What beer do you still buy?

[kagythings]

I'm new to brewing and plan to expand my equipment soon to have the ability to brew some of my favorite craft beer. So far I've brewed a Pale Ale and a Witte with decent success. What I'm curious about is those of you that are able to brew just about any type of beer you want to drink, what do you still buy? Or do you still buy beer? Is it too hard to brew their beer or do you just like the way they brew it?

I love Troegs & Dogfish. Knowing a few of the Dogfish brews are quite complicated to brew I'll be purchasing those for a long time before I even try to copy what they make.
So...

What craft brew do you still buy?

 

[janivar123]

Anything i feel for drinkining but dont feel like having a large stock of
Brew dog trashy blonde, Salitos cervesa,+anything i havnt tryed before

European pilsner (tuborg, seidel) is cheap, need lagering capasety and is easy to mess up
So it is not something that get priorety in the brewplans

 

[bovineblitz]

Anything fresh hop, Ithaca Flower Power, anything by Pretty Things, a few Troegs offerings (especially Java Head), a new Dogfish that sounds good, some White Birch and Maine Beer Co... other than that, just specialty bombers and the occasional single 12oz. I typically buy things I either really really enjoy or things I've never tried, and that's just about it.

 

[duffman2]

Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:

 

[BGates14]

Sierra Nevada is always a great standby for me. I also look for rare beers or uncommon brews like sours and limited releases for the celler. Just picked up a bomber of Weyerbacher's 2010 reserva the other day.

 

[944play]

Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:

This. How else would I know what kind of Amber (Kronik), Tripel (Arend), Pils (Trumer), or Stout (Shakespeare) I want to target?

 

[Mongrel]

Whatever looks good on tap at whatever bar I happen to be at. My LHBS has an awesome bottle shop, so I always leave with something (gotta keep the yeast cold on the way home right?). They've also recently opened a pub with a fantastic rotating tap list. Here's the current lineup:

Oakshire Glen's Hop Vice Imperial IPA
Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidan Imperial Black IPA
Big Sky IPA
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
Stiegl Pilsner
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine
Spaten Optimator
Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale
Deschutes Black Butte XXIII
Nectar Ales IPA
Russian River Consecration
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Two Rivers Huckleberry Cider
Boulder Brewing Planet Porter (on nitro)

And tomorrow night, they're having a Stone tasting.

I still buy a lot of beer.

 

[SPR-GRN]

I'll buy pretty much anything I haven't tried yet, "St. Peters" was a regular for me for a while, Sam Adams and Thomas Hooker make it into my fridge on a regular basis now, but I'm getting pretty bored of Sam Adams, it's going to way of Magic Hat, which was my previous regular when I lived in VT. Once I drop Sam Adams maybe it will be Harpoon (again). I really miss swtchback and the VPB. Guinness I pick up when I'm out at the bar now that the season has changed.

So to sum it all up - pretty much anything and everything. I think I have a 24pack of Sam Adams at my parents house I picked up for a party that wasnt consumed, so Sammy will get another run, but I've got a vigerous brewing schedule ahead of me so it will be homebrew for quite some time now - Vermont maple porter (aged), blonde (bottles), heffe (secondary), stout (ingrediants), ipa (ingrediants), helles (recipe), wee heavy (recipe), RIP stout (PM recipe), Pinot gris (secondary) - that's my brewing schedule right now, I'm waiting on yeast for the stout, so the ipa may happen next, the RIP stout will be my long term bottle ager as my Vermont maple porter is running out.

I really need to get my co2 filled so I can keg some of these... Also get more starsan... Maybe a portable kegerator... No, I need to stop buying brewing stuff or my fiancée will smother me with a pillow while i sleep.

 

[bovineblitz]

I'll buy pretty much anything I haven't tried yet, "St. Peters" was a regular for me for a while, Sam Adams and Thomas Hooker make it into my fridge on a regular basis now, but I'm getting pretty bored of Sam Adams, it's going to way of Magic Hat, which was my previous regular when I lived in VT. Once I drop Sam Adams maybe it will be Harpoon (again). I really miss swtchback and the VPB. Guinness I pick up when I'm out at the bar now that the season has changed.

So to sum it all up - pretty much anything and everything. I think I have a 24pack of Sam Adams at my parents house I picked up for a party that wasnt consumed, so Sammy will get another run, but I've got a vigerous brewing schedule ahead of me so it will be homebrew for quite some time now - Vermont maple porter (aged), blonde (bottles), heffe (secondary), stout (ingrediants), ipa (ingrediants), helles (recipe), wee heavy (recipe), RIP stout (PM recipe), Pinot gris (secondary) - that's my brewing schedule right now, I'm waiting on yeast for the stout, so the ipa may happen next, the RIP stout will be my long term bottle ager as my Vermont maple porter is running out.

I really need to get my co2 filled so I can keg some of these... Also get more starsan... Maybe a portable kegerator... No, I need to stop buying brewing stuff or my fiancée will smother me with a pillow while i sleep.

I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?

 

[Stik9yne]

Anything Schells!

 

[SPR-GRN]

I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?

I used to drink it all the time at a bar called Ashleys in Randolph VT, and the kegs never lasted long, so they must be doing something right. Maybe it doesn't like to sit too long in kegs?

