Who brews all they drink? Who still buys beer?

[jgln]

Bloody serial killers. There is one in every forum!

They just found one in OHIO.



...edit...adds smiley face...

 

[Gordie]

I drink my own beer, but I also I buy other people's beer and I even occasionally buy my own beer. : )

 

[BrewBrain]

I voted I only drink what I brew because I pretty much only buy beer now to get new ideas for my homebrewing. I'm 95%+ my own beer.

 

[Bsquared]

I drink mainly my home brew, but do buy a bit of commercial beers. I try to buy beers I have not had before and beers from the smaller breweries. One thing I try not to do is buy beer from the big supermarkets like Vons, safeway etc. It might cost a little bit more, but we got to keep the little guys going that can't get shelf space in the big market chains.

 

[foxtrot]

I only buy beer for camping trips, like Dale's in cans. Other than that, I only buy beers that are difficult to clone or styles I don't want a whole keg of.

 

[yummybeer]

i'm 50/50 on the poll. i usually have some store bought in case i might be waiting on a batch to finish. when i buy bottled beer from the store, i buy pry-off capped bottles 90% of the time so i can use the bottles afterwards.

 

[BA_from_GA]

right now probably won't need to buy any beer until spring... but i'll buy some of the christmas seasonals that i enjoy. Last time i bought beer was DFH punkin end of september.

 

[gxm]

I mostly drink my own (90% probably), except when out at bars. I never buy bottles anymore.
I agree with Laughing Gnome and hal2814, that many craft brewers out there are just trying too hard. Especially living in Beervana, which may need to be renamed Hopvana. I like a good hoppy beer on occasion, but not every day, and I'd like less crystal malt thank you.

I think my beer *is* better than most craft beer out there, and it's not because I'm a better brewer, it's because I'm brewing to my taste. I can brew my Golden Strong to the strength and flavor I want. I can make my Pils more interesting to me than any other Pils I've had. I can let my Barleywine age for a year before drinking it. I can brew very interesting and tasty 3.5% beers. You just can't find tasty low alcohol stuff w/o spending a fortune on imports.
These are all reasons that I probably shouldn't go into commercial brewing

 

[pdbreen]

There's enough good beer on the market these days that you have to include some store bought/pub bought beer in your diet. It's how you learn.

 

[yummybeer]

i will also add that i might buy beer from the store or pub to see if it's something i might like to try to clone.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I think my beer *is* better than most craft beer out there, and it's not because I'm a better brewer, it's because I'm brewing to my taste. I can brew my Golden Strong to the strength and flavor I want. I can make my Pils more interesting to me than any other Pils I've had. I can let my Barleywine age for a year before drinking it. I can brew very interesting and tasty 3.5% beers. You just can't find tasty low alcohol stuff w/o spending a fortune on imports.

Very well said! I love craft beers, but I ADORE my own beer, and I've only been brewing for a few months...

Thanks to this kickass site, I've avoided years of "nooby mistakes", and my beer when from crap to "OK" between batch 1 and batch 2, and from OK to GREAT!!! somewhere around batch 5. I feel sad when I'm out now, cuz I have to drink something someone "else" brewed.

Not to say I'm better than them. I am so not worthy. 99/100 times the general public would take many of the good craft brews over mine....but I brew for me. (And SWMBO, who recently remarked after coming home from a bar, "wow, I realize how great your beer is now")

 

[Palefire]

I pretty much drink only my beer, mostly because I promised SWMBO that all these purchases of brewing equipment meant that we wouldn't have to spend money on beer anymore. Works pretty good, unless I make a lousy batch, in which case, well, that's what we're drinkin' in this house.

 

[Livendadream]

I usually buy the seasonal, hard to get, once a year offerings from different breweries. I like variety and trying new brews.

 

[mattmcl]

Ditto above. Boulder is a HUGE microbrew capital, but they have been infected with the overhop virus that started out west. WAY too much hops in everything. I don't mind an IPA once in a while, but my stomach just can't handle that much consistently. So I brew all the beer I drink.

But I still buy Scotch, vodka and bourbon.

 

[slouch]

I bottle, no keg equipment yet. I am also building my cellar. So I usually buy the seasonal brews from my favorite breweries to try what they are making this season. This provides inspiration as well as bottles to build my collection. I regularly buy Grolsh for the bottles as I like to put mead and lager in them.

I also give bottles away when we go for dinner, etc... So I don't have an exact ratio. I like to keep my bottles and carboys full, and like lots of variety.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I don't like beer, I love beer. Why limit myself to just my own home brew?

