How do you pick beers?

Check out WBAYDN thread. You will see lots of beer and be able to give it a quick look in the ratings and maybe read a review or two to find out if that is a beer you want to try. Maybe check out your local breweries. You must have some good ones and try to look at threads about favorites. Favorite stout, favorite IPA etc . . . Now you will have some familiarity with what you will find on the shelf and may lean towards buying what you have heard about. When you go to the beer store and they have so many beers it is very hard to decide.

 

With my hands.

 

I live in Kansas so distribution here focuses on a lot of Colorado brews (Thank Christ!) so anytime a new CO beer hits the shelves, I immediately buy it. Otherwise, I either try something new which is getting harder and harder to find, or I just go back to my favorites. My main point is, I try to find new regional beers first.

 

I try to get something new to me every time I go to the store , other than that I pick out an old favorite

 

I usually like to do my homework and go into a store with some specific choices in mind. I use some of the ratings and reviews of my fellow BA's to guide my choices sometimes but oftenit is just wanting to try different offerings from the styles I am into at that given time. Usually I don't let price get in the way of me trying what I want...I let my love of beer be my guide

 

I usually just grab things on a whim if I don't recognize or know anything about. If I have time, I'll do a quick research on BA to get an idea, but sometimes I like the surprise. If you're balling on a budget, I'd definitely look the beer up, but try not to let reviews ruin it for you. This comes in handy where I live since we don't get many of the things most of you all get there in America.

 

I usually know what I want because I can't buy everything I want in the store. So, I kinda have some idea of what is flying off the shelves and what isn't, if it's going to be on the shelve for a while I'll get something I want that isn't going to stick around.

 

I pick the beers from breweries I like that are fairly priced.

 

Labels. I know it's wrong, but if you have a nice label I'm most likely going to pick it up and look at it

 

Style of Beer ( whatever i'm feeling at the time) followed buy brand then Price or Price first if Im in betrween checks lol

 

Breweries I like attract my eye first, I'll always go check a section I know has my favorites in it first and see if there's anything new. Other than that I just go by style and BA reputation. I like IPAs so if find an IPA in the store I haven't tried before and it has a decent rating on BA I'll check it out. I love trying new beers and I trust the BA community, so I'm constantly bringing up BA in the store. Overall though I'd say I check out the brewery first (helps if there is kick-ass artwork) then style, then price, and final decision. The whole process could take ahile, so wear some comfortable shoes.

 

I look for something I haven't had before.

 

Let's try this: tell us (your fellow BA's) what beers you enjoy now-then we might be able to steer you into other examples of the same style and so on.

I have the same problem in the cereal isle at the grocery store if it helps any...

Ps: I'd keep that sheep shagger thing quiet if I were you

 

I'm more likely to buy it even if I've never heard of it:

• If it's from a brewery I know and trust
• If it's from a brewery I've heard a lot about that's new to my local market
• If it's a favorite style
• If it's reasonably priced
• If it's barrel-aged
• If it's been discussed a lot in beer circles/BA etc.
• If the packaging indicates pride in the product (waxed cap, cork/cage, bottle in brown cardboard box etc.)

And of course, the more of these criteria a given beer meets, the more likely I am to buy it.

 

I love doing pick-a-sixes. My formula is 3 that I love, two I'm curious about and one style or brewery I have not tried. I do homework on the front end to figure some things out, but have been happy with some impulsive choices as well. I get occasional clunkers, but I am usually happy with my haul. When I'm buying sixes or fours, it's all on gut (sometimes what's on sale), what ver I feel deep down that I need at that moment.

 

Find a local brewery/brewpub, and enjoy.

 

i use the eenie, meenie, minie, moe method. first i look for something i've never had in the styles i prefer, then i check price, over $11 bucks for six and it's eliminated (harsh, i know, but i have a budget i'm trying to abide by), and if nothing grabs my interest, i'll just grab an old favorite, which there is many to fall back on.

 

^^^Pick 6's are great!! It's really nice when stores with a vast beer stock offer a pick 6 section. Good way to try new beers at a reasonable price.