LIF = Lottery It Forward. Put together a box of beer, give it to someone random who "signs up", whether by guessing the answer to your question or liking your post. A lot of people will use randomizers to select a winner. Box is no strings attached and one way, normally. Usually people will try to balance out their beer karma by sending out their own LIF box in the future after winning one.
Great post, lots of good information in here folks. And to expand on the IPA topic, my rule is to avoid sending anything over 4 weeks old, because I know I wouldn't want to drink anything older than 6 weeks old myself and if I send it at 4 weeks, it'll take a few days to get there and a few more to be drank thereafter. I can also provide addresses, such as @Yourahoser's, Round 1/2 participants that aren't in Round 3, or lurkers from other BIF groups like Locals and SWTFYW.
Also for true Newbies. Pr0n is required!!! as part of this BIF (and pretty much all BIFs). Once you receive your box, you must post a picture(s) of it. Other than sending a box, this is the most important rule. Most times, your sender took time and effort in compiling your box. Say thank you by posting some nice pictures. If you're unsure how to post pictures, just ask and someone will tell you. It's quite easy - even old folks like @Mipper know how to do it. You can look at previous pictures of really well done pr0n posts. The best ones are 2-3 pictures, include a write-up of the bottles and include a family shot. I don't expect newbies to be perfect at it, I even screwed up my first pr0n post (sorry @LehighAce06) from sheer excitement. Just try your best and don't forget we're here for any questions you may have.
To go along with @Yourahoser - I know this thread is long, but scroll through some of the other rounds to see how its done. Participation is a huge part of this BIF (and most others)
This will be my first BIF, just wanted to say hello and express how excited I am, mainly from the excitement y'all have shown on this thread. Many thanks to my trading buddy @KyleDavis (12 Days of Xmas BIF vet), who encouraged me to jump in, advised on how this works and even vouched for me. This does feel like a next level in craft beer community involvement, from lurking to posting to trading to BIF'ing. Thank you all for making these boards (and specifically this thread) a fun place to hang out.
just testing out if i'm set-up to post pix ... this is just a test. [i'll could likely delete this, to not add to the clutter]
And just to add a little to the generosity of my friend Jeremy @JNForsyth I will add one of the custom made wrought iron openers to his box of beer.
That's awesome Sandy! Mine is pictured here: Everyone I've seen is totally different though. We were actually just talking about these in the Locals slack thread, someone was asking about openers that don't bend bottle caps.
#vbs kinda ? Popped one our own's trade cherry and got this sweet box!!! Thanks @JoeyIce3 Super excited to try the ranger creek
newbie observation - it's interesting to me that in reading all these threads (probably the last 100 in this section at least), it still hasn't sunk in that stuff one person sees everywhere on every store shelves is someone else's major want. big bad baptist being just an example from above. I literally see it everywhere. (as well as a lot of others from that brewery) granted, western pa get's so much less of everything that philly gets, I still see a lot of things here that people seem to want (or at least try). admitidly, I see Big Bad Baptist across the line in Ohio, but you know what I mean. the analytical side of my brain is having trouble processing this.. I was under the impression that people only want the hugely popular oh my god stand in line in the rain snow hurricane uphill both ways type of things. although, for true "local to me" things, I don't see a lot of want, but could that be because most places around don't can or bottle? which leads to 3 questions: If a person doesn't drink or like a certain style of beer (let's say.. hmm.. IPA's ) , aside from asking people is any particular brewery / brand / name any good, (and we all know the saying about opinions..), is it good karma to send it as an extra? a specific example from here would be, in the Pittsbugh thread, there was a LOT of talk about a beer called Vandalay Industries. everyone (that posted about it), seemed to REALLY like it. I mentioned it to the guy I work with, who lives and breathes IPA's, and he loved it. I would have taken all of that to be enough to get some, and maybe send it along as an extra. (not now, I know about the freshness factor). Thoughts? I realize I'm in the minority with my tastes, but I'm never beyond passing along something good. I'm also very worried about the reverse, I don't want to put stress on someone if they get me as a target, when I'm really all not that thrilled about bitter biting beer. 2 - bad form to send a 32oz of "local" (not a lot of crowler machines around here yet), or should it just be a full growler if I'm going to send "fresh"? 3 - what the hell does "FTFY" mean
#1 everyone wants the secret handshake reach around beers...... But that's what the viper pit is for, trading a whole cellar worth of great beer for a bottle of rare just doesn't make sense. A lot and I mean ALOT of great beers are out there that aren't whalez. #2 imo 32oz is fine, easier to ship, easier to drink in one sitting #3 I have no Ftfy clue but I think fixed that for you ?
