What beer do you still buy?

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kagythings

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I'm new to brewing and plan to expand my equipment soon to have the ability to brew some of my favorite craft beer. So far I've brewed a Pale Ale and a Witte with decent success. What I'm curious about is those of you that are able to brew just about any type of beer you want to drink, what do you still buy? Or do you still buy beer? Is it too hard to brew their beer or do you just like the way they brew it?

I love Troegs & Dogfish. Knowing a few of the Dogfish brews are quite complicated to brew I'll be purchasing those for a long time before I even try to copy what they make.
So...

What craft brew do you still buy?
 
Anything i feel for drinkining but dont feel like having a large stock of
Brew dog trashy blonde, Salitos cervesa,+anything i havnt tryed before

European pilsner (tuborg, seidel) is cheap, need lagering capasety and is easy to mess up
So it is not something that get priorety in the brewplans
 
Anything fresh hop, Ithaca Flower Power, anything by Pretty Things, a few Troegs offerings (especially Java Head), a new Dogfish that sounds good, some White Birch and Maine Beer Co... other than that, just specialty bombers and the occasional single 12oz. I typically buy things I either really really enjoy or things I've never tried, and that's just about it.
 
Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:
 
Sierra Nevada is always a great standby for me. I also look for rare beers or uncommon brews like sours and limited releases for the celler. Just picked up a bomber of Weyerbacher's 2010 reserva the other day.
 
duffman2 said:
Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:

This. How else would I know what kind of Amber (Kronik), Tripel (Arend), Pils (Trumer), or Stout (Shakespeare) I want to target?
 
Whatever looks good on tap at whatever bar I happen to be at. My LHBS has an awesome bottle shop, so I always leave with something (gotta keep the yeast cold on the way home right?). They've also recently opened a pub with a fantastic rotating tap list. Here's the current lineup:

Oakshire Glen's Hop Vice Imperial IPA
Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidan Imperial Black IPA
Big Sky IPA
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
Stiegl Pilsner
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine
Spaten Optimator
Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale
Deschutes Black Butte XXIII
Nectar Ales IPA
Russian River Consecration
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Two Rivers Huckleberry Cider
Boulder Brewing Planet Porter (on nitro)

And tomorrow night, they're having a Stone tasting.

I still buy a lot of beer.
 
I'll buy pretty much anything I haven't tried yet, "St. Peters" was a regular for me for a while, Sam Adams and Thomas Hooker make it into my fridge on a regular basis now, but I'm getting pretty bored of Sam Adams, it's going to way of Magic Hat, which was my previous regular when I lived in VT. Once I drop Sam Adams maybe it will be Harpoon (again). I really miss swtchback and the VPB. Guinness I pick up when I'm out at the bar now that the season has changed.

So to sum it all up - pretty much anything and everything. I think I have a 24pack of Sam Adams at my parents house I picked up for a party that wasnt consumed, so Sammy will get another run, but I've got a vigerous brewing schedule ahead of me so it will be homebrew for quite some time now - Vermont maple porter (aged), blonde (bottles), heffe (secondary), stout (ingrediants), ipa (ingrediants), helles (recipe), wee heavy (recipe), RIP stout (PM recipe), Pinot gris (secondary) - that's my brewing schedule right now, I'm waiting on yeast for the stout, so the ipa may happen next, the RIP stout will be my long term bottle ager as my Vermont maple porter is running out.

I really need to get my co2 filled so I can keg some of these... Also get more starsan... Maybe a portable kegerator... No, I need to stop buying brewing stuff or my fiancée will smother me with a pillow while i sleep.
 
I'll buy pretty much anything I haven't tried yet, "St. Peters" was a regular for me for a while, Sam Adams and Thomas Hooker make it into my fridge on a regular basis now, but I'm getting pretty bored of Sam Adams, it's going to way of Magic Hat, which was my previous regular when I lived in VT. Once I drop Sam Adams maybe it will be Harpoon (again). I really miss swtchback and the VPB. Guinness I pick up when I'm out at the bar now that the season has changed.

So to sum it all up - pretty much anything and everything. I think I have a 24pack of Sam Adams at my parents house I picked up for a party that wasnt consumed, so Sammy will get another run, but I've got a vigerous brewing schedule ahead of me so it will be homebrew for quite some time now - Vermont maple porter (aged), blonde (bottles), heffe (secondary), stout (ingrediants), ipa (ingrediants), helles (recipe), wee heavy (recipe), RIP stout (PM recipe), Pinot gris (secondary) - that's my brewing schedule right now, I'm waiting on yeast for the stout, so the ipa may happen next, the RIP stout will be my long term bottle ager as my Vermont maple porter is running out.

