Would you still buy beer?

[thedigitale]

I've seen a lot of people say things like "Wow, you must never have to buy beer!" both on these boards, and when I tell people I homebrew, so I was wondering...

For those of you who have a full pipeline, have you stopped buying commercial?

For those that don't yet, would you stop buying commercial beer if you had a full pipeline?

I personally could have a dozen beers on tap at home and would still run out for a commercial 6 now and then. There's beers out there that I like, and plenty I haven't tried, so why not drink them. In addition, I am able to take things I like from a commercial beer and incorporate it into my own.

Just wondering what everyone else thinks.

 

[sparkyaber]

I still would buy commercial for the times when I don't have a glass pour into. An example would be fishing, or any time in a boat for that matter, also at the beach where no glass is allowed, etc.

I would defiantly head to the liquor store if there is something new that I HAVE to try!

 

[conpewter]

I still buy commercial sometimes. I don't have all styles on tap and never will. Sometimes I just get a craving for something different. Plus there is always "Research Purposes"

 

[MMW]

Even when I get a full pipeline I doubt I'll stop buying commercial beers. There are some things of which I want but just not in 5 (or even 3) gallon quantities. I'll just buy those in limited quantities when the mood strikes.

I thought IPA was going to fall in that category, but the more of them I drink the more I want...

 

[rsmith179]

I still buy commercial beers. I love to get new ideas, experience new tastes, etc. Seasonals are my favorite to purchase. Great Lakes Christmas Ale will be a staple in my household come later this fall. Sam Adam's Summer Ale is in the fridge as we speak. Just because I make beer, doesn't mean I can't still buy some. Once I figure out good "clones" for the two afforementioned beers, I may not purchase them anymore, but there's always something new out there to try.

 

[Hambone]

I dont' have a full pipeline either, but even if I did, I wouldn't stop buying commercial beers. There are too many great beers out there to try. Research, my friend, research!

 

[chthonik]

There are too many great beers out there to NOT buy commercial beer. I'm often inspired to try something new by a commercial beer I try.

 

[IrregularPulse]

The only commercial beer I've bought this summer is the BMC for a Float trip and camping. I will still buy commerical, but just haven't this summer.

 

[ajwillys]

I still buy commercial beer but my buying has changed. I now only buy seasonals or specialties or something I've never had before. I don't remember the last time I bought a sixer of SNPA, which used to be my favorite but that's because I have a pretty good replacement on tap at all times.

I also will usually buy one or two bottles of something before I brew a recipe in that style. I like to compare my beers against commercial examples.

 

[flyangler18]

Homebrew is the staple, but I still buy plenty of commercial for special releases and general enjoyment.

Don't kid yourself - you'll still buy commercial either as a way to benchmark your own version of a style or because you aren't able with your system to brew it (i.e. lagers for me).

YMMV.

 

[jacksonbrown]

Still buy 'em. I mostly keg and rarely have bottles to take with me to byob gatherings. Plus, I enjoy having variety on hand and sometimes I'm in the mood for something I didn't make or don't have available.

 

[Hang Glider]

There are too many great beers out there to NOT buy commercial beer. I'm often inspired to try something new by a commercial beer I try.

+1

commercially available, not on 'commercials on tv'

 

[voegeli51]

Definetly still by commercial, but only stick to craft beers. As most of us would agree that BMC is not the style for us HBr's, but is good to get drunk off of with no hangover. Buying commercial gives me ideas on how to either improve their beer or try and clone it. Research is key.

 

[thedigitale]

Good to see that everyone is still buying beer. I figured this would be the case, but I was wondering if there were people that no longer did.

I personally will probably never brew a lambic, as I just don't have access to the proper methods of doing so, but I still love to drink em!

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

i have a beer store up here called Bootleggers.. They have all of the BMC plus a bunch of craft beers.. A lot of times they will stock way too much and after a while put it on sale dirt cheap.... I picked up 6 12 packs of Sam Adams Winter Lager back in March for about $45. So, i'd imagine that i'll still buy commercial when they have specials like that.

 

[Arkador]

I stopped buying beer.... I have all my equipment I need, so brewing 5gal is far cheaper. Espically with the wife becoming a stay at home mom, i need the savings.

 

[jkarp]

I do a fair bit of clones. Only way to know if you succeeded is to compare.

 

[BADS197]

We bought commercial beers when we were running low on stock and wanted to try something else. My gf likes to try something first, then if she likes it I make a clone and/or find a clone of it.

Now that we are stocked up with 7 different beers in the closet with 2 more on the way, we havn't bought any commercial beer since. No plans on it either.

**actually while she was on vacation and I was brewing, I grabbed a couple 12packs of brew at the store so I could use the bottles. A Hefe of some sort and Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

 

[humann_brewing]

I am with what seems to be the general concensious here. I have plenty of beer on tap and some in bottles that I made but I still enjoy getting something different or new from the store.

On the other hand, I don't find myself buying stuff that I have had for years such as all the generic micros like SNPA, Fat Tire, etc... I find myself supporting the smaller brewers because I typically haven't had their beers before and well I made a trip to Santa Rosa last weekend and had to stock up on some Russian River beers, I mean what do you expect

 

[jmulligan]

I actually buy more beer now than before I started homebrewing (granted, I rarely drank beer before that....). Usually they are bigger beers, i.e., IIPA, imperial stouts, Belgians, etc. There's just no way that what I brew can replace the delicious offerings out there, so we drink both all the time.

