Does anyone find themselves drinking less of the "big national" craft beers?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by cmiller4642, Mar 10, 2019.

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  1. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

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  2. Amendm

    Amendm Pooh-Bah (2,305) Jun 7, 2018 Rhode Island
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    Started with macro IPAs, now I seek smaller local breweries and uncommon styles.
    N.E. is packed full of these.
     
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  3. johnnybgood1999

    johnnybgood1999 Initiate (0) Oct 31, 2008 Virginia

    No. National brands are more consistent and much better priced most of the time in my area. I drink a bunch of Deschutes, Sierra Nevada, Great Divide, Evil Twin, Founders, Bell's, Schlafly, Boulevard. They make up about 90% of what I drink. Not sure where Evil Twin, Schlafly and companies like Great Divide rank in the discussion of big nationals, but they're definitely not local and are big breweries I've depended on a long time.

    I do drink some state brewed beers from Virginia. I love Alewerks and Adroit Theory is pretty damn good. Adroit Theory has a problem with pricing and I usually feel I paid too much for their beer, which, like many other "local" breweries, is a common problem.
     
  4. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I do too. (My usual description : Is a one-horse town. Oh, of course, there's more horses, but there's no room. : they have to take turns coming to town. :rolling_eyes::stuck_out_tongue:)
    But..... as of late October '17, we have a brewery, Beer Tree Brew Co.[spinoff of Willet Hop & Grain], that has constantly upped their game, so that's my 1st choice now . Still, I'll grab a 6pk of S.Tier IPA or 2XIPA or seasonal, if I see it at the gas station next door, very fresh.

    I got that quite fresh (8days?) & had a worse opinion of it.(3.25-ish) Thought their regular Pils much better. Tried 1 a week later, & it was slightly better. Set the other 4 aside. Wayyyyyyyy better after 6-8 weeks. Actually like it. Upped my rating to 3.89. :sunglasses:

    Given Beer Tree,Galaxy, The Farmhouse, Water Street, & the North, I probably drink 70+% local.(Not all of it makes it here to BA, btw.) . Then there's Equilibrium, Industrial Arts, Graft Cider, Jacks Abby, Upstate, etc regional brews. The national "craft" brands? Depends on how you count it. Most of the rest, besides the aforementioned, are Brewery Ommegang (~1 hr away) , S. Tier, Founders, Ithaca, Sierra Nevada, & Unibroue. Maybe the occasional Westbrook, Boulevard & Evil Twin, & NYC area breweries,(mostly) on-tap, via growler. (Barrier,Singlecut,Radiant Pig,Threes, etc)

    All-in-all, its a matter of what I can find fresh, that will (probably) max out the Enjoyment/$ ratio. :slight_smile:
     
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  5. Mcooly

    Mcooly Zealot (646) Feb 19, 2011 New Jersey
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    I live in South Jersey but am very close to the Philadelphia Area so I feel that I now drink 70-80% local beers. There is a lot of good beer being produced in NJ/PA and I also love supporting the local breweries. On the other hand I still try to support the bigger breweries as well because without them I probably wouldn't have so many options available in my area.
     
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  6. bleakies

    bleakies Maven (1,319) Apr 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    I've been in a several-months-long groove of always having Sierra Nevada wares in my fridge, first the Northern Hemisphere Harvest and then the Celebration and the Resilience, and right now I'm enjoying a Hop Bullet. I've probably spent more on Sierra Nevada in the past few months than I had in the preceding couple of years. All hail this sterling national brand.

    Otherwise I drink loads of locals and regionals. Out-of-state and international brew comprises perhaps 25-30% of my beer spending.
     
  7. BalancingBrooms

    BalancingBrooms Pooh-Bah (2,800) Aug 22, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Kind of a mix. Down here in NOLA the local beer scene has been picking up quite a bit, so theres an influx of good beer from the bigger craft breweries, smaller but far away, and local alike. Its been nice to pick up beers that i used to get all the time when i lived in the midwest. For example Bells recently made its way down here in the last year or so? So its really a mix, trying new beers in town from the locals when i go out and picking up my old favorites from the grocery store.
     
