Drinking at home was always different to drinking in a pub. But now that I can no longer indulge outside my own home—thanks to the U.K.’s ongoing series of lockdowns—my relationship with beer has changed, and maybe irrevocably. For one, I find myself drinking less, and less often. When I do reach for a beer, I look for something that’s neither too strong nor too showy. I’m no longer even remotely prey to FOMO.
I’m not alone in this. Anecdotally, many other beer drinkers I know are moving away from one-off purchases and hype-chasing to repeat orders of old favorites. Meanwhile, the U.S.-based alcohol delivery app Drizly attributed part of its surge in popularity during the early days of the pandemic to familiar and older brands. Right now, it seems like fridge beers are where it’s at.
In my own fridge, the longest-standing resident is a bottle of 2020 Bourbon County Stout that arrived in early December. In any other year I would have tasted it within a day or two. Now, each time I open the door, I look at it and ask myself: Do I really want to have a whole bottle of almost 15% ABV beer all by myself tonight?
No. I want something more mellow instead. With the social aspect of drinking stripped away, I have turned to classic Czech and German Pilsners. Six-packs of Budweiser Budvar at less than £1 per can. Half-liter bottles of Schönramer Pilsner, with its welcome, rasping bitterness. I want something with a dependable familiarity. And I want good value, too.
Of course, I still long to return to the pubs, which are shuttered across the country. But I wonder, once I can enjoy them again, will I also return to the drinking habits I had before the pandemic? I’m not sure I will—and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
