[mulmen]

It sounds like you have more experience with these things but what you are describing is not consistent with my experience.

It was totally acceptable to sip a drink. If I was empty and needed a refill I would simply take the shared container (650ml beer bottle, tea pot, etc.) and first refill someone or everyone’s drink, empty or not. Essentially the personal containers were bottomless.

I never felt an obligation to refill a specific person’s drink. But that situation never really came up because everyone eventually is the person initiating the refills.

It’s possible I was offending a lot of people. In fact it is likely. They were certainly generous enough to not say so however.