Buyer's recommendations--trust, ignore, question

I find it like dating: A hook-up will get you beer, but whether you like it or not doesn’t matter.

If you want a steady daily drinker, you and that buyer will need to clarify those pesky generalizations like “hoppy” or “local.” I travel 200 miles to get Voodoo BRC or 70 miles for BA Mortalis or 10 miles for BA Thin Man. I think they’re all local, but maybe someone else doesn’t. “Hoppy” to me could be anything yellow with an IBU over 30.

Now if you want to marry that buyer, your language is synced and you can be sure that 90%+ of their recommendations are dialed-in, curated to your preferences and things out of your comfort zone that you might try. They’ve offered a lot of advice to a lot of people, but they have your profile memorized.

 

I buy whatever NA beer I've not had before, selection is that small I think my own pondering suffices. I'm that guy not asking for help.

Have fun!

Could ask about where the NA department is though. But if searching for it I could also see what's up in the alcohol department, for education...

 

I would have stopped relying on the guy after he mentioned Golden Road.

I’ll always consider something new if recommended by someone who sounds knowledgeable and sincere. There are a few places at home I can trust for the handful of times I have questions, but for the most part when I research before shopping or traveling, and beyond trying say a draft or single can usually start and stick primarily with breweries I can trust to nail it most every time.

PS - Beachwood is awesome, so appreciative we get an annual drop end of Summer / early Fall! Still have a few cans left and they have held up very well.

 

If person working at store does not know that Founders is national distributed beer, then their recommendations would not hold much water. Not that Founders is bad, but do not think a beer expert would suggest to an out of towner.

 

The guy you talked to has one job, to build a beer section that provides for swift and profitable turnover. His obligations are to his employer and his valuable relationships are with his distributors.

Experiences like that are why I have stopped consulting most store employees unless I have a relationship with them.

I usually have a sense of the breweries in the area I'm in and otherwise I trust my instincts. It's a wild world out there and you can't trust many people to steer you right

 

I used to frequent a liquor store where they had a craft-manager that actually knew craft, and we had similar tastes in beers. We traded a couple of times, he would hold beers back for me, and when he was out the other clerks would refer customers to me. He eventually moved on, their craft selection suffered, and now I shop elsewhere.

I've gotten to know the owners/managers in several stores. I usually shop on my own, but once in a while they point out something they figure I'll like based on my past buys, and I recommend beers for them to try themselves and give them a heads-up on new beer releases I've seen on BA.

 

The three questions I ask most often of the "beer guy" at local retailers:

• "Where is _____?"
• "Why don't you have ____ in stock?"
• "When is _____ coming (back) in?"

Correct answer rate - ~50%?

 

You could just as easily put some Oreos and a cheesecake in a blender with some bourbon and run it through a soda stream and save yourself the 70 mile trip and a decent amount of coin

 

If there is incentive for someone to sell me something, then their opinion is worth less to me than someone without incentive.

When I'm trying to purchase beer in an unfamiliar market, I will ask for a few recommendations, then I'll cross-check those references against Untappd, and browse a few similar brands while in the app. Sometimes I buy something recommended, most of the times I buy nothing recommended.

 

Unless I’m asking for something specific to see if they have it, I usually just look for stuff I haven’t had before and check the reviews on here out to see if it’s worth buying. And honestly if it’s above an 80 I’ll usually try it depending on the price

 

100% ignore, though not in a mean way

I have had friends that are/were buyers around here and they have sales they are forced to push, even if they don't like the beer

 

If I have not done proper due diligence researching a new beer and the experience is "sub-optimal", then I only have myself to blame. We also have to acknowledge that trying something new is a risk, and one we are willing to take. Otherwise, just stick to something you know you like, however boring that might be!

 

I've had this conversation numerous times while traveling. I've had good and less-than-good service many times. And it didn't seem to depend on the store. I've had enthusiastic employees walk me all over Total Wine showing me great local stuff and had small shops with employees who really knew nothing. I think @TheIPAHunter is right - it takes about 10 seconds to realize if they know what they're talking about. I love finding employees who are as excited to show me new beer as I am to try it.

 

I only take friends recommendations. Otherwise it's pretty easy to pull up Untapped or BA and take a look at the reviews and make a decision based on that.

 

Never talk to the NPCs, it just wastes your time.

 

I'm worried that you might have missed your flight