I'm giving out again.
No surprise there.
What is it this time?
No, it's not rocket science, it is the art of bar serving - or rather the lack of art commonly applied.
Now, before people start on about poor pay, unsocial hours or any other hardships that bar staff have to endure, I'm not having a go at bar staff. I'm having a go at bar owners and managers. That is, the people who should train their staff.
While I've experienced poor staff knowledge and practice across all sectors of the licensed trade, what interests me, primarily, is the staff in bars that have chosen to stock a range of premium beers.What is the point of putting quality beers in your fridges and not telling your staff about them. Bar staff don't magically know all about beer, they have to be taught.
No one gets to work behind a bar without knowing how to pull a pint of stout (even though it's arguable that the much loved two stage pour is irrelevant) . Do other beers not deserve the same respect? No body would serve wine in a highball, or stout in a wine glass (although that sounds nice!) so why do we so often get thrown up a weissbier with a warm pint glass?
Most bar staff know that Guinness is a stout, that vodka is clear, Coors lite is a lager, Shiraz is red wine and Kalibur has no alcohol in it but try asking what Leffe is or if they have a weissbier. I have on many an occasion pointed out beer in the fridge after been told by staff members that they don't stock it!
All I want is for staff to have a reasonable knowledge of the beer that the bar stocks. A waiter or waitress is expected to have basic knowledge of the food menu in a restaurant but it seems that, in Ireland, the same is not expected of bar staff. I want them to know what style a beer is,what its approximate alcohol volume is, what temperature it should be served at and what sort of glass it should come in ( I do like a proper branded glass but am happy with any glass that's vaguely the right shape and cold - maybe getting it rinsed out is asking far too much!). That's all. Another few basics like: gin and tonic comes with ice and lemon, whiskey doesn't have ice unless asked for, ditto brandy and beer doesn't go in warm glasses wouldn't go astray either.
I don't expect college trained mixologists, just someone who has been taught the basics of bar serving and has an interest in alcoholic beverages (many great bar persons don't drink). Again I say to owners and managers, TRAIN YOUR STAFF!
On a recent night out in Cork, I asked for a Weihenstephan Hefeweizen. I received a non alcoholic Weihenstephaner (this was not a misunderstanding - the person had no idea it was non alcoholic!). Next effort was the Weihenstephan Vitus - a 7%abv weizenbock (again, no clue that a 7%abv beer was on offer). Finally after much searching, the hefewiezen appeared - not before a Schneiderweiss Non Alcoholic was offered but I will put that one down to a misunderstanding. This experience is typical in many bars that do stock a range of beers and is not the fault of the untrained staff member. When, occasionally, a bar person with a knowledge and interest in beer comes along it is not a result of training but of personal interest.
Look, I'm not gonna 'name and shame' bars with good beer selections but poor staff cause it's a start to have the beer. What I find frustrating is that, in the past, I offered to train the staff for free in the bar I spoke about above. I was told that they were far too busy for training! Mmmm. Interesting, don't you think? My offer of training still stands but is no longer for free!
Bars which have owner/managers working behind the bar tend to do better. The Bierhaus, in Cork, being a good example where the owner has a passion for beer and passes on the basics to his staff.
So, come on managers. Learn a little (ask your suppliers), train you staff and keep proper glassware (again ask your suppliers). And to the good consumer, demand more. Premium beer comes at a premium price. We deserve it to be served with a little respect . Is that too much to ask?
My last drink was; Oud Geuze Boon, Mariage Parfait, 8%abv, 37.5cl (with a best before date of Dec 2024!)
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In part, I blame the punters. Most drinkers will order their usual without looking at what's on offer. The staff become accustomed to serving the same six or seven beers and if they're not going through loads of something they forget it exists.
But you're right: there's no excuse for not knowing the stock-in-trade, and it is down to bad management.
In my book, worse than denying the existence of a beer sitting in plain sight, or being given the wrong one, is the server handling the beer as though it were a recently arrived extra-terrestrial, scrutinising the label as though it said "Made From 100% Mashed Babies and Ferret Juice" and inquiring as to what it tastes like as though it were a still-wrigging seafood delicacy.
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