Bad pint?

[nutty]

I wouldn't want to be accused of moaning about a local establishment so let me ask forumites a question....

Has anyone been to a local pub and been served a bad pint of bitter? Then on taking it back and pointing out it's cloudyness and general awful flavour be told that the manager of the pub says it's okay and you can't have another one?

This has happened a couple of times to myself and friend in one local establishment and both times has taken a lot of argument to get it changed. Maybe it was just a one-off (twice) but if anyone else would like to name a local establishment this has happened to them in we might see a pattern....

[Brendan]

I have been served bad pints before in local pubs but the staff have always been happy to replace them.

The only time what you describe has happened to me was in a pub in Westminster. I just handed the pint to the little gobshite manager, said, ?You drink it then.? and walked out.

[Jeremy]

Brendan Wrote:

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> I have been served bad pints before in local pubs

> but the staff have always been happy to replace

> them.

Same here.

[lenk]

nutty Wrote:

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> I wouldn't want to be accused of moaning about a

> local establishment so let me ask forumites a

> question....

>

> Has anyone been to a local pub and been served a

> bad pint of bitter? Then on taking it back and

> pointing out it's cloudyness and general awful

> flavour be told that the manager of the pub says

> it's okay and you can't have another one?

>

> This has happened a couple of times to myself and

> friend in one local establishment and both times

> has taken a lot of argument to get it changed.

> Maybe it was just a one-off (twice) but if anyone

> else would like to name a local establishment this

> has happened to them in we might see a pattern....

But... you say yourself you got it changed. So the establishment in question has done all they can to help you.

Maybe you didn't make yourself clear enough - I have no qualms about saying 'can you swap this please mate - it tastes of eggs' and standing there until they do so.

[Ted Max]

EDITED because I can't read.

[woodie]

this is gorgeous. When I saw it, it was deffo going back. Nope! it was correct. V V nice indeed.

Green Beer

[nutty]

It was more along the lines of:

[pre]

me: This pint is bad

barman: oh - we've had a couple of problems with this today - let me speak to the manager

(goes to spk to manager)

barman: the manager say's it fine and you can't change it

me: erm - doesn't he want to look at it? look - it's cloudy and if you'd like to taste it it's realy not very good

(barman goes to apeak to manager again)

barman: I'm sorry - he says it's fine

me: If it's fine then tell him to come here and taste it

(barman goes to talk to manager again)

barman (in hushed voice): He says you can have your money back

[/pre]

Shortly after this the tap was turned to mark the beer as off.

I got the right result but only having battled for it. Very similar happened to my friend last time. The impression I got was that the manager was trying to get away with serving what he knew was bad beer.

AS I say - I'm not going to name and shame unless others have seen same. I won't be going there again, but I didn't liek it much anyway so no great loss. Wouldn't want to put others off if it's not a common experience.

[lenk]

> AS I say - I'm not going to name and shame unless

> others have seen same. I won't be going there

> again, but I didn't liek it much anyway so no

> great loss. Wouldn't want to put others off if

> it's not a common experience.

Just don't drink there again - you can tell quite quickly if a pub's the kind of place that cares about keeping clean lines etc by all the other details around the place like clean toilets / tables, whether they stock a range of beers or just the usual major brewery lagers / nitrokeg bitters etc.

If they care about that kind of thing it usually follows on that they're the kind of place that can't be arsed to do weekly line cleaning.

Without naming whatever pub you're talking about (it could be one of several in ED, vote with your feet) - The Gowlett most definitely cares about such things and are very CAMRA-friendly.

[mockney piers]

The EDT have oft volunteered free pints when cloudy end of barrel of guest beer has been hit, good work I say.

[lenk]

Ditto The Bishop

[citizenED]

Actually, when we had the Forum drinks at the Duke, my first pint was off. They were nice as pie in changing it.

[BigPhil]

A replacement should always be served once.

If the customer still is unhappy , the barstaff should suggest trying another beer

If still not satisfied, full refund should happen

The server should not have to get the managers permission to do any of this.

the server would simply make a note of what drinks were changed , whar refund was given , take the offending beer off and then wait for the manager to sort the beer out.

The customer should not be mucked about and and made to wait excessively.

Well , this is how I was taught when i was doing all my bar training , ( many years ago now)

cheers

Phil

[lenk]

It can be down to the barman being a jobsworth.

I used to give free beer away someone who'd accidentally dropped their drink, had any kind of minor complaint, to girls I liked, friends, people I'd met once at parties... probably why I never embarked on that career as a barman ; )

[ratty]

Happened to a friend of mines parents in the Vale whilst I was there with them! :(

[Claire29]

I was in one of the local pubs here a few months back with my husband, and he asked for a pint of guiness, the barmaid went to the beer fridge and took out a ready served pint of guiness. My husband looked at her as if she were mad and said he wanted a fresh pint, so she said ok, put the pint back in the fridge. He spoke to someone at the bar and she had tried several times before my hubby to give this pint away, not long after an old guy came in, and he was given it and he actually took it!! It put us off going in there again for sure! What a crap thing to do!

[lenk]

Claire29 Wrote:

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> I was in one of the local pubs here a few months

> back with my husband, and he asked for a pint of

> guiness, the barmaid went to the beer fridge and

> took out a ready served pint of guiness. My

> husband looked at her as if she were mad and said

> he wanted a fresh pint, so she said ok, put the

> pint back in the fridge. He spoke to someone at

> the bar and she had tried several times before my

> hubby to give this pint away, not long after an

> old guy came in, and he was given it and he

> actually took it!! It put us off going in there

> again for sure! What a crap thing to do!

Again, just sounds like a useless barmaid thinking she's doing the right thing - speak up or be served an old beer..

[nutty]

ratty Wrote:

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> Happened to a friend of mines parents in the Vale

> whilst I was there with them! :(

bingo - we have a winner

[Marmora Man]

the barmaid went to the beer fridge and

> took out a ready served pint of guiness.

In good pubs, with a high turnover of Guinness, there could be a number of half poured pints of Guinness behind the bar waiting to be topped up to a full pint. This allows the Guinness to settle but the staff to maintain a decent speed of service. Requires experience and a high turnover tho' - never heard of it being kept in the fridge before. I prefer my Guinness less than ice cold despite the current trend to serve it that way. Cool but not iced is best.

[Claire29]

My husband did complain to the barmaid and she just shrugged her shoulders and poured him a fresh one. I think it was more to do with the fact that the barrel had been recently been changed and normally the first pint poured should be thrown (so i'm told!)and they didn't want to lose however much a pint of guiness cost profit!

It wasn't the vale either!

[Carrie]

I'm Carrie's husband and had a bad pint of bitter in the Vale a few weeks ago which the landlord was very sniffy about and at first refused to accept there was anything wrong with it. It had a sour taste like it had come through dirty pipes or had been poured into a dirty glass. Eventually he changed it but it took a lot of doing.It was not a good attitude and does not encourage a return visit.

[thebeard]

The Crown and greyhound in Dulwich Village. (THE DOG)

Dreadful service!!

The staff never have a clue who?s next in line for a pint and they?re always busy out the back fannying about with a box or just skiving!

This IMO makes the Pints taste awfullllllll.

[Keef]

Service in The Dog has always been shocking, think it's a tradition or something.

[thebeard]

Keef Wrote:

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> Service in The Dog has always been shocking, think

> it's a tradition or something.

I see like Wonkeys Chinese in Soho or that Indian on Queensway. Been once will never go again!

So I'll still be avoiding the dog like the plague.

Magnolia seems to be too fast on the service other extreme, but it doesn?t make the pints taste any better.

Which is a real pity !