Poll: Drinking alone at public drinking establishments

Before I retired I rarely went to a drinking establishment alone. But now that I'm retired, I would say about 33% of the time I stop in for a beer by my lonesome.

 

I drink 99% of my beers at home, with my family, but they rarely drink. When I do go out for a beer, it's usually to have a specific beer only available on tap, so I'm usually alone.

 

It has never once made sense to me that someone can't go enjoy a beer, dinner, movie, coffee, cigar, etc. without the company of others. I'm introverted, and I'd still gladly (and do gladly) get a beer or two on my own, just as I'd be happy to go get a beer with a family member or friend(s).

Voted 60-80%. Nearly all of my local brewery or beer event visits are solo (GF doesn't like beer, and none of my close friends are into craft beer.) And since I tend to travel alone for work, most of my visits during travel are solo too.

 

My work trips have pretty much dried up, but my solo dinner and beer time was some of my favorites of the whole trips. Even on the rare occasion I did travel with a group, I would occasionally split off to have a solo beer. In fact, those split off nights led me to some great things - Cloudburst Anniversary party, visiting Wren House, a long conversation with a bartender who ended up pouring me several bottles of beers not typically available, and stumbling into a brewery with both a fresh hop IPA and a barleywine on tap (thank gosh the hotel was close enough to walk back.)

I always found those solo meals and beers to be a great time to decompress from site work, bask in the AC, and potentially engage in conversation with randos, should the right conversation pop up. But otherwise, I was just happy to be out, enjoying a beer.

 

I picked 20-40%, might be higher some weeks.

I'm an extrovert through and through. I have no issue striking up a conversation with people, or just sitting there alone enjoying my beer in silence.

Phones make this easier too. I can read articles, hang out on Beeradvocate, maybe scout out my next spot to hang.

I even went to the Sam Adams 40th Anniversary festival alone a couple weeks ago. Had a blast. Most of the time was me alone enjoying the atmosphere and beers. Some of the time was chatting with random people who worked there or some brewery owners/brewmasters I knew.

 

I do it from time to time (less than 20%, but definitely not 0%). Honestly, I wish more people would drink alone at bars and meet some strangers. We need more opportunities to connect with folks outside of our little customizable lives. I guarantee if I shared a beer with someone who had very different political positions than I, we'd still walk away on good terms. It's very easy to hate people when you hear about what they think or what they did. Much harder to hate them when you're sitting next to them at a bar and hearing their perspectives and experiences.

 

Great question!

For our first few years here in Portland, it was close to 100%, because we had young kids and my time was limited. A trip to Upright to enjoy the quiet was great followed by a stop at Beermongers for beers to take home was the usual routine. Since them, I've had some friends move within 15 minutes of home, so I usually find myself at one of their houses, and if not, we're at one of bars in town together.

I used to enjoy going out solo at a more relaxed/unhurried pace (prior to kids) where I was comfortable either alone at the bar, or talking to random people. I miss that, specifically the chance to talk to someone outside my circle. I fondly recall a session at Dynamo in Brussels where a UN worker, a banker, a communist and I got into a long discussion. Maybe if we still have a functional society when I retire, I'll get to do more of this.

@Orca , but that said, I hear you - I generally avoid popping in for a beer when driving my daughter around. I don't want to normalize drinking and driving to a tween, even though I did that on occasion when she was a lot younger.

 

Alone, with my wife, or with friends, doesn’t matter, it’s ‘Hey Siri,.,. breweries near me’.
Drink beer, think beer.

 

Great thread. I'm really the only person in my household that likes trying new beers or breweries, so if I want to check a new brewery out, it tends to be easier to go alone. I'm also an introvert, so I have no problem drinking solo.

We are going on vacation to Oahu in May, and I've already mapped out 3 breweries within walking distance of the hotel. I'm sure I will be hitting those up solo.

Sometimes it's fun enjoying a beer and contemplating life for a little while.

 

I will stop at a brewery that does not distribute retail that much from time to time usually on a weekday after work by myself. The other instance would be a tavern that had a tap takeover or special tapping, sometimes the next day niot so crowded with several choices still on.

 

I do most of my drinking alone. I work a goofy schedule that does not include weekends off so most of my free time is middle of the day during middle of the week while others are at work. My girlfriend also lives over an hour away, and while we will go out and have a drink occasionally, she is not a big drinker and doesn't care much for bar culture, which leaves me to do my brewery exploring on my own.

 

In my local area - basically never. But a few times on travel I have ventured out solo for a beer, but that has been pretty rare.

 

I read "drinking alone" as that. Not getting involved with the surrounding humanity. Keeping interactions to the absolute minimum.

 

When I travel for work, I go visit breweries alone. Locally my BBB and wife often join me.

 

I'm in the 0-20% range.

If I happen to stop at a brewery to grab a 6 pack of a beer that they don't distribute, I might stay for a bit and have a beer.

This is rare though, because usually the mrs. goes with me.

 

That's a reasonable read

 

Funny enough, I got used to drinking alone at bars/breweries from writing beer reviews on this site with my phone. Now, even though I stopped reviewing, I travel for work. So I put 60-80% as my answer. Try to tell me I shouldn't go to the hot brewery(s) in whatever new area I travel to for work without companionship and I'll tell you to GTFO of my way. Lol. Also, it's fun to chat up either the bartender or or other people at the bar. I've even started bringing whatever book I'm reading with me.