The BCGS received a very nice email from Dominos PR department asking us if we wanted to try out their new Meltdown – The Revenge pizza. As we recognise that sometimes food is pain we happily agreed. Expect some tears and much quaffing of beer in a house near you soon.
Get the full SP over at Burty’s blo
g.
Stumbled across this post on Chow the other day:
Chances are, you’ll never get to buy a bottle of Kate the Great, a Russian imperial stout from Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, even though it’s considered one of the best beers in the world by beer geeks. It was sold out a few hours before its official release on March 1. Fans had already reserved bottles for it the day before, so the folks who were planning on driving hours in the snow to stand in line for it were out of luck. The brewery produced 900 bottles of it, and there won’t be any more until next year. But just because you can’t buy it doesn’t mean you can’t get Kate the Great. You just need something to trade for it.
Beer trading, the practice of exchanging hard-to-find beers through the mail, is a growing phenomenon. On websites RateBeer and BeerAdvocate, enthusiasts list what beers they have and what beers they want, then email each other to arrange trades.
Three years ago, beer writer Tomm Carroll was surprised when one of the younger members of his local Culver City home-brewing club brought in a bottle of a delicious beer called Kentucky Breakfast Stout, from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The beer isn’t distributed west of the Mississippi. “I asked where he’d got it, and he said he did a trade,” says Carroll.
Sending beer through the USPS is illegal unless you’re a licensed distributor, although some states even bar shipments from licensed distributors. (That’s why when you’re buying wine online, they’ll only ship to some states.) However, home-brewers who have to send their beers to competitions have for years gotten around this by using private companies like FedEx and UPS and declaring their products, if anybody asks, as “yeast samples in liquid medium.” Beer traders use this loophole, as well as another one that allows people to ship “collectible bottles.” Of course, in this case, collectible bottles are sealed, and contain beer.
Gotta Have It
For the most part, trading is a friendly sport. The culture dictates that no money exchange hands. On the RateBeer site, talking about dollars in the beer trading forum will get you banned from the site forever, and most traders make a point of distinguishing themselves from the small black market for rare beer that exists on eBay.
Trading etiquette requires you include a surprise, or “extra,” inside boxes you ship: anything from another rare beer they didn’t think they were getting to a bottle of home-brew to a special glass or bumper sticker.
Trading gets as feverish and competitive as in any other hard-core collectibles market. “There’s a definite collector vibe that a lot of traders bring to the table,” says 24-year-old Rhode Island beer trader Phil Penny. “The ‘I gotta have it’ mentality.”
The more rare the beer, the more tradable it is, making brewery-release-only beers like Kate the Great some of the most sought after. Recently, release days like the one at Portsmouth Brewery have grown beyond locals-only events, drawing crowds and long lines, with some beer fans even flying in from other states. (The blog Beernews.org recently dubbed Kate one of the “Big Six” releases of the year, along with Sexual Chocolate, an imperial stout from Foothills Brewing in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The latter was listed as a “want” by a staggering 845 people on BeerAdvocate.)
A beer can also become a hot commodity if it’s high in alcohol, barrel aged, and/or contains esoteric ingredients: all characteristics that are trends in the craft beer industry in general, but especially so in the trading community where experimental and extreme often go hand in hand with rare. In the case of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a limited release from Scotland’s BrewDog that is 32 percent alcohol (it’s made through freezing the beer to remove some of the water), novelty even trumps quality: TNP only received a B rating out of 13 reviews on BeerAdvocate. Nonetheless, 91 people list it as a “want” (and 15 as a “have”).
The hype around limited-release beer has gotten so loud—thanks in large part to online beer traders—that savvy breweries can create instant hits without having to wait years for acceptance. The Bruery, a well-regarded two-year-old craft brewery in Placentia, California, somehow managed to have one of the biggest releases of the year for its Black Tuesday imperial stout last September, though it was the beer’s first year out the door.
The Bruery previewed the beer in its tasting room a few weekends before its release for a sampling of its most loyal customers, says sales and marketing manager Benjamin Weiss. On the day it was released, it had weirdly risen to become one of the top 10 beers in the world on BeerAdvocate based on reviews from those few people who had had an early sampling, even though the beer was not, and had never been, released.
“This beer rivals some of the greats including: The Abyss, KtG, Firestone 11, Dark Lord, Darkness, and KBS (I’m sure I’m leaving out a few). I have a feeling Black Tuesday is going [to] create some sort of frenzy on this site…so if you can, get your hands on this stuff. It truly is that good. Cheers!” wrote one reviewer.
