Craft Beer Tipping

I'd like to get a discussion going on tipping. Mostly, I want to find out what is appropriate. (I'm going to ramble)

I'd think, most people tip a buck per beer, I find that to be reasonable. If you are paying cash on the spot for a beer, a tip of $1 for the beer is normally (to me) the correct amount. Most of the time, my beers are about $4 to $5 a beer, a $1 tip on that is between 20 and 25 percent, which is a pretty good tip.

What about the times when you order a beer that costs $15 or higher. Is tipping dollar still appropriate? (on $10 a 1 buck tip is 10%; on $20 a 1 buck tip is 5%)

Did my bartender do more to make my $15 beer better than he did to give me the $4 beer?

No, the bartender didn't (normally). The bar has charged me more for the beer, and I have to hope that the more that I pay, the better they are going to take care of the beer. But then, isn't that "they" the bartenders? The bar provides the space for the beer (hopefully a nice cool dark place) to store those more expensive beers before they make it into the cooler. On my $15 beer, some of that money has to be for correct storage of the beer, doesn't it?

What am I tipping the bartender for? Is it harder to open a more expensive bottle; and pour it into appropriate glassware? Does it take longer? (Oddly, a Guinness is less expensive than most beers that I drink, and it is more labor intensive to pour than what I'm getting, so shouldn't the Guinness be tipped on the most?)

The question comes down to this: Should a person tip 10-15% on a beer, or should a person tip a flat $1 per beer?

Will the same apply for hard liquor? Do most people tip $1 for a shot? What if a person is drinking $20 a shot whiskey? $1 is a bad tip on $20 (as we've already discussed). Did the bartender do more with the $20 shot than the $4 well shot?

What should the expectations of the server and the consumer be for higher priced goods (that are tipped upon)?

What are your thoughts on this?

I have done it both ways, looking at my tab, counting up the drinks and tipping a buck each; and tipping 10-15% on the total bill. What do you do?

If you are in the Industry, what do you prefer (or does it change based on the value of the drink)?