Weaning Myself Off Being a Ticker

I just can't understand how you think I'm wrong for procuring local and fresh craft beer. and I'm about 80/20 instead of your 70/30 %. So, ultimately we're on the same page.

 

I never realized I criticized you earlier in the post, did I? Anyway if you are buying mostly local beers and 80% of them are new beers, you either are new to drinking craft beers and are still in the discovery mode/trying all the new beers, or your local beer scene in Connecticutt is crazy large and pumping out tons of new beers every week.

 

It truly cracks me up how some are critical as to how others enjoy their beer. Who cares if you tick, chug, drainpour, snort or whatever. If you find yourself "ticking", so what. If you paid for it, do whatever you like. Hell, when I get home today, I'm gonna drink a Black Tuesday thru a straw until it runs out my nose just to perturb the busy-bodies.

 

I think there's a natural drop off to ticking, at least for me since I don't bother to trade. Eventually you have had most of the local offerings and fewer new beers come your way. Vacations provide opportunities for ticking but maybe that's it.

I like ticking though. Besides broadening and refining my palate, it helps enormously with beer advocacy. Its much easier to recommend to someone a beer they'd probably like if you know what kind of beer they have liked before and have tried most of the options available. I have misses occasionally but otherwise do pretty well making recommendations - and I create more beer fans that way.

 

I went through that phase in 2001-2005. I have no tips. If I had Not ran out of cash I still be doing it my way. But I not a single type ticker, if you can define tickers.....

 

1. bank account
2. mirror

look at both. are they looking like what you want them to look like?

 

I have a system I use. I rotate drinking something new with something tried and true. Works for me because it is a good mix of adventure and familiarity. Not too worried about the number of beers I've tried...mainly concerned with finding new beer that can become one of my favorites in the rotation.

 

a ticker is anybody who registers on untapped with a mere 1 oz sample. a ticker is anybody who has one beer and even if they think it's great will check it off their list or untapped an never go back to it again.

if you go to a beer bar and try 4, full, different beers and tick them. you are NOT a ticker.

BUT, if you go to a beer bar and try three samples, tick them off on untapped then order a completely different full beer, tick it off on untapped and never go back to any of them ever again - you are a ticker.

going to bars and breweries and sampling, trying and exploring new beers is being a good BA, imo.

 

I like this, sadly ticking or not ticking at bars. micro brew pubs is nearly off my menu due to lack of funds.
still I like your definitions.

 

thanks, I wanted to put my definition up just to see what reactions I would get. am i wrong? am i correct? did i miss some thing in my definition? ect..

 

Buy beer by the case.

 

well and this is funny, like any addiction and frankly my beer drinking is that. When I was wanting to complete lists of top whatever beer I did not think I had a problem, lol.

in fact we used to call ticking just beer clubs or bar beer cards etc etc,. of course most of that was 1990's.
most bars that had lots of imports used to do that. drink 50 beers on this list and get the next 1 free etc etc.

 

I'll never understand the hate for a ticker. To me, it is the best thing for the craft brew "movement" and industry. Would you rather everyone just sit down and only drink a few different beers from one or two breweries?

 

Pretty much every time I buy beer now I buy a sixer of something I know I love and 2 bombers of something new. Best of both worlds.

 

Here's my best advice: be MORE of a ticker but don't chase the beers you see being fawned over here. Taste EVERYTHING. You don't have to drink a full glass; just a taster will tell you what you need to know about the beer. But then you've got a knowledge base that lets you absolutely KNOW what you prefer and what breweries you can trust to be good all the time. Forget this Top 250 list. Try what's at the breweries near you first and stay current with the new ones. Look for great stuff on tap and in bottles. People opine so much about this beer or that beer being "the best ____ in the country", without having tasted even 1% of what's out there. There is no such thing as too much knowledge. Most of all, don't beat yourself up about it, however you decide to handle it. It's BEER. It should be fun.

 

Your mom didn't raise a quitter! Keep on ticking.

 

Switch to CANs! As the founder of The CANQuest (TM), now approaching 1,000 different CANned beer reviews, I CAN tell you from experience that CANs do NOT tick. They only Crack! and Glug. That should put your mind at ease.

 

My New Year's resolution is to crack and glug more, growl more, tick much less.

 

I try new stuff and I drink old favorites as well. Without trying new stuff I'd still be drinking Iron City! Now I can walk into a bar/pub/restaurant most places in the US, Canada, and most of Europe and have a good chance of finding a beer I know I will like and still be able to try something new. And I'll continue to buy cases of my favorites and singles or sixes of new stuff, some of which may become new favorites.