Does "rare" equal "must try" for you?

I won't look for it just because it's rare, but if it happens to be "rare" (difficult to get or infrequently made) and frequently mentioned as a paragon for its style, then I'll check it out. Examples being Zombie Dust, Heady Topper, Darkness, FW's Vintage series, etc.

If a beer is rare but doesn't sound good to me, I probably won't bother. As others have mentioned, there's enough good local stuff that is "rare" to others, that I'm not going to kill myself just to say I've had a beer.

 

If you knew something was rare, why wouldn't you try it?

I don't understand the question.

 

Never give up the chance to tick a DONG

 

You know I'm always a fan of at least trying the beer. Sometimes if I know I won't like it for sure, I won't but about 98% of the time I will try it so at least know what it is like. Part of that is also as a retailer I like to know as much as possible so if someone comes in asking for it and we don't have it, I can find something similar to it.

 

Honestly, I think it being Rare makes me put a bit more effort into locating a beer vs your run of the mill beer that I may like.

 

I won't go out of my way to try the rare beers, I don't trade but if it's in front of me and I can afford it sure! I was recently in northern Vermont and got to try Lawson's, it was great! Tho I doubt I'll have the chance to taste more any time soon.

 

Not if the rare beer is a sour I would have to pay for.

 

Can someone let me in on the use of .rar that I have seen in this thread and others, when the use of the word rare should be used? I don't get it.

 

If it's a style I like, yes, but only if it's readily available.
Otherwise, it's "damn, I missed it again", which is a more likely scenario.
So... "must try" seldom equals "I tried it and it's good."

 

Working at a liquor store for 4 years it just seems alot of customers just want the rare and limited beers. You get the people in a quiet voice that closely drift next to you and whisper "Got any three floyds?" "got any hopslam?". We have some "regulars" that come in and we supply them but thats just it, thats all they get. No 6 pack of Lagunitas or a 6 of Dark Horse, I just dont get it. So I dont save, I put out just to basically get it out of my back room. I think there is a big handful of "its rare? gotta have it!" people out by me.

 

Rare, not rare, I judge them when I taste them. Rare has no taste. Used to chase them, now if I can get one fairly easily it's my entry to the better tastings, but that is all it is to me.

Many rare ones are rare, though, because they really do taste better.

 

I'd like to know too. is it related to this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAR

Perhaps because .rar is associated with something arguably geeky (software engineering), and since beer geeks are self-professed... geeks, someone thought it would be funny to use this for rare, to add an extra layer? A total guess but I had to try something.

 

Unless you can taste the hype, most rare beers are overrated. But I certainly don't pass them up if the opportunity presents itself.

 

I also work at a liquor store. The people that get right in your busy and whisper freak me out...Get out of my personal space.

 

No sense in chasing any beer. If something special springs up in front of me and I have the money I'll go for it. That said, they rarely spring up in front of me and if they do, I rarely have the money.

 

You could slap a fresh pour of PtY in front of me, and I'd slide it on down the line because I know for a fact I would not enjoy that beer. Some might disagree with my viewpoint, but I like what I like, and I know that style is not something I've ever enjoyed. Just because people wait 12 hours in line for it doesn't make it any more enticing for me.

 

I'm not the one to look a gift horse in the mouth - if I see a certain beer that I know won't be there 10 minutes from now, I'll jump all over it. Having said that, actively hunting .rar walez down isn't my thing.

 

No, but rare + "style I like" + reasonable price ~= "must try". For example, I ain't spending $25+ for a shot of Utopia. I saw three people split one for $27 on Saturday. I suppose I could do something like that.

 

Rare certainly does not mean 'Better than beers that are not rare'. Just a vague indicator that a lot of people have had a very good experience with it. Limited releases that are not popular get forgotten and don't reappear the next year.