How important is the "buzz"?

The vast majority of time I drink beer, I do not get a buzz because I'm a moderate drinker - 1-2 beers a day. The only time I get a buzz on is when I'm at a bottle share or festival etc. So as I said above, the buzz is not a factor to me today - it was the only factor for me during college. My post from above: It was the main point during college. Now, it's not a factor for me. As I've told people before, I learned how not to drink in college. Now I drink for the taste and pleasure of the product. I'd love it if I could go out to a bar and did not have to worry about how much I drink or needing a designated driver if I go to certain beer tasting events. Not to mention the aftereffects drinking too much can bring. So if I could get the taste of a Bourbon County Stout with 0% alcohol, I'd prefer it to what we have today. But this is all a moot discussion since that's not the way it is or ever will be. So I watch how much I drink and make sure I have a designated driver if I need one.

To cavedave: Interesting discussion so far. I've seen's Todd's comments and my impression from his comments is different than yours. In one post you stated - "I don't think anyone can say, with a straight face, that it was love at first taste for that first alcoholic beverage's taste, and dislike at first buzz for the feeling it gave, and they were attracted back to it specifically because of the taste, and despite the buzz that they dislike. This is all I am saying. This is all Todd is saying. And I think anyone who says they loved the taste, hated the buzz, and were attracted back to it because of the taste, and despite the buzz, is lying."

Todd stated the following: "I believe that anyone who says that they don't drink beer for the buzz is lying. We can dance around all of the other reasons why we enjoy beer, throw around arbitrary percentages of flavor vs buzz, talk about then and now, or when we like the buzz and when we don't, but the statement remains true for me based on my experience; and now even more so based on this thread."

I agree with you that I did not care for my first taste of alcohol - mainly because it was crap - and the buzz was the main factor I drank at the time. That's changed today. The one area I disagree with you is that Todd appears to be saying that the reason people drink beer is for the buzz - as he states in the quote above. I don't as stated above. Not that I have any problem with people drinking to get a buzz. And as I noted above, I do occasionally get a buzz on during big tasting events. And all of us have probably had a particularly bad day where getting a buzz on is welcome - although of course, if one is making a habit of drinking alcohol to forget one's problems etc - then one could potentially have an alcoholism issue.

So I think we agree for the most part. The one area I part ways with Todd it appears, is that I don't drink beer to get a buzz. I did when I first started but now it doesn't enter my mind. I drink beer because I enjoy the taste and the experience of trying new things and sharing that experience with others. I've met lots of great people over the years in this hobby and it's my favorite part of it. Cheers!

 

Who doesn't like a buzz, amirite? I remember those days back in college like yesterday...I also remember how good yesterdays buzz was. Personally, i'm not a fan of the buzz, I like to taste the nuances of grains, flowers and the age of wood soaked in booze.

 

1-2 beers and absolutely no buzz? Must be nice. I just had an FBS, and most certainly have a buzz. Of course, I weigh 165 and have an extremely high metabolism. Im always jealous of people who can drink a couple and feel little effect.

 

No, just keeping it real. You are the one acting like people are just "morons" if they're not drinking to get drunk. In fact, here's your exact quote...

Believe it or not, some people do enjoy the taste way more than the buzz. Of course, I would gather that these are people that probably prefer malt forward beers over the big hop bombs because the malt forward beers are more complex. But that is an entirely different topic altogether.

 

Something to consider: there's a very uniquely American fear/paranoia regarding addiction and pleasure. Maybe it's something rooted in old puritanical ideas, I don't know. A lot of people get very defensive about being perceived this way. A lot of people would look down upon someone drinking 1-2 beers a night, 1-2 glasses of wine a night, etc., whereas somewhere like Europe this stigma doesn't exist from what I understand.

This could be somewhat of a psychological explanation of people claiming to drink 100% for taste purposes. Not saying that's my personal theory, just something I thought about.

 

Actually, as you're aware, Todd said "It's why we drink beer," and then went on to call anyone who disagrees with him a liar.
So actually, yes, the founder of this site is saying exactly that.

As for all the rest, now that I've had the time to read through this entire thread (OK, I skimmed some of it), I'll just say that I'm coming away with the realization that different people's reasons for drinking beer are far more diverse and wide-ranging than I'd initially appreciated. Previously, I thought that most people were drinking primarily for the taste—because after all, no other beverage, alcoholic or not, provides the spectacular array of flavors, aromas, textures, and colors that beer does—but of course with the nice little added bonus that it makes you feel kinda warm and fuzzy if consumed in moderation. Now I have learned (or been reminded) that many people are thinking more about the buzz than about the taste. As I stated somewhere, I freely admit that I enjoy the buzz, but it can also be an inconvenience (at best).