 

[COLObrewer]

I buy some beer when my pipeline is clogged up with wine and cider like it is right now, also been hunting (hiking with a gun) for 3 weeks so it cuts into brewing time. The weather is about perfect right now for malting so I'll probably be doing some of that, that'll get the brewing juices flowing. Otherwise there is still some homebrew in "reserve" if I get desperate for something GOOD!

 

[agroff383]

I am about half and half, my pipeline is running low since I brew outside and it isn't as nice to do it, and I see a lot of brews at the store that I want to try and cannot brew, and I also buy to keep my bottle supply up.

 

[thisjrp4]

Since the Summer of 2008 I've probably only bought a case of beer to supplement my homebrew for at home drinking. I have a constant supply of homebrew on tap, and it is not too tough to maintain. Before I got my kegging set up and before I found my rhythm on brew day I brewed a lot less frequently. Now I brew 5 gallons in about 5 hours after work so I'm not cutting into the weekends. My conical saves a lot of time, and of course kegging is a great time saver as well. On top of really liking the beers I brew I hate spending $10 on a 6 pack considering I'm brewing 5 gallons for around $20.

 

[passedpawn]

Truth is, I like brewing at least as much as drinking it, so I brew at least every other weekend. I now make 10g batches because it is so easy to do so.

So, I have to keep drinking my own or else the beer will crowd me out of my house!

 

[MeatyPortion]

If anything, homebrewing has caused me to buy more commercial beer. I have 2 taps in my kegerator. I cant pass up the huge selection at the local stores.

I agree with this. Same except no kegerator - yet.

 

[rwinzing]

I am about 95% Homebrew and 5% store bought. Right now I only have one on tap (my pipeline got tapped out during a Octoberfest I provided beer for) so I have been drinking more store bought. I have brewed two batches in the last two week and have ingrediants for two more so hopefully my pipeline will be back up by Thanksgiving.

 

[farmbrewernw]

Being a recent convert to Pro-Brewing I have seen how much the pro side of brewing drives the homebrew side of brewing. So as a result while I do like to drink my homebrew I make it a point to buy commercial stuff to support the bigger guys. Oh and i like a lot of commercial examples so there is that too.

 

[tcklord]

I'm about 50/50, I drink in bars a couple times a week so then I can't drink homebrew. When I'm home I usually pick up a 6 pack a week of something new I want to try. Been drinking a lot of Schells Snowstorm now that the 09 is out and it is pretty cheap compared to other Micros.

 

[Dalarast]

Since I'm still building my bottle collection I still purchase beer at the package store. But I drink less commercial beer than homebrew and jack daniels or captain combined... I mean just cause I home brew doesn't mean I don't enjoy some of the other joys of the alcoholic world

 

[user 30639]

I don't like beer, I love beer. Why limit myself to just my own home brew?

That's how I feel. Besides, I brew 5 gallons about every six weeks. Even with as much beer as I give away, I can get bored just drinking one style.

 

[sempf]

I answered 50/50 to the poll. We have a great homebrew community in Ohio, so there is a good variety of brewpub action and store selection to be had. I really like trying new things out.

Also, I have a hard time getting my groove in this new house with brewing. In the old, much smaller place, I would brew every weekend, or every other. That gave me LOTS to drink or give away (I'm not a terribly heavy drinker) but I probably have only brewed 10 batches in a year at the new place. Thus, more store bought when I am in the mood, and lots of apfelwein!

S

 

[Heineken]

I only buy when I want to try a specific brand or type. Typically when I read something on this forum. Maybe a 6 pack a month at the most. A few weeks ago I bought one Dogfish Head pumpkin ale because I have never tried one. Pretty good.

 

[Homercidal]

I enjoy the variety too much to only drink my homebrew. I only have 2 taps and am the only one drinking, so I pick up a few bottles of some different stuff to sample all the time.

 

[Marko73]

+1 to Homercidal.

There are so many great local breweries where I am that I am constantly trying new things. Also, if I am interested in brewing a certain style, I try to load up and learn as much as I can about the style and what's out there.

Too many great brewers out there to only drink what I have in bottles. . .

 

[Kaner]

I just started brewing my own, but based on my current equipment limitations I'm guessing I will be at about 50/50 once I get the full batch rotation going. One day it will 99% my brew and the other 1% will be for when I go to a micro-brewery that I haven't been to before.

 

[user 38649]

Homebrewing has led me to buy beer I've never had. I never buy the old stand-bys anymore. I buy new and different stuff to see if I like it enough to make my own.