do you still buy beer?

[cola]

just wondering if you still buy beer.

im new to this brewing stuff and the thing that appeals to me about home brewing is that it would save a lot of money. i hope i never buy beer again but hard liquor is a dfferent story.

yes. im cheap.

 

[enderwig]

I buy beer occasionally. Sometimes I just get a hankerin for a certain beer. Not to mention, I get another bottle (or 6) to add to the collection.

 

[mrfocus]

I buy beer to expand my beerizon (beer horizon).

In the past 3 months I've probably tasted upwards of 50 different types of beer.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I buy MORE beer now than I did when I began. It's easier to try a 6er of something and say "I don't like it" than it is to brew 5 gallons of it and try to get the co-workers to suck it down. If you're looking to save money in the long run, my personal experience is that it doesn't happen, though someone will certainly come along claiming it does.

 

[Brewtopia]

There is waaaay too much good beer out there for me to ever stop buying commercial beers.

 

[PseudoChef]

Yeah, I buy more beer now than before I started homebrewing. I too, like to expand my horizons.

 

[Ryan_PA]

Yeah, I think you are going to find once you get more and more into brewing, the more research you want to do. At home, I drink at at lease 75% HB (mine and others), 25% store bought.

 

[buraglio]

I also buy more beer now. I did some numbers back when I started and if you factor in time based on "n" amount of money per hour you'll actually end up spending more on homebrew beer, but, at least for me, it's about the journey and not the destination.
I buy beer in smaller quantities than I used to (per style or brand) but I definitely spend more money on good beer than I did before I started brewing. I also put on about 8 pounds in the first 2 months of brewing. =)

 

[PeteOz77]

You never buy beer anyway, you rent it!

 

[DUCCCC]

I don't have the time to brew the amount of beer I drink!

 

[Kevin Dean]

I don't have the time to brew the amount of beer I drink!

That's deep man... Deep.

 

[DUCCCC]

That's deep man... Deep.

Just to clarify, I really don't drink all that much. (river in Egypt?)

Honestly though, I work a full time and a part time job. I've got 2 sons, one 3 yrs old and one 18 mos old. My time is kind of precious, and I only get time to brew one, maybe two days a month, so I really don't get to build up the supply too much. Did I mention that my wife can't make Jello™? I do all the cooking in my home. Really. She has burned up at least 3 different toaster ovens simply trying to heat something up for the boys. I love to come home and crack open a brew while I make dinner, then have another with dinner. Add in a few more on weekends while I do odd jobs around the house and my 2 batches a month of home brew get spread pretty thin.

I'm buying a bunch less, quantity wise, of commercial beer these days. The problem is now that I'm really learning to appreciate a decent beer I am spending just as much on a sixxer as I used to on a whole case.

 

[Brewtopia]

I still drink alot more commercial beer than homebrew. And I've been brewing 16 years.

 

[Fingers]

The problem is now that I'm really learning to appreciate a decent beer I am spending just as much on a sixxer as I used to on a whole case.

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.

 

[RICLARK]

I still buy a lot of beer, like two hearted oberon and Sam adams.

 

[Cheeto]

after my trip to Germany
I came home and started buying "good" beer

my SWMBO thought I was crazy paying $4-12 per bottle
" you could have bought a fifth of bourbon for what you paid for that bottle"

this is comming form a person that LIKES
"Premium Malt Beverages (Fruit Flavored)"

so my first batch was planned out for her

I got a Premium Malt(Extract) beverage for ya!

 

[Evets]

I very rarely buy beer. It's hard to buy beer when I've got like 15 cases of HB in the basement. I don't really drink that often or that much, but I brew a lot and bottle everything, so I have a large selection to choose from.

 

[mr x]

I don't plan to ever set foot in a liquor store again unless it's for Vermouth or bourbon.

 

[BillyA]

I've found that when I go out I don't get the miller lite anymore. More fat tires and goose islands. Can't take my hb to the tavern with me. Also the local grocery store has where you can piece together your own 6pk from a pretty wide selection of micros.

 

[Greggy]

Yes! I typically buy samplers but also sometimes buy some really cheap session beer.