I really need to get my co2 filled so I can keg some of these... Also get more starsan... Maybe a portable kegerator... No, I need to stop buying brewing stuff or my fiancée will smother me with a pillow while i sleep.

I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?
 
bovineblitz said:
I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?

I used to drink it all the time at a bar called Ashleys in Randolph VT, and the kegs never lasted long, so they must be doing something right. Maybe it doesn't like to sit too long in kegs?

I've had it at a place in Manchester NH (name escapes me now) and it isn't quite as good as I remember, although to do a proper test I'd have to get some from NH and bring it to VT with me and do a side by side. I don't recall it having a buttery or oxidized flavor, but I'll have to give it another run.

Could be that it's not popular where you are drinking it and it's beyond peak/over aged? I would immagine some level of inconsitancy as it is unfiltered and the brewery is rather small (they make two beers, the ale and a seasonal) but nothing as severe as your comments make it our to be.

Next time I'm up visiting my parents in mass I'll head back to that bar in Manchester and have a few pints with your comments in mind; sad thing is I don't have any "beer buddies" in mass/NH to bounce comments off of.
 
SN Celebration.
I tried to clone it last year and was pretty close, but the original is just one of a kind.
I just picked up a 12 of it yesterday!
 
I'm moving soon and don't want to get into the really long aging stuff until I get settled in the new place, so I'm still buying barleywines and RIS's. And I love the occasional 6-er of stuff from Bell's and Founders.
 
I only buy beer when I am at my favorite craft beer bars. I go "out" once a month if I am lucky. When I do go out, I try beer that I have not had before.
 
I often buy brews that I have never tried before to get ideas for future brews.

Just doing research.
 
Anything new that sounds interesting and will add to the collection.
I buy into the "research" excuse. So far, no complaints from my wife.

bottles.jpg
 
Everything (even Bud!). I always like to get a 4 or 6 pack of something new from the craftbrews to give support and see what's new.
 
Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:

I like that research comment. :mug:

Good point that you may only want a little bit of something seasonal or random. I like a bottle or two of Troegs Mad Elf this time of year but 5 gallons would be a bit too much. I've read about how complicated the brewing process is for Dogfish 120 and won't be trying that any time soon. Luckily I was able to grab 6 bottles last month when the shipment came in & have them stored in the basement for special occasions.
I'm looking forward to being able to brew exactly what I buy on a regular basis. Hopefully soon :)
 
I probably spend MORE on commercial micros of an expensive nature since I started homebrewing....it's called research. ;)

Especially hanging out on here, you read about so many interesting beers that you just have to try. You want to brew a new style, so you have to try a bunch of different versions. You want to make a clone of something so you have to keep buying to try to nail it. You have a full pipeling, with 3-4 beers drinkable, but you just happen to be in the mood for a double chocolate bourbon jalapeno porter, so you drop 12 bucks for a bomber of it.

When you start brewing your beery horizons broaden so much, you really can't escape buying beer.

Last winter for example I was trying to get a feel for the bock style of beer, and looking at brewing one, in one weeks time I bought 3 different sixers of it, one of them was 14.00 for the six- Bell's Celebrator Dopplebock.
 
Yuengling Lager....I live 30mins from the brewery so there is a bit of hometown loyalty. There is also a great place near me called Union Jacks Inn on the Manatawny. The only "regular beers" they have are Yuengling Lager, and Miller lite. The other 200 or so are craft brews from all over the world. It's nice that almost any style I want to try is only 15 mins away!!!(great food too) And it's on the way to the LHBS.....life is good:mug:
 
When I try making styles I've never brewed before I'll try to pick a few up. I started making lagers fairly recently. For many of them there aren't a lot of commercial examples available here so I've been spending a lot on paulaner and kostrizter (sp?).
 
I still buy craft beer all the time. Nothing in particular just what ever sounds good in the moment. I also don't have a constant pipeline for home brew going yet though. Usually I don't brew again until I run out of the last batch. So I'll go a 1-2 month period with no homebrew.
 
I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?

I live down the road from switchback. I love it when it is good, but their product is highly inconsistent. Sometimes it is downright delicious, sometimes it is watery and sometimes it is a mess. At its best it is a bit chewy, but refreshing with a nice fruity ester undertone.
 
