Priming the pump?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Brutaltruth, Jul 4, 2017.

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  1. jageraholic

    jageraholic Pooh-Bah (1,632) Sep 16, 2009 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    The only time I designate an order is if I think drinking one beer will greatly influence and kill my palate for the next beer. For instance I don't like drinking pilsners after drinking hop heavy IPAs.
     
  2. HoppingMadMonk

    HoppingMadMonk Grand Pooh-Bah (5,208) Mar 3, 2017 New Jersey
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'll start out the evening usually with something with low abv. It's due to still being busy,cooking,walking the dog and other things. When I can actually sit down with nothing to do I'll pull out the higher abv which coincidentally are usually my favorites
     
  3. Immortale25

    Immortale25 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,775) May 13, 2011 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Lately I've been going IPA->Sour->Stout. If I have lighter beers on hand, I'll start with them. ABV is also a factor but I usually look at flavor intensity of the style.
     
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  4. readyski

    readyski Pooh-Bah (1,557) Jun 4, 2005 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I know I'm going to have more than one, I like to follow the old proverb
    "Hard to light party all night, light to hard puke in the yard"
    So I start with a strong one.
     
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  5. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,552) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I agree with your point and I admit to priming the pump. I usually try to make my first beer < 6%. I have found when I start with a larger beer the effect is immediate, and not usually what I am going after. So not sure if this is mental, but I save the high ABV's for later in the night (or until I get home if I am driving)
     
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  6. beerluvr

    beerluvr Pooh-Bah (1,900) Jan 2, 2001 Canada (ON)
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I'm having a variety of beers I try to stick to tasting them in ascending ABV but will occasionally say "fk it!" and go with what strikes my fancy at the moment.
     
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  7. JFresh21

    JFresh21 Savant (1,036) Mar 6, 2012 Illinois
    Trader

    With pale ales and IPA's, yes. It's very tough to taste a pale ale after drinking a DIPA.
     
  8. Squire

    Squire Grand Pooh-Bah (4,385) Jul 16, 2015 Mississippi
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    And here I was going happily along without direction and you guys had to put this pattern idea in my head.
     
  9. thebeers

    thebeers Grand Pooh-Bah (5,837) Sep 10, 2014 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I know I'm having a couple/few beers in one sitting, I generally save what I expect will be the bigger flavors for the later rounds. Pilsners before BBA Barleywines -- that sort of thing. Wouldn't necessarily call it priming tho.
     
  10. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    Not as "strict" about this when at home, but when I'm out I definitely look and the beer menu and pretty quickly determine an order. Usually starts with a lager then into a couple IPAs then a stout or sour or something out of the ordinary like a rauchbier.
     
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  11. Tdizzle

    Tdizzle Initiate (0) Dec 19, 2006 California

    I absolutely do this. I start from low ABV and low hop bitterness and move to high ABV and/or high hop bitterness. The only instance in which I don't do this is if I'm participating in a bottle share in which there is something REALLY special that I or someone else wants to share, then we start with that beer in order to fully appreciate it before our palates get dull.
     
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  12. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Completely random for myself as well depending on what I'm in the mood for. If it's a special beer, it will usually be first and on a clean pallet.
     
  13. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I think this can be problematic as I find "first beer bias" to be a real thing, in that my first beer of the session almost always tastes better than it should because it is my first beer.
     
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  14. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I don't think this is a thing unless you are either drinking the same beer in multiples (1st is always the tastiest) or you are drinking too many beers in a session and your desire for beer begins to fall off towards the end.
     
  15. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I think it's just because I'm so damned excited to drink that first beer. :slight_smile:
     
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  16. LeRose

    LeRose Grand Pooh-Bah (4,423) Nov 24, 2011 Massachusetts
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'm usually a one and done type (translation: lightweight), so there's no pattern in particular beyond what I feel like having. On the rare times when I'm "having more than one" (OK - bonus points for old ad slogan recognition available there...), I actually tend to stay with one beer throughout, maybe follow up with a "heavy hitter" sitting around later. Exception would be hotel beers while travelling where I generally miscalculate and end up with more beer than I need and end up just going through them one after t'other...bored in a hotel room is not a good thing for me :flushed:
     
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  17. kool-aid

    kool-aid Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2017 Vermont

    Since I keep cans of Polar seltzer in the fridge by the beer cans, I could definitely surprise and maybe slightly disappoint myself with this approach.
     
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  18. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,701) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    Once this becomes obvious, that beer consumption needs to sort of be planned, you'll be doubting yourself for good. It's an ugly spiral of orderliness. Even so, If I drink higher alcohol beers it's almost always later and after a while of already having had a few...............He cracks his second Duvel of the afternoon.....Nah.
     
    #38 rgordon, Jul 5, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2017
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  19. Urk1127

    Urk1127 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,790) Jul 2, 2014 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I start with beers new to me. Usually 2. After that I drink my current stash because I can't accurately think about a beer at that quantity. I'm a fast drinking. I'll down 3 I'm 15 minutes so I need to do it this way.
     
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  20. Jay_P22

    Jay_P22 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Virginia

    Not really. But I do start with beers that build upon each other so I don't kill my taste buds. Example, I wouldn't start with an dipa and roll into a pale ale.
     
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