If anyone other than me likes BBA Barleywines then IMO you need to try this one from Sebago Brewing in ME. Unique packaging as there are to 12oz cans stacked together and shrink wrapped. I'm on my second can this evening.
Well...I'm counting my buddy and mine's check-ins. More than 15 but less than 25. I need to go through the responses and figure out who was closest...I may ninja this one. I'd love to send one to everyone in this group. Unfortunately, you only get 4 bottles. 3 are already going to folks in this group and thee fourth I threw in the LIF.
glad you enjoyed it. they use oats in almost all of their pales/IPAs - so most have a really amazing body. Im glad the carb held up that well.
The feel of the 2 Tired Hands beers that I had was outstanding. They were so smooth, almost silky. Plus the fact that the flavors were clean without being overly malty or sweet.
Thought I'd pop the message through here first before diving into the various snake pits, but I don't suppose any of you California guys would want to put together a trade for some Jester King stuff, would ya? Looking for those Modern Times sours that are all the rage, and maybe some other things.
All of that, and that they seem to have an unending supply of all the cool hop varieties, is exactly what I love about Tired Hands' hoppy beers.
@LehighAce06 are you thinking about doing another "Newbie" BIF in 2016? I am interested in getting in on the next round, it looks like this is an easy BIF to get into but still a bunch of fun.
For sure as long as people are interested in doing it. Round 2 has been closed for a little while now, but it's also been the holidays and other BIFs going on. This is definitely designed to be an "easy" BIF, while some boxes have been absolutely killer there's intentionally no expectation for it to be so; tasty locals, beers you'd want to receive, are all that's asked. And it's definitely been a lot of fun. I'll leave this open for feedback from the group, but I'm thinking either get it up and running quick and be a February shipping window (I can do it, but sign-ups and target stalking would both be abrreviated) or we drag our feet a bit and do it in April. The reason I suggest working around March is I know that the Stout BIF is planning on a March window, and I'm pretty sure I've seen a few people from this group getting interested in stepping up their game and joining that one. I don't want those guys to have to choose between the two or split their focus by doing both, if we can avoid it.
Unrelated, where are we at with the CIF and GIF? Maybe I haven't been paying attention but it seems like it's been a while since we've heard from those.
I'm in for something in April. Personally, I've got a lot of boxes to get out and don't need to add another for quite awhile. Not to mention there's a little event in Florida that I'll be preparing for.
I'm down for March / April. Got some bigger expenses this month and next. Booking my flights and hotel for GABF this month.
So very jealous. Including myself that's 5 in a row for the April timeframe, so unless the tide turns dramatically we'll plan for that. I'll start signups in a couple weeks and get targets out before the end of February so you have all of March and into April to stalk/shop/ship.
One comment that I'd like to add for expectations is fresh. Beers that need to be fresh should not be months old. I personally haven't had that experience here but have heard grumblings of it from other participants and I've had issues with non BIF trades. I don't know what everyone else uses as a rule of thumb for buying/shipping IPAs, but I won't send anything that is over a month old if I can help it, unless I know that it is still tasting good or has a reputation for having a good shelf life (i.e. Surly Abrasive). I'd be down for another round in April too. Makes things easier for shipping windows, as it is cold as shit here and I'm worried about beer freezing.
Well put and definitely something that needs to be said, especially to a room full of people on the newer end of the spectrum. Being pretty picky about freshness, I'm surprised I haven't harped on this myself. I think your 4 week guideline is a good rule of thumb, but personally that is my outer limit, once you factor in a few extra days to pack, to ship, and for it to be drank, 4 weeks old at purchase can be 6 weeks by the time it's drank...
