do you still buy beer?

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You have to remember something important about brewing as a hobby: it's also a craft. That means after walking away from a brew day, you have something to show for it in addition to the experience itself. You can't put a price on that.

Let's say instead that you're a bowler or something. Or whatever hobby you want to insert in its place. So, you buy the ball, the glove, the shoes and the team shirt and you spend, say $20 bucks for a couple of games every other day. Do the math - it's not the cheapest. And you know what? You won't be able to go home and crack open a home brew you made yourself. Instead, you're at the mercy of what's on tap or what's in the cooler at the grocery store. Personally I don't like those odds.

Between the experience and the end result, the money invested in the hobby of brewing, in my eyes, is one of the most sound investments a person can make.
 
brewhead said:
last resturant we went to my partner said "you know i would have much rathered you cook someting on the grill"

i guess it's a matter of economics and preferances. she can't see paying #30 bucks for a good steak and salad and i can't see paying $4 for a beer.

<shrug> i guess we're just fuddie duddies but we like good food, and i like good beer. it seems to work or us to do it ourselves

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

not to derail the conversation but I couldn't agree more. I will not buy a steak at a restaurant, nor will I have more than a beer when out because it feels like such a waste.
 
so i take it that people buy less of the "regular" stuff like coors or budweiser...

and buy more of the expensive exotic brewed stuff...
 
c.n.budz said:
Even if I brewed the best beer in the world I'd still buy other beer because there's so much great, tasty beer out there
For me, the greatest, tastiest beer is the beer that I haven't brewed yet.
 
brewhead said:
<shrug> i guess we're just fuddie duddies but we like good food, and i like good beer. it seems to work or us to do it ourselves

No worries...as long as you're not typing up your manifesto as we speak ;)
 
Like a lot of people, I buy less just more expensive stuff. Before I started Brewing $35 for a case was too much.

Now $35 for a case is reasonable for a good beer and an investment in bottles
 
Brewtopia said:
There is waaaay too much good beer out there for me to ever stop buying commercial beers.

Also have to agree. I generally won't even brew a particular beer style if there's a commercial version out there that I really, really like.
 
I still buy commercial beer as I learn about a beer, I try and duplicate it. Just recently I had a Young's Oatmeal stout, and last weekend I tried to make a clone. sad part is im new and it probably will be nothing like it. Who cares, its a learning experience.
 
No matter how far I go with this hobby, I'm sure I'll always buy other quality beers. I only buy great beers and dirt cheap beers. I rarely have a reason to buy BMC. If I'm going to drink something that's worse than what I can brew, I usually get Pabst, Olympia, or something like that. Once I get a keg setup going, I'll start brewing a cheap, tasty session beer and keep it on tap all the time. After that I'll never need to buy cheap beer again.
 
mr x said:
I don't plan to ever set foot in a liquor store again unless it's for Vermouth or bourbon.
I stand corrected. As I walked through on my way to get groceries I noticed two new ones around here. Young's Double Chocolate and Brakspear Organic. Had to check them out.
 
I must be an anomoly here as I have not bought any commercial beer since I started homebrewing 18 months ago. Seriously, I personally think my own beers are superior to anything that can be purchased from a store.

- GL63
 
I have a 12 pack of Stella, but other than that I only drink my own.. I keep the Stella around just to have a commerical lager on hand. Since I started Kegging I never drink anything else...Once I start lagering, I'll only drink my own. I'm pretty happy with what I make...I'm drinking a pilsner off the tap at this moment. Very tasty...
 
Hell, if anything, I've bought more beer and of more varieties since I started brewing...there's a lot of styles I hadn't tried before! I need to know what I want to brew in the future, after all :D
 
I don't buy as much beer as I used to buy. But now, when I do purchase beer, it is usually expensive and something that I have not tried before.

I like getting a mixed 6'er to get to know how different styles taste.
 
Very,very seldom have we bought beer since we started brewing 19 months ago and we are proud of that fact.
However, we did try some new stuff last month and i was reinspired by it.
Cheers:mug:
 
+1 for buying more beer now.

One word: Research

I've spent waaaaay more money buying beers to expand my palate than I have on homebrew equipment.


And I have a list of about 50 more beers I learned about on this forum I have to try. :drunk:
 
I definitely still buy beer, but overall its probably the same amount as before I brewed. I buy good stuff, and make specific purchases based on styles i want to get to know better before I brew, etc.
 
Fingers said:
And with that comment you become one of us. I still buy beer, but the beer I buy cost 2 - 3 times the cheap crap I used to buy. Once the connaisseur bug hits you, you can't go back.
Amen brother! I dont drink much, a 6 pack for the weekend (2 fri, 2 sunday, 2 for the shelf) but its usually something thats around $12 for a 6er lik hoegaarden, weiestphalen, or some other import ale. I like to enjoy every drop instead of drinking just for the sake of drinking. with that being said my home brew collection is growing faster than I am drinking it but I do share a lot with friends so im not overflowing with beer at the moment.
 
lately i've been buying beers in the style that i'm brewing. for instance, i'm bottling my RIS and i'm drinking Rasputin. I already bought some Anchor Steam for Sunday's brew session, a california common :D
 
I buy a lot more commercial beer that before I'd say, but most of it is at local breweries because we have some top notch brewers in the area. I do grab a selection of singles not locally available when I get the chance, but I don't bottle beer often so it's not a motivating factor unless I'm try to duplicate something not brewed in the Puget Sound region (now THAT's a challenge!)
 
Yup Im always buying beer...Now I know what to look for when buying a beer. For example I tried Samual Adams (Boston Lager) for the first time and god damn that is a F U C K I N G good beer!
 
we play to much beer pong to turn brew it as fast as we can drink it. lol so yes i still buy a thirty pack a week..........GOOOO Chico state
 
I buy beers to supplement the home brews - I can't brew it as fast as me & my buds consume.
 
I buy beer to try to expand my horizons a little. Sometimes I'll see folks on here raving about one type or another and give it a try. I'm getting excited because there's a Hy-Vee coming to my mom's neighborhood ( I visit her five times a week) and somebody somewhere on this forum said they have a "make your own six-pack" option. Lots of times I want to try something but am leery of investing in an entire six-pack of it in the event I don't like it, so this will be ideal.
:mug:
 
I wish we had a LHBS closer to our home. I don't get to brew as often as I'd like. Therefore I still drink plenty of bought beer. I try to find new, interesting beers (Some of them simply HURT my pocketbook!), and I do like Bass Pale Ale.

I've learned a lot about brewing over the years, but I'm still low in experience. I still find my HBs lacking, usually. I just got to brew MORE!
 
Just brought home some Boddington's and Hoegaarden tonight for the wife and I. I brew some pretty fantastic beer, but like what was said earlier.....there are too many good beers out there to limit yourself to what you have on hand. Since I only brew 5 gallons at a time right now, my beers really don't last very long. Especially once friends and family find out what I have on tap. So in between batches I like to bring home as much variety as I can.
 
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