With the Best Intentions, BUT

One of the pitfalls of my current profession is that I have a lot of downtime while being on call. Of course I keep myself busy, and most everything I do revolves around making the transition to a career within the Craft Beer Industry, which everyone knows is my only true passion.

In addition to constant study, one must be in the scene meeting bartenders, industry reps and other patrons...essentially becoming part of the scene. Sampling a wide array of craft beers is also a part of it. Oh the horror, I know. At the same time, I am still working, and as such, I cannot get all banged up drinking moderate to high ABV beers, so I gravitate toward session beers.

Last week I visited one of the bars in Philly that I frequent but shall remain nameless. I reviewed the tap list and I saw the perfect beer for the occasion; a 3.2% ABV "Dark Mild", so I ordered it. The bartender made a face like she was sucking on a lemon and shook her head no. I gave her a blank stare and she said, "it's only 3.2% and it tastes like water that they soaked a little malt in". Under normal circumstances I would have stuck with my decision, but I was mentally exhausted so I made another relatively low ABV selection.

Although I was perturbed at the time, the more I thought about it, the more irritated I became. I'm sure she meant well. She knows me, and probably figured that it was too weak for a Beer God, but quite frankly, that is NOT her decision to make! Ponder this for a moment:

1. The brewer made the substantial effort to brew this beer (and everything else involved in the process).
2. Someone had to sell this beer to a distributor
3. The distributor then sold the beer to the bar
4. The bar owner/manager thought enough of the beer, the distributor, or the brewer and made the decision to purchase it
5. The consumer then ordered it
6. And finally, the bartender killed all of it with her actions

It is one thing to make suggestions regarding the selection of beer, but quite another to do what she did. She did not take into consideration the needs of the patron. Hell, let me sample it so I can decide for myself. Perhaps I would have disliked it? If that were the case, I would not have ordered it, but at least the beer would have failed on it own merits, or lack thereof.

This probably happens all the time, so I will make a point of speaking with the manager regarding this issue in an effort to reduce these occurrences.

-- Rick S.