How important is the "buzz"?

One thing I always enjoy about the periodic discussions of this topic is the number of people who in other contexts argue that taste is subjective and we should drink what we like but then on this topic argue that everybody drinks for the buzz and if some don't recognize/admit that they are lying to themselves and us.

 

Most nights I drink one beer under 6% . Other nights I have 6 or 7. Sometimes I want a little buzz, but higher ABV is never part of my criterion in selection. Then there are days when life gets you down, like when a loved one dies, and then I drink until my pants scream

 

couldn't agree more

yea I was having trouble finding sodapopadvocate.com or n/abeeradvocate.com

 

Alcohol is part of "the taste" that we love so much. And articles about naked women are far more interesting than basically anything else.

 

So you think that soda tastes better than beer then? Maybe Smirnoff Ice is a better option for you? I don't mean that as a jab, but that seems closer in flavor profile to a soda than most beers.

 

This has been my philosophy so far in the craft game. Drink great beers til buzzed/drunk. Eat some good food. Start rotation again. Been working pretty, pretty, pretty good.

 

Full Disclosure: I enjoy the buzz and the taste. But I'd rather have one (or two at the most) +10% ABV beers than several "sessionable" beers.

 

I directed it at "people who say taste is primary". But I think even the people playing the buzz card would still feel the same way - they're just focusing on that aspect in this thread (if they really don't care about flavour, then they've chosen a fairly expensive way of getting drunk)

 

I'm 23, I like to get buzzed and drunk. But I do really enjoy the taste of good beer which is why I've been drinking a lot of lower ABV beers recently so I can enjoy the flavor longer.

By the way I only drink enough to get a really good buzz or drunk on the weekends, I don't really drink during the week.

 

I think I get what you are saying....I suppose at the end of the day for me I would still drink these quality beers if it were impossible to get buzzed or drunk off them, however if I could get those effects and they had bad or no flavor I would not. I do understand your point about the reality of flavors and being reliant upon the alcohol and ABV and I think it is correct.

 

I guess I'm lying then.

 

I guess I can't know for certain since versions that taste the same without those ingredients don't really exist (I'm one of those single-origin-only coffee drinkers, and decaf versions of good coffee beans are almost invariably blends). I'm also definitely not saying that I dislike the buzz from either. I just love the taste if these beverages so much that I believe I'd still drink them regardless if the buzz was there or not.

 

I love good beer and a good buzz. Nothing mutually exclusive about the two.

Several years ago when I had my craft beer "epiphany", a big part of the equation was the realization that I could drink one or two quality 8% abv brews (that I actually enjoyed) and get the same buzz as a six pack of an AAL, without the bloating.

 

I guess I'm not quite understanding how your last point doesn't translate into saying that sometimes the social experience is primary. Seems to me the whole point of true session beers (on cask or otherwise) is to allow for the primacy of the social experience. When in the UK, the whole point of joining my mates for a Sunday afternoon at the neighborhood pub is the primacy of the social experience. So your longing for more 4% and under ABV beers (where most folks process the alcohol out of their body before the buzz really starts) seems pretty much the same idea as saying taste is primary. (But substituting "social experience" for "taste.")

 

And I came in here thinking this was a question about hype. I do enjoy the buzz but that is not the sole reason I enjoy drinking beer. If it was I could accomplish my goal so much cheaper. It's just that little treat that comes with enjoying a well made beverage.

There's been times where I wish the buzz had been less so I could keep drinking amazing beers, like at a beer fest or night out with other beer folks. There's also been times I wish it had been more, like when drinking to get drunk in NOLA was not something I could accomplish on Abita alone.

However, I think buzz most definitely plays a role for a great majority of beer drinkers otherwise there's be a booming "craft" soda market looking to take down Coke and Pepsi's spots and Cola Advocates hating on Fanta as "crafty". Unless this is happening and I'm just not in the know...

 

If I didn't want a buzz, I'd drink soda. A buzz is a huge part of the package, which is actually why beer is such an amazing creation. Makes me feel good AND tastes delicious? No wonder why we're all so insane for beer.

 

Did I say anywhere that I disagreed with putting taste first? I was just saying (in the first part) that the people simply stating that taste is important, on a website dedicated to the discussion and reviews of good beer, is hardly earth-shattering.

As for the part about my desire for more low ABV beers really being a disguised way of me saying taste is primary (i.e. I'm being hypocritical) - I think you're making connections that aren't there. The reason for wanting them, is so that I can spend an extended time in the pub with my friends and remain standing.

 

In the context of discussion of buzz vs taste being primary your first comment ridicules taste, not both.

I didn't say you were disguising saying taste is primary. I said you proposed social experience is sometimes primary and so I was pointing out that that was equivalent to saying taste is primary but subtitling social experience for taste. NNo disguise intended. Apologies for confusion.

 

Am I in the minority here when i say that I think soda just does not taste that good?? I much prefer the earthy hoppiness from a good IPA or even better, the beautiful contract of smoke and sweetness you get from a good barrel aged stout, add that to the oak flavor and maltiness and the sheer depth of flavor is extraordinary. Soda flavors are very one-dimensional and in your face, and the sugary syrup taste is just not on the same level as the complexity that can be derived form a good beer. The alcohol of course adds a ton of the flavor too, but I like it for the flavor it brings to the package...or the mouthfeel or even the warmth.

I guess I just am astounded at how many people are comparing the flavors of soda to beer......am I alone here?