SOLE Artisan Ales

Plenty of those folks at Tired Hands can releases every week.

Cheers!

 

Man, I wish I could just go to my local distributor in the Philly area and pick something up off the shelf that I could send to my trade partners in the NE area that would satisfy them. Unfortunately I'd probably get laughed at. And even if I could find something that was worthy, it probably still wouldn't cut it because it wouldn't be fresh enough.

 

True, while a problem for some its generally not a problem for me!

 

(I assume by "NE" you mean "New England"...)
I grew up in NE (VT specifically) and I go back regularly to see family, I am an ex-beer trader (albeit brief),and I suspect I've been drinking craft beer longer than you if your account join date is any indication, so allow me to offer you some insight that could save you a lot of time and money... There is plenty off the shelf or on tap beer in the Philly area that is just as good (maybe even better) than that NE beer you are standing in lines and trading for. I mean that seriously, not trying to be a self-righteous dick, although I'm sure I come off that way. Get yourself off the beaten path of trading forums and social media and try beer around you with a more open mind. You might be surprised how much better beer tastes when you're not worrying about the opinions of people miles away from your glass.

 

I'm not the one you were responding to, but please enlighten us. I've had pretty much all the shelf stuff from the Philly area (at least the hoppy stuff) and while there is plenty that is good and even great, I'm not aware of any that could serve as trade bait because it is either widely distributed, isn't fresh enough, or just isn't good enough (at least to the fickle trading crowd).

 

I think you missed his point. It was that there is plenty of good beer available locally here in Philly, so you don't need to trade, so you don't need "trade bait".

I would also respond to @MyNameIsJohnnyV , that the definition of "good beer" does not begin and end with "hazy IPAs". There are 100+ beer styles listed here on BeerAdvocate, and the beers you're trying to trade for make a small subset of 1 of those styles. A world class barleywine, doppelbock, imperial stout, english brown, belgian dark, etc. doesn't need to be 2 weeks old.

 

Look, I'm going to punt this because I believe you that you've tried a lot of beer, and I'm fairly certain you'll poo-poo anything I say. But it's undeniable that Philadelphia has the best distribution of beers from all over the world and some very good locals of our own. Your supposed lack of beer to drink here has much less to do with the beer available than your desire to keep up with "the fickle trading crowd," so I will repeat...

 

I think you guys missed the point. I'm not saying you can't get good or even great beer from distributors in the Philly area, just that there isn't much in the way of trade value. There are plenty of beers that I love that you can only get in the central/eastern PA area (hell, County Line IPA is one of my favorite go to IPAs). I just like to broaden my scope and try new ones as well from other regions, and it's gotten to the point where I've pretty much tried every shelf beer that I wanted to try in the area.

Probably 75% of the beer I drink is the widely distributed shelf stuff (or local brewer draft). But for that other 25% I like to get some highly regarded stuff from other regions. So if it means waiting on line for 1-2 hours every couple months, I can handle it.

 

I have the exact opposite problem that when I want to try some new beers, there are too many options on the shelves. Between local breweries constantly releasing new beers, and new breweries entering the distribution market. There are literally thousands of beers available in the Philly market, so if you're not limiting yourself to one style of beer, I don't see how you could ever try all of them.

I do too, but only if I'm traveling there for work or vacation.

 

Go to Tonewood Brewery in NJ and get some Fuego in crowlers if they have it.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46284/258422/

 

@jojo2112 I realized I should clarify. I don't just mean breweries year-round releases. There are also a ton of options if you're looking to try some limited or special release beers.

At any given time, my local bottles hop probably has in stock 200+ different rotating labels of the pricey barrel-aged, high ABV, sour, etc stuff in 22oz/750ml bottles from all over the country. I rarely buy from that section since most bottles are $20+, but the selection is definitely "on the shelf".

 

They have it...

 

Can't say I agree with this entirely. There is no shortage of good beer available in Philly, but I think it's outrageous to compare the shelf IPA offerings here to stuff from Tree House, Trillium, etc. At least for my palate, there is no comparison. And I've been drinking craft for far longer than my account opening date to the left, since you brought that up.

 

I've had some of those and I have had what I think is comparable locally-available stuff too, but I know beers taste different to different people. However, the human mind is far from rational and the mind is where we interpret our tastes. Next time you are waiting in line eagerly awaiting some hard to get beer try reading up on the ways our minds are influenced in subtle ways by our biases. I recommend starting with this this NPR story on Pliny the Elder and scarcity marketing. But at the end of the day, it's just beer, drink whatever makes you happy.

 

I don't disagree that some people drink these beers or "like" them more because they're tougher to get. But I've done blind tastings with some of these "rare" hoppy beers and some of the perceived better ones you can get on the shelf, and let's just say my wallet wished the results were different.

 

I'm pretty sure his point is that the stuff around you is good enough that you don't NEED to trade.

 

Sole brews good, not blow your socks off, beer, but there are so many breweries that brew good beer right now. It would be clinically INSANE for me to drive over 3 hours round trip with an at least 3+ hour wait in line for 1 can and maybe 1 bottle (style not quantity). Im sure people wait longer and drive longer for these releases than that too. I dont care how good the beer is or the beer that I could get for it, that isnt worth it. Instead of wasting those 6/7 hours on 1 trip to Sole, I could drive to almost every great brewery in NJ and get growlers/cans with no line and return home before I would have for 1 trip to Sole.

 

I really liked Simcoe Nerd and Swamp Witch. I think they have been improving lately but I wouldn't wait in line for anything...then again, I wouldn't for any brewery's beer so I don't really know what my point was...

 

Don't understand all the hate for those who like a good time...Sole releases are no more 'standing in line' than arriving at 9am for a 1pm Eagles game. It's a tailgate! If you haven't been then perhaps you shouldn't criticize those who go. I've been to 5 of the last 6 Sole releases and have had an absolute blast each time. Hang with like minded beer 'geeks' for a few hours, trade a few extras from my fridge for beers I would otherwise have to either travel hours for or actually stand in line for, drink a few while 'tailgating' - beer karma is strong, and then go home with a case of very good beer. What a better way to spend a Sunday morning?

 

Waiting in a line to buy something is nothing like tailgating, even if you're drinking while waiting. Lines in the craft beer scene must be (will hopefully be) eradicated some day. If you still want to hang out with people in the parking lot anyway, then that's fine. The rest of us can come and go. It would be a win- win for everyone.