Does "rare" equal "must try" for you?

Price has to be reasonable and unless it is a style that I like to try, but will not go out of my way. Bourbon Aged stuff I generally stay away from even though its "rare" because I am almost always not a fan.

My local bar allows samples of about an ounce of most beers on draft, so I will try some "rare, hard to find" beers that way.

 

Rare is for steak, I want my beer well done. My decision will be determined by my enjoyment not the perceived rarity of a beer.

 

I just shop for what is on the shelves in my market. Sometimes I will stumble onto a limited release such as Left Hand Homefront IPA or something like that, but I buy it because I like the brewery, not because of it's accessibility.

 

There are more than a handful of beers that come to mind that I've never seen let alone tried, but I know them because you guys think so highly of them. When I see one, I like to try it. Isn't that at least part of the reason I come on here?

It's not the rarity that entices me, just the opportunity. Its beer and I wanna drink some.

 

thank you, thank you. Damn it all!

 

The more rare and sought-after a beer is, the more I would like to try it. There's a point where I stop chasing it, though, when my personal threshold of "too much effort" is reached. For instance, I doubt I will ever taste PtY in this lifetime.

 

I agree with this statement - when I head to places with a large craft selection, first thing I do is pick a couple of ones that sound interesting and ask the bartender which of them is his or her favorite and order that. Unless I've had them all - in which case I just order whatever I'm in the mood for.

 

So you say

"I'm at this bar, and they tapped a keg of beer that is considered one of the best in the world… and I'm training/studying to become a 'beer expert…' but I really don't *think* I like the style of the amazing, hard to find, extremely highly regarded beer… So I didn't order one on principle. Yet it wasn't a hard to find, whale chase, etc. Just an opportunity."​

um. not.

I really dislike sours. But if I was at my watering hole, and they tapped a keg of The Dissident, I would have to at least try it….

 

Based on my opinion of a lot of the newer limited release/one off beers, I am quickly coming to the conclusion "rare" is a synonym for avoid. Of course, I am not a ticker.

 

If something is available to me I don't see it as rare. When I want something I often seem ahead of the curve at my beer store. I always score the amount I want. Then again I'm not some twat with something ridiculous to prove to myself, like buying a case of KBS. Some twats have no sentimentality and must be fat American gluttons over everything

I realize that was not prompted

 

Nope, because most of the rare beers are not styles I enjoy.

 

I hear rare and think expensive and hard to get. Rarely a must try.

 

My answer to the OP would come in the form of a question: Have you had other world-class barrel-aged stouts such as Parabola, The Abyss, BCBS, KBS, Speedway, etc.? If the answer is no, you'd better order that Black Note immediately so you can at least know what a world-class BA stout tastes like. If you've already had one or two of the greats and did not like them, it's probably not for you (especially if you had BCBS and didn't like it). My answer to the title of the thread is a simple "No."

 

ditto.

 

4oz of beer never hurt anyone.

 

Half the "rare" beers I've ever had don't even come close to classic examples of the style easily found on the shelf at any bottle shop. Case in point, Old Rasputin > Dark Lord.

 

Almost any decent RIS > the last couple dark lord vintages!

 

Is Founder's Doom Any good?

 

I am not sure why but I think it'd be awkward if I ordered a beer like black note from you, as a Cicerone, and you were like, " I never tried it, I don't like bourbon barrel aged stouts, but I assume it's good and should pair nicely with 'x'"

i think you missed out, but i also appreciate your beer advocacy.

 

Absolutely not. Rare does not mean excellent.