What does a bar owe you?

Presumably it's a lot less effort on their part than dealing with some turd trying to send a beer back for being "too dark."

 

They don't owe you one thing. I enjoy that my local bars allow you to "taste" a beer prior to purchase. The bartender will usually pour a small amount into a shot glass and let you make up your mind at no cost. But, as far as ordering a beer/beverage you are unaware of and have never tried, that's on you. It would be no different if you ordered a meal and disliked it.

I do agree with the general consensus on the bartender possible recommending something you may dislike. That's on them.

 

Just saw a customer blow up in a craft beer bar by me. He ordered an $18 pitcher of Sculpin, poured himself a glass, had a taste, lost his mind. Told the bartender it was the shittiest beer he'd ever tasted and demanded a full refund. Bartender said "you ordered it without asking for a taster, you bought it". Lots f words afterwards. I was having one at the time, tasted like it should.

 

lol what a jackass

 

I'd never ask. The one time I really didn't like something I ordered enough to finish it, the bartender noticed I had a full glass in front of me when I ordered another beer. She asked why and when I told her I'd taken an ill-advised gamble, she comped me my new beer. In the end, the cost of that beer ended up in her tip, so it worked out for her.

 

Nope, you get a full beer then that's on you.
Of course some bars are extra nice, but I've never thought to ask.
My biggest regret was Stone's Grapefruit Ruination. The sample tasted great...but damn, a full 16oz was way too much. I manned up though and finished it.
But sometimes a sample will warn you enough, like when I taste More Moro from Funky Buddha, I immediately knew it wasn't for me.

I can't see myself not knowing what a beer tastes like at a sports bar or other non microbrew spot, so I'd know what I was getting into when I order a Boston Lager.

Most microbrew bars are more than happy to provide a sample, provided you don't abuse it and taste 4 different beers.

But if you order the full pint, it's on you. Some lady ordered a Festina Peche and remarked "That's Disgusting!".
I don't know if they gave her a different beer for free or not, but she obviously didn't care about microbrews (though DFH is hardly a microbrew anymore) but IMHO she didn't deserve a free beer. Get a sample first, especially if it's something you haven't heard of.

 

Did you offer to finish his pitcher for him and provide an objective opinion ... you know, just to settle the argument in the spirit of peace and harmony and all that?

 

No. If you order a dish you don't like at a restaurant you do not get a free replacement dish. Order something and unless it's flawed, it's yours.

They owe you a knowledgeable bartender who can help you make a selection. If you asked him, and you don't like what he recommended then that's a gray area. I am sure that most bartenders upon seeing that you are not drinking the beer they helped you to choose, will ask you about that. Then they will offer a glass of something you know you like. They will say "do we have something you know you like?" If they don't and they still offer you a free glass of whatever, that's the end of the freebies right there.

 

Thirty posts and no one has used the word "entitled" or "entitlement" yet? That's got to be a BA record.

 

No way. I recentlly asked a bartender to drainpour about a half of a beer that tasted terrible. She offered to take it off my tab which I refused. My response was "it's the brewers fault not the bar". After closer inspection later she still removed it from my tab.

 

You would think. But just ask anyone who's worked in food service how many people try to return meals they've eaten half or more of to the kitchen because it was over/undercooked, wasn't properly prepared, doesn't match THEIR interpretation of the menu description, etc. Happens ALL the time and most restaurants tell their servers to suck it up, take it back to the kitchen and give them something else just to avoid scene. Of course I know that I would never eat whatever comes out of the kitchen to replace the meal they sent back.

Worst part is, even when they get what they want, they tend to stiff the server because somehow it's his/her fault they ordered something they didn't like the first time around.

 

Yeah.........you order a beer that you haven't had before, and you hate it, shame on you. It's not the barkeep's fault.

 

i agree with this 100%

 

A typical bar I would never expect to do this, though it would be very good customer service if it was done.

Just about any craft beer bar will offer a sample if you ask. They do this as part of their service and because replacing a pint of craft beer for a customer can kill profits. But for a regular customer I've seen some of my local places replace a beer that the person simply didn't like, because it is more important to retain the customer.

It should never be an expectation that a bar would do this, just as a restaurant would not prepare a new entrée because the person did not like the food (though I've seen this done as well).

 

No sign of "first world problems," either.

 

It seems to me that there is a pretty straight forward transaction that takes place at a bar. You place an order, the bar fulfills the order and the transaction is complete. If the bar gives you what you ask for then you are owed nothing more.

 

I think that you are going to get straight no's on this, especially the way that you asked this question regarding an "obligation." Also, you didn't specify, but it seems like everybody is presuming that you are talking about a specialized beer bar, because I think that if you went down to the bars along the Port of Los Angeles and ordered a Bud Light and said that you didn't like it and wanted to try a Millier Lite, you would probably get your ass kicked. But as far as the more specialized beer bars, given that it is rare to now find any such bar not willing to offer a sample of anything that the customer may be curious about, that puts it on the customer to make the call of if they need a sample first or if they know or are confident in what they are ordering.

But even at that, the better beer bars probably would switch one out if asked. I can remember ordering a new beer that I was confident that I would like to some extent, just based on how much I liked most everything else from the brewery. What I didn't know was that the staff was already in a love/hate split on this beer and the bartender and owner were watching me to see how I reacted when trying it. I guess that I made some face and still tried to struggle through it a bit, thinking that maybe I needed to acclimate to this odd stye (an imperial English hopped IPA). Finally the owner came over to ask about what I thought and started to laugh. Hearing how I really was struggling with it, he just took it away and poured me my next beer of choice. In that case, I hadn't even asked, my reaction was enough for the owner to want to improve my experience there.

 

That's my favorite one (the one that irks me the most). This whole site is dedicated to first world problems. Hell, the internet is a first world problem.

In response to the OP, the only thing a bar owes me is fresh beer, clean glassware, good service, and super low prices (just kidding on the last one). Give me those three and I am happy. If I buy a beer without sampling, it is my own fault if I dont like it.

 

If they can't read both my mind AND the future, and give me a beer I've never tried but can guarantee I'll like it...well, that's just not a bar I have any interest in going to. I mean come on, how about a little service?

Yeesh.