Taps: How many is too many?

I said that's where the suspicion STARTS but I've worked at a place that had 114 taps but it was a Yard House in Miam so they got tons of businessi and I never tasted a stale beer the entire year I was there.

 

42

 

There is no such thing as too many as long as you realize some beers might be past their prime.

 

72 is just for show, probably only 5-10 good beers

 

It really is all about having a well-curated and well-maintained selection. Macrobreweries have intentionally padded their numbers by creating all sorts of variations on their beers (bud, bud light, bud light dry, etc.) and as anyone who's been on this site for more than 20 minutes knows, even a lot of craft beer can be total crap.

Quality over quantity.

(And to actually answer the question, my favorite places have anywhere from 8-40 taps)

 

What I tend to find annoying is when a place says they are a craft beer bar and all of the tap handles are padded with all the variants of BMC. Yes, there may be 15 or 20 taps, but they are mostly Guinness, Bass, Blue Moon (and all of its variants), Shocktop (and all of its variants), etc. I consider myself lucky to find a handle of Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams in this sea of desolation.

 

As a somewhat compulsive ticker, I've found it takes 25-30 taps to stay ahead of me, especially if I'm visiting the bar weekly. I've been to a few places with 100 plus tap list, and aside from the amount of time it takes to make a choice, the beer has always been fine. What I'd like to see is more places pouring 1/2 pints, so more different beers may be enjoyed per visit.

 

I think that the more variety the better. As long as the lines are clean and the choice changes over time to showcase new and/or local beers.

 

I don't think I've ever been to a bar with more than maybe 30 unless it was a brewery? Granted, I don't go out to new bars frequently but more than 20 seems like overkill.

 

A local bar had 25 taps when it opened, and an impressive cellar with about 70 additional beers. They have since scaled back to 15 taps and the cellar has all but disappeared. Of the 15 taps, 10 are AALs or AAL-related(GI), 3 are local and 2 are SA. I respect any bar willing to try to offer a shitload of taps, but this place is an example of how hard it is to maintain.

 

To many lines are the ones that aren't kept clean.

 

If fresh and they do not mix up there beers, then I guess the limit is selling enough of it to
A: make a profit on each keg
B: sell the beer before it goes off
C: have the right mix that brings in the max crowds.

I do not think there is an upper limit, other than profit motive really. Or bragging rights??
a pub or bar with less than 20 to me anymore is bad. Case in point this newer micro in town used to have a mix of their beer and guest taps. they had 20 to 25 or so. now its down to about 19/20 and its all thier beer. This WOULD have been ok, if the beer was really good and they had a good mix. 5 IPA types....ruins it for me. 3 So called Saison's that were frankly the worse I had in town so far.

I like the 50 plus taps places to have a damn good spread of "styles".
free shot glass tastings works for me. Then you get into some of my pet peeves about abv half pours though and it prevents me from enjoying a pint of whatever I want damn the abv BS.

Price. Lots of taps better have good food IMHO.

 

I was speaking more about my area, in Rhode Island. I didn't mean to apply it to everyone globally, though I see how it could be interpreted that way.

 

Max's Taphouse in Baltimore, MD has about 100 beers on tap and i've never had a spoiled beer or anything off taste. Plus they usually have "Rare" beers on tap, so they go pretty quickly and it's a really busy bar.

 

It is too many when the quality starts suffering, and quantity wins over quality. This differs from place to place though. Some locations can tend up to a hundred taps without quality suffering, while others cant tend 5.

 

I love scrolling through a thread in which absolutely nobody has any industry experience or a clue as to what it takes to actually maintain a draft system as well as beer quality regardless of volume in sales. The golden number is roughly 10 and even then you should resort to sixtels over halves when purchasing your kegs.

 

I just don't understand when people complain about having "too much" variety.

 

Bud Ice eh? That's actually interesting, I've never seen an adjunct ice beer or malt liquor on tap. I'd possibly get one just for the rarity of it.

 

I manage a bar/restaurant on Long Island and we have 52 taps. I get to decide what we pour and all that good stuff and 52 is a little bit of overkill. You can easily diversify your lineup and represent almost every style in about 30-40 tap lines. If we end up sitting on any beer for over a month we run kick the keg specials and have special prices on growler fills. Our lines are cleaned professionally once a month so unless we are having refrigeration problems the beer will always be fresh. IMO, quality over quantity.

 

x8 year round favorites, maybe a cider
x8 seasonals

Plenty of cooler space for the various shapes and sizes of kegs available. Truthfully, if I had a beer bar, I'd have a chardonnay on tap and a syrah or sangiovese. Minimal spoilage and would be able to provide wine by the glass.