How often are you trying something new?

My habits are similar, but not because of NBS*. I have a mental list of year-round and seasonal "go to" beers that I'll pick from based on my mood, seasonal availability, and beer freshness. My ticking itch gets scratched by being in the Rare Beer of the Month Club and when I go out to bars (~1 per week) I'll usually get drafts of new to me beers.

I think ticking is a phase we all go through that early on in a beer-geek's journey exponentially expands our tastes and understanding of beer, but there is a point of diminishing returns. I reached a point where drinking a new beer was simply a mental exercise of placing the beer into a box of other similar tasting beers I had before; it was collecting, not learning. Meanwhile I was not returning to great beers I had tried previously for the sake of collecting another mostly empty tick.

* - I would participate in NBS, but my Sundays are usually filled with yard/house work, family commitments, and "boring" beer.

 

I have an advantage in that my favorite local brewery where I do most of my drinking constantly does new beers. In the past week, they have put out 3 brand new beers plus a wet hopped version of one of their IPAs plus an imperial version of one of their regular IPAs. They are doing a stout event in a week an a half and will have two brand new stouts on tap, two brand new barrel aged bottles, and two cask beers. Plus they host a weekly bottle share. I get my ticks in there.

I don't buy a whole lot of new bottled beers any more. Most of my home drinking is canned NE IPAs or cellared stouts and Belgians, most of which I have had before.

 

I have been an inveterate new beer seeker for just under 50 years. As a younger guy I was always on the alert for new beers, particularly imports. There was an old curb market on Battleground Ave called Al's (Al Freiberg) that was owned by an older German who always had whatever was newly available. Of course he had a decent selection of German beers (60s-early 70s), but I first encountered Bass Ale, Guinness, Watney's Red Barrel, Danish Tuborg and Carlsberg, and others through time- Al died in the late 70s. In the late 60s and early 70s in Richmond Lowenbrau draft at Lums was wonderful. I can still taste that beer from those days. We also discovered Ringnes, a very cheap and damned good Norwegian beer, available at a market near The University of Richmond. We always bought all that they had. Fast forward into a beer career and the utterly endless option of new beers today. I have always been involved in bringing new beer choices to people, but there is no way to keep up with the pace of new beers these days. But I keep trying.

 

For the last 1 1/2 years (since I retired) I'm averaging over 90 distinct beer a month, or roughly 3+ a day. Keep in mind this includes sample pours/flights when the boss lets me check out new breweries as we travel. Cheers!

 

Pretty much a new beer every night with dinner and more on weekends. Luckily there is enough options nearby to keep things interesting.

 

I usually try 2 or 3 new beers a week. Whether it be stuff from trading or new stuff getting distributed here in town.

 

Lately, a typical week for me has been almost all new beers with the exception of a few that I've had before. A couple good stores recently opened up near me with large single sections, so I've been able to try a lot more beers without having to buy the whole pack. Cheers to that.

 

I assume you mean new to me, not new to the beer scene...if that's the case, I'd say 2 times a week I'll have something for the first time...love the singles aisle

 

Almost every single day. I only buy bombers and singles. But ive recently been rebuying beers ive enjoyed. So 95% of what i drink is new for me.

And its actually part of my job. if i dont drink the new beers i cant tell people what they are like and i am given free samples sometimes too and stuff to take home.

 

I am drinking new as much as I can. I always enjoy a solid favorite but there is so much beer out there to try that my aim currently is exploring them all and enjoying the experience of hunting for the new ones. I love coming across an item I never knew was out there and finding out it is amazing, makes it pretty fun overall.

 

All the time. I used to do it because I was a ticker, so I stopped trying to drink new stuff as much as possible. I thought ticking was kind of making me enjoy beer less, so I tried to not be as much of a ticker as often.

Then I moved to Michigan and there's just so much great beer available everywhere that I can't help but try something new pretty much whenever I go out.

 

The question has just convinced me to look up some stats. My average is apparently a beer a day with around a ~30% new beer percentage. I low balled the new beer percentage a bit since I don't check in every beer I drink. It also fluctuates, depend on format, variety packs, seasonal releases, if I'm making it to a brewery and ordering flights, that sort of thing.

 

In excess of 99% of the time. For example, this year I believe there's been one beer I intentionally had again based on enjoyment, and two or three I mistakenly re-ticked.

 

Almost daily. I'm an avid ticker and not ashamed of it at all. I will buy some seasonal stuff over again, like the Founders Breakfast Stout I'm drinking now, or new vintages of cellar staples like Imp Stouts and Barleywines for verticals. With all of the variety out there I really find it hard to stick with the same pool of beers.

 

Nearly every time. Only have a handful that I go back to. Too many choices to limit yourself.

 

I have my standards I have on hand...But I like to try new beers when ever I can and available...Some of those new beers make rotation and if they are limited I buy an excess so I have them on hand....Love trying new stuff...Love drinking my go too...

 

I try to get one or two new beers every weekend.