How Do You Choose Beer In The Store?

Both, but a cool label helps the decision.

 

No need for luck when you know what you like.

 

It all depends what is on the shelves. You never know when you'll have to buy some older vintage of something. Mostly, I search for beers not available in my home market. If I'm home, well I'm my own beer guy.

 

I usually have an idea of what I want before I enter the store. Then I get more ideas as I peruse the shelves

 

Alcohol content

 

I generally browse until something catches my eye. Sometimes I ask for recommendations since both of my closest stores have knowledgeable managers. I go for beers of styles I like but haven't tried a lot of the time. Sometimes it pays out (I discovered some De Dolle, Maine Beer Co and Die Du Ciel stuff) and sometimes it doesn't (I found some De Koninck)...

 

I already know that I will buy anything new from some breweries like Sierra or Deshutes, then it's some quantity of something i already like with a few unknowns for experiment. If there is Pliny... well.

 

I usually have an Idea of what i want (IPA, A seasonal offering, Porter, Wheat Beer). I often follow twitter of a few of my good beer stores for when they get fresh shipments of higher demand/new goodies. So I'm either picking a specific style in mind or a specific brew. I do like to browse a lot though.

 

I go in, look for anything that looks interesting, check it out on BA to make sure it isn't terrible and I give it a go.

I like pretty much all styles of beer which helps since I'm a ticker.

 

I have a list of beers that I want to try on my phone, and usually consult that first when I'm at a store.

Then from there, I usually have a style that I'm in the mood for (whether it be an Imperial Stout, or DIPA, or Saison, ect.), and choose based upon a combination of brewery reputation, past experience with said brewery, bottle format, and cost.

 

Sometimes I go to the store knowing exactly what I'm looking for (either specific beer or style that I'm craving) and sometimes I peruse the shelves to see what catches my interest. Either way, I walk out with good beer in hand.

 

I look for bottles that will turn blue when they are cold enough to not taste anything...

 

I walk blindfolded into the store with some suction darts, after knocking over most everything on my way to the beer aisle I chuck the darts and see what I'm buying.

In all seriousness I generally go in for something and walk out with that and a few random things that snowballed with me once I got what I intended to.

 

If you drink the same thing over and over you're most likely missing out on stuff you might like better.

As to the topic, I do a bit of both. I generally like to have something hoppy on hand so if I don't have any pa/ipas in the fridge I will most likely plan to pick some up. If there is something I'm in the mood for I will go for that. Most of the time I will go in and see what pops out at me.

 

By smell.

 

Blind luck. I usually take my time and pick by reading the bottles. I try a bunch of stuff and write down what I like for when I want something specific.

 

Depends on the kind of shopping trip. If I'm going to the grocery store I know the options will be limited and I'll just seek targets of opportunity. I may already know I just want a basic beer but will pretty much just choose the best I can find from the available options.

If I'm going to my regular liquor store, I usually go in with a general idea of the longstanding list of beers and breweries I'd like to try. If I see a few of them, I put them on my mental "probably" shortlist. But then I scout around to see what else they've got. I read labels, look stuff up on my phone, check ratings. I'll often wind up with one or two things I wasn't expecting along with something else I knew I had been wanting to try. Sometimes when I go to the liquor store it's because I'm in the mood for a particular thing and know they carry it.

If I go to the super craft store in the big city, I go in with fear about the amount of money I'm about to spend and I take like an hour of perusing and looking stuff up and leave with a fat cartful of things that are a mix of rarer things I've heard about that I can't get in my area and other stuff that sounded interesting or that the store guys may have recommended based on my preferences. I'm usually not shopping for something I'm in the mood for at these places, more like stocking up on things I can't get at home while I have an opportunity.

 

Usually I have a list of what I want, but if I find something new from a trusted brewery I will pick it up.