Bar Serving Out of Date Beer

rubenastley on 25/06/2017 - 10:12
Last edited 25/06/2017 - 12:52 by 1 other user

Rant incoming.

So I was out with some mates last night at Beer Deluxe in Melbourne Federation Square and they ordered a few beers and shots.

It was a local beer so I was looking at the label and noticed the beers were 7 months past their best before date and the shot glass was broken as well. Questioned the bar staff that they were out of date and asked for another one. She asked if we drank it yet which we didn't, she then took the beer without our permission and poured some into her glass, drank it and proceeded to tell us it tastes fine to her. We asked her for the third time if we can get something else and eventually she swapped us a cheaper alternative without giving us the change!

Maybe we are being nit picky cheap bastards? Thoughts?

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try2bhelpful on 25/06/2017 - 10:15

+9

Personally I would've asked to talk to the manager and would probably still follow that up; they will probably do something for you because, otherwise, your experience will end up on Zomato. What she did was totally wrong. Just wondering why you checked the use by date, not something I would've thought to do.
rubenastley on 25/06/2017 - 10:18

I was just looking at the beer because I hadn't seen it before, and just noticed it. Curious if it's normal to serve out of date beer
- try2bhelpful on 25/06/2017 - 10:26
  
  Thanks. I was just curious. I usually try to check the use by dates at the supermarket, etc, but I don't usually check them at bars. Then again I drink wine and "use by dates" on wine is usually not a sign of a quality drop :). If you want a remedy I would still go to the manager, they are likely to do something about it. It must be really annoying to be a manager and have a bad review showing up on Zomato without having a shot at remedying it first.
John Kimble on 25/06/2017 - 10:22

+4

Her argument is it tastes fine because it is "best before" and not "use by" I'm guessing. If I were at home I wouldn't care personally, but if I were out I would not expect to be served out of date products, and if I asked for a new one I would not expect them to argue/refuse.

Agree with you on this one.
Baebs on 25/06/2017 - 10:46

+5

You should post a review on Zomato, there seems to be an active rep there. What the lady did was pretty unacceptable.
cmdwedge on 25/06/2017 - 10:49

+5

Absolutely unacceptable behaviour on her part.
whooah1979 on 25/06/2017 - 10:59

You're missing out. Aged beers tastes better.
- fwdcelica on 26/06/2017 - 15:55
  
  +1
  
  Beer doesn't age well. Should be consumed within 12 months. The beer he got served was around 12 + 7 months old.
  - Fobsessive on 05/08/2017 - 15:29
    
    Depends if it was a strong dark beer
Gronk on 25/06/2017 - 10:59

It's a best before date, which when it comes to beer doesn't really mean a great deal.

Being a commercial beer it probably contained preservatives which would prevent anything nasty happening. I probably wouldn't have asked for a replacement if the beer tasted fine, but I wouldn't be happy to pay full retail for it either.
- John Kimble on 25/06/2017 - 11:03
  
  Yeah, I would be too lazy to ask for another probably, but if I did I would expect a replacement.
- dazweeja on 25/06/2017 - 12:10
  
  +2
  
  He said it was a local beer and if it was an IPA, for example, it would have lost a lot of its flavour and aroma (or worse still, it could be skunked if it's been in the fridge the whole time, depending on the colour of the bottle and other factors). I'd ask for a replacement.
- thedragon on 25/06/2017 - 14:21
  
  +2
  
  Depending on the beer style, the best before date (or more importantly the date brewed) can be very important. Hop driven beers, such as APAs and IPAs will lose much of the hop profile of left too long.
  
  Others, such as a lambic will benefit from time in the bottle.
  
  The beer manufacturers put the date on the bottle for a reason. They don't want people drinking beer which is past it's best and not tasting right, which could impact the reputation of the brand.
whooah1979 on 25/06/2017 - 11:05

+2

She asked if we drank it yet which we didn't, she then took the beer without our permission and poured some into her glass, drank it

Are they permitted to drink while serving customers?
- Randxyz123 on 25/06/2017 - 12:00
  
  +1
  
  Are they permitted to drink while serving customers?
  
  Of course they are. Haven't you done shot shots with the bar tender before??
- [Deactivated] on 25/06/2017 - 22:23
  
  -1
  
  For quality control purposes, yes, of course.
rubenastley on 25/06/2017 - 11:23

+4

I understand that it probably tastes just as good because it's only the best before. If we are paying almost 9 bucks for a "premium beer" that is not within its best before at a middle to upper class bar then I expect it to be in date.

Maybe it's a stupid analogy but I think it as if I'm buying a new car at full price but I get the exact same model but it's manufactured in 2015.
Drives just as good as the 2017 one but I expect it to be cheaper.
- dazweeja on 25/06/2017 - 12:11
  
  +2
  
  If it was a hoppy craft Pale or IPA, it would definitely not taste just as good.
Mrbean007 on 25/06/2017 - 11:28

Surprised she didnt charge you more for it being black label (jokes)

Definitely should of taken it to management lazy people like her gives the company a bad name did you happen to get her name
Randxyz123 on 25/06/2017 - 12:00

+1

Bloody hell, I've met the manager there. He wouldn't be happy about that sort of service.
spackbace on 25/06/2017 - 12:40

+3

Call up during the day and ask for the manager, explain what happened.

