It's hard to believe, but I quaffed my first official Summerfest beer 25 years ago.

It was cold, delicious and tasted so fresh that -- even though I could see half-barrels under the beer stand -- I actually wondered if there was a pipeline directly from Miller Valley to the lakefront.

It's not a reach to say that I've consumed hundreds of beers over the years at Henry Maier Festival Park, but the memory of that first waxy cup of golden goodness washed over me last weekend -- when I served my first official Summerfest beer.

Thanks to the fine folks at Summerfest and Major Goolsby's, I worked as a bartender on the north end of the grounds near the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Rock Stage with Miller Lite and 94.1 WJJO and 95 WIIL ROCK.

A lot of people may read this story, the latest in our "Shift Switch" series, and say, "That's not really bartending. All you're doing is pouring beer. It's not rocket science."

I can't argue.

But after spending just a few hours on the other side of the counter, I realized there is a lot more to the gig than I realized. In order to make $6.65 an hour plus tips, you have to handle cash and work a register. You have to check IDs. And, you have to pay attention to avoid a poor pour.

Pouring a perfect beer is a skill that can be made more difficult by temperamental customers, coughing kegs and -- I never would have imagined this -- windy conditions.

My journey behind the bar started roughly two weeks ago, when I attended an orientation program for bartenders on the Summerfest grounds.

The meeting lasted about an hour, and the first thing I noticed upon entering was that a lot of people already knew each other. Major Goolsby's has had a booth at Summerfest for 34 years and for the past several years has managed all of the tents serving alcoholic beverages on the grounds, excluding the Water Street Brewery and Jo Jo's Martini Lounge.

There are close to 700 bartenders working the festival, and many of them are veterans who have worked several years. There are teachers on summer vacation, hairdressers, accountants and office workers -- all trying to earn a little extra money and have some fun.

"A lot of people come back, year after year," a manager told me. "You almost have to know someone to get a job here."

Normal shifts for Summerfest bartenders run from from noon to 6 p.m., 3 p.m to midnight, 6 p.m. to midnight and a Marcus Amphitheater shift from 5 to 11 p.m.

At the orientation, we were handed a sheet of rules, some of which were pretty basic:

• Wear your uniform (mine is a black Miller Genuine Draft T-shirt);
• Wear your name tag;
• Wear shoes and socks (no sandals, flip-flops or open-toed shoes);
• No gum chewing or Bluetooth earphones;
• Hats must be on straight and portray a brand that you are selling;
• Check IDs for anyone who appears to be under the age of 35. (We received tips on how to spot fake IDs via lumps, bumps, layers and modifications.)

After hearing about the basics, we got down to basics: beer.

We watched a video, produced by Miller, about pouring the perfect beer. Key elements include grabbing the tap close to the base, which opens and closes the line more quickly, and finding the proper angle (roughly 45 degrees) for the pour.

Summerfest officials are adamant about "pouring to the line," -- which is a reference to the line near the top of the cup. The perfect pour will bring beer to the "line" and a thin head of foam slightly above. Although a tap beer costs $5, the folks at Goolsby's work on a very small profit margin.

Beer stand managers are adamant about pouring to the line and not wasting product. You won't see a Summerfest bartender letting a tap flow to avoid foam. You won't see beer spilled behind the counter, at least not very often. One manager told me he'd only seen one or two collisions between bartenders in five years. That didn't surprise me. The folks at Goolsby's have the beer selling thing down to a science.

The stand where I worked sells Lite and Genuine Draft for $4.50 a cup, Blue Moon for $5 and Sparks Plus, a caffeinated malt beverage that sells for $7. We also sold bottled water ($3) and snacks ($3).

When business is slow, bartenders stand near the taps and draw beers for customers. I found it fun to converse with people about where they were from or what bands they were going to see. When things get hectic -- and business seems to come in waves between bands or around meal times -- there is no time for conversation. At peak times, a few bartenders work at an "island" pouring multiple beers that counter folks grab and sell.

"When you have a good band that draws a big crowd on a warm night, we barely have to turn the taps off," a manager told me, pointing to the island.

The cash register isn't complicated. It's a point of sale (POS) system that has a button for each item sold. To sell two tap beers, you punch the "tap beer" button twice and then hit "cash," which opens the register. You put the money inside, grab your change, close the register and go to the next customer.

After a few repetitions, the arithmetic for making change becomes ingrained and transactions go quickly. Busy periods leave little time for reflection, but a few slow periods allowed enough time to make a few observations about my shift:

• When you aren't used to being on your feet for six or eight hours at a time, you feel it in your legs and hips.
• People who come to Summerfest are generally pretty happy. They look forward to it all year and they want to have a good time. They seem especially festive when it's their first beer of the day (or of the year).
• The crowd near the Rock Stage skews a bit younger than those on the rest of the grounds (which makes checking IDs a bit more prevalent).
• More people at my stand ordered Lite than Genuine Draft, and it wasn't even close. Maybe everyone is calorie-conscious these days. A few people asked for MGD 64, the 64-calorie beer, but we didn't have it at my stand.
• A lot of people who ordered Blue Moon asked for orange slices. We don't do those.
• Some people, mostly women, asked for ice cubes to put in their beer. We couldn't do that, though, because the ice is used to keep bottled water and Sparks cold.
• On warm days, many people ask for bottled beer because they fear that tap beer will get warm faster. My advice to them is to drink faster.
• Only a few people complained about the "pour to the line" edict. One man did so a heavy French accent. When I calmly explained that it was "policy" he got really agitated and yelled at me while walking away. His friend was embarrassed enough by the action that he tipped me an extra dollar.
• Summerfest draws a lot of customers from Illinois, some of whom referred to the prices as "cheap," which is something you don't hear often from locals.
• Most Summerfest patrons do leave tips for bartenders. Tips are pooled and bartenders can walk away with $40 to $100 or more after a shift, depending on how busy the tent gets.
• Heavy wind can actually make it tougher to tap a decent beer. "It's a two-club difference today," one co-worker said, using a golf analogy.
• The beer haulers wear orange shirts and aren't permitted to sell beer. They just change barrels. Many at my stand were former high school football players.
• Beer haulers get a lot of attention from the ladies.
• The people-watching from behind the bar is often more interesting than it is from in front. It's especially interesting as you see people lose inhibitions after a few hours of imbibing.
• Bartender breaks are 15 minutes long. After four hours of steady pouring, the respite is nice.
• Each beer stand develops its own personality, which is often a reflection of the people in charge. Thankfully, mine was loose and fun with a strong sense of teamwork. As I walked away with a little money in my pocket, I understood why people want to do it year after year.