ForgetfulKevin

witchylilac, thank you for your posts in this thread! Even though this subforum is labeled "newcomers" we newcomers certainly appreciate the advice and experience from people with much longer sobriety. And it's typical for people with long-term sobriety to contribute to these threads.

0percentABV, great thread you started! I was a craft-beer alcoholic (without the connoisseur events, brewery tours, or web reviews) for many years before I ran out of money and switched to the cheap stuff, so this thread resonates with me.

One moment please while I have a word with my AV:

Dee74

Good to see you 0percentABV
D

thenewguy

It's funny this thread came up, because I'm 11 months sober today, and a nearby public park is having the Michigan Beer Fest, which is a huge gathering of Microbrew vendors offering their wares to a crowd of thousands.

I'm not really tempted to drink, though I'm a bit nostalgic because there will beer, attractive women, and even attractive women actually enjoying beer. And that life, for me, is long past.

However, I am pissed off and annoyed that something so potentially devastating is given such an open venue in a nice public park that should be a place for families, joggers, etc. the whole weekend. It's proof to how alcohol and alcoholism is given a veneer of legitimacy under the guise of "artisanship" or "craftsmanship". Poison is poison is poison.

Just venting..thanks

zerothehero

thenewguy: I can appreciate your point of view, but I have to respectfully disagree. The fact is that most people can drink responsibly and it's not a problem. Just because some of us can't doesn't mean society should hide it, prohibit it, or even try to control it. I loved craft beer, fine wine, and single malt scotch, but I've had enough. Let the people have their fun, I say.

zerothehero

I have to admit, though, that there is a little festival coming up that will feature my favorite brews. I'm not concerned about relapse, but it will sting a little to be there and not partake. These guys are master brewers and make small batch amazing and unique ales. But like I said, let the people have their fun. I'll be there, and I'll have fun, and I'll be sober. Last year I went to the fest and drank six or seven quart bombers, and this stuff ranges from 6% to 11%. Day two of the fest was painful. This year I will be ready to perform both days.

Thirdtime

Interesting thread. Homebrewed for 20 years and won national awards.

Yeah. Then there is kegging the beer you make. No bottles to count. Gallons at a time on a larger all grain system. See where I'm going? Was kind of the tail wagging the dog. I am happy to say that the system is no more.

0percentABV

Let me start off by saying I'm not advocating prohibition but alcohol is a MAJOR problem in society. The vast majority of all police responses have alcohol somewhere in the equation. Families are torn apart by it and lives are ruined. Of course when it comes to the percentage of people who use alcohol in any capacity the ones who kill and maim and destroy while under the influence of it are smaller than those who do not but really even the non alcoholic can make the mistake of getting behind the wheel and taking out a life. I don't go around wagging my finger in people's faces and trying to pee on their parade but newguy is right, alcohol is given the veneer of legitimacy even under the overwhelming destruction it does. I don't have an answer for this nor do I believe it should be banned but I don't care much for people's fun when they're throwing their beer cans around and urinating in the river.

soberlicious

I agree 100%. Let them have their fun? A vast majority don't even know what real fun is.

So much of society has what I called a "bottled personality". No thank you.

0percentABV

Funny how Beer Festivals was brought up. If you really want to see the sophistication of the craft beer world just go to one of it's festivals. There you can really see appreciation at work. Whether it's passing out on the grass or puking while standing in line to get your 30th free sample of the super rare oak aged imperial whatever that tastes pretty much like the other super rare oak aged imperial whatever 5 booths over. I've had the privilege to attend many of these and work them as well and I always got a kick of how the mask was pulled off the craft beer movement and underneath was a beer swilling bro fest that looked exactly like it claimed to not be.

If there's one thing I can't stand it's to be pigeonholed into some stereotype or bunched into some click. I've always been one to be unique and able to move around groups of people with ease having commonality with everyone. (Now that I type this I recall a moment when I was into narcotics and my ex girlfriend confronted me saying the reason she was attracted to me in the first place was that I was different from all the rest of the guys and now I was just in lock step with the junkies. Interesting. Moving on...) It's why I got into craft beer in the first place and probably why a lot of people do and immerse themselves in the scene. It's away from the norm. It goes against the grain of we were all lead to believe. Beer was beer and you're either a Bud man or a Miller man even though the differences between them were subtle. Craft beer was DIFFERENT and so was I and at the time I got into it was small. It was a fun time I have to admit. But then it started to get big. And like when your favorite band gets big it loses its allure. My progression into full blown alcoholism was in lock step with the growth of craft beer. While the craft beer movement was picking up I was finding myself disillusioned with it and stepping away and seeing that it was just another drunk fest. Granted it does have it's connisuiers and master brewers who do an excellent job and don't fall into the stereotype that I paint but all and all it's a hobby that gets you inebriated. I'm starting to babble and my noodles are getting cold.

0percentABV

**Shameless bump of my own thread**

Good morning! Almost 6 years sober now. Staying strong, being vigilant and appreciating the life I am living even through the bad days. I like to reread this post every so often just to get a reminder of the early days. But I also like to read others stories of their experience with craft beer and the "connoisseur" drinking scene. 6 years later I'm far out of the loop. Still have a few friends from those days but mostly it's all in the rearview mirror. I'm always surprised by the number of breweries popping up. I actually walked into a liquor store a few months ago and was checking out all the beers and my god, so expensive now and so many. It was interesting to see.

Anyways I would like to hear from other craft beer junkies here. What's your story?

AAPJ

Great thread. Glad you bumped it. Six years is awesome!!

I have not read all the replies but I will sit down and read through it when I have more time. To me craft beer or expensive wine or high cost liquors are just a disguise we put over the basic ingredient. It's all alcohol and putting an expensive veneer on it does not change what it is. I remember thinking:

It's expensive so I'm not an alcoholic because alcoholics drink the cheap stuff like box wine."

WRONG!

rc29

High ABV craft beer has been my primary poison for many years. Almost every weekend I fool myself at least once by saying "you only had 7 or 8 beers. That's not too bad."

rascalwhiteoak

rc29

I used craft beer to wean myself off bourbon. It seemed like such a great idea at the time.

Tonymblue

Used to drink microbrews. Very popular in my Colorado college town. I used to buy them in an attempt to “mute” the vodka in my shopping basket. Once vodka gone i was on to the “Fat Tires”. That was usually at about five in the morning.