Does anyone buy mediocre beer just because it's local?

I try to support local breweries and by extension boost the local economy and my neighbors. But that only goes so far. My dollars are not crutches for bad, overpriced or hard to get beers from local breweries for the sake of staying local. (Typed as I crush another SN Winter Pack)

 

No I don't buy mediocre beer just because it's local.

 

I buy beer that I like.

 

Nope, the majority of the beer I buy is definitely not made in Houston or Tx for that matter.

 

Mediocre is very subjective. I consider Rebel IPA a very mediocre beer and Rebel Rouser to be a pretty weak example of an imperial IPA. I'm sure there are plenty of Bostonians that would disagree.

 

I'm consitantly trying new beers, usually what I'll do is buy 4 or 5 new singles I havn't tried yet and a 6 pack of something I enjoy. The beers I rebuy (DDC Moralité, La Fin Du Monde, Le Castor's Yakima IPA ect...) are all local but all outstanding beers. I've never gone back and bought something mediocre because it was local and probably wouldn't. I guess I'm lucky that we kake great beer here
But I wont lie, if it came down to it I'd rather please my palate then keep my money local.

 

A lot of the local beers that I've had are amazing. But if its ok, I'll only have it once. I want waste my time drinking great beer!

 

I've been seeing a form of this in my area (Northern VA), where the "craft movement" has really been taking off resulting in a number of new breweries opening up lately. Many will typically try to cash in on the growing popularity by offering a "safe" lineup featuring some combo of a Amber\Pilsner\Brown\IPA\Hefe\Oatmeal Stout, etc that won't scare off newer craft drinkers...which is not a problem if these beers are done well of course, but unfortunately this has usually not been the case more often than not.

Yet despite mediocre offerings these new breweries still stay successful due to the "drink local!" mantra combined with visiting breweries becoming the "in" thing to do around here...and really most of all, those new to beer outside of BMC just not knowing any better yet. Let's face it- newer drinkers don't completely have the frame of reference yet to really know the difference between a really well done beer versus a poor one, so they end up thinking all the local beers are great just because they are "new and exciting" compared to what they've been drinking for so long. And I don't blame them: Hell, I remember 12 years ago when I first ventured away from the Bud Light tap at my local Fridays and thought SA Octoberfest and Winter Lager were the best beers ever created- and while they aren't terrible by any stretch these days, it's safe to say I've found a large number of beers that I like a hell of a lot better now.

I'm with you. I like to visit any new brewery in the area to see what they have to offer. Those that I leave less than impressed with I will usually visit again months down the road to see if they have managed to improve at all, because I know that new operations tend to need a little leeway to smooth out the rough patches before hitting their stride. But if I'm still left saying, "Meh" then there's really no point to keep going; there's just way too many other options available fighting for our dollars that are simply a lot better.

Haven't been to Calvert or Tall Tales (and the jury is still out on Jailbreak for me after trying only a couple of their beers), but I agree with the rest. One of the reasons I've been so impressed with Ocelot is just how good their beers have been from right out of the gate.

 

No way. But as a few people have said, a lot if casual beer drinkers do buy it because it's local. All they know is that's it's better than BMC and they are supporting the local business.

 

Yes, pretty much the same on the north side of the DC Beltway where I live. Beer tourism, as I like to call it, seems to be what is really what is driving the current successes for most of the small new breweries. Not quite as much traction going on the beer sales away from the taproom. Everytime I've visited the local farm brewery a few miles from my house, it seems to be about 50% locals having a pint and 50% people "on tour" up from DC or Northern VA. How long will beer tourism keep this wave afloat? Eventually brewery visits/toursim won't be the en vogue thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.

 

I'm not going to buy ANY product I think is mediocre if it costs about the same as a product I believe is well made/good, goes for everything, not just beer. That being said, I'd choose local over non-local given everything else being equal (price, perceived quality, etc)...example, given only 2 choices, I'd take a mediocre local IPA over a mediocre IPA from Texas.

