We all love sharing beers with our friends and stopping by the local brewery for a couple pours. But sometimes we need to take it easy. No one wants to leave their local beer festival a sloppy mess. It's good to take a break sometimes, too. This week, we asked The Fervent Few how they keep it together and build healthy habits when there’s just so much great beer to be drank.
Manny Gumina: “It's easy to overindulge in certain settings when everything you're tasting is good. I've been limiting myself from drinking beers that are over 7% unless it's a special occasion. And I've been gravitating towards beers with ABVs below 5.5%. Pale ales, Pilsners, Vienna Lagers, and low-ABV sour ales have been my game lately. Also, if it's a long day with friends at the lake or we’re doing a bar/brewery crawl, I mix in a La Croix between beers to have something tasty without alcohol.”
Peter Campen: “The old festival rule is drink one sample glass of water per beer sample. When I am out or getting my shifty, I usually scope out the lowest ABV thing on the menu. At home, the gloves come off somewhat, but all I need to do is make kids lunches, dinner, etc…”
Dom Cook: “I usually try to stick with short pours of low ABV sours if I know I’m drinking for the long haul. That, water, and food is what I roll with in those situations, but outside of that, I usually try to limit myself to three drinks while out.”
David Purgason: “For those extra long days, I start with a big breakfast, shy away from anything over 7% ABV, and try and drink as much water as beer.”
Jim Plachy: “At festivals, always rinse your glass out between pours and drink some if not all of the water. If I know I’m going to be hopping around to a few breweries, I’ll keep it to short pours or have just one thing I really wanted to try. And of course you have to make sure you’re keeping food in your stomach. No skipping meals.”
Randy Edwards: “An equal amount of water intake to beer is a must. You must play the marathon game, especially in Texas. The heat down here doesn’t allow you to play around when it comes to festivals. Essentially, treat yourself like a toddler when it comes to food intake. A good meal to start the day and snacks hourly is a must.”
Steve Rimington: “Sensible preparation with food and water before, during, and after allows you to fully enjoy yourself at bottle shares or festivals. Simple precautions work well. I’m also a fan of short pours too.”
Austin L. Ray: “I don’t go to as many festivals as I used to, but maybe that’s a whole other Fervent Few weekly topic for the future. That being said, I love day drinking in the yard or at a park, but am trying to be more mindful of my intake in general. Sometimes, that might mean purposefully taking a few nights off, no excuses, not even a beer with dinner. It’s harder than it should be sometimes, but La Croix helps.”
What do you do to make sure a day of drinking doesn’t end up all messy? Let us know. Join The Fervent Few and chat with our community and support all the great content Good Beer Hunting produces every day.
Hosted by Jim Plachy 
