The Bar Towel

Ahh... draught. Switching up between rounds seems like a usual 'beer geek' thing to do. But there can be amazing beers that definitely bring you back - isn't that the point as well? What ARE those beers to you this past year? Were they tap-exclusive?

(Nickel Brook Saison, Amsterdam Calm Before The Storm, Bellwoods Saison and Berliner Weisse.....)

The Wooly in Guelph has a rotating tap, but if it's not appealing my go-to is usually Smashbomb, or Smashpricot lately (5/6 smashbomb, 1/6 apricot wheat).

Baker St in Guelph has had Lone Pine IPA on for a month and I'll go there specially to get one (or two... or three)

I see Bill at the Winking Judge every Friday and again, if nothing is appealing, I'll have a Boneshaker.

Now that Imbibe is open in Kitchener I'm sure I'll be having a few there, and my new go-to is Silversmith Black Lager for sure... delicious!

If I'm in a place with a great tap selection, especially with new offerings or guest taps, I like to try as many as I could.

If I'm already familiar with the beers on offer, I usually pick what I'm in the mood for and stick with it.

If is a serious session, then I may have a few lighter pints and finish off with something more extreme.

If the beer selection sucks, I like to try as many other nearby bars until I find a better selection.

Tapsucker wrote:If I'm in a place with a great tap selection, especially with new offerings or guest taps, I like to try as many as I could.

If I'm already familiar with the beers on offer, I usually pick what I'm in the mood for and stick with it.

If is a serious session, then I may have a few lighter pints and finish off with something more extreme.

If the beer selection sucks, I like to try as many other nearby bars until I find a better selection.

Yeah, pretty much this. If I'm going to a beer focused bar then I'm going there to try different things, unless it's an event for some sort of special release. Otherwise, if it's just a bar with an above average selection or restaurants I'll usually stick with something.

Tapsucker wrote:If the beer selection sucks, I like to try as many other nearby bars until I find a better selection.

I'm picky as well. I tend to skip a bar that has nothing new or interesting, because I'm putting the mileage on my liver already elsewhere.

Novelty isn't everything. I'll pass on something never-tried for a draught I will really just enjoy that day.

Interesting lukewarm comments on Guelph. I thought the scene was looking up! Been meaning to check out the pubs.

I guess I would add a category that says if I really like what I'm drinking I'll have another of it.

When RPA was floating around the bars, I often had a couple of those rather than something else.

But I do like working my way "up" to a big beer.

At any given spot I tend not to order the same beer unless it's a big time favourite or something new that had that "WOW!" moment.

The only time I've ever stuck to the same two-ish beers was one evening at Volo years ago. Black Oak's Nutcracker was on cask and tap and Perry's Vanilla Bean Porter was on, can't remember if it was cask or tap. Anyways I just rotated through those three beers all night. Nice night!

Hmmm ...

I LOVE it when a beer tickles me RIGHT THERE 'n' I need a second or third.

I think a lot of beer nerds feel a sense of guilt when they go back for a second 'cause they might be missing something else ...

But what the hell, there have been many times when I've regretted having the novelty beer versus an old standby.

That said, there have also been times when I'm glad I tried something, but I later had qualms about it because they either made me want to curl up and read Bleak House in front of a fire (pretty much every quad / strong Belgian brown) or killed my ability to taste (hello, Palate Wrecker on draft).

Jason

lister wrote:Black Oak's Nutcracker was on cask and tap and Perry's Vanilla Bean Porter was on...

Nutcracker and GLB Winter Ale are also great to switch between. Might be hard to stand up after a while.

there have been many times when I've regretted having the novelty beer versus an old standby.

^ this. Letting customers taste samples is another reason why I dig The Only.

Belgian wrote:Letting customers taste samples is another reason why I dig The Only.

I also enjoy samples -- and the Only even if I don't get out there often enough.

But ... I like to give beers the benefit of the doubt, and a sample often isn't enough to get the full sense of a beer. There have also been times when I didn't like first sip, but found myself enjoying it more and more as it warmed up.

Jason

A lot of places will let you do a flight of samples. I usually do that, then pick 1 or 2 things from those that I liked. Variety is the spice of life, right? I have a friend who religiously drinks Guinness, and won't even consider ANYTHING else. Where's the fun in that?

*Jason hits upon a good point. If I'm going to do a review, I'd like something more than a sample sized glass. If I'm going to extoll the virtues of a particular beer (or not) It's only fair to have had an adequate sized portion. My Ratebeer account would have over twice as many reviews if I wrote up samples.