What is your "go to" alcoholic drink?

[Skull]

Don't chug liquor.  I mean you can, but it's stupid.  If you want to rip shots, than by all means go ahead and do it. Just know what you can and can't do first.  For example, if you know that 8 drinks is your hard limit for a night, don't do 8 shots as fast as you can.  Do 4 then wait 30 minutes.  If you're alright to keep going, do 2 more than wait again and so on and so forth.

 

I have a pretty good handle on how many shots I can take, so what I usually do is just take shots at regular intervals until I get to about 75% of what I know I'm good with and then I stop for about an hour.  Maybe sip a beer to keep face if it's that kind of event.  If at the end of about an hour I think I can drink more, I take a shot and re-evaluate every half hour or so.

 

That said, taking shots is not something I particularly enjoy unless it's decent liquor, so most of the time I just pound beers until I'm too full to drink any more and I spend more time peeing than anything else.

 

Also, 6 shots in 30s Tim? Why would you want to do that?  It's not like the liquor is cheaper if you drink it as fast as you can.  You'd probably get a lot less messy if you took a bit more time on it.

[Tim]

Only if I'm wanting to get absolutely shit-faced. Normally I pace mine out enough to be drunk but still have motor functions

[Estonian dude]

I have trouble with the alcohol taste... After a rough night, I can't even handle a beer. Yet a long drink is fine.

 

I can take a LOT of shots. But they have to be spaced out really widely, otherwise the taste just gets me and I get the vomiting reflex.

[Skull]

I have the same problem Saq. I can't do golden rum anymore, I took a shot of it like a year ago and it came back up so now the taste just induces the feeling of needing to vomit.  Vodka is similarly ruined for me, although I can make that happen if I have to.  Whisky is how I survive shots now.  Unfortunately it has to be decent whisky, so I end up spending lots of money on it.  I'm saving tequila for last once I ruin whisky for myself.

 

And I totally feel you Tim, sometime you just have to go for it even if you know it's an awful idea in the long run.

[Estonian dude]

Uhh, I have ruined tequila like that. Vodka is closely by, if I do any more than one in a row I start getting all the symptoms of imminent puking. Hasn't happened for vodka yet though. Whiskey is the only strong alcohol I don't drink in shots. On the rocks rocks.

[Boris5000]

If you drink to get drunk, then you are drinking for the wrong reasons. Just how I see it. And I see it alot.

[jasignhagj]

That's why I like my double rye and cokes. They're strong enough to get you drunk, not so fruity you forget you're drinking alcohol, but taste enough like alcohol that you remember you're actually drinking. If I'm doing shots at a bar, I usually get well tequila and chase it with the lime. If I'm doing shots with store liquor, I usually buy a bottle of Canadian Club or chilled Wyborowa (Although with the Canadian dollar being in the toilet I'll probably have to switch to something else). 

 

I've taken a liking to IPAs lately, but I can't drink them fast or have too many in a night.

[Skull]

If you drink to get drunk, then you are drinking for the wrong reasons. Just how I see it. And I see it alot.

Drinking to not be sober is certainly problematic. However, I would say it's a difficult line to draw, although I guess intent is really the key aspect.

[muggiwhplar]

If you drink to get drunk, then you are drinking for the wrong reasons. Just how I see it. And I see it alot.

 

I disagree. I hate the taste of alcohol so I don't really see the point of drinking unless I'm planning on getting buzzed or drunk.

[Estonian dude]

I drink to get pleasantly buzzed.

That's why I don't do shots.

[RpgGamer]

I drink because I enjoy it. Is that so wrong?

 

As for etiquette Horatio, don't hit your limit as fast as you can. Learn to pace yourself to keep a steady level of "this is awesome" through out your night. People who chug liquor are generally trying to get as [bleep]ed up as fast as they can, which doesn't really put you in the best light. No one likes being the kid that pukes. No one likes taking care of the kid that pukes. If you can handle downing a half bottle of vodka to start off, then by all means sure go head. But it's more socially acceptable be at least on the same level as those around you. My old method was liquor and shots until I hit a limit then switch to "coast" mode with lite beers.

[L S D Outlaw]

I have been alcohol poisoned once. I had like a 40 of Smirnoff which went down pretty quick (under 6 hours). Woke up in the middle of the night and started puking my guts out. That's prolly what saved my life. I haven't had much to drink since then.

[L S D Outlaw]

Also, the human body can handle only one beer or one shot once every hour.

[Kalphite]

Also, the human body can handle only one beer or one shot once every hour.

wat

[Skull]

I mean... no? Your body can process approximately one drink worth of ethanol (~18ml) in the course of an hour, but it can certainly handle more than that.  Essentially if your drinking one drink an hour there isn't alcohol piling up in your system, it's being metabolized at essentially the same rate it gets added to the system (with lag time). I assume that's what you mean, although I actually have never looked into the science behind how alcohol is metabolized.

