Beer and Getting Older

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by 19etz55, May 14, 2016.

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As I've gotten older my beer drinking habits have .....

Poll closed Jan 14, 2017.
  1. Changed a lot

    54.7%
  2. Changed a little

    36.8%
  3. Not changed at all

    4.7%
  4. Not sure / Don't think about it

    3.7%
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  1. TonyLema1

    TonyLema1 Initiate (0) Nov 19, 2008 South Carolina

    Changed a lot...I'm 52 now, in my 20s. 30s and early 40s, I was a very heavy drinker...not just beer, but vodka and whiskey. Now 90% of my drinking is craft beer, very rarely will I imbibe in other spirits, and I really don't get drunk anymore. And I do the majority of my drinking at home
     
  2. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Pooh-Bah (1,999) Mar 19, 2012 California
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Changed a lot. I'm 52 and went through phases similar to most of you. There were the college and single day's of my 20s where the primary focus was getting drunk. Drinking was mostly on weekends and occasionally during the week and consisted primarily of beer or hard liquor (vodka or rum). In my late 20s, I did transition from drinking only American and Canadian beers to mostly imports and micro beers.

    When I got married and started a family, I didn't stop drinking, but I stopped getting drunk and only drank beer/wine on weekends. It's no fun having a hangover with young kids.

    The latest and current phase started about five years ago when I jumped onto the craft beer bandwagon. Being older and with money, I could justify spending the money on craft beer. I have increased my drinking to one night a week on the weekdays, but still limit my drinking to 2-3 pints per sitting. I still drink wine or have a cocktail occasionally, but it's pretty much craft beer. I'm proud to say that I haven't had a Bud, Miller, Coors product this century.
     
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  3. gmoneyproductions

    gmoneyproductions Initiate (0) Aug 12, 2015 Colorado

    to use woodchippers format:
    15-22 "drink for the waste not for the taste" we drank the cheapest shit available, hams, colt 45, rheingold, schlitz, milwaukees best, meister brau, black label, red white and blue mostly consumed via beer funnel or shotgun....i'm glad i am too old to have experienced 4loko or i'd probably be dead
    23-30 a lot of "macro craft beer" red hook esb, pete's wicked ale, new belgium, sam adams
    30-42 finally earning enough money to delve deeper into craft beers lots of ipa's the hoppier the better, craft beer selection at local bars and taprooms and brew pub choices expanding rapidly as is my beer belly and my drinking habits
    42-44 drinking hiatus wife threatens divorce, been there and done that once before, dont want to go there again....straight up no drinking for 3 years(absolutely miserable btw....if not for mtn biking i would have killed myself)
    45-present (i am almost 47) back in the drinking game with a little more restraint but stepping up the quality game got a beer fridge(wife watches nervously) joined BA found double and triple ipa's, hop addiction deepens, number of craft beers, taprooms and handles explodes since i last drank, choices almost overwhelming but i think i am up to the challenge....
     
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  4. HuskyHawk

    HuskyHawk Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2014 Massachusetts

    I'm really surprised at how late so many people came to craft beer. I thought was late because I didn't like Sam Adams lager the year it came out, and instead was drinking it a couple of years later along with Pete's Wicked and other "microbrews" as we called them then. I had more or less phased out AAL entirely by the time I went to law school in 1991 (never drank it if there was another option).

    I began to love wine when I moved to NoCal in 1996. But I never stopped drinking craft beer.

    As I close in on 50, I can't drink beer as often, or as much of it. Mostly that's just about calories, and a sedentary office job all week long. Current rule is weekends only, unless I'm grilling, then I'll make an exception.
     
  5. Crim122

    Crim122 Initiate (0) Aug 4, 2014 North Carolina

    Only 27. Drank IPA's exclusively for a few years. Then I started getting bored and printed out the "Beers of Fame" list and disvered I fucking LOVE russian imperial stouts. So going for stouts has been the biggest change.
     
  6. ceanderson

    ceanderson Initiate (0) May 9, 2009 Minnesota

    21 - 26 BMC and wayyy too much! (unlike most of you lawbreakers, didn't have my first beer till 21 ;-)
    27 - 40 Sam Adams devotee. Better consumption control, better quality
    40 - 50+ Anything from the 25 breweries near where I live, and back to wayyy too much.
     
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  7. Mongrel

    Mongrel Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2013 Maryland

    I more or less abide by the same rule. What's funny is that, in college (about ten years ago) my rule was not to crack a beer after 1 am, haha
     
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  8. sybian

    sybian Initiate (0) Aug 30, 2010 New Jersey


    This is really similar to me, except I am clinging to my final weeks of being 30-something. When graduating from college, I realized I didn't go a single week without getting wasted. Mostly beer and shots of cheap crap. I graduated college as the large "microbrews" boom started; Sam Adams was already huge, but SN, Redhook and the like were becoming bigger and I sought out new beers. It got to the point where there was very rarely something new to try, and I went through several years of delving into wine. I was very into wine, but occasionally went through mini beer and liquor phases.

    About 5 years ago, I went back to beer and a deeper delve into scotch. Now, I have so many beers in my cellar, I rarely drink scotch, as I am trying to reduce my stash. Whenever I see anything new or interesting, I have to buy it.
     
