Poll: Drinking alone at public drinking establishments

I don’t drink away from home (or a friend of family members home) more than a couple times a year anyway, but in the past when I’ve had to travel out of town for training I’ve had no issues going to a bar by myself with a book or something.

I don’t go out of my way to engage people I don’t know in conversation but if some dude wants to strike up a conversation with me I’ll certainly talk to him.

the one day a year I definitely drink alone is on Veterans Day, there’s a Biergarten at the front of my neighborhood that offers a free litre of whatever you want to people who were in the military. I usually roll solo to that

 

Is this thread a contender for friendliest thread? Gosh, it’s making me want to go out and have a beer with y’all….

 

Drinking alone in public has been exclusive to weekend brewery visits for several years.

I picked 80-100% with 90% being about right. Cheers.

 

I mean, how else am I going to check out new breweries. I wish I had a friend or two to go with but you know if something is going to happen in my life I gotta call my own number.

More lately I've become a regular at one place so that's not alone in that sense but I wouldn't stigmatize it.

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That being said, drinking at home on my own... don't really do that so much. I don't see the point and I don't have the desire to do it.

 

I’m reading the replies here as I drink alone at the bar

 

Yeah, sometimes I want to be around people, but not particularly interact with people.

 

Unless you run into an old grump who wants to be left alone.

 

I was kind of shocked to see I was in the minority in the 80 - 100 percent range. I travel a lot for work (about 75%+ a year) and I’ve found that, with the right research, I can pinpoint neighborhood breweries that attract friendly and conversational crowds. More importantly they attract people that appreciate good quality beer. I always enjoy going to these places alone because I can have a couple, strike up a conversation and tend to either learn a lot about the area I’m in or just the person I’m talking to.

At breweries specifically it is nice to be alone. It helps with being able to fully appreciate the beer and be thoughtful with your next purchase. There’s been plenty of times when I walk in and have one before realizing “this isn’t the place for me” and then leave. On the other hand, there’s times I find myself hanging out past midnight because the beer and people make it worth it.

 

Alone nearly 100% of the time. I spent the last 17+ years of my working life in a 12-bed residential care facility, and I value solitude probably more than you can imagine. I like to visit bars, taprooms, and breweries, and I actually enjoy being alone at those places. As a bonus, since I don't have a DD I'm much more mindful of my alcohol intake.

 

A lot of responses here about how folks go out alone to talk to people. Seems counter to the point, eh?

 

I was just in an area I don’t visit often and there was a taco spot that I’ve always wanted to try. When I got there it was a cool center next to a brewery. I ordered my food and went over to the brewery to get a beer while I waited for food. I don’t mind having a beer by myself. However, I don’t go to bars or just my local brewery and crush beers solo.

when I am in area I don’t visit often or a an area I’ve never been I usually see if there are any good breweries I haven’t been to or really like. If so i always try to stop by and grab a beer or two. Green cheek in Costa Mesa is like 30 min from me and whenever i stop by the homebrew shop down the street from GC I always have to stop by for a beer.

 

To talk to new people. I talk to the relatively few people in my life all the time. I went to a local brewery alone this afternoon and got some tacos and a couple good beers and talked to some random guy about weird towns in Wisconsin we had both encountered.

It was a weird and interesting conversation that I couldn't have had with any of my friends. I didn't add someone new to my social roster but I had an unusual conversation with a person outside my typical social circle. Early in the conversation another guy, who left shortly afterward, told us both that the first time he got drunk was when a teenage cousin got him to drink 3 mickeys hand grenades when he was 7. He puked on his mom afterwards apparently.

Another wonderfully weird and random story from someone outside of my social circle

 

Sure, I get that. But, if you're having a conversation with a stranger, are you drinking alone?

 

Good question. Are you drinking alone anytime you're in a building full of people drinking? I don't know.

I interpreted the original question to be about going out to drink alone, not about how not engaging with anyone else while you're out drinking

 

I have often traveled alone. At first, eating and drinking alone felt weird. Then I stopped caring. Now it's very normal for me when I'm out traveling, and not unusual for me when I'm at home. My preference is usually to meet someone or go out with someone, but it's definitely not a requirement.