Haven't gotten any bites yet this year yet myself in spite of bushwhacking, although I've brushed couple off my pants. They were just the little nymphs and seem to be moving pretty slow. A few days ago when it got up to 80, I started treating everything with permethrin.
I don't know if ticks like beer, but consumption of beer may make you less aware that they have attached themselves.
I need to try a different brand of Permethrin - Dick's and REI only stock the Sawyers Permethrin Clothing and Gear product, and these are by far the WORST spray cans I've ever used. It works fine on my clothes, but the spray cans are just a mess, they drip all over the place as you spray. I have tried holding the can in different positions, only using short blasts, etc and nothing seems to help. At first I thought I just had a bad batch, but this has been a problem with every can I've purchased over a three year period.
Anybody else notice this? The Permanone spray they used to sell at Walmart never had this problem.