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  9. jzeilinger

    jzeilinger Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,213) Dec 4, 2004 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Age 52 and my habit has changed probably for the worst. I find myself hoarding and cellaring more than I used to in the past but on the good side, I'm much more passionate about craft beer now than I ever was in the past. As far as daily consumption, that has changed also; the older I get the more I can pack away. My liquid consumption is usually beer, Mountain Dew, or water. Not good for my liver which is why I am drinking more water than ever before too! :grimacing: Preferences haven't changed much, I just want to enjoy a good beer with a lot of flavor, thank goodness brewers are starting to pack more flavor in lower ABV brews, that's helping me get away from so many of the bigger beers with more ABV and calories (a little bit).
     
  10. 19etz55

    19etz55 Savant (1,212) Aug 12, 2007 New Jersey
    Trader

    "DFTWNFTT" is a NEW one to me although I can relate to that statement 40 years ago!
     
  11. BFCarr

    BFCarr Pooh-Bah (2,164) Feb 13, 2012 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Started drinking about the start of craft beer. A group of friends started regularly trying the "new" beers. Looking back, brews I wasn't so fond of (style wise) now rank among my favorites.

    Tastes change, I'm glad to have the variety available to test my limits.
     
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  12. Scott17Taylor

    Scott17Taylor Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2013 Iowa
    Trader

    15-18 icehouse, Busch light, pbr, and any other cheap aal with. The occasional boulevard or Sierra Nevada beer.
    19-21 mostly cheap craft, but still quite a bit of the cheap stuff.
    Now, still early 20s, deeper into craft beer, still drink a lot of the cheaper stuff but can afford a nice bomber from time to time.
     
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  13. Junior

    Junior Pooh-Bah (1,859) May 23, 2015 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    In college I drank the cheap stuff and lots of it, Old Milwaukee, Busch Light, Natural Light. After graduation and finding a job I moved onto the good stuff; Michelob Light, Guiness, Sam Adams. Granted this was 20 years ago and craft wasn't that big. Not to me at least. As I got older I found myself drinking less and less, once every week or two. Mostly because I didn't like the beer i was drinking. Then I got into craft. Now I like to try something new (or something old and good) 3-5 times per week.
     
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  14. Iluvink

    Iluvink Initiate (0) Aug 21, 2008 Texas

    At 52, I find my waistline dictates more than my worry of a hangover does. Drink better beers, just less often, and fewer at a sitting.
     
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  15. brewskifan55

    brewskifan55 Initiate (0) May 17, 2011 Mississippi

    My wife and I were Killian's Red fans for years...until craft started adding to and changing the world of beer. Since joining BA five years ago and learning about so many styles, it's opened my eyes and taste buds to what I like and wouldn't mind experimenting with. Now at 61, I partake in bottle shares, a homebrew club, impromptu tastings, brewery tours (I even give tours at my local brewery), beer-cations and festivals (either attending or pouring for) and a back porch sunset sip with the wife. Life tastes good, and beer is a big part of that. Cheers!
     
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  16. PUbeer

    PUbeer Initiate (0) Aug 21, 2006 Indiana

    At 36 I tend to drink a lot of APA's and IPA's. Like most others I started drinking cheap light beers just to get drunk when I was younger. Then when I was about 24 I got in to home brewing and was interested in mostly very malty German and Belgian style beers (Duvel used to be a favorite). These days I love the hoppy stuff and drink 3 Floyds beers almost everyday.
     
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  17. HorseheadsHophead

    HorseheadsHophead Grand Pooh-Bah (3,708) Sep 15, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    It seems crazy that some of you didn't start drinking better beer until you were in your 60s. Awesome, though. It's never too late to start drinking better beer.
     
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  18. neenerzig

    neenerzig Pooh-Bah (2,851) Feb 15, 2006 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Started with craft beer right when I turned 21. Hell even before I turned 21 I knew there was good beer out there and had sampled some. I'm 33 now. If anything I really respect and love craft beer even more now than I did in my early and mid 20s in part because I am so much more knowledgeable now about beer and many aspects of how and why different beers are the ways they are, etc. than I was 10 years ago.

    Eric
     
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  19. connecticutpoet

    connecticutpoet Pooh-Bah (2,518) Jun 10, 2004 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I'm 50 now, and I've gone through several changes. In college I started by drinking large quantities of cheap crap, but then Sam Adams came out and I switched to that (and better imports). Spent several years drinking quite a bit of craft, then my drinking buddy got involved with someone who didn't drink and I cut back a lot. Then I picked up again when I was getting ready to go through a divorce. After I got my freedom I cut back a lot again. Recently I have picked up a little... drinking usually three to five beers a week, but all different. I also found a beer store nearby that has a "rare beer" night. Tried 9 new ones in one night including Black Tuesday and Jai Alai. You could say I'm on a "try new things" kick. Let me also state for the record that my second wife is very tolerant (and NOT currently reading over my shoulder).
     
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  20. connecticutpoet

    connecticutpoet Pooh-Bah (2,518) Jun 10, 2004 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Nothing wrong with a visual record, I do it too :grinning:
     
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