Does anyone buy mediocre beer just because it's local?

Some people buy beer based on the name. Or the art on the label. Or the color - that is even something we are supposed to rate on! Some buy beer because their brand is patriotic or manly or shows they are not a neck bearded hipster of suspect sexual orientation.

But buying local, of all things needs to die. And requires constant discussion of its evils. Got it.

 

Yeah, I think your post definitely phrased the intent a lot more clearly @offthelevel_bytheplumb . The scenario that came to my mind was more along the lines of Brooklyn Lager or Brown Ale vs. new trendy stuff; both well-made, but for different crowds. And, yeah, I think we've all seen those kinds of beers (and the breweries that make them) described as 'mediocre' before- so I guess that's how these things can get interpreted differently sometimes.

 

I buy beer I like. If it's local, great. My homebrew is as good or better than "mediocre" local beer, so I'll just drink the beer I make instead of buying mediocre locals.

 

Not to be a shit, but the results speak to the questioning of this thread.
I have plenty of good breweries within an hour of me, but why buy middle of the road anything because it's local?
Just to say you buy local?
I buy good stuff and will gladly pay for it, regardless of where it's from (unless it's LA, you twats ) but the fact that it's local means nothing...I've got nothing to prove to anyone.

 

I'll buy it to try it and if it sucks then it stays on the shelf. Usually though, especially in Rhode Island where we don't have that many breweries, they'll have it on tap somewhere and I'll just try it there and decide whether or not I'll look out for it in stores.

 

I live in northeast Ohio. We don't know what mediocre beer is around here.

 

Fortunately, I am able to buy local beer that is very good!

 

No.

 

I am more likely to give a local brewery an additional chance to make a good initial impression. However, after about two or three mediocre beers, I will pass them by.

 

I have my go to beers that I like from local breweries. I buy them frequently (especially when on draft) not just because they are local but that they are very good. This probably represents about half of my purchases. They other half consist of trying beers I have not had before regardless who brews them. A couple of these I have added to my go to beers such as Hoppyum and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

 

i try local beer all the time but won't buy it again if it's mediocre at best.

BUT if i find a good local beer i'll buy it numerous times over a non-local beer that is good solely because of freshness.

example: Neshaminy Creek County Line IPA 10 days old vs Lagunitas IPA, Stone IPA, Torpedo IPA that is a month old. i love fresh Stone IPA but fresh County Line is pure dank

 

Sadly, it's not just mediocrity at mediocre prices.. it's average craft that's priced higher than many well distributed, economical, and high quality options (SN, Founders, Lagunitas, etc). Today I saw a bomber from a local brewery for $13.99...For $13.99 I can get a 750ml bottle of fucking ST. BERNARDUS.. So a have a real tough choice here: A middle of the road Imperial Stout, or one the best Belgian beers in the world...

 

I will give almost any beer a chance, so the question morphs slightly for me to would I repeat purchase a beer I did not find pleasing to my palate just because it is local. My point of view is that not every beer needs to be an earth-shattering, world-class experience. I know enough now to understand where to find those mountaintop experiences when I want them. When I just feel like a beer, I am somewhat more forgiving. I will give locals a little more leeway, but repeated experiences of flawed beers or beers i plain don't enjoy, I don't care where it is brewed it wont be on my table.

 

I wouldn't feel too bad. He had another gem of a post right before/after it that got taken down, or he took down himself.

 

This thread makes me feel pretty fortunate. (Not as lucky as the guy whose nearest brewery is Founders, but he is, as he admits, simply spoiled.)

I live in Rockford, IL, which is about 90 minutes from anywhere in Chicago, and I'm a shameless hop head. We have three taverns that brew their own beer, none of which can or bottle. One has an IPA that is truly excellent, and every style I've had there is way, way above mediocre. One has a very good IPA, and everything there is better than mediocre. The third place? The first time I went there, the beer menu didn't identify the style of any of the offerings, and none of the servers could either. It was a mess, and to call the beer mediocre would have been charitable. Two years later, going back for a social event, I found the beer to be decent (my synonym for mediocre). So, I'll go there if invited, but only if. The beer's a heck of a lot better than BMOC. By the way--it's not the topic of this thread--but all three places have absolutely fantastic atmosphere; each is among the top rooms to hang out in, aesthetically.

As for bottled and canned beer: what's local? I do consider Pipeworks, Spiteful, Revolution, and Two Brothers to be "local" in a sense (especially since our best local beer store, Artale, carries them truly fresh!). With those available, why ever drink mediocre beer? And New Glarus and 3Floyds are actually only a stone's throw away...

 

What's your opinion of Pig Minds?

 

No, I have access to great local offerings, why would I buy the average stuff unless it was priced in line with quality.

 

Okay, so I was trying to be coy about which was which. Since you asked, however...

Pig Minds is the third brewery. I was truly, almost profoundly, disappointed the first time I visited. Since then, I think their beer has improved. And their atmosphere is awesome--I love it as a place to hang out.

 

Some people think Flying Fish is mediocre.
But those same people dont realize that their IPA is an english style variety and they complain its not a tropical bomb. My local beer is good to me because i came to enjoy english styles. Rinn duin makes a great irish red, and coffee stout and flying fish does all good things.

 

Pig Minds does bottle. Bombers of their beers are $6 on average at my bottle shop. I've only bought their beers on tap, and I've found them to be good for the most part. This has been in the last year, though.