They'll normally be more responsive to that than a negative review. Ie they'd rather sort it before it becomes a public issue.

Pretty bad a busy bar would have out of date stuff. There still might be some left in the fridge too.

So yeah, call, talk to manager, hopefully get bar credit for your next night out :)
- Baysew on 25/06/2017 - 12:56
  
  +1
  
  Negative review already posted on Google.
  
  Previous bad reviews has response:
  
  If you could please contact [email protected] with the time and date of your experience we will be sure to investigate this further.
Toons on 25/06/2017 - 13:32

Was she Australian?? You don't mess with ones beer.

Same as above the only way that seems to have a larger success rate at clearing just plain bad service is unfortunately through social media.

You still should have grabbed the manager at the time though because what she did wasn't on. Sometimes difficult if packed so call today then use the social media if your not happy with response, the social media will make people aware of whats being done including the owners the negative attention is the only thing that will change the habit if it's an ongoing theme.
- dasher86 on 26/06/2017 - 11:35
  
  what does being Australian have to do with beer?
  - Toons on 26/06/2017 - 15:24
    
    +1
    
    most of the time everything
    
    especially a respect and etiquette along with it.
    
    your jumping on some form of the racism card, when it purely and simply doesn't apply here, cultural reference if you want to get particular.
    - John Kimble on 26/06/2017 - 15:30
      
      We just make the top 20 (19th) according to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_co…
    - dasher86 on 26/06/2017 - 15:41
      
      i'm not jumping on a racism card here - wasn't me who negged you btw.
      You don't need to be Australian to respect beer and etiquette if anything i would say that Australians are behind the likes of Germany and other Euro countries when it comes to beer.
      
      if you care to elaborate what you mean most of the time everything than i may understand more of what you mean.
    - Toons on 26/06/2017 - 16:06
      
      @dasher86: not bothered who negged
      
      it was and i'll repeat a cultural reference that goes back through so many commercials, movie references and lands in purely old stereotypes along with other terms one used to refer to like throwing the shrimp on the barbie.
      
      once again jumped on the wrong side the coin no harm no foul.
      
      "Strewth, if you need to explain everything all the time you lot of flaming mongrels, give me strength"
      
      there is also nothing in that other than history
Halo375 on 25/06/2017 - 15:32

+1

They were at fault. Escalate to a manager, get a refund, they are putting people at risk.
- dazweeja on 25/06/2017 - 16:13
  
  Beers have a best before, not a use by date. It's perfectly safe to drink beer after it has passed it's best before date. Some beers are even better after a year or two, but probably not in this case.
  - Halo375 on 25/06/2017 - 20:07
    
    Totally agree, but seven months is pushing it.
[Deactivated] on 26/06/2017 - 10:12

+3

How can a popular bar have beer that is past its sell by date?
Sounds like either they don't sell many of that brand or they don't manage their stock rotation.
Either way they shouldn't be selling it, regardless of what it tastes like.
Telling the customer that it tastes ok is insulting, but it seems that customer service just isn't a high priority in some establishments.
Mad Max on 26/06/2017 - 14:23

How can a popular bar have beer that is past its sell by date?

May be they are ozbargainers and buy big stocks of old beer at a big discount!!!
They should be smart though and give people the old stuff only after the third one. At that stage it is very unlikely that one would check the best before date on the label ;-)
- John Kimble on 26/06/2017 - 14:24
  
  I like your thinking in theory, but in practice could be difficult if a busy bar with multiple staff.
rubenastley on 26/06/2017 - 18:19

+4

Small update, the venue is looking into it and has apologized for this. They have also sent a $50 voucher to us for the troubles. Happy with the result. Still a bit shocked by the staff member but there are worse things in the world :)
[Deactivated] on 27/06/2017 - 10:04

Result!
Spending2Much on 28/06/2017 - 00:25

That happened to me at HJs late last year, took the hruger back, it was dry and stale in the bun and the meat was scorched.
The guy at the country took a bite, said it's fine and tried to give it back to me.
Quite and discussion and alot of standing my ground, before eventually I got my money back and left.
I couldn't believe when the guy took a bite and expected me to take it back…. I'm not sure if he expected me to finish it after he'd taken a bite from my burger.
At least your girl poured it into an glass…🤔

Spending2Much on 28/06/2017 - 00:25 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
- Spending2Much on 28/06/2017 - 11:15
  
  I have been reliably informed, he didn't actually take a bite from the Burger, rather picked it up and poked it with his fingers and tried to give it back to us.
  Might as well have taken a bite, this guy was on the tills handling money.
xii on 30/07/2017 - 09:52

+1

What beer was it out of interest?
The brewery wouldn't be happy that their beer is sold in this state, if the drinker didn't realise the date like you did, it would reflect badly on them more than the establishment selling the beer.
- rubenastley on 02/08/2017 - 23:09
  
  Bicycle beer from Brunswick Melbourne!

Bar Serving Out of Date Beer

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