Get out of your Beer Bubble!

So if you are reading this blog, then you at least have an appreciation for beer (Or maybe just gardening for that matter). My question to you is, when was the last time you tried a new beer? When was the last time you bought your beer from a NON grocery store? We are all a habit of routine and familiarity - don't make this the case when you buy and consume beer! A grocery store has such limited choices and almost all of your choices are owned by the same two beer companies, Bud (now In-Bev), MillerCoors (Yes, they are joint now). Even though bigger craft breweries like Sam Adams and Stone can make a presence in grocery stores (Even some small local breweries if you're lucky), your local liquor stores is where you can find the greatest selection. Most people hate shopping in liquor stores because that's where you find all the drunks and homeless people right?

Well yea, a lot of times you do (Depending on your location) but you'd be surprised on how knowledgeable the clerks are and how willing they would be to special order certain beers for you. What, customer service? Most importantly, it supports local businesses, supports Micro-Breweries that worked so hard to get their product in there and encourages you to try new beers!

Which brings me to my next point. We already talked about buying outside of your bubble, how about consuming outside of your bubble? A lot of us stick with the same beers. Same IPA, same stout, day in - day out (just made that up -lame). Which is understandable, who wants to risk trying a new beer when it can go for $15 bucks a six pack and you end up not liking it? The thing is, you are missing out! You probably have yet to find your favorite beer! It's time to get out of your comfort zone and find some new favorites. Well thanks to the Internet, there is a way around this. Go to BeerAdvocate sign up for a free account and search away! You can literally type in any beer, brewery or bar that you can think of and you will get hundreds of reviews for it. You like Fat Tire? You can search and find hundreds of beers similar to it! Want to get a feel for what a certain breweries tasting room is like? Punch it in! How about good bars? Sometimes it's hard to find a bar with good, quality beers. BeerAdvocate can help. Whenever I'm going somewhere unfamiliar, I use this site to help me find these great bars that I would have never have found. The forums are great too -as is the magazine if you really want to extend your beer knowledge. Another great site to find great bars and breweries is the Beer Mapping Project. Especially if you are going out of town and have no idea where you can grab a great beer.

Well, now you have some tools! Check them out, share them with your family and friends and get out of your Beer Bubble!