When I head out for a haul, I usually have one or two specific beers in my sights, and see what else catches my eye. A typical purchase is two or three 4/6 packs, and maybe a single or three. With the price of everything going up, up, up, I find myself spending more time in the beer store when I visit, contemplating whether something is worth the spend. I wind up passing on many more purchases than in the past, sometimes with a beer going from shelf to cart back to shelf. Many of these are beers I really want to try, but after considering the price and packaging date, I decline. I’ll reason that I might get that beer down the road with a better born-on date, or maybe at a better price somewhere else, or as part of a future sale or promotion (increasingly rare). The upshot is that I don’t get around to trying many of the beers I’d like to. My time in the store has grown exponentially longer, as I deliberate what to take with me. And now I might walk out empty-handed, something that never happened a couple years ago. So, are other BA’s experiencing similar decision scenarios? What factors weigh into your purchasing decision? Is it more difficult to find variety that’s fresh and affordable, leading to longer walks through the aisles as you ponder decisions? Are you finding, like me, that maybe “next time” never comes? I don’t feel like I’m paralyzed with indecision, but with everything costing more, I’m less inclined to grab and go.
Prices definitely have risen and I’ve found myself in those same situations. I passed on a double sunshine because it was close to $30 which I thought was ridiculous. I stick with more modest options now and I’ll splurge once in a while, like yesterday I bought this years SN Bigfoot which was $18
I usually spend more time than I should, particularly if they have a big beer selection. It's not so much deciding what / how much I should buy or comparing prices. I generally know what I want, It's more that I just like to see what's available in the marketplace. I like to "window shop" then pick a few beers that I really want.
I definitely share your affection for window-shopping, but with the retail scourge that's always chum in the water here on BA -- out-of-date beer -- my window-shopping gets more frustrating when it comes final decision time and the beers I'm drawn to are past their prime.
I couldn't agree more. Part of my routine, as it were, is checking the dates. It's as much out of curiosity, seeing what's selling vs. sitting for example, than for guiding my purchases.
I go through the same thing and often wish I could find more single beers so I could try one and decide if it is worthwhile to purchase a 4 or 6 pack, or more. Prices have definitely been increasing, and not just for beer. Sometimes I just go back to the reasonably priced classic beers that I love. It is hard to beat a 4 pack of Old Rasputin for $10.49 or Founders Breakfast Stout for $9.99.
Quick & short answer, yeppers, I won't pull the trigger on nearly as many new-to-me brews from even reputable breweries based on old, out-of-date, overpriced, out-of-my-wheelhouse styles anymore. I'll stick to the dozen classics that at least taste reasonably the same as I remember them from decades ago at the increased but still reasonable prices.
My decision fatigue is so damn real, it kills me. It's not price or anything though, for me a six pack is a commitment of time to THAT beer because it will take me a while to finish. Because of this it is always hard for me to decide when to buy because most places here are void of singles; and if they have them its a lame small selection. Lately its just been replenish the "house beer," take that decision fatigue, and commit to a new six pack every now and then when it's one I know I'll like, or one I've been waiting to try. Couple of them on the horizon...
I try to stick with a few beer shops that allow me to break out singles instead of committing to a 4pk or a fixer. I hate it when I commit to a 6er of something just to find that it is subpar.
There are two stores that I shop for beer. One I use mainly for NA beers because of a better selection there. I usually know ahead of time which brand(s) I want, so it's a quick in and out visit. There is also liquor and wine, so this is my source for liquor too when I need something. The other store is primarily a garden market/fresh foods store that has a good selection of beer and wine plus a tavern with 45 taps. My wife is usually with me when I need beer there and I almost always know what I want. So I'll get my beer and put it in the shopping cart, but I hate following her around while she's shopping, so I'll browse the beer shelves (sometimes I'll I buy a beer at the tavern to help me peruse the shelves) looking for impulse selections. If I find something I want I'm usually good about filing the presence of the beer away in my brain and then buying it on my next visit. So I kind of have perpetual planning for my beer needs.
