Do you buy more beer?

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
JimRausch

JimRausch

JimRMaine
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
2,934
Reaction score
1,177
Location
Ellsworth
Anyone besides me find themselves buying MORE commercial beer since they started brewing?
I used to be a sixer-per-week to week-and-a-half kind of guy, and almost always Sam Adams or maybe Long Trail.
Then I started brewing. Now I find myself visiting my local packie every couple weeks and picking up sampler 6 packs of varieties I want to try. And when I find something I really like, I try to clone it. Then I have to buy more to compare. And the process continues........ I'm always thinking about my next 2-3 beers that I want to brew. The workers at the packie are undoubtedly thinking of me as "that guy who comes in for weird beers. AND always talks about his homebrewing." I admit, it's a sickness. And I don't want to stop, I'm having too much fun. :mug:
Am I alone in this? Or is it just a phase?
 
I'm with ya. I love trying out new beers then quickly looking for a clone recipe to try and pick out the flavors.
 
I do the same. Buy a build your own craft beer 6 pack at a local store. Then decide what style to brew. I get lots of bottles to refill that way.
:mug:
 
I hardly ever buy commercial beer anymore. I do when I want to try a different style to see if I might want to brew something similar.

I genuinely believe that my brews are better than what I'm buying.
 
the way i consume beer has completely changed.

i used to just enjoy beer for beer. having a beer was never about the beer, it was always about hanging out with friends, relaxing, or whatever. the beer complimented the activity.

now whenever i drink beer, the activity becomes drinking the beer. i think about how to make that beer, what kind of hop schedule that beer had, what specialty malts might have been used, what kind of yeast was used, etc.

it's really rather annoying.

another thing that has happened -- and i think many of you will disagree -- but i now realize that the mass market brews that i used to maybe turn my nose up at are, nearly without exception, extremely high quality beers.
 
My commercial beer purchases went waaaaay up after starting to brew. Mostly because I wanted to get examples of classic styles so I knew what to shoot for in my recipes. Also to keep me humble. Hopefully I'll never get a brewing ego large enough to think I can make better beer than Fuller's and Bell's. As long as I keep buying their beer and comparing it to mine, that will never happen. My brewing purchases have gotten to the point that I bought a fridge specifically for my commercial beer purchases. Sometimes it's embarrassing to see how much beer I've accumulated, but it's always nice to have choices.
 
tnlandsailor said:
My commercial beer purchases went waaaaay up after starting to brew. Mostly because I wanted to get examples of classic styles so I knew what to shoot for in my recipes. Also to keep me humble.
Click to expand...
isn't that the truth! on multiple occasions i've had beer and thought, 'man, why do i even bother?' recent beers that have made me humble: (1) Sam Smith oatmeal stout (2) uinta hop notch ipa (3) budweiser.
 
It depends...

I buy slightly more beer while out at restaurants and bars. While I used to sometimes have wine or mixed drinks with meals out, now it's almost all beer. As long as the restaurant has a good craft beer selection (and most do in DC), I've got to try whatever is new or different... it's research, right?

At home, it's completely the opposite. I rarely buy beer to keep around the house, it's almost exclusively homebrew.
 
I buy way less beer than I use to, but when I do buy beer I spend more money per visit. I buy more expensive, rarer, bigger bottles, etc than I did before I started brewing. But before I started brewing, I'd be at my local beer shop once a week. Now I'm there once a month maybe.
 
progmac said:
isn't that the truth! on multiple occasions i've had beer and thought, 'man, why do i even bother?' recent beers that have made me humble: (1) Sam Smith oatmeal stout (2) uinta hop notch ipa (3) budweiser.
Click to expand...

You know, the glories of Budweiser are truly unappreciated, especially in the homebrewing community. I think Budweiser is incredible because:


  • It's perfect. It's the squeakiest clean beer imaginable. No flaws, period. It's like a completely naked beer. Nowhere to hide flaws anywhere. I challenge any homebrewer to brew this clean and perfect.

  • It tastes exactly the way the brewer intended. If they wanted it to taste different, it most certainly would. Most brewers cannot even wish for this kind of nailing of a taste target.

  • It's the same no matter where you go. They brew a bazillion gallons in several different places and it's always the same. Phenomenal.

  • The Bud you had last year is the same Bud you will have 5 years from now. Unbelievable consistency.