Greg

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yeah, unfortunately I still buy beer.
I have , however, never bought a beer twice (except in restaurants). Ale-ways trying the new stuff, and lately there has been a lot if new beer coming to town.

 

[Dave the Brewer]

I usually don't buy beer unless I am trying a seasonal beer that I wont get to try until next year (or maybe never again) or if I am out of town. I would say it is cheaper, but I brew so much and enjoy drinking my brew so much I would say it cost more. I havn't added anything up but I still like to think it is cheaper. I think its cheaper considering the styles and alcohol content you can produce with a small amount of money considering the prices at the store.

 

[flowerysong]

" you could have bought a fifth of bourbon for what you paid for that bottle"

Not good bourbon, though. As with beer, the difference between the cheap stuff and the good stuff can be marked, both in quality and in price.

To answer the original question: of course I still buy beer. There are types of beer that I don't feel like drinking five gallons of that I nevertheless do enjoy. And naturally you have to investigate commercial examples of a style in depth before attempting to brew it.

 

[Melana]

Yes, we still buy beer for two reasons... because we like trying new brews and we like to add bottles to our line up.

 

[elkdog]

I buy a lot less now that I brew- there are still some that you want to try, or just don't want to bother making (lagers are in the latter category for me). In general though, I probably buy commercial beer less than once a month, not counting in bars or restaurants.

 

[david_42]

With 70 breweries within driving distance, you bet. I didn't start brewing to save money.

 

[brewhead]

NO! couldn't tell you the last time i bought a beer.

 

[rdwj]

I buy LESS beer, but it's more expensive beer. It's a net loss all things considered.

 

[brewt00l]

Heck yes. I don't buy anywhere near as much as I would but I still enjoy sampling the fruits of other brewer's labors.

It's an old analogy but a valid one:
Did you stop going to restaurants when you learned to cook?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Yup, I sure do. I probably still buy too much beer considering how often I brew, but when you've got an itch for an IPA and you don't have any you can either go pickup a 6 or wait brew one and wait 6 weeks.

I'd imagine that I still buy somewhere around 2 or 3 6'ers a month.

 

[EinGutesBier]

I occasionally buy beer, though I'm a lot more picky than I used to be. My beer budget now goes to home brewing, not store-bought bottles, so it's kind of a luxury expense now. When I find something irresistibly unique or something that I think will give me insight on a style I'm considering, then I buy it.

Sad thing is, my bottle collection used to be huge but it's not growing anymore, because my beer conquests aren't as important to me as making my own. : D

 

[brewhead]

Did you stop going to restaurants when you learned to cook

rarely go to those either

 

[brewt00l]

rarely go to those either

one step closer to off the grid!

 

[c.n.budz]

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

 

[DUCCCC]

Did you stop going to restaurants when you learned to cook

No, having kids took care of that, unless you count Chuck E. Cheese pizza (which can hardly be called anything more than a casino for kids , and shouldn't bother with pizza if they're not even going to try...)

 

[Quercus]

News flash...brewing does not save you any money, until you amortize your equipment costs out...and that takes a while depending on how much you spent, and how much you brew.

Despite having over 20 gallons bottled and ready to drink, I still love buying beer. I have a favorite bottle shop near work, and will often pick out a nice bomber of something special for the weekend.

 

[mrkristofo]

I do more research now because I have a better sense of what I'm tasting...what hops did they use? What malts?

The only limitation on the beers that I buy is that I usually only buy bottles which i can re-use.

 

[barely]

Even before I started the hobby (addiction?) of homebrewing, I stopped buying the same beer twice. I peeled off the label off whatever beer I tasted and put it in a scrapbook. I now know what I like and have a couple hundred clean bottles....

Then again I still break down and get a sixer every month or so...

 

[Jaeger48]

I definitely drink more beer (well, it used to be that I would drink perhaps once a month) but that doesn't take much comparatively speaking. My sister and her BF have micro night, unfortunately they live 3 hours away otherwise I'd be there. I'm in the same boat as others though, I'll pick up a 6er of something different and dream of how to replicate or tweak things.

 

[brewhead]

one step closer to off the grid!

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