Poll: Drinking alone at public drinking establishments

I don’t get the chance to do it often however when I do these days, I don’t mind going by myself. Case in point, I’m at Treehouse currently, it’s my birthday and I took the day off work to get some yard work done and to enjoy myself. Went alone however quickly found some people and we found a current situation funny and had a good time. My job requires me to talk and get to know strangers on a daily basis so it’s not foreign but it’s enjoyable. There are days I like being around people and there’s days I enjoy being alone, but around people.

 

About 90% of my beer drinking at bars/taprooms etc is done alone. Pretty much none of my friends or family members have any interest in beer, much less good beer.

On rare occasions I'll go out to a bar with a workmate and have a couple, but since I really have to watch my pennies these days I do most of my beer drinking at home.

 

Most often, if I'm out having a beer, my wife is with me. However, I have an off day that she doesn't, so if it were to happen, it's that day. But I'd go to a local brewery where I'd know the bartender and at least one other nerd in case I wanted to be social.

But take a book so you can sip and read or a laptop so you can work/surf and not look like you're a problem drinker all alone. Cheers!

 

I don’t drink alone in public often, but I have no problem or stigma with it when I do. Sometimes that can be really fun as you end up meeting folks at the bar. Then again I do live in the Midwest so this is more of our culture

 

Thrive in that solitude. Let the pain of loneliness sink in. Give in to the intrusive thoughts.
Then go home and cry in the shower about it

 

This one has been a fascinating thread to observe for me. Being a constant work traveler I have a situation that doesn’t line up with 99% of normal people. I do see this experience over represented here, which brings up its own set of questions. Do BAs become travelers, or do people who travel a lot become BAs? Don’t know.

For me, it was a little of each. Was I constantly drinking Arrogant Bastard, Denogginizer, Racer 5? yes! When did the bug really bite me? I have two aha moments. I was in Peoria Il. (Yeah where???) and got a bottle of coffee BCB. The other was going to Russian River and trying the flight. The second would have not happened without the first.

First off, i give no fucks about social convention. I already don’t conform. Drinking along comes in two flavors for me. Some room between. I’m slightly an introvert. I work a people job. Sometimes on the road i am all business, sometimes it’s a lot of hand to hand combat. I go drink alone at the local spots of note. However, my aptitude to make friends is most dependent on my feeling of the day and who’s there. Made great friends one day, entirely to myself the next. Funny enough my travels have led me to meet up with a BA here and there. Funnier, I was at Mikerphone in Chicago a few years back and ran into Untapped mutual Kash, totally at random.

Alls to say, shit is complicated for introverts who travel a lot. Love y’all.

 

As I've gotten older, most of my friends have taken on the responsibilities of spouses, houses, and kids. Careers are something we all share, but who wants to talk about work at a bar if they're not a coworker? So it's nice to go out and chew the fat with someone about stuff that isn't one of those things.

 

Sounds like the old saying "They never met a stranger"

 

Going to unfortunately disregard many of the responses to give my own view as i feel that it is that this is what thai thread wants. In 80% i go with friends as I run a beerpub but when i go alone I often want company and meet random guys to get new views on beer since if I dont want company I go drink alone at home or drink at a non beer place

 

This would be an interesting study on age, proximity to a bar, marital status, offspring, work requirements, and a whole host of other factors. someone should do that.

 

Part of my perspective is that i have lived around the corner from a pretty good bar. I would also eat there and do the bar shit, pool, darts, trivia. I think all of the factors like this inform the discussion.

 

I used to drink alone at bars. I was that guy who was reading a book in the corner.

Things have changed now

 

It's not by choice, believe me.
Either the wife, kid or both with me when I visit said refilling stations. When possible, I Drink Alone.
Yeah, all by myself.
I just don't like many people these days. Too many douchers out there.
Everyone on here is Kool though.
All of my friends have either moved, lost touch over the years, or they just don't have free time anymore to go boozin'.
Usually, when at a brewery, it's easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger, so technically I guess that's not drinking alone?

 

I've got no problem going in alone. Most likely I'll strike up a conversation, hopefully about the beer I'm tasting.

 

Almost never do it anymore but I see nothing wrong with it. In fact pretty sure that’s why public drinking establishments came to be.

Before @jesskidden or one of our other resident beer historians chime in I wasn’t being entirely serious, but I do think it’s one of their primary reasons for their existence now.

So go have your beer, have it alone, and enjoy it. Theres nothing to be ashamed about.

 

Nobody wants to run with you?

RIP Dickey.

 

My answer is not a zero, but once or twice a year is about all. Usually to get something to eat is the main reason for going out, and having a beer is a tag-along.

 

I completely echo this exact sentiment.

 

One hot summer afternoon in about 1980 my wife and I were in Greenpoint Brooklyn looking to get out of the heat and sit down with a beer. We walked into a place that was empty except for the barkeeper. We sat down at the bar -- and he told us my wife had to go sit at a table! I guess I should have sent her off and stayed (alone) at the bar. But we both sat down at a table.