My beer preferences generally change with the seasons: Marzens and festbiers (and maybe an occasional Schlafly's Pumpkin, Pumking or Warlock in the Autumn), darker beers (schwarzbiers, black IPAs, stouts, porters, baltic porters, barleywines, etc.) leading up to Christmas, then Belgian dubbels, tripels and quads till February gets out of here. Pilsners, kolsches, helles and an occasional lambic or radler till early April. Then maibocks and pale ales till June. Then IPA's, both NEIPAs and West Coasts and back to Czech Pilsners for summer. Then rinse and repeat. Of course, my food and my mood also has a say, irrespective of season. Depends. What about you guys?
I'm a mixture of roughly the schedule that you stated except for the Belgians which I don't pursue but might drink a few at any time of the year. IPAs and just about any other style not already mentioned are mixed in throughout the year.
I like WCIPAs year round, but always want a change up in the rotation. Winter- porters and stouts, the occasional heavy Belgian, maybe a Scotch ale Spring- Pilsners and Maibocks, Saisons, Belgian Blondes/Pale Summer- Pilsners, Saisons, and the odd AAL Fall- Festbiers, ESBs and Milds if I can find them All of this flies out the window if the mood really strikes for something else, or if I see a beer on the menu/shelf that's something I haven't had in a while, or just cause. Went to an Eastern European deli last week and picked up a couple of bottles just to tick countries (Georgia and Bulgaria)
I used to drink mainly strong dark beers such as BBA/Imperial Stouts, Quads, Strong Ales, Porters, etc. Because of that, I got frustrated when those beers became scarcer during the Spring and Summer, particularly new ones to review. Around 2018, I started drinking fruited sours and IPAs which I didn't care for, because they were plentiful year-round. I now like fruited sours, and tolerate IPAs, so I'm covered year-round.
For me, I find that I flock toward whatever the current seasonals are as soon as they hit shelves. After a month, I'm sick of whatever that seasonal beer is. I'm actually glad that the beer "seasonal creep" has slowed down because I'd be sick and tired of Oktoberfests and pumpkin beers by mid-August some years.
Living in a small town full of BMC drinkers, I don't have the luxury of many seasonal offerings-Sam Adams Oktoberfest is about all we get. But even if I had choices, it wouldn't make a difference-I drink whatever I see that interests me, regardless of the season. When I was a bigtime homebrewer I would drink my Imperial stout while I mowed the lawn in 100F temps, or maybe I'd drink a 3.5% ABV brown ale, or anything in between.
IPAs year round. Everything else mixed in as I see fit or as they hit the shelves. I'm a pretty simple fella. Don't get me wrong, I understand and appreciate why people tend to drink the styles they do when they drink them, because I do the same, but I'm not afraid to drink imperial stouts or barleywines during the summer
I'm usually into seasonals, summer is whatever trending towards lagers and lighter things, fall is all Oktoberfest and fresh hop as available, winter is as many stouts and dark lagers as I can find. Spring is a toss up. Usually I'm going for lagers and IPAs year round, almost always hazy, and can enjoy a BA stout whenever, but winter definitely tends to have more. Fall and winter are when I really start going for seasonals and look for specific beers; spring and summer I just go for what sounds refreshing.
I've gone from "trying anything" to "IPA boy" to "favoring what will keep/dark beer and strong ale" I haven't hit the lager/pilsner phase yet... but I see it coming.
Best BCBS I every tasted was watching fireworks on 4th of July in very humid 90 degree heat. Seasons, weather and any coorelations to certain beer styles are programmed into our brainwashing. A Maibock is a traditionally spring beer but based on similar styles, it would seem to be a beer most people would associate with the fall season. An AAL or pilsner or Gose tastes alot better in mid-day summer sun than a pastry stout, but no reason a pastry stout can’t be just as enjoyable on a July evening in the cool AC after a shower and drinking a glass of water.
Yup, pretty much anything at anytime if'n the mood hits but the same as most folks with the yearly seasonal styles depending on spring/summer/Ofest/winter.
This. And I'll eat pumpkin pie and stuffed turkey with cranberry sauce any time of year. And key lime pie.
I have a few regular moderate alcohol beers that I drink at home. I was relieved today to see that my seasonal Englishy American Pale Ale (reappeared today for the 25-26 winter season. When I go out for a drink or a beer, When I go out, I'll have some different (still moderate alcohol) brews. Old age limits consumption.
I'm pretty much random - no set patterns on purchase or consumption. Usually I'll grab something seasonal and then wonder why especially with "winter warmers" that I typically don't like. Sometimes I'll go through "phases" where I'll look for a particular style, but only for a little while.
I'm a sucker for this "style". Mostly because of Sam Smith's version. For that reason, however, I realized that most (not all) versions suck something awful. Probably because a lot of breweries think it's a good idea to spice them. It's not. I tend to do this as well, but I don't do it with styles as much as I do it with specific beers. Usually because of nostalgia. Most tend to be either beers that were a part of my early adventures into craft or just world class or unique examples of something. 3F Dreadnaught, Orval, Chimay Blue, a handful of the Unibroue beers, Westmalle Tripel, St. Bernardus 12, etc. You know, stuff like that. Truthfully, I will do it stylistically with German Doppelbocks, come to think of it.
