Why do you drink at Bars, Breweries or Taprooms?

Definitely helps to have breweries, taprooms, bars close by. A viable public transportation system also is a big factor.

In my location I can walk easily to 10 or so good quality breweries or take the subway to countless options.

I previously lived in rural area and would probably only hit a brewery/taproom once a week or so.

 

I drink at both and often mix them in an afternoon one evening. I like the social part and brew of course of taprooms people watching odds and food trucks.I like cocktails and really like a well made one both delicious and eye appealing . Living in Minneapolis and can park or Lyft and go to a dozen places by walking. Wil;l also throw in a dive bar for a tap of coors light (palate cleanser ) and some pull tabs , I love it especially in Spring/Summer.

 

Because I enjoy spending time with my friends!

 

I tend to drink at home (convenience and safety). When we do go out to breweries, it's to support local, smaller breweries or when we are traveling. My wife and I like to visit breweries will traveling to try new beer, but also meet the "locals". We will be in NYC next week and will explore Brooklyn and hit Other Hand, Wild East, and Finback.

 

We hardly go to any breweries anymore... It's quite rare locally, but on vacation, we will hit up a few wherever we go.. It's just so much cheaper/easier to buy distro options from the store and enjoy at home otherwise.

It's harder and harder to accept $6-7 pints + tip when I can get the same beer at the store for $2/can and not have to tip, drive and can enjoy my own music/entertainment.

 

Because they have draught beer.

 

This is a phenomenal point, which I shockingly omitted in my longer response above. I enjoy draft beer vastly more than beer from bottle/can. I would happily take a mediocre draft beer over a canned beer of a similar style that is exceptional. Can't get draft beer at my house.

 

Why?

 

Honestly, I don't know. I think it has to do with freshness. While it's not always the case, draft beer tends to be much fresher than the stuff restaurants/bars have in cans and bottles.

 

I had Kingfisher from the pigtail at the brewery in Saratoga (long since closed) and it was so good that I forgot what a crappy beer Kingfisher is. So I know what you're talking about

 

I don't hit a lot of solo breweries here in COS as I'm a) not all that impressed or b) they're beyond comfortable walking distance.
I very much miss my local taproom which died during the pandemic, but now scanning around for other options. They're pretty thin, although there is a climbing gym that has (oddly) one of the better beer lists in town.

I vary on how innie our outie I feel when it comes to people - sometimes I will make it a point to invite 12 people to a taproom to catch up, sometimes I just walk solo straight to a taproom that has a good draft list all by myself.

There are some pilgrimage brewery visits that will always call to me, however, and you can guess which ones those might be.
Cheers!

 

Wellll....

 

And of course this is an option:



A related story. A number of years ago my buddy Brian was getting married and his wife to be (Judy) bought him a kegerator as a gift (I suppose the equivalent of an engagement ring?). We all joked with Brian that this was Judy's strategy to keep him at home instead of going out with us guys to have some fun.

Cheers!

 

I always considered myself to be an introvert. As I've gotten older, I've tried to be less so.

Now I consider myself an extroverted introvert. I can talk to people, I'm good at talking to people. I have a lot of interesting things to talk about, and am a good listen that asks relevant/appropriate questions of others.

But I would rather not.

 

Ha, no thanks.

 

My wife and I are at 150+ brewery visits and counting (over a 10-year period). We track breweries, but there is an untracked number of bars and craft-centric restaurants under our belt as well.
Reasons (no particular order)-

• Socialisation
• People watching
• New beer experiences
• New venue experiences
• Dog watching
• Beercation travel
• Place ticking (yes guilty as charged)
• Reason to get out of the house
• Beer advocate onsite pictures/posts
• Support for breweries, tap rooms and bars after the worst of the pandemic

Still like drinking at home also.

 

Bars - I have a few neurotic friends who are only comfortable at sports bars with wings, AAL, Keno and sports. I’ll hang out with them a few times a year to watch a football game or something.

Taprooms - now adays it’s just to have something different to do to get the F out of the house once in a while. Over the years I’ve become kinda bored with taprooms overall and get frustrated when I see the bill.
5-10 years ago it was more of a social visit to talk to the barkeep or strangers at the bar but seems lately no one is nearly as sociable.

 

I go out when I don't feel like cooking or have nothing defrosted. I go to hang with friends. I like to stop in at a bar as the last stop before getting home after being out doing stuff.

 

I love brewpubs and tasting rooms and it's rare if I'm not in one a coupla few times a week. I like draft beer from the source. I am also extremely lucky to have a wife that can't drink anymore but still loves getting out. She's way more social than I am and we're always meeting cool people. She also likes to tick new places. When we were in Boulder and Fort Collins a few years back she wore me out. I'm really lucky having a designated driver.

 

Not to belabor things too much, but this thread is a question of drinking out of the house vs drinking at home rather than what one chooses to drink while out. You potentially have more control over and awareness of the packaging dates of bottles/cans at home than you do with kegs at a bar. The latter is likely a leap of faith. Draught line cleanliness is another story. Having said that, I almost always choose draught beer while out and cans/bottles while home.