Visiting the local pub for a refreshing pint is a wonderful way to relax after a taxing day and engage in social activities. Naturally, there’s a unique pleasure associated with enjoying a frothy, foamy beer straight out of the tap as opposed to opening a fresh one at home.

What you may not realize though, is that opting for a draft beer at your local bar may not always be the wisest choice. Interestingly, when bartenders are off duty and out for drinks, they tend to steer clear of beers served this way. The reason being, draft beer lines are not cleaned as frequently as one might imagine, which can compromise the taste of your drink, making it less palatable. What’s worse, when these lines are not maintained regularly, they can harbor contaminants which may end up in your beer.

Read more: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

According to the Brewer’s Association for Small & Independent Craft Brewers, tap lines (the system that delivers the beer from the keg to the tap) ought to be serviced every fortnight. If neglected, a variety of contaminants can begin to form within the lines. Yeast and mold are the primary culprits that cultivate on the parts of the tap system exposed to air, like faucets and drains. Both of these are typically difficult to spot in your beer, but when they multiply on the machinery, they can manifest as white or green growths. While usually harmless, mold can occasionally cause health issues, thus, it’s best to evade tap lines harboring these growths.

Beerstone, a deposit primarily made of calcium oxalate, is an important aspect to consider. This deposit tends to accumulate in your tap lines and at some point falls off, which leaves a residue in the beer you’re drinking. This residue can lessen the shelf life of your brew, and result in it having flavors that are unpleasant in nature.

Moreover, don’t ignore the role of bacteria. They can make your beverage smell like spoiled eggs, along with other foul smells. They can also induce sour, vinegary flavors and make your drink appear dull and opaque. All these factors can leave you with a brew that is far from being refreshing, especially if you are looking for a fresh one at the bar.

Draft beers are not the only alcoholic beverages bartenders tend to avoid while they are out for an enjoyable evening – wine falls into the same category. The problem here is it’s quite uncertain how long the wine bottle has been open, which leads to the possibility that it has been oxidizing for some time. Even worse, not all bars store wine bottles at the correct temperatures. These issues can compromise the taste of the beverage, and result in it changing color and acquiring nutty or vinegary flavors.

You might also want to reconsider opting for an espresso martini. Despite their dessert-like taste and visually appealing appearance for social media, most bars aren’t equipped with espresso machines. As a result, they resort to using substitutes, which don’t yield the same smooth quality.

Finally, another cocktail to avoid is anything batched. Like draft beer lines, the equipment bartenders use to make batch cocktails doesn’t always get cleaned as frequently as it should, leading to contaminants in the drink. When you go out for a drink, bartenders recommend a straightforward gin and tonic or rum and coke, which is a much safer option. Moreover, they’re not overly complex drinks that could be made below par during a rush.

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