As this video shows, the day the beer was actually released was a madhouse. Selling out was a foregone conclusion. Although that doesn’t mean you can’t get it. If you’ve got some Darkness from Surly Brewing you care to part with, I know somebody who needs some yeast samples.
Photograph of Sexual Chocolate by Christopher Rochelle, CHOW.com
Bibs: Ian C (1), Andy L, Andy N, Ed, Todd (1), Rob (1), Allen
Shirts: Rich A (1), Mike (2), Andy S, Rich N, Roy, Dave, Nick (1)
We open this week’s report with an apology for the frankly shoddy reporting of last week’s game which neglected to mention the two goals from the left boot of Richard ‘Baresi’ N. A complaint has been lodged with the Press Complaints Commission and the reporter in question is on his final warning.
You will also notice that goals are now recorded against the scorer’s names above. We take no responsibility for accuracy, especially if the reporter ends up on the losing side / downs one too many at the post match interviews / gets distracted by photographs of barmaids.
Elsewhere – there was a match last night.
A near full turn-out meant the pitch was crowded, space was at a premium which normally means the team that works hardest will prevail – a point made frequently and eloquently by Rich A. He proved to be right as shirts won out in what was a tight, and as commented by many, very enjoyable game. In fact Rich A had a very good night marshalling the shirts, laying on Nick for a lovely finished effort and bagging one himself – earning him this reporter’s ‘player of the night’ vote.
Bibs were certainly in this game, and several moves – notably between Rob (who turned Dave superbly) and Todd could, and probably should, have ended with goals. Rob did end up on the scoresheet later. No advantage was taken during what is now affectionately known as the ‘Roy Powerplay’ which is a testament to both Roy and the defending. A rare outing for Ian C was topped off with a goal, and Todd chipped in too, taking a pass from yours truly (which in truth was a little behind him) and slotting home with his customary ease.
And so it played out. Mike chipping in with 2 and bibs pushing hard for the equaliser at the end – in true Fergie watch-tapping style – demanding the extra 5 minutes for the delayed start.
It’s already a full house for next week so expect another close encounter.
PS: Don’t forget we’ll be celebrating a certain milestone for Andy N next week. Rumours abound that Sibo, the midfield general, may be putting in an appearance.
Greenbud and I have finally done the planting for this year’s competition.
Everyone benefits from a little light fluffing....
Obviously we planted the competition grade Apaches but also the donations from The English Chilli Company.
All that fluffing caused a few sacks to burst
With all these seeds we’ll need a plan. I began explaining to GreenBud that we could use GenStat, as it was originally developed for the Design of Experiments in agriculture. Greenbud said “I’ve got a better way”:
Who grows where...
Can’t argue with that logic. As well as the sacks, we also planted extras in the propagator. And so it was done. Now we wait.
Always feels good to spread your seed around
Following the recommendation of Swiss Toni – I took the poorly Landie into VP Autos – I can’t praise them highly enough.
Having ignored what I thought was an oil leak, on the basis that cars fix themselves if you leave them, I decided I had better sort something out when my road started to resemble the mess left after the Exxon Valdez master was sleeping one off below decks (allegedly). A quick look by VP confirmed it was in fact fuel leaking out – which explains why I should not retrain as a mechanic and the Landie’s sudden Shane MacGowanesque thirst.
One tricky fuel regulator valve replacement job and MOT later, the car is running good as new. Without the heart-stopping bills I used to get from Land Rover.
Great service, friendly people, good rates.
V P Auto Services, 559 London Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 2RE 01442 268 163
This part of Chilliness is maintained by Greenbud. I’ll be posting links to FREE games that I found and enjoy. The games might come from friv,miniclip and more!
I will add a description of each game, my personal review and a chilliness rating.
Bibs: Todd, Rob, Roy, Andy N, Russ, Dave
Shirts: Mike, Allen, Rich N, Ed, Nick, Andy L
Balanced sides again, and a good close match. Indications after posting the teamsheets hinted at shirts being underdogs, which looked to be accurate for the first 15 minutes, as bibs quickly eased into the lead by playing the better passing football. And for a while it looked like that would be the theme for the match. But shirts came back with a purple patch of 3 goals in as many minutes and the game was on. Tight marking from both sides restricted chances – and the odd foul, including mistaking Todd’s head for the ball, mentioning no names (Nick) – kept each side honest. Andy L was on fire (particularly in goal), and the usual suspects did the running.
