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

Economic Darwinism: I live in a city with plenty of breweries and if all the mediocre ones went under, the good ones would only do better and that's just fine with me. I don't need my IPA to be 4 days old in the bottle to enjoy it.

 

Probably said in this thread already, but no, I don't have to buy mediocre local beer... a lot of it is outstanding.

 

I see them every week or so anyway. So it's not like I only see them on holidays or something.

 

No, Because somehow even though it is low quality and locally produced it still costs the same.

 

I am not a big hop-head so I'm fortunate to live in Charlotte where there are excellent local breweries putting out good low-IBU options in Belgian (Sugar Creek Dubbel/Tripel/Saison) and German (Olde Mecklenburg Fruh Bock/Mecktoberfest/Copper/Bauern Bock) styles, as well as locals/regionals with superior APA (NoDa Hop Drop 'N Roll), IPA (Foothills Jade, Sycamore Countryside) Winter Warmer (Highland Cold Mountain) and Imperial Stout (Olde Hickory Event Horizon) choices for when I want those varieties.

But if I'm at a bar or a growler shop I will ultimately choose the beer(s) that I like the best out of the available selection regardless of whether they're local or not.

 

I always try to give the local breweries a chance. Usually worst case it's at least a decent atmosphere. After that though, it has to be decent.

 

I live down the street (a mere 5 minute walk) from Sketchbook Brewing in Evanston, IL and was so uninspired by their offerings that I didn't even pick up my last 4-5 months of prepaid growler fills.

Happy to have contributed to them in their infancy through kickstarter and then their CSB for a year of prepaid growlers but nothing they do matches up to slightly less local breweries (in Evanston alone they are outclassed by Temperance & Smylie Brothers).

They are opening a tap room soon and since the brewers and staff are so nice, I'll give them another earnest try but my expectations are low.

 

The bar is very high with so many good accessible beers now. Locals have to raise their game if they want support.

 

And you're just so positive always. Hypocrite.

 

Why should one be positive in the face of bullshit anyways?

 

I always see people at Lone Tree Brewing, so apparently loads of people love mediocre beer...

 

I've given some locals a chance or two. We have some around here that are very open to public feedback and have been steadily improving from average to very good. Thoses are the brewers I will support. Others who make middling product and insist it's the best and the way it should be get a couple of chances if they stick around long enough before I abandon them.

I feel that if there are mediocre breweries along side solid brewers the end result SHOULD be an steady increse in quality until everyone makes good to great beer. Unfortunately the extremely average/bland/whatever breweries make a bunch of money from the new converts who don't venture too far from their favorite lager so they keep churning that out and offer average 'specialty' releases. People flock to them because they really sell the local angle and nothing is going to challenge them.

It's one thing to buy local, but living where I do, buying product with local ingredients means I could buy from some of the big US imports, as some of them get a large amount of malt from SK/AB.

Tl;dr:

Give the average ones a chance, offer i put, help them improve. If they don't, move on. Find beer that you like better.

 

I always try local beer. But if it sucks, I won't buy it again.

 

The sweet spot is between good, fairly priced, local, independent, fresh, and sustainable. Many breweries hit one or two, but few can hit all of those. It's a beautiful thing when they do.

 

I buy a lot of mediocre beer, I just don't know it's mediocre until I bring it home and drink it...and never buy it again

 

Mediocre to who me or everyone else ? I live by weyerbacher and I love it but everyone else says that its mediocre or worse. So im not sure if its because its so local or if I really have no idea what good beer is and ive had some of the best.

 

I can buy local and sure as fuck dont have to worry about it being mediocre!

 

Yeah. It's nice to have a bunch of new options and I'll try some stuff here and there, but there's only a few local breweries I'll go to somewhat regularly with the abundance of great national options now available.

 

I feel the same way about New Holland. I buy a lot of their stuff because it's often on sale for $8/six-pack, and sometimes I just get tired of Founders/Bell's. I've heard plenty of beer snobs say stuff like "average, at best" about them. Whatever, I'm too old to care about what anyone else thinks of my beer choices. And when did mediocre become the equivalent of bad? I've always used that term to mean "middle of the road, nothing special," as opposed to "swill I would never let touch my lips again." Or are most people here limiting themselves to significantly above average beer? It's like the Lake Wobegone of beer drinking.

 

I'm from Maryland so anything local I buy is mediocre...but I can't help but support my local breweries. Flying Dog, Evolution, DuClaw, Heavy Seas...I could go on...