Explaining to others why we spend so much on beer

When the wife got the damn Mint.com account thingy (links up all our bank account statements and tracks spending) it almost ruined my life.

I don't know why I do it, I just do. Great beer is great beer. What really screws me is the ole OCD kicking in and making me always want to try something I've never had before...

 

Man, you don't need that negativity in your life. Find new friends.

 

Well exactly. Is it really any more complicated than this basic principle? Why do some people favor good scotch over cheap liquor, filet mignon over London broil, the Four Seasons over a Days Inn, a nice neighborhood vs the slums? Good, quality shit costs more. If you value quality in a particular area, and have the money to afford it, that's what you buy. What's not to understand?

 

Not a conversation I ever had. Although in case I was asked I'd just say it's the same thing as every hobby, spending money on things that have no practical value but still provide utility. I wouldn't even go to the "quality" discussion because there's no real objective marker for that when it comes to taste and there doesn't need to be, either.

 

I guess it all depends on how much you drink. Around here a 12oz can of a BMC product will run about 71 cents per can. A 12oz can of Sierra Nevada Torpedo runs $1.16. I don't think too many people are pounding down cans of Torpedo. I'll bet when you take into account the average amount consumed of the two, the Torpedo drinker is probably spending less per night than the Miller Lite drinker.

Yes, craft beer can be expensive but it doesn't have to be. There are plenty of great beers out there that can be had for just a small difference from the price of BMC.

 

"Why are you so worried about my spending habits?"

 

This is why I don't hang out with my neighbors. They just happened to live here when I bought the house.

 

Interesting point... I just purchased a case of Founders Breakfast Stout for $25. A case of Yuengling Lager is $20... a difference of 20 cents per bottle. In my mind its hard to justify the Lager when a premium craft can be had for a couple of dimes more.

But to the point of the original discussion: I'd rather pay more for Chimay, Backwoods Bastard, or Three Philosophers than suffer the gastrointestinal disorders caused by PBR.

 

This exact conversation inspired my BA handle. If drinking what I enjoy makes me a snob, then so be it. Then my neighbor and I shared a laugh and a beer.

 

I don't need to explain myself, everyone I know understands my passion. Many whom I have converted through education.
I love to find someone who says " I don't like beer" and figure out their taste and pairing them with a beer they fall in love with.

 

You should move.

 

If I have to explain...case closed, they'll never get it anyway. It's right up there with "Why do you need more beer, when you have beer at home?" from the wife.

 

Another good point, I actually wonder what the spending differences long-term are. I would wager that people who enjoy craft/traditional would - in terms of tendencies - buy a smaller total quantity over long time periods.

 

I know it is fun to think how cool we would be given an obnoxious question. I have actually participated. In reality that question has been asked of me a few times, but in a very different way. I have been asked a few times "is that beer really that good?" I can say most of the time it is someone with a BMC product in their cart. I have always seen this question as someone trying to get their first understanding of what this craft beer thing is all about not giving me crap. It is the easiest way to break the ice while honestly wanting to know how something could be worth 3 to 4 times what they pay.

 

Because I've already reviewed all of the cheap beer ...

 

I hope I extend this attitude towards any of their life decisions that I would receive the same in return.

For that reason, "because it makes me happy." should be more than sufficient.

 

My favorite is when the liqour store cashiers after checking me out tell me "wow...you have expensive taste". I just say, yup its a blessing and a curse.

 

Why do I spend so much on beer? For the same reason that others spend so much on wine. Just because beer is the world's best-selling alcoholic drink, that's no reason to take it for granted. It is every bit as civilized as wine, and in fact some would argue that it is a better complement to a meal and offers a much wider variety of colors, flavors, and aromas. Humans have been making it for thousands of years. In fact, it's one of the primary reasons we started farming certain grains in the first place. So the question should not be "why do I spend so much on beer?", rather it should be "why do you deny yourself one of this world's most wonderful pleasures?"

 

The dying man who said "I spent almost my money on blackjack, whiskey and women. The rest of it I just wasted."

 

Very true. The funny thing with is that the keurig cups and that other crap costs as much as super good light roast coffee beans and you definitely don't get what you pay for.