Are your beer preferences based on your location?

This is quite ridiculous actually.

 

Absolutely not. I'm not a big fan of PA breweries in general and definitely not the local breweries in the Pittsburgh area.

 

Live in PA, and I'm a big fan of Victory and Troegs. I'd say that living relatively close to them (about 30 mins or so from Troegs, and about an hour from Victory) definitely makes me somewhat biased.

 

Being a citizen of Earth definitely influences my bias towards beer brewed on this planet.

 

I certainly do. I'm lucky that Illinois and it's nearby states have such excellent selections though. I'd probably drink a lot of IL, WI, MI & OH beers regardless of where I lived. I am more willing to give a new Chicago brewery a chance over an unknown one from another state. Hometown pride can go a long way when trying a untested brewery.
Some favorites are:
Illinois- Revolution (just tried their new seasonal Rosa over the weekend and it might just be a summer favorite for me this year)
Wisconsin- NG
Michigan- Founders
Ohio- Great Lakes

 

I'm definitely more likely to TRY beers brewed in my region, but I only keep buying them if I feel they're better than other options. In reality, I tend to buy a lot more beer from other regions (midwest and west coast, primarily) than my own. There are a few good brewers in this region that I happily support, but there are a lot that I won't give any more money to just because they're "local."

 

I try to go about half and half, because there are a lot of good breweries in PA (Troegs, Triumph, Victory, Otto's, Weyerbacher, Yards), but there are a TON of kick ass breweries outside of my area, too. My absolute favorite beers come from Germany, Belgium, and CA, so if I bought mostly in-state, I'd be missing out.

 

I don't know if my preferences are based on location as much as they are based on what I like and is readily available. Being from the northern burbs of NYC [Putnam County for those who know], selection is pretty good since CT is close and adds to what I can get in NYS. I don't necessarily limit my selections to beers brewed locally but will gravitate toward those local beers that are competitively priced. I will also take road trips to VT for something special or ask traveling friends and relatives to bring something special back, but by and large, I don't chase hard-to-get specialty releases or whales. I do support local brewpubs so that part is obviously based on location.

 

I started out heavy on the tri-state stuff, DFH, Victory, Troegs, Flying Fish, Flying Dog. Then branched out west, stone, lagunitas, green flash, THen didn't care after I found Founders. Then found out NJ makes great beer that isn't bottled, Kane, Carton, NJ beer Co, Cape May brewing, Tuckahoe. And now I just drink whatever with one exception, I'll drink anything DFH puts out bc they were my first love on many levels.

 

I would say I don't prefer Wisconsin Brewerys over others, but rather I prefer whatever is distributed in my area. I can't really say much about DFH, Stone, Cigar City, FW, etc. because I can't get them that easily. I do end up drinking a decent amount of Wisconsin stuff, though, just because it is easy to get.

 

Yeah I totally agree.to say that your tastes are affected by where you live is daft. Beer preference is based on TASTE. I drink what tastes good to me, and it has nothing to do with my location.

 

My first choice is as local as it gets. My basement - the site of my fermentation carboys and bottled homebrew. I do enjoy Sweetwater some of the time, but most enjoy my frequent business trips to California where my luggage is always heavier on the flight home.

 

Sort of asking the "homer" question, right? Qualified yes - I like to try and buy things made around here although I am not a fanatic about it. There's plenty of breweries in the northeast making all sorts of good quality brews that keep me amused and are readily available. But I tend to have quite a few of the brewing "regions" well-represented at any given time in my modest collection. Founder's and Stone's are right next to Mayflower and Smuttynose porters - like them all just fine. And to put out the fire before it starts, not saying they are all equal. I can get Mayflower or Smutty a half mile from my house and be happy. Founders I have to go find and Stone can be a chore to locate at times. Will I buy a truly "sub-par" local brew just because it is local? Nope. Let me fix that - hell, no.

Then again, I have a whole Jack's Abby burgeoning fan-boy thing going on - that's a little disturbing...not the beer, the possibility of being a fan-boy

 

definitely not. I live in NYC and am not a big fan of any of the local breweries (brooklyn, bronx, singlecut)