back. If it just turns out I don't dig experimental hop x67d9hs or whatever, I'm still going to drink it.

 

Guess what, not all breweries off flights.

 

Anyone who gets 4 tasters before ordering something when it's clearly busy is rude, but there is definitely no shortage of rude people.

I do see your point about a brewer not wanting a beer judged on 1 sip. But I find most tasters have a few sips in them. How many is enough to tell if a beer is or isn't one you'll enjoy? That's probably different for different people.

When I go someplace for the first time, especially considering the number of new breweries that are mediocre at best, I am always happy if they do flights or tasters. At an established brewery with a great reputation it is much less important.

 

At Joe and Kurt, coming from Seattle area, guess I'm spoiled. Sorry for your horrible situations, but hey, we have homeless folks taking shits on the sidewalks, trade off? Maybe.

 

The spot I used to work at only had 6 oz Tasters and 16 oz Pints, which I thought sucked, but I couldn't pour a half pint for someone if I wanted to because there was no way to charge them for only half of one. The POS at a lot of places can be very limiting like that. Where I now work we offer 4 oz Tasters, 10 oz Schooners, and 16 oz Pint options which should be enough options for the majority of folks. You can also have a taste of anything you'd like. I sort of get why some places don't allow tastes, for monetary reasons, but it really helps with indecisive or finicky customers, and its great customer service to try to make sure someone likes the beer they are paying for. I sell a lot more CDAs by letting people taste and explore it.

 

And God bless those breweries for not impeding beer pouring progress

 

I have zero problem with an establishment that makes their rules. There ain't no 'nought in what others outta do!. If you don't like a place don't go.

 

We're not judging a BJCP competition here, we're drinking some beer. Beers in Boston are often about $10 and I probably can't have more than 2 if I'm driving.

To give a concrete example, I love to stretch and try various Belgian style beers but I'm very much not a fan of the stereotypical clove/spice estery taste that some have. A quick sip will tell me if I want to devote one of my two beers for the evening to that particular beer. Sure I could learn something and stretch even more if I drank a whole one, but that's better done in a home setting for me.

And to the point of chatting with the bartender to learn something, here's something bartenders do fairly often with me if I'm lucky enough to have their ear on a slow night at the bar: they hand me small samples without my asking when it's relevant to something we're talking about or a question I asked. They don't seem too concerned that I'm going to have a terrible experience.

Honestly, some people seem entirely too precious about the "rules" for drinking a beer out in a casual setting. Try not to be a bother and have a good time. That about covers it

ETA: ideally I prefer to pay for a small pour than to ask for a free sample.

 

First, I have been burned too many times to "Be adventurous", the most recent at Local Option in Chicago. Three IPAs ordered sitting in front of me 3/4 full, $29 wasted. Too picky? Maybe. I'm going with discerning taste.
And having been in this business for 20+ years now, I can say that brewers LOVE when people tell them that they didn't like the beer and are absolutely thrilled to discuss it with you.

 

Half pours are a European practice and has never been part of beer/bar culture in the US. We are a biggie size nation of glutenous pigs.

 

A generation or so ago (pre-craft) the industry standard "glass" of beer was usually 6-8 oz., though it obviously varied from bar to bar and region to region.

As late as mid-80s (and before the use of shakers as a "pint" beer glass) AB listed only two 16 oz. glasses on its chart of standard beer glass/sizes.

 

One of the growler shops around me won't do anything under a pint even when it comes to big BBA stouts. I like stouts but if I am out I don't want to have to drink an entire 16oz of 12% before I have to drive home. It is a silly policy and I don't like it but like someone else previously mentioned I am OK with places making their own rules and choosing as a consumer where I want to spend my money

 

I’m a fan of the half pour since it’s a happy compromise between the too-small flight glass and still getting the variety of trying multiple options. One of my favorite spots in town has the same glass for all pours with a line in the middle that says “half”. Works great and is exactly half price.

 

I think there was an article about doing short pours. This particular establishment found that they give out less samplers but pushing more on tasting flights.

Do you sell 4oz taster per beer or you can only get them in like 4taster or 5taster flights?

And are they priced the same per oz as the 10oz and 16oz?