Can drinking craft beer be considered a hobby?

I mean fuck... the way the question is worded sounds bad. It's like asking can drinking be a hobby, which sounds super unhealthy. But when ýou consider something like being a craft beer enthusiast, well thats different. It's like playing with a model train or car, if you just fuck around and kill time it isn't a hobby. If you learn a ton about it and are productive it definitely is. Maybe a better way to word the question would be "can beer be a category for a hobby?"

 

We are all BAs here. The question of "is it a hobby" for us is somewhat absurb Hobby, passion, commitment to "respect beer" what ever you want to call it, we are committed enough to contribute time and content to this site, in addition to spending an odd amount of time on the topic of beer.

But I draw attention to OP initial to this thread, which the title does not capture.

OP's partner is concerned about his alcohol consumption, because he is drinking 4 beers a day.

OP points out that his partner ever bring beers from her trips for him. I wish my wife did that.

I told my wife today, "You know one if the best thing about beer, are days not drinking beer". Rightfully so she looked at me like I was crazy. I love beer as much as anyone on this site. But I also love my time away from it. As much as I love balance in beer, I love balance in life. If my wife tapped me on the shoulder and said slow down, I would heed that warning.

 

Two questions;

• If all you were allowed to drink was NA/LA beer, would you bother?
• If your doctor advised you to stop drinking for health reasons, would/could you?

Even though I would give up craft beer if all I could drink was NA/LA, I'm not in it JUST for the kick, but it is part of it, so if no/low alcohol, then why bother? As to the second question, I would/could quit if required to for medical reasons, but I'd sure miss the hunting/chasing, buying, trading, and posting. The drinking I would miss less.

 

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Great questions.

No Alcohol/Low Alcohol beer. Never had an interest in NA. Berliner Weisse, now there is an LA I can sign up for.

Medical Reasons, I've buried to many people that American Heathcare Cartel, kept alive but not living to ever trust that system. Still hoping to die with my boots on. But will always weight the cost of keeping me alive verses keeping me living.

 

Am I the only one who wishes someone could use some combination of alchemy and voodoo to create a beer with 0% alcohol and 0 calories, that still tasted like a real beer? If it existed, I'd skip the coffee in the morning and start my day with a pint of Beer Zero.

Either that, or a chip implanted in my head that made tap water taste like beer. That one might actually be a possibility someday. Hrmm....

 

I would drink a good LA/NA beer.... sometimes. Actually probably a lot. But definitely not all the time.

 

I would not drink NA/LA beer and I would seek a second, third, fourth, etc. opinion from the doctor

This same question comes up all the time, part of the enjoyment is the alcohol for most if not all of us. There are many different reasons why I drink beer but probably none of them would exist if it wasn't for the alcohol. I choose beer and I choose the hobby part of beer when I could just drink anything else for the alcohol portion.

 

yer dam strait is a hobb hic hoby er hobbie by whch I mean Hobby. Thjere,

 

I did from 1993 - 2010 when four of my kids were born and they were growing up. I didn't have the time or money. Now, I have the money and the beer is even better!

 

There's at least two of us! I'd certainly obsess far less about beer if it didn't have alcohol, but I'd almost certainly still drink N/A versions if I had the calories to spare. Since I do like to get buzzed, and I do like to eat, N/A beer calories currently would have to be carved out one of those existing sources of enjoyment and I just don't have the room.

It's an interesting thought experiment to think about which beer styles would be impacted the most by a switch to N/A. For instance, pilsners (yard work) and stouts or quads (cold nights by the fire) would still be the best tasting beverages to me in certain contexts, but I'm having a harder time imagining when only an IPA or Brown ale would do.

 

Like someone said before (I think) the hobby part takes up all aspects of it - drinking, yes, but also searching out new breweries - like literally travelling to them, reading about how different beers are made, talking about beer, etc. That's the hobby part of it in my opinion. You could also ride a bike, or go on a hike (get it), and talk about beer with your beer buddies. You could go to Massachusetts - hit up Boston and the Freedom Trail - and then stop at Trillium and Tree....

I don't think that only drinking beer is a hobby. Doesn't mean you have a problem though - just saying...

My wife says there are healthy hobbies and unhealthy hobbies and breaks my chops about it all the time.

 

Shopping for craft beer is actually a stress reliever for me. Going into a large liquor store and looking at the selection for 20 minutes. I don't even need to buy anything.

The parts of craft beer that could make it a hobby would be reviewing, blogging, talking, group events, trading, and shopping about it. I think the actual drinking is not what could make it a hobby, but all the other things around it. I homebrew in New Zealand since beer is expensive and not great, but that isn't a hobby for me since it is my means to drink good beer (a mediocre craft 6 pack is $16 USD)

 

Yes It is a hobby and for it me it goes deeper and it intertwines with my other interests medieval history and nature and increases my passion for them. When I first started drinking I just drank just because it felt good. After that though I went through a period where I didnt drink as much and when I did it wasnt as great.



Then I started drinking Ale and it engaged me with intensity. It got me to research Ale, breweries and drinking culture. I wasn't just drinking a liquid to feel good anymore. As my quest for Ale grew I was rewarded when I found breweries that used Gothic art on there cover and then to see that there are are still monks that brew premium ale..

 

I think, for us, there's a difference in approach to a "regular" person who simply picks up Sam Adams because its available, or who just so happens to experience a German/Belgian beer for the first time during a trip to Europe. They might not be seeking out "craft" for its own sake

Anyway, for me, four beers a day, every day, would be excessive. Not just because of the costs, but also lower tolerance for alcohol. What makes it complicated in your case is that its tied to things like community and lifestyle changes. That doesn't just happen overnight.

Worst case scenario you'll have to find a new "obsession" (like sports)

 

I voted 'unsure.' I mean, I come on here and talk about beer. My Twitter following list is 75% beer related.

I've reached a point where I have a dedicated fridge for beer. And it is quite full, and yet I find myself wanting to go out and buy more. I'm not sure if that's a hobby or an obsession.

 

Plenty of people classify their insipid alcoholism as a hobby.

 

Sure why not? As long as you don't just drink the same beer everyday,then it would be called getting drunk- Is getting drunk a hobby? I suppose but not a very productive or rewarding hobby-

 

Sounds like an obsession to me-

 

Do you mean 'incipient'?

 

Yeh you right. Good catch.