  8. JA_26

    JA_26 Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2019 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    I've been buying a lot more locals the past few months, mainly just because I want to try more places/beers in the SE PA region that my friends (and folks here on BA) recommend. But I still get 12-packs (or 15-packs in Founders case) of Sierra Nevada, Bells, Stone and Founders on a pretty regular basis. The national or super-regional brewers are certainly much easier on the wallet than the $16-$20+ per four-pack that even the mediocre local breweries seem to be charging these days.
     
  9. DVMin98

    DVMin98 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,501) Nov 1, 2010 North Carolina
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm all over the place. Im in several clubs so I have lots of West Coast (Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey) and East Coast (Hardywood, Plan Bee) stuff. Also, living in NC at the SC border, I have double distro, so I have access to a lot of great breweries that I used to have to trade for.

    I don't drink as much local stuff, minus Triple C and Heist, but I should.
     
  10. BayAreaJoe

    BayAreaJoe Pooh-Bah (1,650) Nov 23, 2017 California
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  11. jhavs

    jhavs Grand Pooh-Bah (3,551) Apr 16, 2015 New York
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    I can't remember the last time I bought a beer from one of the big nationals. I get some of them sent to me once in a while and drink those. Also, at parties where beer is provided I drink stuff like Founders, Sierra Nevada.
    The beer I buy is typically from local and localish breweries.
     
  12. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I do, but mainly just because there is a fresher local equivalent to most everything these days. CO. just got Founders, Bells, and Brooklyn distro so I have been guilty of buying stuff from those just because they're newer.
    Whenever I buy something from one of the larger craft breweries, it's usually one located close by and with a particular style niche. New Belgium being a prime example.
     
  13. jayrutgers

    jayrutgers Zealot (699) Oct 29, 2011 New Jersey

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  14. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,176) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Most of the commercial beer I drink is from the WI. My fridge has New Glarus and Lakefront in it. However, one of the local bars recently brought in Sierra Nevada Resilience, and it is difficult for me to resist old school hops, amberish hues, and a good cause.
     
  15. HorseheadsHophead

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

    A little less, but not much less. I drink more NY beers than I used to.
    But, on the contrary, I've actually gone back to more drinking more national craft brands. I've had so many badly brewed and overpriced microbrewery beers that it actually drove me back to buying Founders, Bell's, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, etc., more.
     
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  16. WoodsSpecial

    WoodsSpecial Initiate (0) Mar 19, 2018 Maine

    99% local. I don’t mind paying a little extra to get freshness and supporting the local economy. Not to mention it’s usually better to.
     
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  17. SpruceFish

    SpruceFish Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2009 Washington

    Living in the PNW, we have some amazing beer to choose from. So I'd say 75% for the beer I drink comes from my State or the adjacent (WA and OR). The rest is made up various beer I have traded for or interesting imports.
     
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  18. Riff

    Riff Initiate (0) May 12, 2016 Virginia

    There's usually something from Sierra Nevada in my fridge. Beyond that, there's a couple of local breweries I regularly purchase from, and whatever caught my eye to try out.
     
  19. Lazhal

    Lazhal Pooh-Bah (1,866) Mar 13, 2011 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I certainly do, but most of it has to do with freshness.

    I was considering a 6 pack of Grapefruit Sculpin the other day until I turned a can over and saw it was canned summer 2018.

    Finding a fresh 6 pack of a quality national craft IPA is getting harder to find than a nice BA stout.
     
  20. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    Exactly. It’s hard finding fresh Cali Ipas here too, most are 6 months old plus, a few are past the buy date. These are great beers fresh, FW Luponic, and Union Jack, but they’re always 8 months old. I usually stick to Buriel and save myself the hassle, and they make great beers.
     
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