Beer choices

Sometimes spontaneous, sometimes something I'm thinking about all day. Sometimes its just a matter of the new thing I haven't tried, and sometimes it just depends on what's for dinner. I try to keep lots of different styles in the fridge. Of course, sometimes its a single malt scotch kinda night.

 

I go into the fridge blind folded. It's like Russian Roulette but with Beer.

 

Honestly, I dont keep too much stock of low ABV stuff, I have 2 taps of homebrew on at a time, currently a Peanut Butter Porter and a Winter Warmer, soon to be an Irish Red.

I do keep a lot of seasonal releases at my fingers. Currently Hopslam and Nugget Nectar.

In terms of deciding, I usually get an inkling for something at some point during the day and crack it open when I get home.

 

For me, it's based on what we're having for dinner and whether or not someone is joining us. If we have company then I get out something bigger from the cellar. If it's just me, whatever flavor of the month I picked up a the bottle shop.

 

I keep a couple of kegs on at a time, and one is always a domestic light beer for guests and the wife. So I'll pull from that for a hot tub beer, then usually have something bigger and better later in the evening. Usually it comes down to style and what I feel like - if I'm craving an IPA or a pale then I have a couple of fresh choices, a sour then I have a few more, but if I want a stout then it's a struggle to decide. Last night I brought five out and spent way too long deciding.

 

I usually decide the afternoon before and place them in the kitchen fridge for the next day. Others are kept in the basement chiller.

 

Currently on a huge tropical/citrus IPA kick, most of my choices fit that profile...but the last couple of days have been a little cold (by SC standards), so I may take a trip to the dark side tonight (thinking Founders Breakfast Stout)

 

I usually daydream about what's at home, and if I feel like a surprise/something different hit up a shop on the way home (and maybe grab a pint there depending). Also depends on if there's something in the kegerator though.

I tend to think waaay too much in advance about my beer drinking - like "I might want one of these Backwoods Bastards this week, I should put it in the fridge. I bet that brett saison is gonna be perfect in a month, gotta keep my eye on that..." at the same time that's like portion control to keep me from drinking like 4 Bigfoots in an evening or something

 

Geeky/anal-retentive as it may seem, I usually script out one night of drinking per week, mostly for educational purposes - side-by-sides of vintages, side-by-side of styles, brewery tastings, etc. This usually happens on Saturday evenings. Other times, I kind of fly by the seat of my pants unless I'm celebrating something or decide to pull a a bottle from the cellar.

 

Lately I've been thinking about it beforehand. I know well in advance, particularly if I have some fresh IPAs that I want to consume quickly.

 

I think the day I have determines what I'll drink at night...
Hot summer day?? Ice cold IPA
Too cold out?? Time for Stout
Crummy day?? D-I P-A

 

pretty random for me, although I always go up the scale, abv-wise, if I'm having more than one. I do lean more toward stouts in the winter and kolsch/pales/ipas in the summer, but no hard and fast rules.

 

Its always a game time decision. The real difficult decisions are made at total wine and bevmo

 

is one of those beers poisoned?

 

That's a fun question! I have a substantial cellar, so there are always plenty of choices. My answer is all of the above. Sometimes, I've been craving a particular beer all day (or for an hour or so anyway), or at least a style. Weather plays a part in this, or how hard work has been. If there's a beer that might be nearing the end of it's freshness shelf life, or just one that I've been putting off for too long, that takes priority. (I sometimes find myself acquiring IPAs faster than I drink them and end up going days or weeks without a stout or Belgian because I want to maximize hop freshness). Sometimes, though not often, it has to do with food pairing, though that's more of an influencing factor rather than a deciding one.

 

If i have a shitload, then ill usually drink the hoppy beer first. Then the darker beers. If i feel like im not really into it then ill grab a huge stout and only have one.

 

I usually only plan my beer ahead of time when it's either something special or something hoppy that is getting towards the end of its freshness.

 

A lot of times during the day I'll think about having a particular beer that night, then when I get home I'll go with something different. Whatever I'm in the mood for at that moment.

Sometimes I'll plan on a beer a week or more in advance. Especially the big stuff. I've had 2/13 circled on my calendar as Bourbon County Barleywine night!