Question: Going to First Bottle Share Tomorrow

Been to many, many shares and without worrying about repetition-

-Don't worry too much about what to bring. By that I mean you never know what kind of share it's gonna be if you don't know the people and it's your first one at the location. By the end of the share you'll be a "regular" (if you like the brewery's beer that is haha)

-If you are looking to taste stuff that is fairly rare, bring something that is equal quality and carry it around with you. You will meet many people doing the same and you are certain to get great pours by giving great pours.

-There usually is a table and it's usually just bring what you think is good and taste what others think is good.

-Small glass (I use a mini snifter) and pace yourself. Don't wanna be too drunk when your whale gets opened.

--I see you are from New York and I can tell you that carrying a Suarez saison or three around the share is the strategy I most often used

 

The type of share @astrodanzz was scheduled to attend is, to my knowledge, non-existent out here. A share at a brewery would most like not be viable under the law. You'd have to rent the space, pay for a bartender, and have the bartender do the pouring. All sorts of LCB rules come into play.

Shares out here are private events, usually held at someones house. I've never heard of share where you just roll into an open brewery/bar and start popping your own bottles open.

 

The first share I hosted, a friend who wasn’t a beer nerd and didn’t know any better poured himself close to a pint of Black Tuesday before anybody noticed. He was a little reserved up to that point, but definitely enjoyed himself afterwards.

 

Highland Park recently had a bottle share that was well received out here. So, brewery hosted shares are not unheard of.

Then there are public shares, held in a bar or restaurant, where generally there is some kind of formal or informal spend agreed upon, so it's a win / win on a slow night. These were more popular pre-pandemic. Would like to see them pick-up again.

But most shares I attend these days are private, held at people's homes.

 

We also had that big BA meet up at The Toronado that time. We all brought bottles, and Matt made sure that the bartender, or himself, opened them, but we self poured. We all bought some food to be our "corkage fee".

Is maybe the event you're thinking of one of the Heron Hunters Club events?

 

Sauce with the boss?

 

It's not only laws, it's the culture too. Line shares are the best part of many releases, many people love em. I've done shares in places where we do pours from inside of our coolers, and we all drink in to go cups while we wait. Luckily, breweries like Equilibrium and Captain Lawrence (back in the day) made it more comfortable for us with food, tables, and even outdoor heaters in winter, so shares at those places were amazing.

 

Yeah, and those kinds of big releases aren't really a thing out here either. But even if they were, i don't see our breweries allowing (even tacitly) line shares. They'd certainly draw the attention of busy-body Karens (of all genders) who might even set their coffees down to call 911.

 

With the laws we have here, I can’t imagine this kind of share ever being possible. It’s a shame. I like the idea. The closest thing I’ve seen was a group beer swap at a local brewery. Nothing could be consumed on site though.

 

I seem to remember talk in the NW forum of HotD Dock sale days where folks would party in the parking lot/street. I think folks would even bring grills and cook out before opening. So it's not completely unheard of, just rare out here.

 

I could give you a couple ways of getting around that. A coffee tumbler is an old favorite of mine.

 

So

Something to store away in the vault... Washington sate used to have a permit you could buy -- $10 or $20 -- that allowed you to have alcohol on motor coaches. The couple times I rented a bus there, I'd get a permit and bring a keg.

 

It seems like there's a lot of good story buried in that comment

 

Yeah, a catering permit. Still need one. For example, one of the local breweries is chartering a bus down to Seattle for the Mariners opener. They still need to get a catering permit to pour beer on the bus. It's easier if you're an existing establishment, but citizens can get one too. Like if you're having a family reunion at a park or something.

 

Yeah, breweries can apply to their city for street/alley closures, and notify LCB and approved to have that considered part of their facility for that time, that happens regularly. I'm picturing folks lined up for a noon release at 8am and folks just doing self-service while waiting. I don't see that happen out here, but it sounds like it's not uncommon in other places. Wasn't it Surly that used to have a release where folks would party in the streets before the event until the neighbors complained?