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I worked three days on a bar at a food festival last weekend. Some knew exactly what they wanted and strode to the bar with purpose; many (I guess) ordered by their preference for lager, ale or stout; lots asked for a taster before ordering; and then some just asked for a pint.

'Which would you like?' We'd say. 'There's lager, pale ale or stout.' A blank face looked back. Lager is what most went for. A default choice.

This was a street food festival but it was also in the middle of tourist London, so the crowd was mixed. What I couldn't believe was the number of people that just walked to the bar and asked for beer without specifying anything else. Don't people care what they drink? They must have a general preference for something and be aware that more than one beer exists, right?

You wouldn't walk into a sandwich shop and just order 'a sandwich, please', would you? So why would it happen with beer?


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