How important is the "buzz"?

I guess I'm one of those "oddballs" you're referring too. Come on man, you wouldn't drink something like Firestone Walker Sucaba even if it was 0% alcohol? I sure as hell would. It taste SOOO damn good. Nothing else in the world tastes like great beer. NOTHING!!

However, the buzz is like the icing on the cake, to me it gives me this feeling that divine intervention had something to do with the brewing process. After consuming such a GREAT tasting beverage then "the buzz" kicks in, something magical happens. In fact, beer is the ONLY alcoholic beverage that gives me this feeling. But I must admit, there are times when I actually get annoyed when the buzz presents itself because my taste buds are not as sharp when I get to that intoxicated level. I can no longer pick out all the tasting notes I get in beer. This is why EVERYTHING starts to taste good (or at least tolerable) when you are drunk. Even garbage like Steel Reserve is actually drinkable at room temperature when you're drunk. So, with this in mind, I have to question just how much value the buzz has and like I mentioned in my previous post, I would give it about a 4 on a scale of 1-10.

Take it as you will, but not everyone is drinking to get buzzed.

 

The buzz is very important. I guess I'll be one of the few people to say that. If beer didn't have alcohol, I wouldn't spend shitloads of money on it. I'd drink more tea, coffee, and soda. Having said all if that, I also prefer lower ABV beers.

 

Sure the BUZZ is important. Nobody on this forum disputes that. But my take is that the taste IS more important than the buzz, otherwise, what is the point in drinking craft beer!

 

A lot of the people who are drinking to get wasted and not just buzzed are doing it to prove themselves manly to their friends, not for pleasure.

If there existed a beer that could get you buzzed but could never get you wasted I'd drink it all the time.

It's true that the buzz is a part of the experience of drinking beer. But anyone who treats alcohol consumption as a penis contest is missing the point.

 

/thread

 

Imagine a 0% ABV, 0 calorie beer that tasted like amazing craft beer. I would drink it all day. Craft beer is much more about the flavor and aroma than the buzz, but of course, to get all that aroma and flavor you need the malt taste and the sugars that get fermented into alcohol. I do like the buzz though, but it's not my reason for drinking craft beer. I could drink any alcohol and get buzzed. I drink craft because it tastes amazing and you know a lot of hard work went into making it.

 

It really fuckin' annoys me when people on here claim they don't enjoy the buzz. When most of us first started drinking (high school and/or college), it was mostly to get wasted on the cheapest beer possible because of the social aspect and to have fun. Now that we've grown up a bit, our tastes have evolved and so have most of our responsibilities, so the focus goes from trying to get hammered to actually enjoying what you are drinking. Sure, on occasion I like to get wasted with my friends and have a good time, but when I have something important to do the next day, I can skip a day or two of drinking or even just have one beer before bed to unwind from the day, but to say I don't like the buzz would be straight up lying. I don't know anyone who enjoys a hangover, but I definitely enjoy the feeling of the buzz from 2-3 beers and then not having to deal with a hangover the next day. Hypothetically speaking, if I had a choice between two beers that were exactly the same in every aspect except one had 0% ABV and the other had 7%, I'm going 7% ABV 100 percent of the time. I obviously don't speak for everyone on here, but I feel like most people can relate. I think a lot of people claim they don't enjoy the buzz cause they don't want to be called an alchie or something. You are still able to enjoy ethanol and it's effects without being an alcoholic. Just don't let it get the best of you. Everything in moderation, friends. Cheers!!

 

Imagine that humanity existed in some sort of utopia, where nobody had to work, there was no disease, no wars, and I owned 10 supercars etc....

In reality, I have to work 9-5 and own zero supercars, and beer and alcohol are fully intertwined.

 

This topic is generating a surprising buzz.

 

Sorry that we the buzz killers have annoyed you. does it also upset you when someone steals your candy?

 

Although I don't really like the term buzz, personally I'm with you, in that I enjoy (to an extent) the effects of alcohol. But why is it so hard to believe that someone may feel otherwise? And why is it annoying? Don't get me wrong, I don't like the vocal puritanical sorts, but if someone genuinely doesn't like the effects of alcohol, but is not judgmental about others' preferences, then what's wrong with that?

 

Sometimes I drink to appreciate a finely crafted beer. Other times, i drink to get drunk. Depends on my work schedule and how much my body hurts after work.

 

Lots of calories and no buzz? I'll take ice cream over beer if that's the case...until 0% ABV beer tastes as good as ice cream.

 

I mean, yeah, I enjoy the buzz, but I could drink any number of different alcoholic beverages to get a buzz going. I drink craft beer because it tastes amazing.

 

Okay, maybe I did come off a little harsh in my first reply and honestly it really doesn't bother me if someone really just does not like the effects. That is completely fine, because that's them, not me. It's not like I sit around just making myself mad because someone in another state doesn't like the effects of alcohol lol. What I meant by getting annoyed was the pretentious attitude that some people seem to have towards people who do enjoy the effects. Not saying that OP has that attitude, but it definitely seems like some people do. But yes, I totally agree that if someone really does not like the effects but enjoys drinking beer in moderate amounts so they don't get drunk, then yes that is definitely no problem. Like you said, the vocal puritanical sorts are exactly what I'm talking about. Sorry to come off harsh in the first post.

 

I mean yeah, that's why I drink craft too lol.

 

See my reply a little further down. I admit I came off sounding like a douche, but that wasn't my intention.

 

Not very important to me although I certainly don't mind it. Most of the time I don't drink enough to even get a buzz as I usually drink only 2-3 beers at a time.

If I'm looking for a buzz, I can certainly get there much quicker with hard alcohol.

 

My favorite part of the buzz is that it prevents me from drinking 3000 empty (albeit delicious) calories on a daily basis.

 

I'm with you D