I've had it at a place in Manchester NH (name escapes me now) and it isn't quite as good as I remember, although to do a proper test I'd have to get some from NH and bring it to VT with me and do a side by side. I don't recall it having a buttery or oxidized flavor, but I'll have to give it another run.

Could be that it's not popular where you are drinking it and it's beyond peak/over aged? I would immagine some level of inconsitancy as it is unfiltered and the brewery is rather small (they make two beers, the ale and a seasonal) but nothing as severe as your comments make it our to be.

Next time I'm up visiting my parents in mass I'll head back to that bar in Manchester and have a few pints with your comments in mind; sad thing is I don't have any "beer buddies" in mass/NH to bounce comments off of.

 

[bullinachinashop]

SN Celebration.
I tried to clone it last year and was pretty close, but the original is just one of a kind.
I just picked up a 12 of it yesterday!

 

[Zorin]

Dechutes Inversion IPA, since i can't find a good clone receipe that works. Dogfish head 90 and 120 min, due to complexity.

 

[JonM]

I'm moving soon and don't want to get into the really long aging stuff until I get settled in the new place, so I'm still buying barleywines and RIS's. And I love the occasional 6-er of stuff from Bell's and Founders.

 

[Zamial]

I only buy beer when I am at my favorite craft beer bars. I go "out" once a month if I am lucky. When I do go out, I try beer that I have not had before.

 

[beergolf]

I often buy brews that I have never tried before to get ideas for future brews.

Just doing research.

 

[AnOldUR]

Anything new that sounds interesting and will add to the collection.
I buy into the "research" excuse. So far, no complaints from my wife.

 

[bourbonale]

Everything (even Bud!). I always like to get a 4 or 6 pack of something new from the craftbrews to give support and see what's new.

 

[kagythings]

Anything I haven't yet tried. Drinking new stuff will spawn ideas and keep you thirsting for something different.

I call it research :rockin:

I like that research comment.

Good point that you may only want a little bit of something seasonal or random. I like a bottle or two of Troegs Mad Elf this time of year but 5 gallons would be a bit too much. I've read about how complicated the brewing process is for Dogfish 120 and won't be trying that any time soon. Luckily I was able to grab 6 bottles last month when the shipment came in & have them stored in the basement for special occasions.
I'm looking forward to being able to brew exactly what I buy on a regular basis. Hopefully soon

 

[Airborneguy]

I'll buy anything that catches my eye.

 

[Revvy]

I probably spend MORE on commercial micros of an expensive nature since I started homebrewing....it's called research.

Especially hanging out on here, you read about so many interesting beers that you just have to try. You want to brew a new style, so you have to try a bunch of different versions. You want to make a clone of something so you have to keep buying to try to nail it. You have a full pipeling, with 3-4 beers drinkable, but you just happen to be in the mood for a double chocolate bourbon jalapeno porter, so you drop 12 bucks for a bomber of it.

When you start brewing your beery horizons broaden so much, you really can't escape buying beer.

Last winter for example I was trying to get a feel for the bock style of beer, and looking at brewing one, in one weeks time I bought 3 different sixers of it, one of them was 14.00 for the six- Bell's Celebrator Dopplebock.

 

[whitehause]

Yuengling Lager....I live 30mins from the brewery so there is a bit of hometown loyalty. There is also a great place near me called Union Jacks Inn on the Manatawny. The only "regular beers" they have are Yuengling Lager, and Miller lite. The other 200 or so are craft brews from all over the world. It's nice that almost any style I want to try is only 15 mins away!!!(great food too) And it's on the way to the LHBS.....life is good

 

[biestie]

When I try making styles I've never brewed before I'll try to pick a few up. I started making lagers fairly recently. For many of them there aren't a lot of commercial examples available here so I've been spending a lot on paulaner and kostrizter (sp?).

 

[eltorrente]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Stone IPA are like old friends that I can count on.

 

[Metallion66]

I still buy craft beer all the time. Nothing in particular just what ever sounds good in the moment. I also don't have a constant pipeline for home brew going yet though. Usually I don't brew again until I run out of the last batch. So I'll go a 1-2 month period with no homebrew.

 

[Shooter]

I probably spend MORE on commercial micros of an expensive nature since I started homebrewing....it's called research.

Yep, I wasn't aware I was supposed to cut down my purchases when I started brewing.

Was there a sticky about this?!?!?

 

[dukerutledge]

I see a lot of love for Switchback... every time I've had it it's been a mess of diacetyl mixed with a healthy dose of acetalaldehyde. My buddy loves that it's on tap at a ton of little places near him (NH). Maybe it's just inconsistent and I have bad luck?

I live down the road from switchback. I love it when it is good, but their product is highly inconsistent. Sometimes it is downright delicious, sometimes it is watery and sometimes it is a mess. At its best it is a bit chewy, but refreshing with a nice fruity ester undertone.

 

[solbes]

So many beers out there I haven't tried yet. I'm sure there is one or two that will become my new obsession to try and clone. Just have to keep finding them.

 

[LouisvilleBrews]

I would think anything new to you would be a good choice as well as something very unique and/or heavy that you may not want 5-15 gallons of.

 

[LouisvilleBrews]

Casks are always intersting too