The Hunt

Trade. Everything is available.

 

I just ask the beer buyer or walk in on expected delivery day. I never call. Imagine if every person looking for said beer called and asked if they got that beer in. Man I would want to reach though that phone and .......well you get my point. Also, never busted out a lawn chair And don't plan to, but each to their own. Happy hunting.

 

Local distributor has a finder on the website that Iists their portfolio and the places that received their allocations. Other than that ive made a friend at one of my local shops.

 

I made friends with my beer guy. Anything limited comes in he puts it in a box with my name on it. When I come in I buy what I want from the box and whatever I don't want goes on the shelf.
The only time this involved a folding chair was when he asked if I wanted a couple of the Coos light beach chairs the distributor had given them for a promo.

 

I think building a relationship through loyalty to a specific store has very much helped.

If all else fails I'm usually fairly willing to wait in line for hours at a time if it is something I really want.

 

Strong relationships with my retailers. And that's exactly what they are--relationships. In addition, leveraging social media and understanding how distribution, allocations, and delveries work in your area is essential. Knowing which beers are handled by which distributors and are delivered on which days is fundamental. The knowledge is there, but you have to make the effort learn.

But really, it's about good relationships.

 

This, too. In this day and age, even the "best customers" simply have to be willing to wait in lines. Demand outstrips supply for limited releases. There's no getting around that math.

 

I occasionally check Twitter but haven't found it all that useful (too much clutter). The NW forum is often helpful, and I get a weekly email from one good local shop that lists everything new that's come in. Mostly though, it's just about knowing a couple places that don't seem to get as much traffic. For bottle releases I'm interested in, it's generally pretty easy to get what I want without too much effort. Compared to what I read on here from points farther east (including just about every post above this one), Seattle is apparently a cake walk and I hope it stays that way. I do not have the time or patience to do what some of you folks have to do.

I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but around here the real game seems to be the one-off kegs of rare stuff that pop up around town. Because I am usually either working or hanging out with my family, and because most places that get these kegs tend to be 21+, I almost always miss these. Grabbing a few bottles or cans to drink at my convenience is easy; being in a situation where I can basically drop everything and drink a beer or three on the spot is not. I've basically given up on this aspect of the game.

 

I'm pretty sure it still qualifies as shopping.

 

Being in Quebec, no American whales make it here. I rely on FB & Twitter whenever i go stateside but it rarely coincides with a special release.

 

Is the distro Brown? They are here too and it would be nice if they offered the locator here as well, again, if it's Brown down there that does it.

 

I don't do much catching of prey...I try hunting sometimes. Some other guy gets there faster, or is on Twitter, or it gets held for him behind the counter.

 

A few breweries, I have to stalk via Facebook and Twitter since they usually announce the day of the bottle release.

Fortunately, it seems like more and more breweries are offering memberships / subscriptions to their releases...

 

OP is tongue in cheek or serious? Sorry I haven't had any coffee yet.

I walk into a conveniently located store at a convenient time and buy anything I like the look of. If I know something limited that I particularly like has just been released I may put a little more effort in (go to a few stores or go out my way).

 

Hunting for me is easier nowadays since I found out that the hard to get and over priced/hyped beers don't taste better than carefully picked, easier to get, cheaper beers available (with rare exception)

 

I am more of a gatherer than a hunter. I go into the store and on rare occasion get a gem. Most of the time I leave with great beer that I can get most of the time. My whale ticks come from tastings and occasional bottle share situation with friends that are pretty much like me. The ones I do not get to try are no big deal. I have yet to get bored of trying new things that are readily available.

 

Too old and slow to hunt, cyber-wise that is, so unless the prey falls in my lap, I miss out

 

For Local Releases I make friends with my beer store employees. For out of Distro I trade. The only beers I wait in line for are BCBS and Side Project Releases when I am visiting my SO in St. Louis.

 

Agree. There are 3 retailers on my regular's list. Have a good relationship with each one. Since my home/work commuting distance is significant, each of these places are supported by different distributors. If something is coming to MA I can generally find it if I'm on the hunt.