Buying Beer As A Homebrewer

[monkeymath]

I never by large amounts of a single beer, but I'm always curious to discover new beers. And if your homebrew really is so much superior to each and every commercially available beer, well, it's time you open a brewery and share your divine nectar with the world.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Beach beers
Boat beers
Campsite beers
Bring To The Game beers

I bottle in glass. Purchase the above in cans.

And some of my favorite purchased beers...

Feeling Nostalgic For The Good Ol' Days beers.

 

[Plastic Brewkettle]

@monkeymath Never! I only give it away for free.

 

[Kee]

I buy beer once in a blue moon (but not Blue Moon, that stuff is rank). It's not out of principle, pride or stubbornness. It's just that I can't stand the pain of shelling out what the local liquor store wants for a 4 pack of Belgian.

But when I travel, and walk into a store with hard to find (in my area) offerings, I might just declare vacation rules and load up the trunk. YOLO indeed.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've not bought beer, for drinking at home, since I started brewing in 2010. I really don't miss the commercial beers out there. IF I'm out someplace and I want a beer, I typically pick a Guinness. Last time I tried something else (from a brew pub) it was a disappointment. I don't drink enough to have supply chain issues. Plus, I keg a smaller portion of the batches than I put into cans. With people coming over to get the portion canned, I run out of that first.

With having read how some breweries will filter out the yeast they use to ferment a batch/recipe, and then introduce a different strain to bottle condition/carbonate, I don't see the point in getting beers to get the yeast you think you will. Never mind how I can easily get the yeast I want for my recipes.

 

[bwible]

I still buy beers. Well first I buy lagers because even though I’ve been brewing for 25 years this year my ability to brew lagers is still very limited at best. Due to equipment constraints. And while others may believe they can brew beers that are superior to commercial breweries - I do not. Especially when it comes to talking about anything German.

Second we have several great area breweries here in PA. And at least one great local brewpub whose owners are our neighbors.

Like others have said, I sometimes want the bottles. That hasn’t always worked out. You have to watch out for twist offs and there are some bottles like Founders uses that even though they are not twist offs they don’t cap right with a homebrew capper due to the way the top of the bottle is made. Not enough lip to get enough pressure with the capper.

I’m on my 10th 3 gallon batch since the start of the year and I’ve probably bought at least that much also. I usually buy by the 6 pack because I lke variety. I buy the occasional 12 pack of something I really like.

 

[bwible]

I don't see the point in getting beers to get the yeast you think you will. Never mind how I can easily get the yeast I want for my recipes.

Breweries often bottle with a different yeast from the one the beer was fermented with. So this is true - often times people culturing yeast from a bottle are not getting the yeast they think they are getting. There are some threads and info out there on some of this.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

@bwible i will be out that way next month, any suggestions on where to go for lunch and a few beers.

I am always on the lookout to stop at new local places when I get back east.

 

[bwible]

 

[bwible]

@bwible i will be out that way next month, any suggestions on where to go for lunch and a few beers.

I am always on the lookout to stop at new local places when I get back east.

Where in PA?

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Going to meander around Central to SE Pa. Might be anywhere from Harrisburg to Quakertown, West Chester, or Lancaster. Just going to wonder around to see what has changed since moving out to C-bus.
It has been 20 years since I hit the Victory tap room so I was thinking of swinging by there at some time, and going to catch up with some old freinds at a few points.
Your profile says Oxford, and I was down that way quite alot in the 90's (damn I feel old now saying that, lol).

 

[DBhomebrew]

Lived in Lancaster in the early aughts. Wonder if DipCo (Lancaster Dispensing Co) still does their Wednesday wing night.

 

[bwible]

Going to meander around Central to SE Pa. Might be anywhere from Harrisburg to Quakertown, West Chester, or Lancaster. Just going to wonder around to see what has changed since moving out to C-bus.
It has been 20 years since I hit the Victory tap room so I was thinking of swinging by there at some time, and going to catch up with some old freinds at a few points.
Your profile says Oxford, and I was down that way quite alot in the 90's (damn I feel old now saying that, lol).

Oxford is real south and real east. We’re on the Maryland border.

Victory built a new giant facility in Parkesburg, PA in addition to the one still in Downingtown. Worth a visit if you’re from here and went to Victory years ago.

If you remember Stoudt’s, they closed up and aren’t around anymore.

If you get near Lititz, there is the Bull’s Head which is as close to a British pub as you’ll find on this side of the Atlantic. I love that place and don’t get out that way nearly as often as I’d like.

We have Iron Hill which is a chain in the area. They are in West Chester and Lancaster.

Lots of other small brewpubs, search on the area you’ll be in.

