Your input is needed... Brewpub Survey

General brewing information, questions and discussion. Topics that do not seem to fit elsewhere.

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Mesa Maltworks
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island

Your input is needed... Brewpub Survey

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

In the interest of research, please list 10 things (or more if inclined) that you don't like seeing/experiencing at a brewpub. Also list as many things that you can think of that you have seen that was unique or you liked.

Thanks!
Make your next beer (or spirit) a local one!!!!

Eric Watson
Head Distiller & Brewer

Seven Fathoms Rum
Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
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brewmeisterintng
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 384
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:47 pm
Location: Clarksville, TN

Likes/ Dislikes

Post by brewmeisterintng »

Likes/ Dislikes
Glassed in viewable brewery/ Servers with facial piercings
Grain bags stacked neatly / Running out of advertised brews
Mug club memberships / Limited food menus
Downhome family/historical feeling / Outragous pricing

It's not 10 each but it's a start

-James-
Azorean Brewer
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Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2001 1:31 pm
Location: Greenville SC
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Brewpub Dislikes

Post by Azorean Brewer »

Dislikes:

1.) A poor selection of beer offering types / styles (only offering 3-4 types of beer is OK as long as they are really different, but offering 3 light or dark ales does not satisfy everyone). I like seeing 6 brews on tap minimum.

2.) Too much cigarette smoke. I like frequenting California pubs, they are smoke free.

3.) A poor menu selection. There is a brew pub in Greenville SC that has really great food, but they need a new brew master, I brew better beer in 5 gallon batches then they do in mass volume. (Before you suggest I take over, I don't have the experience to brew on a large scale, and I am being paid well for the CAM programmer job I have, brewing is a hobby for me).

4.) Unhappy or bad attitude help. If you act like your patrons are bothering you, or when a crowd of happy people come in for a drink and you visibly see the help raise their eyes as if "Oh no it's going to get busy, I wish I could go home" attitude ... People will go else where, where they are welcomed and are treated friendly and gracious.

5.) Poor Parking or bad location. I hate the real estate saying that "The 3 most important things about a good business is Location, location, location", after all it is just one location that is needed, but it is true a good location helps drawing people in.

6.) Oh yeah the obvious ... GOOD BEER really helps :-)

Eric, I hope some of this information helps.

Regards,

Paul.
"I drink therefore I am"
Skinny Pete
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Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:37 pm

Post by Skinny Pete »

Likes:
1. A visible or tourable brewery.
2. A variety of distinct beers.
3. Knowledgable, brew-savy staff.
4. Good food in good portions.
5. Monthly events such as "Brew Dinners" that showcase the beers and match them with food specials.
6. Accessable brewers that enjoy talking to people about their work.
7. A means of providing some input to the brewers in the form of reviews or suggestions.

Dislikes:
1. A hidden brewery or, even worse, a sloppy brewery: If you claim to make your own beer then show us, but keep it clean. Otherwise we might think you got Uncle Jessie making beer and moonshine out behind the barn. And I remember back in college that the Amherst Brewing Co. in MA was a complete mess: spilled grain, puddles of water, hoses...all over the place.

2. A stinky brewery: sometimes the equipment is either over or under sterilized and disinfected and the smell of stale beer or chemicals goes wafting through the restaurant and makes people lose their appretites.

3. Lack of variety: too often breweries run out of certain beers and have gaps in the menus for weeks. Other times their idea of variety is 7 different pale ales and 4 lagers. Blah.

4. Crappy staff: too often the staff are not knowledgable enough about the beers to answer any questions. Often they just don't care and make stuff up off the top of their heads.

5. Invisible brewers: somtimes you want to meet or at least contact the person that created the beverage which are embibing and there is no way for you to do that. John Harvard's Brew House in Framingham MA had a brewer that just plain loved his work and would make a point of being around at dinner times to talk to people to get opinions and both make and take suggestions.

6. Bland cookie-cutter beers. I hate it when you get a sampler and the only difference from one to the next is the color.

That's all I've got.
alchemistgeorge
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:32 pm

Post by alchemistgeorge »

Likes
1 visible brewing equipment
2 brewing equipment clean & organized
3 beer knowledgable wait-staff
4 good food - even if its burgers, must be a good burger
5 beer samplers
6 post alcohol % on beer list
7 variety of beers - not all one type (pilsners for example)
8 at least 1 good salad on menu
9 interesting information about beer/brewing on menu / walls - brewer's notes on todays menu

dislikes
1 stale beer smell or other off smells
2 too loud to discuss beer or anything else
3 watery / flavorless beer
4 If it ain't called "bitter brewhouse' you better have low hop beers on the menu
5 bad pizza
akueck
Light Lager
Light Lager
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Location: Oakland, CA

Post by akueck »

Like:

1 Short descriptions of brews posted, or at least staff that can describe them.
2 Beer specials--come in on Thursday for cheap growlers of our special beer.
3 Visible brewery, if just a fermenter or two.
4 Rotating brew on the menu that is something different. Saison, fruit beer, mead. Keep it interesting, keep it innovative.
5 Sampler "plates". 5 oz pours are a good size.
6 If practical, and properly licensed, take-home versions (aka bottles) available for purchase.

