Comments on: Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Pub Pet Peeves

By: Nat Webster

Nat Webster — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:19:22 +0000

Good list. This may not apply to bars, but I hate when restaurants try mess with glassware trying to sell less than a pint of beer for full pint prices. This seems to be the new norm, and I guess the economy is behind some of it. I think it is part restaurant owners guessing patrons won’t know the difference.

By: Jamison

Jamison — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:14:13 +0000

I’d have to say there is little you can do to restrain a beer man’s emotion when he receives his drink with a lemon halfway soaking in his brew. But it doesn’t stop there. Oranges, limes even. Delivering slices of fruit on the side as an additive option should be an unwritten and understandable code for anyone who attempts to call their establishment a pub/bar.

By: HarryosStaff

HarryosStaff — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:55:00 +0000

I can’t believe how well you summed up the biggest annoyances of any bar experience. I think when I’m at a bar, my top pet-peeve is definitely smoking. How can I enjoy my ice cold beer when somebody is smoking right next to me??

By: Loren

Loren — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:46:39 +0000

How about a genuine beer bar with untrained staff? Revisited the Gingerman in Greenwich CT this past weekend, after not visiting since my first unimpressive visit years ago. The barkeep, who admitted to being “new” to this beer thing…poured a bottled Hefeweizen into a Weizen glass sitting on the bar! Not tilted…nothing. 100% foam. Had to get another bottle and try again after the customer told him to try pouring it into the glass slow and at an angle.

Oy vey…

Good list Jay. I printed it to show this barkeep.

:-)

By: Mario (Brewed For Thought)

Mario (Brewed For Thought) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:48:38 +0000

#5. This reminds me of a visit to a bar in SF a few years back when I ordered a Vodka on the rocks. The brand I order was new then, and the waitress had no idea what it was. After 15 minutes, she brought me my drink telling me it was a promotional bottle and proceeded to charge me $10. She didn’t catch the irony in a $10 promotional drink. I chose to not leave a tip and find a new bar.

#4. My gym has frosted glasses only. I simply ask them to rinse it out a few times to remove the excessive chill. It avoids confrontation and gives a nod to a Belgian tradition. Plus, how cool is Racer 5 on tap at a gym? Gotta give them some credit.

#1. Jay, you gotta taste the the cold and enjoy the drinkability.

By: dave

dave — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:16:55 +0000

Hey! put the poor selection back in there twice again!

By: Drew B

Drew B — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:44:07 +0000

I’ve got one for you that’s been irritating me the past few months.

The small glass.

Now, I’m not talking the half pint or small glass for strong beer or the appropriate glass for a Belgian beer. I’m talking the new trend (at least here in LA) for trendy good beer places (gastro pubs and the like) to serve you a standard beer (ipa, porter, etc) in a 12.5 oz footed goblet glass and charging more than full pint prices for it. A few weeks back I was in a great place that charged me $7 for a glass of Green Flash West Coast IPA. Argh!

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:28:25 +0000

Great list it was fun to read! I would agree with Eric that Untrained staff is my #1 complaint. It really started getting on my nerves when I was living in So-Cal. BJ’s was the closest brewpub to me and while they had friendly servers 9 times out of 10 they knew nothing about the seasonal brews, I even had one tell me the barleywine was no good… too strong… needless to say I ordered it ;)

While I agree with beer being served to cold, I think that has more to do with logistics than anything. Its hard and very costly to keep all of the beers offered at there recomended serving temperatures, especially the draft selection.

looking forward to next tuesday!

Cheers,
Kyle Larsen

By: Tom Dalldorf

Tom Dalldorf — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:25:32 +0000

J: Sitting in Anthony’s in Sea/Tac waiting for the anchorage flight and enjoyed your rant. I’d add to the bottle/glass problem that most venues will remove the bottle after pouring into a generic Andy Capp glass. Our Belgian friends would never allow that. Leave the frigging bottle so at least I can remember what I ordered. BTW, 9 taps, 4 are Bud, Bud light, Redhook you knw what and Widmer Hefe. The others are Alaskan amber, Mac & Jack amber, Manny’s pale and Deschutes Black Butte Porter. Guess which I’m enjoying? Hope the cold get’s mo betta…

Tom

By: Al

Al — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:07:46 +0000

Oh, darn. You fixed #8.

As for the new number 8, Brewer’s Alley in Frederick, Maryland, does carry Miller Lite and a couple others of that ilk. But you’ll pay five dollars for a 12 ounce bottle. Their own beer, of course, runs about $3.50 a pint (or less).

The Koelsch is very popular there. The head brewer calls it a “gateway beer”.

By: kim

kim — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:17:02 +0000

good list!

i would have put dirty tap lines as number 1. there’s nothing worse than taking a sip that tastes like a butter covered tent. plus the microbial party may induce an unpleasant hangover the next day. real bars should keep better track of this stuff.

By: eric

eric — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:01:58 +0000

Did you mean to put poor selection on there twice? I couldn’t tell for sure. If it were my list I would put untrained staff at the top. I’ve seen this at microbreweries, even with beers that are regular pours.

My favorite pub in Portland is the Horse Brass. You can have conversations for hours with the staff about the beer you are drinking.

By: Al

Al — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:48:20 +0000

Spot on, Jay, although I agree with number 6 a bit more than number 8.

Frosted glasses really bugs me.

As for smoking, restaurants in Maryland are all smoke free, so it hasn’t been much of a bother lately. Someone more clever than me said: “Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.”

I’d also like to see at least SOME knowledge of the beer. Once, after asking what beer was available, I received the usually litany of mass-produced American light lagers and their ubiquitous European counterparts, followed by “Sam Adams”.

“Oh,” I said. “Which Sam Adams?”

“The regular one.”