Self-service beer taps coming your way

"I want to see a system where one tap on a table is computerized, and like those newish touch screen coca cola machines, one tap can dispense more than a handful of beers." - Oktoberfiesta<--- love this name!

Well dude, it's like Ghostbusters (you don't cross the lines..bad things happen when you cross the lines).

 

Mixed thoughts here and take 'em with a grain of salt since the bar scene isn't really my thing. If the bar is so crowded and busy that service can't keep up, doesn't this just move the shit show to an even less controlled situation? I can see the potential for a really ugly mess (literally and figuratively) with things getting even more out of hand.

On the other hand, I can see it working extremely well in the right setting with the right crowd. Can't see it with the "let's slam some beers and get f'd up, brah" crowd.

 

yeah, i was being a bit facetious. this bar sucks.

 

You obviously don't know what it takes to change a beer on a tap. You have to clear the line, otherwise you get a mix of what is old and new
Which leads to the second thought, if these taps have even more moving parts and sensors how much more problem will dirty lines be? More complexity=more chances for faults. Hello! my tap just froze can you reboot it?
I have yet to see a touchscreen for anything stay working after it's doused in sticky fluid.
If I saw this at a bar, I'd probably look elsewhere to drink.

 

I think it is a great idea with potential. The server/tipping system is incredibly broken in so many places. Give consumers a choice.

Also in favor of more places where everyone just pays at the counter - without tipping, of course. Just "pour persons" are needed to man the counter. It takes less skill than a coffee shop barista. Pay them hourly.

 

Glad to hear something nice is coming out of Baltimore

 

Any better logistical method to alleviate mob scenes around the serving bar should be a good thing. Nothing worse than actually being lucky to get a seat at a crowded bar, and people constantly wedging between you and the next person trying to scream for their orders, or even worse, being a "standing" patron and having to weasle your way in between 2 people sitting at the bar to try and get bartenders attention. Crowds suck.

 

Usually I don't throw up in my mouth reading threads on beer advocate, but to this I did! "Wow what wonderful entrepreneurial spirit," yeah fucking right. Classic, a guy gets frustrated waiting for beer AT A SPORTS GAME and decides that implementing yet another version of labor saving technology will revolutionize our way of life. I am an advocate for human life, and thus I value jobs. If it's technology that makes our lives safer and more meaningful, than I am all for it. This is none of that. In the meantime I will continue to frequent the bars that have knowledgeable staff that are able to pour my beer, tell me about that beer, and recommend me the next one. And because of the fact that I am at the bar in the first place, clearly I am willing to waste my time, in which case I most certainly have 30 extra seconds to wait for my turn.

 

I had an idea very similar to this a few years back. It didn't arise from childish impatience or the desire to eliminate thousands of jobs all across America though. I thought it would be a great experiment to get a nice big space and set up tables with 4-6 taps each. Each table would hold examples of the same style of beer. So you could get all of your hophead friends together and go enjoy a few nice IPAs, or you could plant yourself at the RIS stout table and meet some other people in your area who like that same style. I think it would be an interesting way mostly to get people talking about beer and meeting other beer geeks in their area. I never spent too much time thinking about it, but hey maybe someone will read this and make it happen one day. If you do, let me know how it goes.

 

Jobs only continue to exist as long as they remain profitable for a company. Do you think robotic assembly is a terrible idea too?

 

Luddites are among us, that's for sure. Glad I'm no longer using a typewriter. Getting rid of waiters/servers at many places (at least give customers choice of places with or without) would improve things significantly in many ways.

 

He said, while posting on an Internet forum!

J/k

But, seriously, there is a place for a business with a knowledgeable staff, but such businesses are under constant pressure from the more efficient, if impersonal, businesses.

Do you read the news on the Internet? Do you subscribe to an actual daily paper? I do both, but the actual daily paper is dying due to inefficiency and the pace of modern life.

Do you buy your photography equipment (assuming you use cameras that are not built into some phone-type gadget) from a photography specialty store, with knowledgeable staff to answer your questions and make recommendations? Or, do you read online reviews and order from Amazon? I value and do business at my local specialty photography store, but they are a dying breed, too. I also purchase from Amazon.

Society is always moving and changing.

 

Internet point well taken And so are your many others. In my defense, I do work and school 80 hours a week so I let myself have some BA time. The wasting time point was merely meant to emphasize the fact that if you are going to a baseball game or a bar, it might just imply that you have some time to spare.. People are very impatient!

But yeah I agree, changing nature of society and can't prevent it. Certainly good to be reminded of the inevitability of social and technological change. However, I would argue that some of it is worth pushing back against. And I think that this is worth pushing back against. You can't order a beer online and receive at your table moments later. It is inherently a social process, and buying camera gear or books doesn't have to be. Furthermore, the difference between online shopping and in person shopping is much more significant than the difference between being served beer, or serving yourself beer. Also you aren't buying a book to be social or be in a social setting, buying a beer at a bar is being social in a social setting by definition. Anyway, I am going to refuse to be passive on this matter The cost saving potential for shopping online is fucking almost immeasurable for consumers and business owners, in which case one cannot fight against it. I don't see that being the case for cost saving potential of the issue on hand.

 

I'm struck by how much beer will be wasted by bad pours.

 

If you want to drink beer and pay for it by the ounce without having to tip and without any human interaction, why not just get a six pack and drink it at home. A good bartender is the reason many people will go to a particular bar. It's just a important to me as the tap list. Interaction withith a bartender over a pint after a hard day is as American as Apple pie. Why do we want to change that?

 

these are fucking horrible. it's like people have never seen a computer before, much less a menu of options. everywhere we go that has one of these things .... lines... long lines. people pondering what flavor they want, what blend, timing out while they wait to select.

people get cranky enough waiting on line for soda. make those lines consist largely of 20somethings, mix in booze and late nights and pop some popcorn, kids. fireworks every night.

 

We dont...more and more people would rather interact w/ their cell phones.

 

We have a local bar that has tables with built in taps but there are two downsides: very limited selection and huge price jump. Both are understandable but I'd rather pay the amount the extra charge to pour my own to the person that really needs it to earn a living instead of the owner. No hate against owners in general of course, and I love the particular bar I'm referring to.

Now if we're talking some crazy party bar, sure, why not. Whatever keeps customers happy.

 

Tried it not a fan, part of the pleasure of drinking in a bar is the interaction with others, mostly the bartender!

 

I don't think these beer pouring gadgets would replace 99% of bartenders to automation. Just for those super crowded bars, stadiums, sports arenas etc, if they can work out the quirks (ie. bad pouring /wasted beer by patrons attempting to pour), It could help the bartenders that are on staff actual focus on their professional expertise which is mixing up quality drinks and cocktails and not racing around slinging beers most of the night like a farm hand/day laborer. And in these super crowded bars/stadiums etc. there is no social interaction with bartender...except screaming your order at them.