How do you decide what to drink?

Not to be snarky, but just because you limit yourself to 20$ a week to spend on beer, doesn't mean we all do

Lately Ive been spending quite a bit of money. Nothing breaking the bank, but if I see something I want and its limited, Chances are I'm getting it just to make sure I get it when available. So its a bit hard to choose between Founders Imp stout, Carton 077XX, Victory Earth and Flame, a BCBS, Firestones, 2Xpresso, Devils Due (just to name what I can see from my chair)

I think it depends on your level of involvement in the craft beer world. I myself work in beer, so its worth it to me to pick up whatever I see and advance my knowledge. If its someones hobby, then spending a lot on it doesn't phase them. But if you just happen to like good beer and have a lot of other hobbies, limiting yourself to spending limits is smart.

 

I have a couple factors that play into what I am going to be drinking

• Weather
• Where I am at
• How I want to wake up the following morning

 

I have a flow chart of sorts:

Am I thirsty? - YES -> STOUTS.

- NO -> Are you sure? -> YES -> have a STOUT anyways.

-> NO -> Would a stout change your mind? -> YES -> STOUTS it is!

-> NO -> Bullshit! ​

 

I really only break into the cellar when I'm drinking with others. Limited IPAs I'll drink ASAP. If I only have one of a bigger beer then I don't care when I drink it - I'll usually pop it because I think it suits the tastes of whomever I'm drinking with. If I have multiples of the same bigger beers I try to drink one fresh and then continue to drink based upon time aged. Same goes for sours and smoked beers. Although smoked beers I'll almost never drink fresh because that meaty-smoke flavor is just too dominant for my tastes. A lot of times I'll also go one for one with a friend. Like we will each buy a Parabola and split them both: one now, one much later.

 

Whatever is going to "spoil" soonest helps narrow it down. Then it really all depends on what type of mood I'm in. The best thing is there is never a wrong answer. Well, maybe going for an imperial stout during a heatwave isn't ideal, but it's still good beer.

 

Whatever my wandering tastes lead me to in the moment, usually, or sometimes, according to what food I am eating, since I rarely drink beer without a meal. And, of course, what I can find on the shelves.

 

Happenstance, blissful happenstance!

 

I drink whatever beer is best fresh (IPA, Pale Ale) first then I will dig into my cellar. My cellar has stouts, barley wines, old ales, and a few sours. What I drink usually depends on the season as well, summer time lots of IPA and pale ale, fall/winter more stouts, porters, barley wines. If I am celebrating a special occasion I'll pull a BA stout from the cellar. But I don't look at ratings to determine what beer I drink, as there are beers that I really enjoy that don't have high ratings.

 

Oh, believe me, if I could afford to just buy what I wanted I would. I'm jealous of people who can afford to have beer just building up. I went to the store yesterday and missed out on BA old rasputen because it was $21.90. :/ if I don't stick to the budget, then it's ineffective. *sigh*

 

We share the same flowchart

 

I have very, very limited space. I'm one of the few (~10% of BAs according to a recent poll, if I recall correctly) that doesn't keep some sort of "cellar". The immediate benefit (or detriment depending on your school of thought) is that I can only stock about 18 beers max, and I move through them in 10-14 days; meaning, my beer is always very fresh. The relatively low beer count does mean I have to really think about what I want to drink for the next 2 weeks, so I almost always stick with this system of purchasing:
1x sixer something hoppy
1x sixer something balanced/malty
1x mix sixer grab-bag of random goodness

 

My fridge is stocked about 50/50 between old favorites and beer that I have not tried yet. My mood determines what I drink, most of the time. Like IPA's, sometimes I'm just not in the mood for something bitter, other times I crave the bitterness. If age is an issue, I try to drink the oldest first. I also have beers that are better shared, so that is a deciding factor,too.

 

Message me, I'll send you my address. you can send me some of your surplus = problem solved.

 

Easy: 1) what ever has the shortest shelf life or is nearest its best by date goes first, 2) what ever goes with the food I am eating, 3) if it has been a high intensity day, what ever is imperial or double.

 

close your eyes and grab one

 

eenie, meenie, miney, mo generally works for me

 

For me the priority goes to anything that's intended to be hoppy or anything that has any age-sensitive adjuncts that will begin to lose their flavor over time. After that, priority goes to the oldest stuff. Say I have a barley wine that has been in the cellar for three years, I would choose that over one I bought yesterday.
That being said, I am not going to force myself to drink an IPA that is starting to get older and needs to be drunk if I am not in the mood for something hoppy. I find that if I am not in the mood for a particular style of beer and drink it anyway out of "obligation", I just don't get the same enjoyment out of it.

 

I contact my life coach and she tells me what to drink.

 

If on that rare occasion I end up with too much beer I have some friends over and we knock the inventory down a little