 

Edit: In response to the last page.

[Crocefisso]

My go to drink is beer, usually something dark like London porter. 

 

Then I have another, then another, &c. 

 

Usually I never get past the beer.

[Boris5000]

 I assume that's what you mean, although I actually have never looked into the science behind how alcohol is metabolized.

 

Well since you asked, and as I am Tifs resident Biochemist :P

 

I find that this scientific article does a good job of explaining how alcohol is metabolized 

(if you can't be bothered reading, just look at Figure 1) http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh294/245-255.pdf

[Horatio]

I tried Dogfish Head beer for the first time yesterday. That was the second beer I actually really liked. Most of the beers I tried weren't horrible in my opinion (Other than Coors Light, but that was the first time I drank a full serving of beer, so I guess I wasn't "used to" beer at that point (I've still drank significantly less alcohol than most of my peers in my life, so take that with a grain of salt.)), but Dogfish Head was really really good. The first one that I thoroughly enjoyed was Ballast Point. They are both IPAs, but there was a different IPA I had once (I don't remember what it was) that wasn't that great imo, so I don't really know what to make of this scenario.

[Skull]

IPA's are super diverse, but Ballast Point and Dogfish head are both solid breweries.  I'm guessing you had Sculpin from Ballast Point and the 60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head?  I would say give Lagunitas IPA a try for a pretty solid west coast style IPA.  Most of my favorite beers are unfortunately pretty exclusive to the New England area, but I could try to come up with some more recommendations if you're interested.

 

Any idea what specifically you liked about those beers?

[Horatio]

I have no clue what kind of Ballast Point beer I had, but the Dogfish Head was 60 Minute (There was also 90 minute available, but there was more cases of the 60 minute one, so I got that because impulse, I guess). I only drink like 3 beers/week at most, usually, so I guess I'll try Lagunitas a try if I remember the next time I go to get some.

 

I still know nothing about beer (or alcohol in general). I have this beer/soda analogy I've been using since as long as I can remember. Like, I've been thinking about beer this way since before I'd ever had beer. I used to think that different beers were like different colas in that they're all pretty much the same thing, but have slight differences. Then I moved to thinking different beers were like different flavors of sodas. It took me far longer than it probably should have to make that jump, but that's the mindset I'm in now and that's probably wrong too. Like, there are ales and lagers and stouts and I have no clue what any of it means, but I digress.

 

As for what I like about them, in my own words, I have no clue. I went to a bar at the end of last semester and tried Ballast Point because someone else said to and he said it was really "hoppy" and it definitely had a distinct flavor that I liked that I also like in Dogfish Head, so I guess I like really "hoppy" beers? I dunno. You're asking a WWII vet to tell you why Pikachu is his favorite pokemon.

[Skull]

You're doing just fine, you definitely seem like your picking up on things. No one expects you to pull shit out about specific citrus notes you can taste from the hops, just kind of getting the feel for what it is you might like generally is a great start.  Most people do think all beer is basically the same, especially in older generations.  Noticing differences between something like an IPA and a lager puts you at about the middle of the pack already when it comes to beer knowledge.

 

I would honestly say that while you'll probably like Lagunitas, if you want to learn more you might be better off trying a diverse array of beers.  If you ever drink more than one beer in a night, I would say go and pick up a variety pack.  You don't have to be able to put the differences into words but if you have two different beers, you'll be more likely to notice that those differences exist.  Stone Brewing Company has a cool one that I would personally recommend. It comes with their standard IPA, Ruination IPA, Self Righteous Black IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale.  They're all pretty aggressive and hop-forward.

 

All that said, drink whatever you like. Even if its Coors light.  Which is actually a bad beer, but if it makes you happy drink it all you want. There's really no need to have any sort of knowledge.  For me, beer is a hobby which is why I personally put so much thought into it.  I treat it sort of as treasure hunt meets puzzle sort of deal and to a lot of people that's weird.

[jasignhagj]

The taste of hops is best described as a cross between pine needles and citrus. If that's the flavour you like, look for anything described as an IPA or IIPA. If you like it really bitter, look for a beer with a high IBU rating (>50). Most IPAs will give the IBU on the label.

[Estonian dude]

Or, maybe you don't like that hoppiness (like I don't), then you can try some stouts or porters or chocolate porters. They are all dark.

Or you might go the light way and try light lagers or pilsners.

[L S D Outlaw]

Im having a screw driver for breaky :P

 

Only in moderation, they say.

[Horatio]

I got Lagunitas and honestly, I wasn't that crazy about it. My two complaints are that the flavor wasn't as "intense" as the other IPAs I liked and it actually felt pretty flat. I don't know if it was just a bad batch I got or what, but that was kind of disappointing. Also, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'll try a Stone Brewing Company variety pack next time if I remember.