 

[glockentalk]

I like the fact that, through homebrewing, I now have an educated palate. Last week, I went out for fish and chips and had a London Pride. It was really great, and what made it even better was that I knew why it was great: mild hoppiness, robust malt background, hard mineral finish. Plus, it's thrilling to know that I can make something very much like it.

 

[olllllo]

I actually buy more beer now than before I started homebrewing (granted, I rarely drank beer before that....). Usually they are bigger beers, i.e., IIPA, imperial stouts, Belgians, etc. There's just no way that what I brew can replace the delicious offerings out there, so we drink both all the time.

I like the fact that, through homebrewing, I now have an educated palate. Last week, I went out for fish and chips and had a London Pride. It was really great, and what made it even better was that I knew why it was great: mild hoppiness, robust malt background, hard mineral finish. Plus, it's thrilling to know that I can make something very much like it.

I also buy more beer now than I ever did. I've always had a full pipeline -at least 5 offerings on tap. There are 23 styles and even more sub-styles and things that don't fit styles. I'm not gonna brew up a Thai mint Saison, but I sure will enjoy one from the Bruery.

 

[Brewmasters Warehouse]

I am with some of the others. Since I started homebrewing I do not buy more beer in terms of volume, but I spend more on beer than I did before I started homebrewing. The beers are more expensive, and I still buy plenty from research purposes. Before I started getting into better tasting beer, I would have laughed at paying $10 for a bottle of 120 minute.

Ed

 

[thelorax121]

I will always buy SOME commercial beers, simply because it is fun to see what other brewers are doing (home or commercial), and i am always looking to expand the palate

 

[McGarnigle]

I also still buy commercial. Microbrews and imports, offbeat stuff, and mostly single bottles.

 

[MeatyPortion]

I'll always still buy commerical beer even if I have multiple batches at home ready to drink. You can always learn something and, let's face it, there are a lot of great beers out there that you or I haven't had yet.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I still buy the commercial brews I like. I have no intentions of even trying to clone anything. I brew the beers I like too but, they are mine own creations and are never modelled after a commercial example (consciously at least).

 

[petep1980]

Once I get my pipeline done I will never buy beer again. I swear.

 

[david_42]

I've been brewing for quite a while and I run about 50/50. There are way too many great breweries out there to stop drinking commercial beer. There are also styles where a sixer is a year's supply.

 

[the bunnay]

Our pipeline waxes and wanes, but we usually have plenty on hand and our own is generally our go to house beer. That being said, we often buy commercial, especially micros and unusual and seasonal offerings. We have several mix-a-six places locally that have outstanding collections. It's a great way to see what's out there and to get inspired.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Once I get my pipeline done I will never buy beer again. I swear.

"...... from the corner store........ on Tuesday ....... during Lent! I swear!"

 

[stageseven]

By no means do I have a pipeline going, but I have noticed that my commercial beer purchases have drastically reduced since I started home brewing. I doubt I'll ever stop buying beer entirely, but now instead of making a trip to the liquor store once a week, I'm going more like once a month. Of course, last time I did end up buying a 12-pack sampler from Smuttynose, a 6-pack from Clipper City, and a 22-oz Lagunitas lol.

It is mostly a $ thing, and since I generally don't drink a lot in any given night I don't go through my homebrew all that quickly. I look at commercial brews as something to treat myself to now for special occasions and such.

 

[MeatyPortion]

lol "I'll never buy beer again. I mean, N/A beer."


Ooooo, I hear the muezzin doing his thang, Gila.

 

[nghtmre4u]

I still buy canned bmc beers for camping,racing,and that sort of stuff. and dont forget research in different micros

 

[nebben]

I've seen a lot of people say things like "Wow, you must never have to buy beer!" both on these boards, and when I tell people I homebrew, so I was wondering...

For those of you who have a full pipeline, have you stopped buying commercial?

For those that don't yet, would you stop buying commercial beer if you had a full pipeline?

....

Absolutely not.

I buy less commercial beer, but if I'm traveling and I see something that looks good, I'll bring back a 6pack (or many of them). Case in point, I went to the Yukon recently and had some Yukon Gold. We ended up drinking it all before departing Canada.

 

[craigd]

I spend more on beer now than I did before brewing. I generally buy LESS but pay MORE - I sometimes drop $100 in the liquor store now and walk away with well under a case of beer because brewing made a significant change in my understanding of beer and my palate. As others mentioned I also "research" a style I'm thinking of brewing.

I suppose you may have a different answer if you start brewing in order to save money though. I didn't.

 

[MarkSheffield]

The only time I've bought commercial in the past 3 months (since I started up again) is to get more bottles. Unless I either need bottles or run dry, I don't see the need. And I'm working hard on not running dry.

 

[MikeG]

I don't bottle (much) so for beer on the go I take commercial beer. After a game of tennis I like to have a couple of bottles of Sweetwater 420 to share.

On top of that I like to try diff kinds and styles, I buy more commercial now that I did before homewbrewing!

 

[hal2814]

I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm a big fan of BMC (well, maybe MC you can keep the B). And as hard as that stuff is to make at home, I'll continue buy commercial. I also have no intention of halting my research-related expenditures. My home brewery spends a TON of money on research. We're like IBM or Xerox back in the day.

 

[Hodor_Baggins]

I enjoy cooking, but I still go to restaurants all the time . . .
Also my consumption has gone way up since starting this hobby, and I have been able to sample and understand the differences between a wide array of new styles (new to me). Which is especially true since I discovered a place that has a "Build your own six pack" type deal with singles from many breweries.