I agree with the OP. I spend more time thinking about things. This has also shifted my purchasing to things that I know I will like. Maybe things I've had before, or things that have been reviewed by other BAs that share similar tastes. I used to be more adventurous. Of course, this could simply be my age. Who knows!
I keep my purchases modest and my at-home stock at a reasonable level. When I’ve spent too much trying beer I end up not liking, I take a break from experimenting and return to my tried-and-true favorites. My transactions rarely exceed $30, and I often try keeping them closer to $20. But that’s more to keep my stock low; I don’t want a bunch of 4s and 6s I’ve only tried one or two of sitting around until they go bad. And my favorites don’t last long enough to go bad. Sure it gets expensive, but it’s easier to take in little steps.
What pisses me off is all the non-beer crap taking up space in the coolers and on the shelves. The singles sections are all but extinct. I do know of a place that has individual pricing on most of the beers they sell (excluding variety packs) but it's two hours from here. I rarely go beer shopping these days unless I'm traveling and checking out new venues to review. And when I do shop for beer I'm sure as hell not looking for $17.99 four-packs of "pounders."
I've been doing out-of-state beer runs whenever I have the opportunity. For those trips I can spend hours in liquor superstores in states with with a better craft distribution than we have here. I do a lot of pondering and looking up beers, often coming away with a storage tub of craft. Pondering is limited to checking ratings and verifying I haven't reviewed them already. I don't usually ponder price much because I'm not about to pass-up an opportunity to get a bunch of new-to-me singles of the strong/dark/BA beers I prefer.
I found myself at a Wegmans in Western NY the other day, and I was excited to see they had a built-your-own 6-pack section for only 13.99. I had a blast going through their singles selection and came out with six 16oz cans (some with questionable dates lol) and for that price it felt surprisingly easy to pull the trigger on beers I've been wanting to try out but didn't want to buy a full pack of. Unless I buy at work, I always prefer going to a beer store that sells singles so I can really take my time going through their inventory and come up with a selection that really gets my needs met. Sometimes that's solely about budget, but generally it's really about desire within that budget.
I tend to do this as well. Just to keep the fridge stocked with standbys. Don't even get me started! This is me too. Though I'll buy at my locals just to keep the fridge stocked, when I go out of state, especially to Ohio, I end up buying things for the cellar and not so much the fridge.
As has been discussed by others, beer shopping involves taking a sixpack off the shelf, looking at the dates on the bottom of the can, and then placing them back on the shelf. I am reminded of an old TV commercial for Planet Fitness were they bring a BIG body building guy for a tour of the gym and his only line(s) in the commercial is "I lift things up and put them down". Cheers!
For me it's not much of a price issue since most of the beers I buy seem to be around the same price they were a few years back. I think most of us are with you though when it comes to things like being more choosy and declining beers that may be past their prime. Definitely hazy IPAs in my case are usually a no buy after about 2 months from packaging unless I knew it would hold up from past experience with it. I think your beer buying wisdom just comes from experience, gained knowledge and awareness of things like style freshness and common average pricing. If you know something is a little old, stale and overpriced it's a bit harder to commit buying something especially if it doesn't run cheap. I always try to look for good deals when I buy things, and occasionally I see a beer that I would like to buy at a store that seems a bit overpriced and I'll decline, and I have certainly checked IPA dates and put back a beer I would have otherwise bought. When it comes to limited and more exclusive beers, those are sort of you get it now at whatever price it is or you may never be able to again, and I usually think something along the lines of, if I don't spend it now I'll spend it later and I'm going to want another beer anyway so unless it is outrageously overpriced it is worth buying to me. Unfortunately those usually tend to be the more expensive lambics and barrel aged stouts, and that's where I start looking for extra info and check online reviews to see what people think about the beer and what it may taste like.
