Craft beer can be a lonely hobby

I have made local friends via BA and other meetings (people who work at a small local brewery, etc...) and now it is actually a lot of fun. I am starting to host regular bottle shares at my place, and we get a great mix of people who all bring super cool stuff, and we enjoy sharing all the beers and the hobby.

It takes a fair bit of effort to start out, but it is worth it, now I have half a dozen fellow geeks to get excited about bottles with on a regular basis!

 

Exact opposite experience here, although things were very different even 5-6 years ago.

 

Nope, most of my friends and family are into craft beer, good wine, better bourbon. I have only one friend who consumes AALs.

 

we're here for ya! and just go to a good bar and be friendly (which can be hard)

 

^this

The first beer event I attended was the CBS release at Founders in October of 2011. I went alone and ended up having a blast with the people I stood in line with.

Fast forward 6 months to when I hit up the KBS release flying solo and, after 6+ hours of standing in line, I left with some buddies that I still talk to on the regular to this day. They're definitely my beer friends, but I would consider them close friends now too.

I kind of have the 'relationship george/friend george' thing going, where I can nerd out on beer with those guys but still grab a domestic on the golf course with my other buddies.

 

Its funny I always joke about Instagram and my gf using it, she saw my untappd one day and asked about it. Then she proceeded to make fun of me and calls it my beer instagram.

 

I guess I'm blessed when it comes to beer. While my family drinks BMC most of my friends drink craft. So I'm able to enjoy BMC with family and craft with friends. Hopefully you can connect with craft beer drinkers in your area.

 

I am lucky that my two boys are into craft also. The problem is they are not local to me. I am in the same boat locally. I enjoy my beer alone at home. However, I look at the hobby as a chance to meet new interesting people. Before I brewed anything I went to a brew club brew. I knew no one and had a blast and a few acquaintances by the time I left. They are now friends. Our local has great tastings. I went to one alone knowing no one. I had a great time and again met many people i count as friends now. The only thing you cannot do is become frustrated when you cannot convert your other friends. Enjoy those friends and drink the beer you want. Then go to events and enjoy those new friends.

 

I think a lot of this has to do with prioritizing the components of one's life. While I am a huge advocate of good quality craft beer, I am a bigger advocate of socializing with friends, family and human companionship. I find that they don't have to be mutually exclusive. My relationships are the rocks. Craft is the water that occupies the space around it. They don't compete for the same space.

 

Yeah I hear yah. Friends of my dad's like the beer festivals and stuff but none of my friends from high school and stuff are that into it. That being said, I did take my friend along for an impromptu brewery/bar crawl and he loved it. For the most part, I do my beerventures on my own, but I'm responsible. Cheers!

 

Nothing wrong with making a few new feiends that are into beer. Even better if they are normal people with wives and girlfriends and are close to the same age. Friend some that have SO's that are into the same shit your fiance is into, that way you dont feel bad having bottle shares and going to beer events with the guys and the wives and girlfriends can tag along.

 

You should move to Colorado or Oregon. Seems like everyone I meet wants to talk about craft beer.

 

You think that's lonely? Try being a craft beer enthusiast who processes hops as a single unspeakably horrible flavor when they're forward enough in a beer. You can't even rely on the aggregate ratings on craft beer websites!

 

Through BA, RB or UnT, organize a small bottle share in your area.... Ask everyone to bring a bottle or two and to take a cab home.

That is how I met literally everyone in my tasting group.

We borrowed a backroom at a local beer bar, invited a few people and next thing you know I had a built in group of buddies to share cool beers with.

Now we share stuff all the time and make road trips to bottle releases, GABF, CBC... etc. Five of us are going to Santa Rosa in late January for a huge bottle share... We went to De Garde a few weeks ago... There is always something on the near horizon.

 

Go to a craft beer bar. Sit the bar. Talk to the bartender and the people around you. Find one you like. Go there once a week. Within a week or two your problem will be solved. If you need more go to bjcp.org. Find home brew competitions in your area, volunteer to be a steward. Usually you will get to drink beer all day and meet lots of people.

 

dont complain...my bro-in law moved into my man cave...no longer can buy any kegs(1/6's) of my local brew..and all my cans/bttls go down his throat w/out any appreciation or regard...@2am he will crack open anything while 3 sheets to the wind...now i have to move my beers into my side of the house to protect it, and my wife now has an understanding of what i spend on beer...sucks...he is total MBC as well

 

Whats your Untappd name? I could always follow more BAs.

 

You need to get your fiancé into craft beer then - no use spending the rest of your life with a girl who doesn't like beer... I've had plenty of gf's I've gotten into beer so it is doable - start with a nice easy drinking Kriek Lambic and slowly introduce her to more hoppy beers - once she gets over the bitterness factor you're sorted

 

The worst part about Craft Beer is if you have a lot of friends who are foreign - foreigners, for the most part, hate craft beer, particularly IPAs.

 

Take who you normally hang out with to craft pubs so they have to drink decent beer. Also when you go round people's house take good beer for them, yet again they'll have to drink it, they'll come round eventually!

Go for a couple of pints on your own in a craft boozer and stand at the bar, chatting about what beer you're drinking to other folk just in catching a drink on their own is just as normal as talking sports with some other guy in a normal bar. Most of my total beer geek friends I've met this way.