Beer - trading & discussion

mistersmith · Tue Nov 24, 2015 11:49 pm

halftonegraphics wrote:bustards. why cant any of the idiots around here put theirs out early? ugh!

The place I went didn't have them out, I just asked and the guy that runs the beer program was like, hey, nobody told me not to...just don't go telling anyone where you got it just in case. But he knows me as a guy that buys high-end fudge and attends their tastings and events, so maybe it was just a friendly hookup. Good enough for me. I've heard rumors that a Safeway in San Ramon, CA already put them on the shelves...

halftonegraphics · Tue Nov 24, 2015 11:53 pm

yeah, im hoping a Cub Foods or Byerly's does the same. most of their employees havent a clue what it is.

mistersmith · Wed Nov 25, 2015 12:53 am

My cousin is drinking a '15 regular right now. Says it's incredibly balanced, lots of malt and a finish like raisins...but none of the chocolate syrup from previous years. Says it's really different, but very damn good. I haven't opened mine yet, so, that's all third-hand.

dmm8878 · Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:38 am

Random question: I picked up a Dogfish 120 Minute yesterday. I got home and noticed that it was bottled in January 2015, but the bottle label actual says "ages well". Does it really?

kcn0 · Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:41 am

dmm8878 wrote:Random question: I picked up a Dogfish 120 Minute yesterday. I got home and noticed that it was bottled in January 2015, but the bottle label actual says "ages well". Does it really?

Yes. The bottle should say: "drink after a couple years, but if you can't wait, drink it now."

63schoeffling · Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:34 am

kcn0 wrote:
dmm8878 wrote:Random question: I picked up a Dogfish 120 Minute yesterday. I got home and noticed that it was bottled in January 2015, but the bottle label actual says "ages well". Does it really?
Yes. The bottle should say: "drink after a couple years, but if you can't wait, drink it now."

Personally, I like to wait between 2-4 years for mine. That's the sweet spot because a few '11s I have still are damn good. If you drink them fresh they are very hot.

natepachl · Wed Nov 25, 2015 11:05 am

Agree on the 120...when it's fresh, it's hot. Best to age it 3-4 years IMO.

Had the DF High Math last night, found it enjoyable but it's one to take your time with. Bought a few four packs, gonna age that too.

Also scored 6 Project Pams last night, gonna rip into one tonight....if anyone has had it; would be interested in your opinion.

ColonelCash · Wed Nov 25, 2015 11:13 am

TheThirdEye wrote:I'm in!

http://www.sierranevada.com/alphahop

Our rare beer club for small-batch barrel-aged beers.

Welcome to the Alpha Hop Society, our shadowy subculture stashed deep within the back rooms and barrel cellars of Sierra Nevada’s breweries. The Alpha Hop Society is a new beer club for fans of small-batch barrel-aged beers. Alpha Hops get to experience never-before-seen beers, one-off specialties, and guided samplings with the brewers who make them happen.
Who are the Alpha Hops?

The Alpha Hop Society (AHS) is Sierra Nevada’s rare beer club for the adventurous palate. It is a small, secret group gathered to garner access to our most coveted beers, small-batch creations and extremely limited barrel-aged bottles. AHS membership is a year-long pass jumping you to the front of the line for what’s next at Sierra Nevada.
Most of all, AHS is a backstage pass for the beer-obsessed and your ticket into the weird and wonderful world of small-batch beers at Sierra Nevada.
What is the Alpha Hop Society?

For Alpha Hop Society members we hand select 12 of our most limited, experimental, and small-batch beers available nowhere else. AHS members also get access to guided tours and tastings during one-on-one visits to the brewery. Members will get to pull nails from barrels and see what’s hiding in the dark corners of our experimental barrel beer programs and a sneak peek into what’s next. To top it off, you’ll get a growler and some AHS swag to help you fly your Alpha Hop colors.

Annual AHS package:

Twelve 750mL bottles of extremely limited barrel-aged beers (350 bottles or fewer!)
Alpha Hop-only access to quarterly cellar tours, barrel tastings, Pilot brewery samplings, and other beer-focused events.
A first taste of new beers from Sierra Nevada
Early access and invites to Sierra Nevada events and festivals.
Guided tastings of vintage beers and other exclusive creations.
AHS t-Shirt
Growler
Monthly newsletter detailing the Alpha Hop beers and other small-batch events at Sierra Nevada.
AHS Membership Card

All for $250 per year.

Quarterly AHS Beer Pick-Up Dates:

Q1: February 13 through Febrary 29
Q2: April 16 through April 30
Q3: July 16 through July 31
Q4: October 15 through October 31

What’s the beer lineup?

All 12 beers are brand-new creations brewed, blended, and bottled specifically for Alpha Hops.

We’ll choose AHS beers quarterly and hand bottle them in time for release.

All beers will be extremely limited production runs of 350 bottles or fewer and only available as part of the AHS program. AHS members can influence what we make in the future. If one beer is a favorite, we may re-release it to a wider audience in the future.

That's where Yazoo got the price for their special release, I guess, Except $250 for 8 beers and a ticket to some beer tasting. Seems a little steep for Yazoo, but a steal for the SN club.

TheThirdEye · Wed Nov 25, 2015 11:37 am

ColonelCash wrote:Seems a little steep for Yazoo, but a steal for the SN club.

I've only had one Yazoo (thanks to baker), so don't have much experience with them. But i agree it's a steal for SN. Any specialty releases or BA stuff from SN is always $20 at the brewery. 12 bottles at $20 is $240, so basically you are getting the t-shirt, growler, all the VIP tours, tastings, early access invites to events, and all the other perks for only $10 extra. Not only that, but the beer you get are way more limited than the normal $20 stuff they usually sell, and they will be exclusive to AHS and won't even be sold anywhere. Might not be as great a deal if you aren't near one of the breweries to experience all the VIP stuff, but you definitely are getting your moneys worth just for the beer.

Baker · Wed Nov 25, 2015 12:41 pm

ColonelCash wrote: That's where Yazoo got the price for their special release, I guess, Except $250 for 8 beers and a ticket to some beer tasting. Seems a little steep for Yazoo, but a steal for the SN club.

I did the yazoo one. 250 for 8 bottles is a little steep. But includes a ticket to Embrace the Funk Fest, which is 50 a pop (and was damn fun last year), and first pint of either of the ETF taps on each visit which run about 6 bucks each. In the end, just means I need to drink there more, and living about 10 minutes with no traffic from there, ill make that happen.

Givn2wail · Wed Nov 25, 2015 12:46 pm

Received a smallish care package from Vermont yesterday....

phishstix101 · Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:12 pm

For the weekend!

63schoeffling · Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:08 pm

The BCS Regal is money. Coffee is amazing again this year and the regular and Barleywine are damn good, too.

fredo · Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:24 pm

Having turkey tonight for antipodal x-giving at the local brewpub. They're serving Ballast Point's pumpkin whatever. Meh, but I'll drink it.

mistersmith · Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:41 pm

I'm updating my pic from the previous page, only because I got really lucky this weekend. All of this new fudge I found in a tiny little sandwich shop out in nowhere, SF where I'd heard they had some "surprising" stuff. Good god. They also had about 8 Pliny bombers, which you just can't find.