How do you decide what to drink?

I think the key is to diversify your collection to suit your current state of palate. As a very typical example, I'm sure, I have recently switched to drinking more IPAs / DIPAs and give myself a respite from the BA Stouts and Barleywines I've consumed constantly since September it seems. :-)

 

Right now, I am on an IPA kick (like the most of us), and so I am buying the 'good' ones, stocking up, and when I grab a beer from my fridge, I know I won't be disappointed. However, today I started with a Mission Pale Ale, just to give my palate a break. I didn't realize it was a session, though.

 

My cellar is about 20 beers deep that I keep for sharing/splitting with pals in weekly bottle share sessions who appreciate big beers and sours. I generally go with oldest beer gets drank system. I keep them lined up by date of purchase and/or bottled on date with the oldest beers to one side of the cellar and youngest towards the other in a line. I try to buy 1-2 cellar beers each week or 2. I'd like to get the cellar at a level so I'm consuming oldest beers at the 1 year old marker. Right now most of my purchased fresh big beers are only aged 6-9 months aged at best with this system. I guess I need to buy more to get the cellar over the 1 year aged hump. Occassionally I get lucky and find some beers in the store with age on them already (got an Orval for 5.99 from store with 1.5 years on it already, which was a nice find. It wouldn't be the right beer advocate answer to say I need to share less beer/socialize less now would it?

 

If I know what I'm about to eat, then that's totally what decides what I drink.

If there's no food involved it depends on mood/state: Is it cold out? Do I want something heavy and warming? Am I tired? Do I want something refreshing? Do I have to be somewhere reasonably soon? Am I about set in to a game that's going to last a few hours?

 

Style, then price to ABV ratio. SIMPLE!

 

start strong, expensive;
finish weak, cheap

 

Look at all your beers and figure out which one is calling you.

 

I open the fridge, stick my hand in, and let fate decide.

 

yeah man, when traveling I usually check code dates and that determines my purchasing decision above all else

 

Whatever I'm in the mood for.

 

For me, oddly, the weather plays a big part in my choice. When it's cold, cloudy, or rainy I go darker styles. Warm days, I prefer lighter hoppier. Sours can split this way to.

 

I always let my flavor preference guide my choices, but I definitely let my knowledge of "optimal flavor windows" guide my choices too - anything especially "hoppy" will take precedence, as you have about a 60 day window imho, while barleywines and imperial stouts will get better with age. If your in a crunch, I'd say go with an IPA/DIPA first, especially if ur in the mood for some bright fresh hops, while ur barleywines and impy stouts will keep getting better - cheers!

 

Over the holidays my beer fridge filled up, since it is also our second fridge for the house and we do lots of entertaining over the holidays, I have been put on notice by the wife. She bought me my own small beer fridge . So now it is 75% full of stouts and porters and I have told myself no more growlers until I wipe out my snowpacks, so for me it is IPA's during the nite and finish up with a porter or coffee stout for now. Once those are knocked out, who knows

 

Not sure if you were trying to be snarky, but I was referring to a when I open my fridge not when out purchasing beer.

 

I use a list randomizer app with all of the beers I'm not saving for a special occasion. I double list lower ABV beers I've had for a month. I also hit randomize again when I am a beer or two in and a heavy hitter or 750 ml comes up. This way it is still somewhat of a surprise as I usually have about 8 or 10 kinds on hand at minimum. Very nerdy,but this is how I roll.

 

depends what I am eating.

 

oh! well same principle applies :-)

 

Still can't figure out if you're trying to be a dick. I don't check date codes on bottles, but if I've got IPAs in the fridge they might take priority over others.

 

I am not being a dick, nor do I do that to people on this site. I respect the rules here.

All I am saying is my fridge is so overrun with beer, I often check code dates to see which ones are fresh. The non-fresh ones I ended up drinking late at night when I get home from the bar and blast some records. :-)

 

Oh, so you really do check date codes. Often people on BA mock people for being uber careful about freshness. I didn't think you would randomly come after somebody on BA but it happens all the time.

Cheers!