Now, we can argue the merits of flavor all day long. Is Budweiser particularly interesting? No. Is it particularly memorable? No. Would I actually want to brew it at home? No. Do I ever order one at a bar or restaurant? No (but I do keep a stash in my fridge, shhhhh). But that doesn't take away from the amazing product that it is. Many may not think Bud is a noteworthy product, but 7.5 BILLION (Bud & Bud Light) in sales says otherwise.
 
tnlandsailor said:
[*]"Nowhere to hide flaws anywhere. I challenge any homebrewer to brew this clean and perfect."

[*] "If they wanted it to taste different, it most certainly would."

[*]"They brew a bazillion gallons in several different places and it's always the same. Phenomenal."

[*]"Unbelievable consistency."


Now, we can argue the merits of flavor all day long.

7.5 BILLION (Bud & Bud Light) in sales says otherwise.
Click to expand...

Perfect is a strong word, but overall I agree. The differences they do experience in BMC production are imperceptable to most drinkers.
 
When i started working out my lagers (still am), I remember cracking up a fresh bud and thinking, "oh. ****. this is amazing"
 
tnlandsailor said:
You know, the glories of Budweiser are truly unappreciated, especially in the homebrewing community. I think Budweiser is incredible because:


  • It's perfect. It's the squeakiest clean beer imaginable. No flaws, period. It's like a completely naked beer. Nowhere to hide flaws anywhere. I challenge any homebrewer to brew this clean and perfect.

  • It tastes exactly the way the brewer intended. If they wanted it to taste different, it most certainly would. Most brewers cannot even wish for this kind of nailing of a taste target.

  • It's the same no matter where you go. They brew a bazillion gallons in several different places and it's always the same. Phenomenal.

  • The Bud you had last year is the same Bud you will have 5 years from now. Unbelievable consistency.

Now, we can argue the merits of flavor all day long. Is Budweiser particularly interesting? No. Is it particularly memorable? No. Would I actually want to brew it at home? No. Do I ever order one at a bar or restaurant? No (but I do keep a stash in my fridge, shhhhh). But that doesn't take away from the amazing product that it is. Many may not think Bud is a noteworthy product, but 7.5 BILLION (Bud & Bud Light) in sales says otherwise.
Click to expand...


Give me two billion dollars to brew a batch and I will NAIL it
 
I still buy a fair amount of beer. I go through periods though where I don't buy much at all, only when I go out. But I usually have something in the DBF (dedicated beer fridge), especially in the fall for seasonal beers.
And, pre-homebrewing, I don't think a sixer a week is that much. You can drink that in 2 nights, easily.
Pre-homebrewing, drinking was all about either getting hammered or socializing. Now, drinking beer is about complimenting a situation or occasion and enjoying it for the flavor, even if I'm by myself. I've gained a much greater appreciation for beer and it's nuances since homebrewing and I've come to respect beer a lot more. But I still drink to get hammered too, but it's become more of a bonus, rather than the ultimate goal.
 
I still buy commercial beer, but a lot less then before I started brewing, and with a different purpose. Before I brewed, I would buy the same stuff over and over again because I liked it. Now that I brew the styles that I like, the purpose of buying commercial beers now is to try something new. So I may only buy a 6 pack once or twice a month, but its almost always something I've never had before so if its something I really enjoy, then I will brew a similar style the next time I get a chance.
 
When I first started brewing, I thought, "I'll get good at this and then I won't have to buy as much beer."

Famous last words...

Now I buy probably the same amount (to brainstorm new ideas or try isolating flavors, as others have said), and brew on top of that. So yeah, mission not accomplished. :cross:
 
More variety yes, but not more beer. If I see or hear about something I haven't had before I'll buy a six pack just to get ideas, but I never buy cases or kegs of beer anymore.
 
Mine went way, way up too. Not a lot of selection in most places here in Central America, but we were in Texas last year and were like kids in a candy store, filled up a whole cart at Specs! And that was with no more than 2 bottles of any one beer.

With brewing I gained more knowledge of beer and thus more appreaciation of whats out there. We did a road trip from Guatemala to El Tunco, El Salvador earlier this year just to try the brew at Brew Revolution...well worth the trip. We search out interesring beer everywhere we go. Now, in Panama and there is a reasonable selection here...we were quite surprised to find a nice Schwarzbier in a grocery store here.
 
dobe12 said:
I buy way less beer than I use to, but when I do buy beer I spend more money per visit. I buy more expensive, rarer, bigger bottles, etc than I did before I started brewing. But before I started brewing, I'd be at my local beer shop once a week. Now I'm there once a month maybe.
Click to expand...

