Your purchasing habits?

How do homebrewers shop when they are buying commercial beers? Specifically, do you buy beers that you have currently made or plan making soon? Or, do you buy things that are difficult to brew yourself, require a long aging process (lagers/belgians), or don't have much desire to make soon?

I find myself buying mainly things that I am brewing or plan on brewing soon. Mainly to compare what I have made and to get ideas for things to brew.

You basically already answered it for me: 1-research and developement, and 2-one off beers that I cant or dont want to make.

I buy beers I haven't tried, beers I've tried and liked, beers that I want to brew, beers that I have brewed, domestic beers because they're domestic, import beers because they're import, seasonal beers because that's fun, gift box beers because they're fun too, variety boxes, beers with cool labels, beers with cool bottles, beers in cans because I like to compare them with bottles, beers in flip tops because I like to pretend I won't drink the whole bottle at once, beers with strange ingredients because I always hope it will turn out good even when they usually don't, collaboration beers because I like one or more brewery, beers that I hear a lot about and can never buy but turn out to taste just as good as other beers, and just beer in general.

It depends... I usually grab Molson Pilsner because it's cheap and it's a tradition among my friends. That's really the only beer I buy in store, actually.

I think teromous pretty well sums it up for me.

With the exception of a couple of true favorites that I might buy for apecial occasions (Hobgoblin, Chimay Grande Reserve), I usually only buy beers to sample things I haven't tried before, or to get ideas for something I might want to brew.

I'm a huge fan of the "make your own six pack" setups for this very reason.

I'm still new enough that my research is a bit different. Buy the style I have bottle conditioning right before it's ready so that I can compare/contrast the finished product with a commercial example.

Apart from that, stuff I can't make and/or is cheap for craft beer. Last beers I bought were Sam Adams' Alpine Spring (sale for $13 12-pack) and Great Lakes' Eliot Ness. Both quite different than the porter that just finished conditioning.

bmud0314 said:

You basically already answered it for me: 1-research and developement, and 2-one off beers that I cant or dont want to make.

Click to expand...

This.

I brew things I can't buy, and I buy things I can't brew.

I have access to a large number of really great IPAs commercially, so I typically don't brew them. (No need to reinvent the wheel) - but for some of the more "out there" things, I brew them myself. For example, I'm planning on brewing a lambic w/ passion fruit & chipotle pepper, aged with brett.

Usually beers I am not going to make for a while or beers that I have not tried yet. Redhook is my fall back brewery but I need to expand my pallet and understand differences between styles so I like to try new things.

I buy beer lately usually of the same style I'm brewing but I do not buy beer if it's not in good bottles with easily removed labels so I can reuse them!

My basic trip to the grocery store liquor dept (That is huge FWIW) goes like this: Walk in grab a cart and check the bargin cart with wines and booze for a deal. (I seldom buy from here but I have found some great deals in there!)

Next I head down the isle past the chamagne and fruity malt beverages to the import beers and 5L mini kegs. I always check the mini kegs to see if they have a %l of fresh Bell's Two Hearted (I ask for it all the time and have not seen one. )

Then I quickly scan the imports, singles and 22oz. bombers. I have recently been finding Victory Helios and a few other interesting bombers. This is also where I buy my singles of fliptops that are a Swartz beer, I almost always buy one or 2 of these.

Then it is on to the 4/6/8 packs of craft beer. I always look for beers that I know have had decent reviews or that I just want to try. Examples: Bell's 2H, SN Bigfoot/Ruthless Rye, New Glarus and a few other favorite breweries.

Then I look to see if there is something else special. I seldom will buy anything that I have not tried before. (I go to a craft bottle bar and try LOTS of new stuff there 1st. )

Then I have to pass the BMC 22oz cans and 40oz bottles to get to the bargain beer cart. I have found some things in here but mostly it has old stuff I wouldn't have bought when it was fresh.

Then there is a small rack that the Founder's brews are on and I ALWAYS check that for good beers. Then it is past another few islands of craft beers finally ending at the checkout. There are many times that I have walked through the Liquor store and bought nothing.

I am a hard sale. I really want to try the beer I just do not want to pay to do so. I tend to have a fridge full of "home brews past" that got bottled and I also have a keggerator with 2 taps.

I did recently break my mold and tried a Point Brewery - Cascade Pale Ale and was pleasantly surprised. It was a nice light pale ale with huge cascade aroma and a little cascade flavor. IMO this would be a GREAT summer fishing/camping beer.

Always searching for something tasty in a can to bring on the boat.

Craft Brewery's are just catching on to this, so it seems there will be a more of selection this year.