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Is Milwaukee's bar scene ready for self-serve taps?
"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com – brought to you by Hornitos, OR-G, Party Armor, Red Stag, Absolut, Fireball and Malibu – is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs – including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!
Yesterday, an OnMilwaukee.com reader shared a link to a Huffington Post article about a sports bar in Chicago that features pay-by-the-ounce beer taps that are attached to the tables. There are two taps, one for domestic beer and one for imported, along with a screen that tracks ounces poured.
Other cities have 'em, too. San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle, to name a few. Would this be a good idea for Milwaukee?
We can check out our own groceries and library books now, why shouldn't we tap our own beers at bars, too?
Even though I think it's an interesting concept, I'm wondering if the pour-your-own option would put bartenders out of jobs if it really caught on? And would it be "dangerous" to let Milwaukeeans, who according to certain surveys are more inclined to binge drink, have control of the tappers?
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Hckyboy00 | Feb. 2, 2012 at 7:47 p.m. (report)
i would also be hesitant to trust in only a 'domestic' and 'import' tap. maybe this would be better in one of the 'younger' bar districts like Water St or 3rd St, but at least myself, i don't drink one beer too often, and one night i could feel like red stripe, the next riverwest stein, and the next spotted cow, and another guiness. Most likely the 'domestic' with be bud or miller lite, and who knows whats coming out of the import.
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mkelover | Feb. 2, 2012 at 9:59 a.m. (report)
What's the difference between this and bottle service at any other bar that offers it? Seems like a logical next step and bars could charge a premium for the convenience. Why would this put bartenders out of businesses? This would save them time. It's not like they get tipped, directly, for tapping a beer that will eventually be served at a table.
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Hckyboy00 | Feb. 2, 2012 at 9:57 a.m. (report)
I don't think it will do anything for binge drinking for two reasons. one being that binge drinkers tend to binge with liquor rather than beer. Having self serving whiskey would probably be a terrible idea. Self serve RumChata on the other hand....
Secondly bartenders here do very little to curb binge drinking. Either it happening in uncontrolled environments like a house party, or the bartender doesn't want the reputation of being the only bar in the city to turn away somebody because they have drank too much. The next bartender to do it here will be the first.
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danielnathan | Feb. 2, 2012 at 9:12 a.m. (report)
Screen that tracks ounces? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A CHALLENGE TO ME!!! You choose the bar. ITS ON!!!!!!
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