Dislike:
Feeling like it's a brewery with a tap and some glasses. It's a pub too, make it feel like one.
brewer13210
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
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Post by brewer13210 »

Dislikes:

An uneducated wait-staff. I don't expect them to be BJCP grand masters, but they should know what style each beer is.

Todd
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slothrob
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Post by slothrob »

I like volume appropriate pricing. Most places around here charge $4.50-5.00 for a pint and 3.50 for a half pint. When I go to a brewpub I often want to try a lot of different beers. I don't want to have to get ripped on 4 pints so I don't get ripped-off buying half-pints.
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brewer13210
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Post by brewer13210 »

slothrob wrote:I like volume appropriate pricing. Most places around here charge $4.50-5.00 for a pint and 3.50 for a half pint. When I go to a brewpub I often want to try a lot of different beers. I don't want to have to get ripped on 4 pints so I don't get ripped-off buying half-pints.
Brewpubs providing samplers is in the "Must" column for this exact reason.

Todd
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wottaguy
Strong Ale
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My #1 Issue w/Brewpubs

Post by wottaguy »

Hi guys...

I just stumbled across this posting and thought I would throw my 2 cents worth in. My #1 disliked issue in any brewpub has got to be the use of only 1 yeast strain for the different styles any brewpub might make. I find that this practice gives the beers a very similiar taste and leaves the uniquness of the style being represented left behind or forgotten. (i hope i'm making sense here). To have a Pale Ale taste very similiar to a Scottish Ale or to a Porter because of the same yeast profile bothers me a lot and becomes very disappointing for me. I always expect that each style should have their own special taste and noticable differences. But hey...that only my thoughts about the question. Any other thoughts out there??

Thanks!
Ron
Visit my blog @ http://www.wottashomebrewblog.blogspot.com

On Tap:
HL Pale Ale
HL Lite Lager
Bottled:
HL Simcoe Pale Ale
HL Wizeguy Weizenbock
HL Reveur Saison
HL Dry Stout
HL Kentucky Common
faber
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:14 pm
Location: Bozeman, MT

Post by faber »

Dislikes:
1. bad smells (smoke, stale beer, dirty towels used on bar/tables, etc.);

2. a menu that looks like the brewmaster hasn't found his/her niche

3. "What's good today? I dunno, I don't really like beer."

4. brewpubs that don't use their brewery and brewers as marketing tools

5. a brewmaster who can't use a calendar and lets weeks and weeks go before a regular beer is replenished


Likes:
1. smell of brewing beer

2. a house focus, i.e. British, German, Belgian, West Coast, etc., but with a broad variety of rotators

3. barmen/servers who know something about beer

4. a brewmaster who comes out and talks to the customers and can take time to show the works to homebrewers/afficionados

5. beers I can't get in bottles, i.e. a good barleywine, cask-conditioned "real" ales, etc.
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Popiseed
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: Maine

brew pub-ology

Post by Popiseed »

Likes:
viewable fermentors, tours, samplers (usually 6 to 8 beers brewed there served at once in smaller glasses{usually 6oz}), plenty of bar space and seating, small musical acts, clean restrooms, wall art, frosty mugs for tap beer and bottled, descriptions of beer on beer menue, unique food choices as well as regular pub fare, if pub is in a cold climate a room for coats.

Dislikes:
More commercial brews then micro/ hand crafted brews, when servers have no knowledge of brews served, awckward/ limited seating seating, slow servers, advertised brews running out.
I'll think of one later.
fitz
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2002 8:36 am

Post by fitz »

LIKES DISLIKES

Good beer authentic style advertised as style, not even close

Menu variety Bar food-classy only upscale menu

good waitress, who knows beer Airhead servers

relaxed pub feel Stiff shirts

culture or history oriented Commercial beer oriented

Brewmaster on hand to talk shop We ship the beer in from .....

It all boils down to the experience, or you would be sitting at home with a homebrew. If you can consider it a place to take a date(Even if it is a date with your wife) or a group of friends, then you'll go back. If not, they got your money the first time, but that is normally the last time.[/b]
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Arneba28
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Location: Amherst, NY
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Post by Arneba28 »

there are a few microbrews in my area. the one is great. the wait staff knows what there talking about when you ask them about a beer, they even know specifics. which a geek like myself just loves.
then theres another microbrew near me, the bartenders dont even know what class of beers there 5 house brews fall into
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hansolo
Pale Ale
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Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 7:25 am
Location: MI

My favorite brew pub

Post by hansolo »

The brew pub I visit is right now going through more renovations and I can hardly wait til it is done. What I love about it is, all smoking is done outside, they have live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, the food offered is personal pizzas, snacks and such but they allow you to bring in your own food. The brew area is open to see and when they are brewing, the wonderful smell of wort fills the pub. They waitstaff not only serve but know their beers. Some even have their beers made and served on tap. They have a projection TV for sports is off when there isn't any local sports on. Tables and chairs are high and well polished wood, it adds to the atmosphere. The also have BREW ON PREMISES where you can make a batch of beer or wine with their equipment. I love this place. It has a following and they are expanding to make more room. Also, their homebrew supply store is next door for those of us who brew our own.
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