I confess...I'm sick of beer. I hate it. (1 Viewer)

[RobertR]

Interesting thread, and I'm glad someone started it. I don't drink beer or any other alcohlic beverage. I don't like the taste of it. I've often wondered if drinkers perceive the taste differently than I do, because it has this awful bitter taste to me that I can't stand. In the past I wondered if the taste was just tolerated by people in order to get the "buzz", but I've read enough comments from people who say they like the taste to realize that's not the case.

I agree that I have no use for the effects of alcohol on the mind. It just doesn't appeal to me. I have seen people drink and become assholes, but not everyone, and I steer clear of those who do.

I've never been personally pressured to drink, but I have read of people who have that attitude. For example, if you wanted to be Frank Sinatra's friend, you were expected to be his drinking buddy. I find that offensive. What difference should it make to you if the contents of my glass is different from yours? Live and let live, or live and let drink.


What the hell is wrong with ME having a ginger ale (or chocolate milk) while the rest of my buddies have their beers? Why does it HAVE to be beer?

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I don't understand the lack of respect for others, unless you're implying puking all over somebody. Now that would be plain wrong...

Personally, I don't have any problems with people looking foward to getting wasted.

 

[ChuckSolo]

I can sympathize with you. I used to get the same treatment from my friends back in the 1970's when I wouldn't smoke pot or do any other drugs. I have just never found the "fun" in being doped up. I do have the occasional Cuba Libre (rum and coke with lime), but probably only have maybe 2 or three a month. Hey, don't worry about what your peers will say, do what you want to do. Trust me, eventually they will just accept the fact that you don't drink. Besides, it is always good to have a designated driver in the crowd!!

 

[MarkHastings]

I know it may be a cop-out, but whenever I used to feel 'funny' about not drinking at a bar, I'd order a coke with a lime in it and not use a straw (dead giveaway to it only being coke). My friends assumed I was drinking Captain and Cokes and wouldn't bug me about not drinking.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Nothing, if that's what you want to do. I never found the appeal in hanging out at bars. That doesn't mean I have been a priest all my life, far from it, but I no longer have any desire to be drunk or hang out in bars. Been there, done that.

I disagree with trying to come up with a more acceptable excuse for not drinking, there is no need to defend your decision. You don't want to drink, period. If people can't accept that, they can go **** themselves. It is your life to live as you please. I wouldn't let it concern you, there is nothing wrong with your decision. You can have plenty of fun without being drunk, and I have yet to meet anyone who was more intelligent after imbibing. They may think they are, but...

I enjoy beer every so often, and occasionally I'll exceed my limits - which I don't enjoy - but I have plenty of other things to keep me entertained without it. There is more to life than getting pissed.

Stick by your decision, and if folks can't take it, you don't need their friendship anyway.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I'm a social/party drinker, but I find that the easiest way to say you're not drinking is the use the following two lines:

"That's okay, I'm good."

"I'm driving, thanks anyways."

It helps if you hold up your hands or wave off politely. Like I said, if they're being asses about you not drinking, you're in the wrong place.

But never ever say, "I don't drink." 9 times out of 10 it makes you sound very smug, intentional or not.

RE: Fun

It's true there are a lot of people that have to drink to have fun. I feel sorry for those poor souls. However, I wouldn't be too quick to catergorize everybody that drinks only knows how to have fun that way. I've had just as much fun getting shitfaced at a party as hanging around the house with a bunch of friends playing Mario Kart, although it's been my experience things get more violent with Mario Kart.

 

[MarkHastings]

Hopefully no one saw my post as generalizing. I was refering to the many who really can't have fun without drinking.

Example: I went to a baseball game with a large group of people. The game was practically sold out so we were only able to get seats in the non-alcoholic section. Needless to say, a few guys didn't make it into the game until the 8th inning because they were at a bar.

To put it into perspective: It was a 3 hour ride and we only do it once a year. We also got our tickets in advance so it's not like there were any surprises when we got to the ballpark. These guys just COULDN'T stand to go to a game WITHOUT getting drunk. They just HAD to have booze in order to have a good time. We were with a group of like 20 guys, so I don't see how they could argue that the game would be "boring". Also, it was an afternoon game and we hung out all night, so it was also like there was no time for drinking.

p.s. They also started drinking in the parking lot before catching the train to the game.