So many beers out there I haven't tried yet. I'm sure there is one or two that will become my new obsession to try and clone. Just have to keep finding them.
 
I would think anything new to you would be a good choice as well as something very unique and/or heavy that you may not want 5-15 gallons of.
 
Yuengling Lager....I live 30mins from the brewery so there is a bit of hometown loyalty. There is also a great place near me called Union Jacks Inn on the Manatawny. The only "regular beers" they have are Yuengling Lager, and Miller lite. The other 200 or so are craft brews from all over the world. It's nice that almost any style I want to try is only 15 mins away!!!(great food too) And it's on the way to the LHBS.....life is good:mug:

We just got it here in Ohio. I have like 4 cases right now for a small house warming party I am having this weekend. Such a good and high quality product. It looks like I found a new, bigger and better favorite!
 
I really love our newest Maine beer, Baxter. They make a great pale ale and IPA. And Shipyard's Chamberlain Ale is an exceptional winter brew.
 
Oddly enough, I do not buy beer, ever. Occasionally, my wife will pick something up she thinks I might like. Other then that, all the beer I drink, I make (except for what my son makes).
 
Since I just really got into homebrewing this summer I still buy quite a bit of commercial beer. I somehow doubt I'll ever stop because I really dig trying new things and seeing what my local breweries are putting out. Great research for what I would like to brew. Here in Utah we have some excellent breweries surprisingly. There's a new one in town called epic(not the same as the one in New Zealand) that's been cranking out some excellent beers in the short year and a half they have been open. Squatters is another awesome brewery that has a killer espresso stout. We have some 8-10 or so other breweries here too so there's plenty of local stuff. When I lived on the east coast I always liked magic hat, Brooklyn brewery, and dogfish. Utah is terrible for getting beers that aren't local. We have state run liquor stores and their selection is poor at best. That's one of my main reasons for wanting to brew my own beer.
 
bullinachinashop said:
SN Celebration.
I tried to clone it last year and was pretty close, but the original is just one of a kind.
I just picked up a 12 of it yesterday!

+1 on the SN Celebration. Picked up a case. Not the best beer ever but quite nice. I mostly have been buying beers I have made to compare original versus clone, or beers I'm considering cloning.
Last night I picked up a cheap mixed 6 pack of various summer wheats, $5, from which I might pick an upcoming late winter brew to do. Worse case none of them floats my boat, in which case I have 6 more bottles to use (I mostly keg).
 
+1 SN Celebration, also anything by Sierra Nevada, Avery, Southern Tier, Stone, and for sure Three Floyd's! There are many ohters. Its research, Honey!

Sent from my Droid using Home Brew Talk
 
I really don't buy much beer these days: brewing is cheaper and I always have some home brew on hand. Still buy wine from time to time though and I'll buy a sixer or two of inoffensive beer for guests.
 
I buy lots of beer. There are just too many one-offs, side projects, seasonal brews and tributes not to try something. It's gotten worse doing tastings every Friday after work at the local liquor shop. I almost always go into the shop and leave with a bottle or 4-pack of something new and exciting.

:fro:

That said, I never buy what I would consider "general consumption" beer. What I mean by that is beer that I'll have more than 1 or 2 of in a sitting. (Think, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Levitation, Terrapin Hopsecutioner) I absolutely love brews like that, they're awesome, but I have home brew if I'm going to be knocking them back. The reason I started brewing was that it was too expensive to drink my favorite beers at $10-$12 per six pack. Of course it's not like I've saved any money, but I feel less guilty when going for my third or fourth home brew versus $2.50 bottles.
 
Well I'll just go ahead and send a note just so I can hear the gasps. I love making beer and everything I have made has turned out wonderful. I like to drink craft beers but usually mine is better in my opinion. But, mowing the lawn on a 100 degree day or just needing some grown up koolaid you might find...gasp...a Coors or Bud lite in my hand. Ok, come on with it, I'm ready.
 
Yuengling Lager....I live 30mins from the brewery so there is a bit of hometown loyalty. There is also a great place near me called Union Jacks Inn on the Manatawny. The only "regular beers" they have are Yuengling Lager, and Miller lite. The other 200 or so are craft brews from all over the world. It's nice that almost any style I want to try is only 15 mins away!!!(great food too) And it's on the way to the LHBS.....life is good:mug:

I used to go there all the time when I was in the burbs! Great wings! Flying dog too!
 

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