 

Not for my fridge, but I have been known to visit some local taprooms where most of the beer is 7/10 at absolute best BUT is also inexpensive (think pitchers of 7.5% DIPA for $8) and serves to facilitate a fun night hanging out with friends.

 

Of course I voted "no", who would come out and vote "yes" and admit to drinking mediocre beer.

My no vote is a true "no" though, in reality, because I almost never buy local beer. I buy what I like best, and unfortunately where I live that is almost never local.

I do agree with the general premise that there is a lot of local mediocre beer being consumed. I think there are a few reasons...

1. The average craft drinker is still not the average BA. If they were then Sam Adams lager would be the highest rated beer on this site. Don't take this as a knock on Sam Adam's, it's not, my point is that a safe flavor profile and recognizable marketing carry a lot of weight with most craft drinkers. Thus it's easy for them to find a well distributed, popular local and latch on to it, no matter how good the beer is.

2. A lot of people just don't have good taste and can't tell a well made beer from a poorly made one. Thus it's easier for them to get in a groove of sticking with one brand of beer, no matter how mediocre it might be.

3. Local distributors, at least around here, are pushing local. This isn't as big a deal in retail stores, but it is in bars and restaurants. At many local bars, that used to have a good reputation for craft beer, it's almost impossible to get something that's not local.

 

And THIS is the answer that I feel many beer folks avoid being honest about, but I will extend the sentiment to an occasional macro as well. Do we SEEK out mediocre beer? I'd hope not. BUT, we SEEK OUT good experiences or at the very least a comfortable time and should not allow beer, ego, pretentious nature or a combination or all three to lead us by the nose. If my friends really like a place with mediocre beer I'll go and enjoy the time, whilst drinking whatever they have on tap that I find most appealing even though I'd likely not buy it from a store or other beer bar. Same goes for enjoying a macro, handed to me by a friend who knows I like beer. I am not interested in casting even the smallest pall over our conversation simply because my tastes in beer are evolved past macros for the most part. After all, if Bud Light was actually going to kill me it would have done so with it's buddy Jack back in the 90's.

 

Look at the number of local breweries which still are in business and you have your answer. It happens all the time. That being said, I think a bigger reason many mediocre beers sell is that Brewery X makes a great brown ale but a crappy IPA (or whatever). Somebody says "gee, I liked Brewery X Brown, they make great beer, I'll pick up two of their other six packs today!"

Also, remember that to the majority of beer drinkers, Bud Light is great beer, so a mediocre craft beer can be a big step up.

 

Beer Tourism is a good name for it. And agreed about bottle sales away from the brewery- I don't think I've ever purchased a bottle of a local anywhere outside of the brewery itself (and even that is a pretty rare occasion). If I ever want a local beer for at-home consumption it's almost exclusively a growler fill.

Other people touched on a good point that as long as the nearby options aren't horrendous, sometimes it's fun just to go grab beers at a local spot even if we all have better beers we could be consuming at home instead. My beer group falls into this category quite often, which ends up resulting in everyone "bitching" that their cellars keep growing out of control.

 

I'll try anything once, and my wife and I love going out to the new many new breweries opening in the area. Sometimes we buy stuff for the fridge that we haven't before and sometimes those suck, but we're buying them in the hopes it'll be good.

But I don't intentionally buy "mediocre" beer. I buy beer that I like or that I hope I'm going to like or that I just want to try. Someone else may disagree on whether it is "mediocre" or not, but I only care if I like it.

I try not to go back to breweries with beer I don't appreciate, but I can't always avoid bars with weaker taplists. Sometimes I don't want to. There's a small local joint with decent, really cheap burgers that we like to go to on occasion. I'm probably ordering an Mich AmberBock there because that's the selection. It's close to home and across from some soccer fields I expect my kid to be playing at in a few years.

 

life is WAY too short to drink mediocre beer local or otherwise

 

I'll give a local a try - but only once. If it wants my business, it has got to be very good to outstanding.

 

I buy and try local; much of it is, imo, mediocre; I do not buy it again. My answer doesn't fit the parameters of your survey...