That's me, too. I buy way less beer, because according to my SO "we have better beer at home". But when I do buy beer, I buy special beers. I buy special bombers, or something that is not normally available- so I spend more for bottles, that's for sure.
 
I ran out of homebrew over the winter and spent $400 a month on commercial beer.

This month, I had a surplus of homebrew and bought some commercial beer. Total price of consumption was less than $100 at a similar frequency of beer consumption.
 
I buy one bomber a week to go play nerd poker (D&D) at a friends house. I use this as an opportunity to try a variety of breweries and styles and also to share quality beer with some friends even if just a sip.

Right now it is research as I am getting my home kit together slowly, once that is done and the pipeline fills my purchases will slow considerably mainly going out with friends or out to eat.
 
Nightshade said:
Right now it is research as I am getting my home kit together slowly, once that is done and the pipeline fills my purchases will slow considerably mainly going out with friends or out to eat.
Click to expand...

Haha, no it won't. Trust me.
 
JimRausch said:
Anyone besides me find themselves buying MORE commercial beer since they started brewing?
I used to be a sixer-per-week to week-and-a-half kind of guy, and almost always Sam Adams or maybe Long Trail.
Then I started brewing. Now I find myself visiting my local packie every couple weeks and picking up sampler 6 packs of varieties I want to try. And when I find something I really like, I try to clone it. Then I have to buy more to compare. And the process continues........ I'm always thinking about my next 2-3 beers that I want to brew. The workers at the packie are undoubtedly thinking of me as "that guy who comes in for weird beers. AND always talks about his homebrewing." I admit, it's a sickness. And I don't want to stop, I'm having too much fun. :mug:
Am I alone in this? Or is it just a phase?
Click to expand...

I don't know about buying more beer (it comes & goes) but I have been drinking more beer. after 14 years, my liver should be dead. maybe I'm like Wolverine & just don't know it. hahahaha!!
 
Nightshade said:
I buy one bomber a week to go play nerd poker (D&D) at a friends house. I use this as an opportunity to try a variety of breweries and styles and also to share quality beer with some friends even if just a sip.

Right now it is research as I am getting my home kit together slowly, once that is done and the pipeline fills my purchases will slow considerably mainly going out with friends or out to eat.
Click to expand...

nerd poker! better than WoW for a mild assault of reasons. start playing Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. then you don't have to look at your friends while you drink.:tank:
 
whitehause said:
More variety yes, but not more beer. If I see or hear about something I haven't had before I'll buy a six pack just to get ideas, but I never buy cases or kegs of beer anymore.
Click to expand...

This
 
I share with too many posted here to quote.

I buy less beer, but spend more money.
Homebrewing has changed the way I drink beer. I think about the process, the ingredients, and get aggravated at times at how good it is.
I've gained a new appreciation for Budweiser. Not that I drink it much (basically when my choices are Bud or a light beer).
I've got a few friends who I've turned into craft beer geeks and we sit around and talk about the beers we brought to the gathering.
Beer selection is now the number two (after quality of food, but a very close number two) most important item when selecting a restaurant.
I'm always looking to try new beers. Once I started using Untappd, it became close to a game.
 
I go buy a old favorite from tie to time or I buy a bottle or 6er of something new. I still stock up on sierra nevada celebration once a year, my favorite
 
Yes. And I also buy more varieties. I'm more willing to try something new just because I've never tried it. Before I brewed I was a blue moon drinker. Now I'd be hard pressed to name my favorite beer because I like so many.
 
Since I lack the space and the equipment to do lagers, and well, it's Oktoberfest time... So Yes I buy more then have my own.

For some reason I tend to experiment with ingredients and ideas. My Second brew ever was Octoberfast, but I screwed up my grain bill so that instead of base malts I had lot's of Munich and Vienna. Can't really comment about it taste, I think I drank the entire 5g batch in one sip.

Right now I am experimenting with Honey, and also high gravity Belgians that i can't buy the way I like it.
 

Similar threads

S
Why didn't anyone ever tell me to buy a grain mill sooner
Replies
38
Views
1K
BrewZer
BrewZer
Z
Simplifying brewing
2
Replies
56
Views
3K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
Kornssj
Concept of a Beer Centrifuge
Replies
12
Views
664
MaxStout
MaxStout
J
Buying hops... how do you know what you are buying?
Replies
16
Views
1K
G_robertus
G
Clint Yeastwood
Can you Make a Really Good Lager with Corn?
Replies
15
Views
2K
DuncB
D
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top