I can drink almost 5g a month, with the gift or comp here and there.
I try to brew two or three batches per year over and above that, for strong stuff to lay down, or party beers that will get slugged by the masses. If you think about it, there's only about 40 pints in a 5g batch, which means in about 9 1/4 batches per year. Want a second pint? Want to share? Better brew more!
And if the well ever goes dry, that's when I really try to ramp it up for a couple months, so that I'm not constantly drinking young beer. My goal is to drink the average-weight brews at least 6wk out, preferably two months before tapping. Milds, some wheat beers, etc., are the exception.