I'm all for having fun and drinking, but those who DEPEND on it to have fun are the ones that really scare me. It gets to the point where they are so dependant that they are actually BORING without alcohol.

Unfortunately, a LOT of people are like this to a certain degree. :frowning:

 

[Shane Martin]

Some beer is that way, some is not. The kinds I like don't have a bitter taste. Belgian Ale MMMM

 

[RobertR]

I'm genuinely intrigued, Shane. Can anyone point me to where I can taste beer that has none of the bitter, mediciniey taste I associate with all alcoholic beverages?

 

[Marko Berg]

RobertR, it probably depends on how sensitive one is to this taste, but Shane is correct in pointing you towards Belgian beers. You could try Chimay.

 

[Zen Butler]

I don't think Robert is looking for beer suggestions. Anyways, Chimay is pretty exotic and invasive to the palate. (Not to mention Chimay Grande Reserve 2001 is all but extinct and whatever left, way past its' prime. I haven't had a stellar bottle of Chimay since the 2001 outing, the two I have left are "startin' to turn.")

 

[Marko Berg]

Well, he did say he was genuinely intrigued. Perhaps we will make a beer drinker of him yet?

 

[RobertR]

I'm open to trying stuff, but Zen's description of it as "invasive to the palate" makes me skeptical.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

KEYWORDS: BASEBALL!!!



Homer said it best.

 

[Zen Butler]

Wait!, Robert were you at that meet, where we tried to pawn the Double-Chocolate Stout to everyone? John Gordon's?
Ron? anyone?

Robert, Chimay in its' 3 forms (Blue, Red, White label), is a very complex brew. The history alone is intriguing. After all that build up though, to a newbie, you still have a very spicy, malty, earthy blend that could be a bit unsettling to a non or inexperienced drinker. My word guys, if you're trying to convert him, you dont send him straight to the holy grail all at once, baby steps.

 

[RobertR]

Sure was! The one with the roast corn, and John driving Dave Tolsky crazy with hints that he had Return of the King.

 

[Zen Butler]

I knew it! Then you are one of the few that know the embarrassing size of ice chest (river size) that was brought to John's along with Ron-P's growlers. I had beer for 2 weeks after and that's inviting everyone over. Next meet I'm bringing a 3 pack.





Also, who could forget John Gordon's famous colon rumbler during LOTR.

Man, that was a fun one.

 

[Bill Eberhardt]

If your only exposure to beer is the likes of Coors, Budweiser, Miller or even some of the lesser mass-produced brews, then I can understand why you would not like beer. I don't particularly care for them myself.

According to Michael Jackson (the beer hunter, not the perv), there are worldwide, around 50 styles of beer, manifested in about 30,000 products, from about 5,000 breweries. That's a lot to choose from.

Along with some of the lighter ales mentioned above you might want to try a Bavarian lager - they tend to be very smooth and easy on the palate.

If you have a nearby brew pub, you might want to check and see if they have a samplers. Phantom Canyon here in town has an eight beer taste test where they give you a small amount of each brew.

Take a look at the beer hunter website, http://www.beerhunter.com/ You could get some ideas on what you might like.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Are there, really? That behaviour sounds like that of an alcoholic, and if so, are they really having fun, or just trying to drown their troubles away?
And if people do always have to drink, I wonder how much that has to do with the decreased amount of recreational time we have compared to years ago. Maybe people feel they need to cram all the fun in as much as possible.

As for the taste, beer is one of the many things I used to hate as a kid and teenager. This includes most alcohol, coffee, herring, pickles, etc. But as I matured, my palette expanded and I was willing to accept bitter, sour, and spicy foods. Now that I'm strictly watching what I eat and must severely limit sweet and salty, I'm glad I can still enjoy food and drink that offer other tastes.

To me, there's no better treat than a frosty glass of really good beer. Sure, I developed a taste, but it's great. It's also a good way to drink socially without getting drunk, because it has less alcohol than hard liquor and takes longer to drink (no shots). And by sticking to good, expensive beers, I drink less cheap, watery ones, saving inebriation and money.

 

[MarkHastings]

I was thinking of that too...that's why I mentioned the 20 other guys. No matter how boring the game is, when you're with a group of people, it's always fun.