How do you decide what to drink?

I just browse until I feel my neurons fire in an obvious way that - that's the beer for me at this moment! If nothing fires, then perhaps save the beers for later until you really want them.

 

Whatever sounds good at the time.

 

Typically, if I have a well stocked fridge (which I usually do), I'll pick something based on my mood. Sometimes I'm feeling some hoppy goodness so I'll go for an IPA. Other times, I'm looking for something dark and roasty, so I'll go for a Porter or Stout. If you aren't in a particular mood for something, close your eyes and pick something

 

I have the beer organized by a pseudo IPA to BA Stout spectrum.

Will gravitate towards drinking the harvest ales and IPAs as quickly as possible, but usually I start perusing a shelf based on what sounds good at the moment. A step further is how many I plan on drinking...if more than one I may pass over a known favorite for one of my "ticking", new-to-me beers.

 

Blindfold yourself and then just start grabbing.

Get the GF/wife involved too, good times...good times.

 

Here is my scientific method (patent pending):

A: Weekdays I tend to drink 12oz sized, not-too-high ABV beers
1. If I have a rotating availability beer that I never had before, I will try it in case I want to get out and buy more
2. Else if I have a weather-appropriate, 12oz, I pick that one
3. Else I will have a beer I did not have before (non-rotating availability)

B: Weekends are for higher ABV and/or higher volume bottles
1. Friday and Saturday I usually pick one of the bottles that I kept eyeing during the week, but did not meet the criteria for weekdays
2. Sunday I will have one of my favorites

As an alternative, you may also try something like 'Next Glass'. Whatever your problem, there's an app for it.

 

Was there any doubt Betty was in therapy?

 

I love stouts especially BBA. But I like them aged. Additionally I like IPAs fresh. But also enjoy some with a little age on them too. So I try to drink the IPAs fresh and squeze in a BBA stout every few days.

 

I grab a chair, open the fridge and wait....first beer to break a sweat gets pulled.

 

if I have an IPA in the house that'll be on the chopping block first. Other than that I usually waffle between a sour and something else that's reasonable to drink on a weekday. On a weekend it's balls out and high gravity. I may also have at least 30 cases of bombers in my house so it's a challenge to decide what gets drank on any night. I usually spend a good five minutes picking my poison.

 

Depends entirely on mood, if I'm drinking with anyone and if I've got a beer that should be drunk while fresh. For example: I've got a friend who likes beer, but isn't into the face-murdering hops that are rampant in high IBUs. So, I'll whip out the brown ales and dark lagers for her, and keep the hoppy stuff for me.

If you have a few different kinds of the same style, you could have a theme tasting.

Mainly, though: if sounds good, drink it.

 

Sometimes I try to pair a beer with what I'm eating that night. Sometimes I just grab what ever I want....in a beer, that is.....

 

This is mostly about mood, but other factors might be what I'm eating, is there company over, whether it's a new brew to me, and which beers are freshest.

 

My decisions are always based on who I'm drinking with. If it's just me (sad story), then I typically go for a low-key IPA. If it's my wife and I, we typically reach for a good stout. If there's a lot of people, we go for some fairly special things to increase the wow factor, but nothing super hard to get unless we have enough to go around. And on the small, real aficionado beer parties, we break out the good stuff!

 

What if your beer chooses me instead?

 

I grab whichever beer in my fridge is least similar to the ones I just had.

 

If it's with food that makes a big difference. Otherwise it's whatever Is closest to the front of the fridge. The cellar stuff is really just for special occasions

 

I like to mix it up. So if I've had a certain style for a few days in a row, I am guaranteed to grab something different the next day.

 

Go with a combination of what will expire the soonest and what goes best with what you plan to eat that day.

 

sounds to me like someone needs to invite some friends over for a tasting