It should come as no surprise that I like to try beer that I’ve never had before. (If it does, you’re probably reading the wrong blog.) Oh, sure, I have my favorites and “go-to” beers that I know I can always buy and enjoy, but I never would have found them without experimenting.

It used to be that the smallest unit of beer I could try was a six-pack. (I hadn’t yet discovered the joy of the bomber.) If I enjoyed a beer, that was no problem. But if I didn’t enjoy it, well, now I had five beers that I refused to waste and that I knew I wouldn’t really enjoy.

All that changed when I discovered a retailer that encouraged its customers to create their own mixed six-packs. Bliss! Or so I thought. While I could now try six times as many beers for the same amount of money (more or less) I was finding myself disappointed that I didn’t have a second beer of one I found I enjoyed. Often if I was going to have two or three beers, I didn’t want to have something different every time. Sometimes that’s what I want, and some times not.

So, my new modus operandi of buying mixed six-packs wasn’t as blissful as I imagined. Then, in a conversation in a totally unrelated context*, I found enlightenment.

It takes at least three beers to decide if you like a beer. First, you need to cleanse your palate. Then you need to train your tongue. Now you’re ready to really taste it.

However, like the Force, there is a dark side.

You can decide that you don’t like a beer after one…or less.

It all makes so much sense now. I will now try buying mixed six-packs of only two beers. If I like one, I’ll be able to make sure that I’ve fully tasted it. If I really like it, I won’t be disappointed by not having more in the fridge. And, if it is one of those situations where I don’t really care for it, there are only two more that I need to either struggle through or foist on someone else.

* Believe it or not, it was a conversation with my World of Warcraft guild leader: Otter