do you still buy beer?

[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

 

[EinGutesBier]

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.

 

[Jaeger48]

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.

 

[cola]

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...

 

[bigjohnmilford]

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

+1 I totally agree :rockin:

 

[EinGutesBier]

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.

 

[brewt00l]

<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

 

[steve123]

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

 

[abracadabra]

Sam Adams Winter Lager for $10.99 a 12 pack .

HELL yes I still buy commercial beer.

 

[Nate]

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.

 

[UselessBrewing]

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.

 

[kaptain_karma]

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.

 

[jeff967]

going to the beer store now

 

[paranode]

Yeah, mostly Guinness. Once I get that nitro tap I will be in stout-brewing heaven.

 

[mr x]

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.

 

[GrantLee63]

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

 

[Bulls Beers]

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...

 

[Chaos_Being]

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

 

[mummasan]

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.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

I buy beer from time to time, but for the most part I stick to my homebrew.

 

[Onescalerguy]

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