We’ve all bought beer to go before. It’s called a liquor store. But what if you want fresher beer and a more direct contact with the beer you love? Buying beer to go from your favorite craft brewery has been an option for most breweries even before the pandemic. But now that the world is experiencing this unprecedented bullshit, there actually has been some good things to come from it.
“The guts to get anything going and the grit to get you there.“
Jordan – Sacred Waters Brewing Company – Kalispell, MT
Yes, it may still be easier to buy your favorite beverage from your local liquor store, and honestly, if that’s a mom and pop shop, why not? We want to support them, too.
Maybe there’s a pint involved?
But for the really good stuff, and the almost normal feeling of chatting up your beertenders while sitting at the bar, pay a visit to your local brewery, say hey, and buy some beer to go. While they are filling your growler or crowler, close your eyes and pretend they are filling up a pint instead.
Traveling through Arkansas and Oklahoma recently, we didn’t have to pretend anymore. Here’s our back to the taproom story. May you have your own back to the taproom stories soon.
And maybe they are actually filling up a pint for you. As the world resumes a bit of normalcy, and some states are opening up a bit, some breweries are opening their doors again. Sadly, some will remain shuttered forever, but for those that were able to persevere, they are just as ready for you to get off your couch as much as you are ready to get off your couch.
Get your ass off the couch!
You need to do what makes you feel comfortable, and for some that still may be not heading into your nearest brewery to sit and enjoy a point, it may still be heading out – maybe even for the first time in months – to pick up some beer to go. Either way, that couch, be damned! We’re done with you!
So what to do? Not quite ready for the taproom experience or maybe your taprooms aren’t open yet? Know damn well your ass imprint on your couch needs to be removed? Need to see real people, not paisley wallpaper? I bet you’re even ready to never ever again hear another medical or political opinion in your life.
Yep, in the words of Bruce Buffer…IT’S TIME!
10 Tips on buying beer to go & where to enjoy it besides your couch.
Let’s make this to-go beer-buying thing easy for you with 10 Tips on how to buy beer to go and where to enjoy it besides your couch. (Take these all with a grain of salt. Have fun and get your ass off the friggin’ couch and outta your house!)
1) Get off the couch!
Put on clothes. No you may not wear the pajama pants that you have been living in for the past few weeks. You may actually have to take a shower, and for God’s sake – turn off the TV – You don’t need any more news. They’ve already brainwashed you. It’s time to brainwash your taste buds instead.
2) Walk out the door.
Holy shit, there’s sunshine out here. The world is still here. I had no idea! If this is you, lock your door quickly, don’t look back. Run to your car. Don’t get sucked back into your paisley wallpaper and your butt imprinted couch.
3) Drive to your nearest or favorite craft brewery.
Maybe you should have decided this before you left your house, but if you were in that dire of situation, you did the right thing by leaving your house first. At any rate, choose your brewery. You probably have a smart phone, see if they are open for taproom services or delivery or both and choose what you feel comfortable with. Order online or order in person. We like ordering in person if that’s an option, then as I mentioned earlier you get to chat up your beertender as they fill your order – almost normal.
4) Say hi to a stranger.
You’ve escaped. You made it out, and your couch did not suck you back in. Celebrate that with a wave and great big Cheshire Cat grin to all the strangers successfully doing the same thing. When you arrive at the brewery, chat up the beertender. Tell them hi. Ask how they are doing. Talk about anything that has nothing to do with this friggin’ pandemic. They probably need as much social engagement that has nothing to do with COVID-19 as you do.
5) Leave a big tip.
They are dealing with people who have just re-entered society – people like yourself. They need a lot of encouragement to put up with our bullshit. I imagine they are so tired of, “When are you opening again?” “When do we get to sit on the patio?” “When do I get to have a flight?” “Why don’t you have any answers?” And they handle it all with grace and kindness. Plus, they are working, which means they are not making as much as money as those that are not. The world today is a bit flipped upside down.
6) Cherish your treasure trove of craft beer.
Place it somewhere safely in your car, preferably in a nice cold cooler, all snuggled up safely in the back seat, seat belt snuggly and properly placed to protect your treasure.
7) DO NOT DRIVE BACK TO YOUR COUCH!
So where do I go to drink my beloved to go beer if I can’t go back to my couch? Well, that’s a bit tricky. With so many wonky state rules regarding alcohol and where you can or cannot drink it, I can’t even begin to tell you, nor do I want to tell you, what the rules are in each state. If you love that type of research, research away. You can even start here. I imagine if you get anywhere, many of the rules will be different than what you find anyway. COVID-19 has a way with shit like that. For example, some states now allow breweries to deliver, some states now allow increased distribution, some states even let you drink on the sidewalk next to the brewery.
But what I would do, and have done during this pandemic thing, is go to a local restaurant that is offering takeout, purchase some delectable food to go with your delectable treasure trove of beer. Place it gently and safely in your back seat next to its friends.
8) Sit outside.
Drive to a park or a beach or a lake or a trail (refer to #7) or a friend’s yard (yes it still possible to see friends – just don’t lick their faces) or wherever you feel comfortable with your beer (just not your couch or your house). Don’t sit on their couch either. Sit on the beautiful green grass or a comfy lawn chair under the sparkiling yellow ball of fire. It is called sunshine. Soak up that sunshine while your belly prepares for some frothy goodness.
9) Crack open a crowler.
I can hear it as I type it. That metal pop and instant fizz, almost as though the carbonation, hops, malts, and yeast are just as excited to jump into your glass as you are about drinking it. Pour some into your glass. Pour some into your friend’s glass. Hold your glass up to the sunshine and be grateful you finally got your ass off the couch, out into the sunshine, and back into a community that really needs you and you really need them.
10) Repeat.
Yep, savor the moment, be all in. But definitely do it again. And again, and again. Until your breweries open up again and/or you find yourself really needing to create another lump on another couch. One that is not yours, but completely yours. One that is in your favorite brewery. One that has cushions enough to support all the friends you will be shoulder to shoulder with once again.
“Sometimes the journey gets challenging and you get stuck in the muck of it, but you have to learn to enjoy the journey.”
Stephanie Lee – Omaha Brewing Company – Omaha, GA
Want More?
Our passion is telling stories and inspiring others to live a craft beer lifestyle, their best life, their Stout Life! Spend a few moments here, peruse the stories, check out the resources, and get inspired to live your Stout Life. Cheers!
