A Ticker's Farewell

I am finding it much easier to just ignore special releases, killer tap-lists, special tappings etc.. because after a few years of chasing and ticking I have found that no matter how many hyped new beers you try, there are always more coming out and there is always something on the shelf you haven't tried yet.

After trying stuff like VBDL, Double Barrel Huna, BA Abraxas, Assassin, Prop, Rare, CBS etc.. how many special barrel aged stouts are really going to blow your mind? Is it really worth standing in line to get into a crowded bar to get a single pour somewhere? Is it worth going out of your way and making a special trip to try this one beer? Will it be that much better than the stuff I have already had? The answer is no. It may be great, but it isn't necessary to chase it. If you miss this one, another great ba stout with a bunch of adjuncts will come out. These beers are literally coming out all the time.

Great IPAs are abundant, new sour barrel programs are popping up all over the place. There is no need to chase every special release, in fact there are too many already, and you could not reasonably drink all the great beer that come out these days.

Stick to fresh locals you can obtain easily. If you come across something limited by chance, sure pick it up but you don't need to rush to the liquor store 5 times a week hoping to score every limited release. If you make it to a few special events or festivals, great, but no need to kill yourself hitting every big event or resort to buying tickets second hand to get into sold out events. There will always be more beer.

 

I still do it habitually, but I've learned that the most talked about and desirable beers of the moment are rarely the best.

 

I don't get the ticking. I try new beers but how many beers do you need to try before you find what you like? I am always drawn to the beers in the style that I am in the mood for that I really liked. Why roll the dice on a new beer if you already like 6 or 7 in the style that are available.

 

I've tried 3 or 4 hundred myself, which pales in comparison to others. But I've tried beers recently that have pushed other staple beers aside, for how good/readily available/cost/other reason. That's a huge win in my book and it makes every ticked beer before it, worth it.

I think eventually every ticker reaches their breaking point. It's simply a matter of all the variables going into their unique circumstance (read: equation). Location, budget, time, availability, etc, etc.

 

Another one bites the dust...

 

The thing is, that's not ticking, that's trying new beers. True ticking really is all about the numbers, and the "accolades" that come with them, and that's why there is derision. Most of the people who are calling themselves tickers really aren't, in the end.

Also- to the main point of the thread- nobody is saying to stop trying new beers; just don't make it such an overriding priority that you wind up denying yourself some genuine enjoyment with the beers you love.

 

Me too. I'll be ticking til pigs fly but it will be mostly what I can get locally and not whales from the deep blue sea.

 

If I happen upon something new, it'll happen. But more often than not, I seem to feel content. That seems to have a negative connotation in all walks of life. 'What if there's something better out there that I'm missing?' I have an honest stable of beers I am happy to drink over and over. Repeats and recheck ins for days and days.

It almost boils down to # of beers I will drink in a given week vs. How many of those will be iffy and experimental? If I'm only having one beer on say a friday, I will make sure it's something I already like. No more wasted calories.

Furthermore, that's what scares me about all these breweries expanding. Unless you have that loyal go to house beer following, many try a beer, and even if it's world class and available locally, they move on to try something different every weekend. They are okay wading through the crap to maybe find a gem. I personally grew tired of $5 pints of mediocre beer knowing that I could have been having a go to staple

 

Agree. I still tick and try new beers but I'm more selective and pass on certain brewers and styles I just have a hunch from my experience will probably be average at best. I'll still give all my local offerings a single sampling (well because most of the time I'm the 1st rating on here, so I'm doing a BA community service to put places on the map). Also I am much more willing to give Belgian and German beers a try as they are more likely to be excellent and less likely to be average. The BA community in general seems to pay too much attention to American craft beers and need to tick/sample the Euro ones.