A Ticker's Farewell

It's not just a job, it's an adventure! Wait, wasn't that slogan for the US Navy a few years back???

 

I had Four Quarters at ACBF and was seriously impressed by them. They are on my list of ones to try (and recommend) for anyone up in that area now.

As for ticking, I think a nice balance between the tried and true as well as a few new ticks is the best way to go. I am working on that area now and it is great. I can drink my Jack's Abby on a daily (or at least a couple times a week) basis and then try something new at a bar/brewery/bottle shop. It keeps it all in balance which is the name of the game.

 

Yes I think maybe you have a different take on this. There's also plenty of people who have a sort of mixed strategy where maybe half of their beers are new ticks, and the other half are standby favorites. The core of the pure ticker was what I quoted above from a ticker himself who summarized it well:

"I still like trying new things, even if it is the unimpressive amber from the new brewery in town. Few and far between though they may be, there are still magnificent beers that I never would have tried without my crazy ticking ambition.... Point is, I'm glad to try 99 mediocre new beers if that 100th is a gem."

That's exactly it. Well said @cavedave

 

I always get the new thing.There are very few "bad" beers, so it's not like I'm being punished if I drink a beer that is, horrors, average. If I go to my local and try 3 new pints, and have a pint of a favorite, how am I denying myself? I can't imagine ever not trying the next new thing. I'll admit to slowing down my ticking, inasmuch as I no longer try to get every new brew. In a state with almost 300 breweries, that's a lot of heavy lifting. Plus I no longer try to tick things that I'm pretty sure I'll hate, like pumpkin or coffee beers.

 

It is a fun adventure. Ahh, the thrill of the chase is not lost amongst humans in any context. I like to tick, but I also would not say that I tick simply for the sake of ticking - or simply for making it known to the universe that I had Cantillon tonight, and you did not. I like to catalouge - I find it enjoyable to look back over and notice if trends have emerged either from a brewery perspective, or a style perspective. I have had so many beers that sometimes I won't remember if I've had one before, or if I had simply looked at it but not purchased it - I like being able to look in my log and know that I gave it a 4.0 and would thus be very pleased to drink it again.

I also find it fun to drink a beer I had rated 6 months ago again, and see where it now falls as my tastes adapt.

That said, I also do not see much point to untapping a guinness or a carling every time I drink one. But to each their own.

Everyone is permitted to their own philosophy on the subject, just as everyone is permitted to their own stylistic endeavors whilst drinking.

 

I never really fell for the Ticker Trap.

Don't get me wrong, I love trying new beers and do so often.

But the objective of trying new beers for me has never been motivated by ticking.
Its been about the never ending search for beers and breweries that I will revisit frequently.

As such, my beer fridge is always filled with a mix of beers I haven't tried,
and beers that I love to revisit. The mix varies from about (25% new / 75% revisited)
to ( 50/50 ).

This allows me to alternate between trying something new and trying something
I know I will like, depending on my mood.

It also means I never get tired of trying new beers....

and hope I never do.

 

It does matter where you live. In VT we have a small selection of great beers and I try to stick with them. The beer stores here are very good, but not great and there are none nearby. If I come across something interesting (not often) and I have the money- I buy it.

 

Is that not the motivation behind ticking for most?

 

Only in the same way one might consider cooking a good meal or chasing a pretty woman a job.

 

Yes, but the master only gave that advice because he didn't want to be dethroned.

 

I hear you, @AlienSwineFlu. Though I never consciously thought of it as ticking, I definitely started out my craft beer journey wanting to try as many beers as possible. So much of that was about learning styles and finding go-to examples of styles. There were certainly moments when it started to feel a bit overwhelming and became easy to worry about whether or not I'd find "the best" or "my favorite" brews. On Untappd, I'm somewhere in the 600-700 beer range at this point, and it's probably been within the last hundred or so beers that I've settled in pretty nicely to what I'm comfortable with and/or prefer. I've got the mainstays I was initially looking for. I have a good idea about how to discern between styles, allowing me to make more educated choices at bars. In short, mission accomplished. In a way, it's a liberating feeling indeed -- not feeling overwhelmed by choice, but instead feel equipped to make informed decisions about the beers I drink. Sure, ticking gets some hate, but, used effectively (whether it's to learn more about beers; or because you love variety; or whatever), I think it's totally a reasonable and effective strategy for accomplishing your particular goal (see above).

 

Yeah, I loved their Funky Monkey. Reminded me a lot of Trinity Red Swingline. The dude there said they're going all out for the VT fest with a handful of sours, BA Imps, etc.

 

I'm always up for trying a new beer. I've probably had 2000 different beers (give or take a little) and some of the ones I have rated the highest were the least-expected wins of all.

 

Part of me wants to go back to just drinking what I know, but with so many new beers out there I just can't quite suppress that inner ticker.

After five or six years of being into craft beer, I have developed an idea of which brewery will put out something I enjoy and what's best left on the shelf.

I think my future drinking will be 60/40 in favour of the tried and tested.

 

I love to tick, but I don't tick indiscriminately. Same approach I took in college with ummm, other stuff.

 

Well, except for alcohol...

 

I guess I'm still in the collecting phase of beering, but I've narrowed it down to just CO beers. Makes things more manageable.

 

I've rated or reviewed over 2500 beers here and still enjoy trying new things. Don't get burned too often because if it's something I'm unfamiliar with I tend to look at ratings here, particularly those of top raters.

Lately my ticking has slowed a bit because I'm not very concerned about the total number anymore, and def want something good or great when I'm ready for a beer, so I buy tried and true favorites more than ever now. However I'm still getting the ticks and drinking a ton of beer which simply means, I'm a glutton and a drunk.

 

I get ticking to a certain extent - but to seriously be disabled from revisiting a great beer is one of the silliest things I could imagine...beer or otherwise.