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ATLANTA - March Madness was in full swing at the Atlanta sports bar, but fans huddled around the beer tap at their table —yes, at their table — were asking their own maddening question.
How could this be legal?
Georgia —a state that still bans residents from picking up a six-pack on Sundays — is home to a new system that lets diners pull their own beer at the table.
"It turns out the law supports it. It's the same as putting a pitcher of beer at the table, and it actually increases monitoring," says Jeff Libby, the 26-year-old who patented the system.
His concept is simple. Taps boasting two beer spouts are built into tables dotting Atlanta's swanky STATS sports bar. Each is hooked into a cooler of kegs in the bar's basement through a network of tubes and pipes.
To fly with state officials, serve-yourself beer had to include some built-in deterrents.
A waitress must first check IDs before turning on the tap. When the digital ticker counting each ounce hits 180 — or about three pitchers — the taps shut off until a server comes by to check on the table. Bigger parties keep servers running back and forth fairly often, while it's rarer for smaller groups to hit the limit.
Each tap has two spouts offering a selection of the bar's more than a dozen beers, including Miller Lite, Guiness Stout, Newcastle and a house brew called Numbers Ale. Customers can only pick which taps they get by reserving a private party table.
To use the taps, diners simply reach into the middle of the table and pull the lever to get as much — or as little — beer as they'd like. Meters and valves monitor the flow and instantly display how many ounces the table has tapped.
Of course, this unique system demands a new pricing scheme. Charging customers by the ounce instead of by the drink means that if a full pint of brew costs $4, a single ounce would only cost a quarter.
Libby promotes it as a way to cut down on serving time. It also allows restaurants to charge for every drop — even spillage or foam. And it lets some lighter or slower drinkers guzzle at their own pace.
"Sometimes you're with your husband and he drinks twice as fast as you _ and you can only down a quarter beer," complained 31-year-old Jennie Olshaske, nudging in her spouse's direction. Now, she said, she can pour as much — or as little — cold beer as she wants.
How could this be legal?
Georgia —a state that still bans residents from picking up a six-pack on Sundays — is home to a new system that lets diners pull their own beer at the table.
"It turns out the law supports it. It's the same as putting a pitcher of beer at the table, and it actually increases monitoring," says Jeff Libby, the 26-year-old who patented the system.
His concept is simple. Taps boasting two beer spouts are built into tables dotting Atlanta's swanky STATS sports bar. Each is hooked into a cooler of kegs in the bar's basement through a network of tubes and pipes.
To fly with state officials, serve-yourself beer had to include some built-in deterrents.
A waitress must first check IDs before turning on the tap. When the digital ticker counting each ounce hits 180 — or about three pitchers — the taps shut off until a server comes by to check on the table. Bigger parties keep servers running back and forth fairly often, while it's rarer for smaller groups to hit the limit.
Each tap has two spouts offering a selection of the bar's more than a dozen beers, including Miller Lite, Guiness Stout, Newcastle and a house brew called Numbers Ale. Customers can only pick which taps they get by reserving a private party table.
To use the taps, diners simply reach into the middle of the table and pull the lever to get as much — or as little — beer as they'd like. Meters and valves monitor the flow and instantly display how many ounces the table has tapped.
Of course, this unique system demands a new pricing scheme. Charging customers by the ounce instead of by the drink means that if a full pint of brew costs $4, a single ounce would only cost a quarter.
Libby promotes it as a way to cut down on serving time. It also allows restaurants to charge for every drop — even spillage or foam. And it lets some lighter or slower drinkers guzzle at their own pace.
"Sometimes you're with your husband and he drinks twice as fast as you _ and you can only down a quarter beer," complained 31-year-old Jennie Olshaske, nudging in her spouse's direction. Now, she said, she can pour as much — or as little — cold beer as she wants.
Great concept. I could see my friends and I enjoying a bar like that immensely. Of course, we'd have to reserve a "good" table with decent brews.