Some good goals too. Nick opened up his body to finish in style whilst Todd and Mike both had shooting boots on – Todd hitting the woodwork (metalwork) several times – one shot was so hard that had I been in the same timezone, it would surely have taken me into the goal. But undoubtedly the goal of the night award fell to Dave with a running left foot volley into the corner – a top goal at any level of the game. A fact that Dave assures us he mentioned several times to the family!
Some lively debate about the game in the pub too – which hasn’t happened for a while. In a comment reminiscent of the late, great Cloughie – “If God had meant football to be played in the air, He would have put grass in the sky” – Andy N implored Russ to pass the ball on the ground. Meanwhile the subject of Roy’s goalkeeping reared it’s head again (apologies Roy!). There was total agreement on the MIP – Andy L, who had a great game both in goal and outfield whilst I received my customary ticking-off from Rich N for my performance – which was deserved.
Roll on next week. Don’t forget those bibs and balls.
…comes great responsibility. Am taking care of Burt’s young seedlings whilst he’s off breaking limbs on the snow. Oh the pressure.
Made doubly embarrassing by the continued lack of planting in Green mansions.
Shirts: Todd, Allen, Rob, Rich A, Roy, Andy N
Bibs: Mike, Rich N, Russ, Dave, Nick, Andy L
On a ridiculously cold night, the snow made an unwelcome return – within 10 minutes turning the roads around Berko into an ice rink. Arriving late as I did, the game already underway – it had the feel of those school sports lessons where Mr. ‘Man in a boys world’ sports teacher refused to cancel the lesson.
Thankfully we managed to have a game of sorts, as the usual incumbents of the new 3G pitch proved to have better sense than us and stayed away. It was our first outing on the 3G (if you recall we were offered the switch from our usual pitch) and, snow notwithstanding, it was a pleasant surprise. I for one found my knees ached less in the morning – although I could have done without the pile of shredded Dunlop on my kitchen floor as I took my boots off.
To matters football. The combination of snow and shredded rubber made it hard to gauge passes (what an excuse eh?) and the wood surrounds behind the goal also reduced the chances for comic rebounded own goals. All in all we made a decent attempt at a game, that is when we could see a white ball on the snow (who remembers the days of orange/yellow balls in winter) and it was actually quite a close match. The smaller goals were a welcome addition – perhaps explaining why we get higher results on our usual pitch. It couldn’t possibly be our goalkeeping.
There were several highlights to the evening (not all on the pitch) but my particular football moment was the sight of Nick, as the realisation dawned that Roy had deftly turned him, ploughing on through with a shameless professional foul. The ball merely a spectator in the proceedings. And so it played out to a close 3 – 2, with bibs pressing hard at the end for the equaliser, we delighted in the fact that the 9pm guys turned up ensuring that we didn’t fell obliged to carry on.
And then to the pub. Low turnout – but as it transpired – a lively evening. You will have seen the emails, and I won’t publish details here, but suffice to say our friendly barmaid has a much more interesting day job!
Bibs: Todd, Allen, Russ, Grant, Keith (Andy N part)
Shirts: Mike, Rob, Dave, Rich A, Nick, (Andy N part)
On a cold, wet, night we finally proved that 6 – 5 does not work – to the extent that we considered opening the list up to new registrants, as it proved so difficult to get players this week. We decided not to – but we can’t really have any more matches like this. The peripatetic Andy N summed it up at the final whistle – when the sides are unbalanced it becomes more of a practice match than a serious game.
Anyhoo – many hat tricks abounded again – as evidenced by the lack of people at the post-match interviews (the £5 fine certainly has an effect). There were some highlights: in and amongst the tap-ins, there was the odd nice goal including a “it’s just like watching Brazil” move from the bibs, Rob ensuring he got the ball in a challenge with the Russinator – only one winner there – and not one shot went out the cage; but I suspect this had less to do with the accuracy of shooting and lack of balls and more to do with the amount of space the side with 6 had to finish.
The usual few ales were quaffed – mine mostly in vases kindly supplied by Grant – and conversation was lively; mainly around the fact that people of a certain age were totally messed-up by watching Jaws as a kid. Oh and Shameless (a Rich N production) is back – which makes for a nice wind down when I get in from the pub.
