Beer as Currency?

NO! Once craft beer is the new money, I'll be even more broke than I am now!

 

I was in a B&B in Vermont and I saw something like this go down.

Person #1 had tried to find Heady Topper and got shut out. Person #2 talked up person one(they were both part of couples staying there and were seated next to each other), and found out that person #1 was a salesman who had something he happened to be looking for. (Antiques, a vintage Coke sign).

They haggled on price and the guy with the Coke sign stopped at $300, while the other guy was all-in at $225. They stalemate for a bit, and then person 2 goes into his car, comes back with 2 4packs of Heady, puts that on the table with his cash and puts out his hand.

I've never seen a guy shake a hand so quickly.

 

HT is at the very least a deal sealer!

 

Ever seen the show Doomsday Preppers? I have enough beer that I should be able to trade for any supplies I don't have when the apocalypse comes.

 

Back in history, we were paid with a beer like beverage, you were given two vessels of casch (cache) on a barrel head for a days labor.

 

I sent one of my two VSB's to someone because I thought they would really enjoy it. Also they sent me a black Tuesday for my birthday which fell on a Tuesday. I could have gotten nearly anything I asked for but I didnt . When I heard someone sold one for $200 despite the fact it was only $9 at the brewery I still had no regrets .

My point you ask? The more I see the way people trade and acquire things in our community the more disillusioned I become. Were supposed to respect beer not covet it, its a beverage for fucks sake.

Beer as currency to me would foreshadow the end of a once enjoyable hobby and that day is the day I switch to BMC.

 

If a day comes when I can trade Stone of Jordan for beer, I won't have a fiance' anymore.

 

My old roommate had the slightly larger room (extra foot in width or some shit) when we lived together. He paid me the difference in beer. Happiness followed.

 

As a retired auto mechanic I will say that the person that tips the crew with beer gets their car fixed first and under the estimate if possible.

 

I have yet to do a double trade, but have thought about it... I trade to drink

 

Respectfully -- I routinely do as you say during my trips to HF for example when I'm on a mission for Abner or double citra...I'm not a fan of barrel aged beers or saissons but have developed lots of great trade relationships by using these beers to get what I want -- Cali IPAs and dipas. I make the trip and the time to seek out these beers and wait in line and purchase -- and oh are they appreciated by my partners in LA and SD who help spread the word about HF or whatever. Not seeing how that is being disrespectful to anybody.

 

Hah that would be my one exception! Imo it's one thing to make a special trip and buy up to your limit for a friendly trading partner. (Really, you're just picking up for a new online friend!) It's another thing to grab ten Billionaires (picking a recent high-demand limited release) because you want one now, a couple to cellar, and seven to trade once you start seeing ISOs. Hell, if you had seven friends who said "could you get me a Billionaire while you're out" I think that'd be fine -- but imo that's not seeing beer as "currency" so much as just grabbing them for friends, whether they're online trading partners or irl buddies. It's when they are seen as "currency" and invested in and acquired with the sole intent of recouping >$4$ from people who could have just grabbed it after you if you'd left those seven on the shelf that it's less about sharing beer and more about capitalizing on the limited availability of something that I think our community would like to see spread around and enjoyed by many. (Full disclosure: I picked up one bottle of Billionaire, so it's not that I'm grumpy about that release or something )

ETA: I do see the argument that even this hypothetical (and perhaps nonexistent) person is doing good by the community -- he's helping make sure that this beer ends up in the hands of people who want it enough to be online and trading for it and not in the hands of someone who just likes the name or artwork. But I think that's unfair to people who don't know the hot new walez accd. to BA forums but truly like to try interesting and new beers! And it still takes good quality stuff away from even those "in the know" who didn't happen to get there in time, exacerbating the already existent problems of limited-availability brews.

 

Sounds cool and all but seven cross country trades will cost you over $100 in shipping... For that money you can buy three bottles of Black Tuesday on Black Tuesday :/

 

trades are okay as long as you remember to file the 1099-B

 

i find it funny in threads like this that most of the responses are about how you people only trade to drink etc.. that may be true (not calling anyone out specifically) but when you look at the ISO FT, Latest Haul and Cellar Pictures threads they paint a different picture of what most people are up to (myself included?)

 

I traded a fellow ba a couple Berlinners for an immersion chiller. He was more interested in beer than cash. So yeah, beer is currency.

 

Does beer have value? Yes. Does that make it a currency? No.