I guess if the buzz is such an important part of the experience to so many, maybe there should be a site where people can have endless forum discussions and post reviews about how the beer affects their state of consciousness, instead of all this meaningless drivel about aroma, taste, and mouthfeel...

 

This is exactly how I feel about all of this. Very well said.

 

Yeah that's been my big takeaway from this thread too (the other being that apparently a lot of BAs can't respect these differing reasons, or believe they can exist if they don't align with their own views on beer and alcohol)

 

That's too bad, I guess.

 

Enjoy that beer. The taste, the buzz, all of it.

And after that, look up "why" in the dictionary. You'll find something along the lines of "the cause, reason, or purpose for which." You didn't say "It's one of the reasons we drink beer," you said it's the reason. Makes all the difference.

 

Ask yourself this, why don't you drink a 7% craft beer with breakfast before work?

 

Not sure how tongue in cheek your post is, but I can say it is obvious by the billion or so other posts on this site since it started that the main reason BA's drink beer is the flavor. What I (and i won't speak for anyone else) feel is that alcohol is a key part of that taste, and an inevitable part of the drinking experience, one that I enjoy.

Again, assuming your post is not tongue in cheek, I doubt you can find where Todd, or anyone, said that the buzz is the only reason that they drink beer, and indeed the idea that anyone here feels that way is belied completely, entirely, and with an incredibly massive volume of reference material that is the body and history of this site.

What I took issue with is the folks who said that the buzz isn't and never was an enjoyable part of their beer experience, that they basically drink beer despite the buzz, and did from their first sip. I called bullshit in multiple posts here and in past threads, I call bullshit now, and I will continue with that opinion.

 

Well I'm a casual drinker and a member of this site. I mean, I still have a couple beers left in my fridge from a 6 pack I bought over a week ago. So now what?

For the longest time I didn't drink beer because I couldn't stand the taste of it. Personally, I'm not gonna drink something that I can't stand the taste of. I don't enjoy the buzz enough for that. I don't hate it, just don't necessarily enjoy it. In other words, I'm indifferent on it...don't really care. But with the way my palate has changed over the years and the more I discover craft beer, it's now my alcoholic drink of choice because of ONE thing...the taste. I just love the taste of a good craft beer. Whenever I go to a brewery(or a restaurant that offers them), often times I go with a sampler of beers so I can try multiple kinds and discover which ones I like more, not to get buzzed. And to this day(I'm 32 now), on the occasion when I have a mixed drink, which isn't often, I stick with one of the few that I enjoy the taste of the most. Why is that so hard to believe for some of you?

 

I very recently quit smoking (I never claimed to enjoy that taste!) and I find it most difficult to overcome the pangs when alcohol is in my system. However, I'm enjoying a Stone GoTo right now. Despite the low abv, I know a buzz will eventually come from this (or the next one) and it will be the most mentally exhausting part of my day as I will go back to the mental tug-o-war that we ex-smokers deal with, which is most extreme (for me) when alcohol enters my system. I'm literally drinking beer despite the buzz tonight.

 

This is a funny example because when I lived in China, there was a street vendor who sold food outside of his house. His dishes were seriously the best dishes I've had in any part of China I've been to (up until this point at least). Unfortunately, because it was street food, there was a significant chance I'd get pretty wrecked but that never deterred me. Now I wouldn't say that I love that food to the same extent that I love beer--that is, I wouldn't join a Chinese cuisine forum--but the knowledge that I would get sick never augmented my behavior (which I know is slightly insane).

To address the "buzzed" questions, I'll say this: I like being buzzed. Always have, always will. I like being a good level of drunk on the weekend if I am with friends or my girlfriend, and I even (very rarely, but it happens) find some enjoyment in getting shitfaced with my buddies. But, at this point in my beer drinking career, I would prefer most beers to be 2-3% because I would love to be able to have a couple of beers anytime of the day and not have that mess with my day. Also, I prefer maintaining the sharpness of my palate, but after three beers or so, there's a noticeable decline in my ability to detect nuance in beer; and, honestly, tasting new beers and testing my palate is my favorite element of the beer tasting experience most of the time.

 

I have to say, there is an annoying reviewing trend on this website where high abv% beers somehow always get positive reviews (90% +)

Look at the "Top 10", then look at the abv of these beers.

I don't generally think that reflects people's attitudes towards alcohol buzz -- I think it's just a perception/hipster thing.

 

I think I wouldn't presume to know why anyone does anything. Get serious.