 

[Broothru]

Going to meander around Central to SE Pa. Might be anywhere from Harrisburg to Quakertown, West Chester, or Lancaster. Just going to wonder around to see what has changed since moving out to C-bus.
It has been 20 years since I hit the Victory tap room so I was thinking of swinging by there at some time, and going to catch up with some old freinds at a few points.
Your profile says Oxford, and I was down that way quite alot in the 90's (damn I feel old now saying that, lol).

Victory for sure. I would also highly recommend Troeg's brewing in Hershey, PA, maybe about an hour west of Downingtown.

 

[bwible]

Lived in Lancaster in the early aughts. Wonder if DipCo (Lancaster Dispensing Co) still does their Wednesday wing night.

They have a website, looks like they were closed for awhile and recently re-opened. Thanks for pointing them out, I’ll have to go there sometime.

 

[bwible]

Victory for sure. I would also highly recommend Troeg's brewing in Hershey, PA, maybe about an hour west of Downingtown.

Troeg’s is a great brewery. Never had a bad beer from Troeg’s.

 

[Broothru]

I'm REALLY partial to Perpetual IPA. Nugget Nectar was my favorite, but now it's Perpetual. Have tried to clone it often, never successfully.

 

[Broothru]

I'm REALLY partial to Perpetual IPA. Nugget Nectar was my favorite, but now it's Perpetual. Have tried to clone it often, never successfully.

Great brewery tour as well as tasting room and lite bites restaurant.

 

[Knightshade]

I buy beer for a myriad of reasons.

1.There is so much good stuff out there.
2. My HB is not anywhere near the level of stuff that I can buy (hoping this is very much a yet statement)
3. I’m in a Beer Drinkers w/a Soccer Problem league and due to #2, I have no choice. No US macros allowed, craft highly encouraged. Down side is your damn cooler duty weekend is borderline as pricey as the damn league fees.

 

[acrowe]

I just really like beer. I like to drink a variety of beers, and I like to try new and different beers. As noted above, I didn't get into brewing with the plan that I would only drink my own beer from now on. I always thought lots of breweries are encouraging to homebrewers because people who homebrew also buy lots and appreciate a variety of beer.
I do have friends whose beverage of choice is vodka with various forms of mix, who once they got into making their own only very very rarely buy any.
I agree with Bracconiere that as far a recreational drugs go, alcohol is my true love.

 

[bwible]

I agree with Bracconiere that as far a recreational drugs go, alcohol is my true love.

In addition to beer, I have about 60+ bottles of various wines in the house, mostly reds. We almost always have those with dinner. Roast beef and cabernet, stuffed peppers with pinot noir, seafood with sauvignon blanc, vinho verde or gruner veltliner. And I like bourbon best of all when it comes to hard liquor. I also like scotch but that comes in a clear second.

 

[Dancy]

I like to purchase beer to check out a style I want to brew, particularly when it is one that has set the bar for that style. For instance, when I became interested in brewing a few Belgian Dark Strong Ale recipes, I made it a point to buy a few of the well-known and universally well-regarded ones.

 

[Grainpaw]

Now that the craft brewing revolution that I fought for since the mid-'80's has succeeded, I can't afford to buy any, except when I have let my pipeline run dry and am desperate, or maybe a six-pack for my birthday. The last time I bought beer without cringing, it was $6.00 a pack for something pretty good, and $3.00 a pint in a brewpub. Now, it is double that, and not doable on Social Security, a seasonal greenhouse job, and the dribble my little homebrew and winemaking supply shop brings in.
I took my wife to a restaurant that was a branch of a microbrewery for her birthday four years ago. 2 Reubens, 2 tiny bags of chips, 2 beers and a cider, and a tip were about $45. That was my first and last visit to a place that would otherwise be my neighborhood bar, but for the prices. And that was before inflation. Luckily, I am a competent brewer and get supplies at a discount, but sometimes am short of brewing opportunities.
Go buy something from your local shop once in a while, or the variety and freshness will decline, if it manages to stay open.

 

[bwible]

Now that the craft brewing revolution that I fought for since the mid-'80's has succeeded, I can't afford to buy any, except when I have let my pipeline run dry and am desperate, or maybe a six-pack for my birthday. The last time I bought beer without cringing, it was $6.00 a pack for something pretty good, and $3.00 a pint in a brewpub. Now, it is double that, and not doable on Social Security, a seasonal greenhouse job, and the dribble my little homebrew and winemaking supply shop brings in.
I took my wife to a restaurant that was a branch of a microbrewery for her birthday four years ago. 2 Reubens, 2 tiny bags of chips, 2 beers and a cider, and a tip were about $45. That was my first and last visit to a place that would otherwise be my neighborhood bar, but for the prices. And that was before inflation. Luckily, I am a competent brewer and get supplies at a discount, but sometimes am short of brewing opportunities.
Go buy something from your local shop once in a while, or the variety and freshness will decline, if it manages to stay open.

Last place I went to recently we had a brussel sprouts appetizer, a large order of belgian fries, a burger, 3 beers, 2 glasses of wine and it was $90 with tip. Everything is up.

 

[Awnry Abe]

Let's just say, if you could legally sell me your homebrew, I'd buy it just to see where my skills are. So I sample the commercial stuff, just to stay grounded in reality. I'm finding that I do better at Saisons than what I can buy. Like this Boulevard Tank 7 clone. But about everything else? I buy it to give me a proper standard.

 

[Grainpaw]

Last place I went to recently we had a brussel sprouts appetizer, a large order of belgian fries, a burger, 3 beers, 2 glasses of wine and it was $90 with tip. Everything is up.

$90 is 9.7% of my SS check. More than any other monthly bill I have. Can't be doing that for snacks and a few drinks. I don't have any occasion that special. I quit going to brew club meetings in 2008 because of the expense, and they had gotten big and unproductive, and my wife felt obligated to drive me home, so it tied up half a day for her, too. We could get a decent air fryer for less than $90. Brussels sprouts simmered with ham and rosemary is mighty tasty.

 

[bwible]

$90 is 9.7% of my SS check. More than any other monthly bill I have. Can't be doing that for snacks and a few drinks. I don't have any occasion that special. I quit going to brew club meetings in 2008 because of the expense, and they had gotten big and unproductive, and my wife felt obligated to drive me home, so it tied up half a day for her, too. We could get a decent air fryer for less than $90. Brussels sprouts simmered with ham and rosemary is mighty tasty.

Well brew club meetings don’t really cost anything except the price of gas to drive. Take some of your homebrew. I agree you have to be careful what you drink and somebody has to drive home. It’s nice if your wife can be designated driver. Or maybe you take turns each meeting who drives. I like to buy at least one beer at whatever place is hosting us. Most of the time the places we have our meetings at don’t even sell food. So we eat before we go, The problem I have is my wife works a lot of overtime and can’t usually be home in time to drive to meetings.

 

[Grainpaw]

Let's just say, if you could legally sell me your homebrew, I'd buy it just to see where my skills are. So I sample the commercial stuff, just to stay grounded in reality. I'm finding that I do better at Saisons than what I can buy. Like this Boulevard Tank 7 clone. But about everything else? I buy it to give me a proper standard.

If I could have legally sold homebrew, without a bunch of red tape and fees, I'd have worked my way up to running a small microbrewery eventually. I don't claim to be a great homebrewer, just competent. I used to buy beers to try something new, or check a style out before committing to brewing it. Yes, there are beers better than I can brew out there, and I enjoy them on rare occasions, but now, entire styles have come and gone that I've only read about. I have made some beers that had people calling me a beer guru, and inspired many people to start brewing. Then again, you don't have to know much to look smart to someone who knows next to nothing, as is the case with many beginners. I'm still dealing with Prohibition-era BS here in WV, and would-be moonshiners who have seen those TV shows.
My big spending project now is to finish the wiring, plumbing, insulation, and walls in the garage I had built at home two years ago, to get my tiny LHBS out of a basement in a flood zone, and to have a place to be able to use my 15 gallon all-grain system again. I've eaten into savings for that.

 

[RyPA]

I cut down on buying beer a lot since I got back into brewing. I now buy beer for only these reasons:

- Beers to bring on the boat when I go fishing
- Beers to bring with me for any other occasion, as I keg my beers and do not have anything packaged
- Local brewery releases one of my favorites or has something new/interesting

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Oxford is real south and real east. We’re on the Maryland border.

Victory built a new giant facility in Parkesburg, PA in addition to the one still in Downingtown. Worth a visit if you’re from here and went to Victory years ago.

If you remember Stoudt’s, they closed up and aren’t around anymore.

If you get near Lititz, there is the Bull’s Head which is as close to a British pub as you’ll find on this side of the Atlantic. I love that place and don’t get out that way nearly as often as I’d like.

We have Iron Hill which is a chain in the area. They are in West Chester and Lancaster.

Lots of other small brewpubs, search on the area you’ll be in.

Sorry to hear about Stoudt's, used to hit their brewfest every fall for quite some time. Yes, Oxford is a bit South, but not out of my range.
Grew up in West Chester, and will be in New Holland for at least one night, so the spot in Lititz is a real possibility.
I knew Victory has expanded, and I doubt that they are in the space I knew. The Troegenator is a favorite of mine that I will pick up 2-3 times a year out here (not the fan of the Mad Elf that I used to be).

But this is why I still buy commercial beer as a homebrewer: to see what is out there, meet others with a similar interest in good beer, and of course, support those that have taken the risk that I can't dream of risking. My home brew is fine, but absolutely nothing wrong with go to the store for a six pack or growler.