Brews for New Avenues 2015

Here's the de Garde 3L lineup for the event: Imperial Boysen Bu and Imperial Black Raz Bu will be live items, and Saison Cinquieme, Fauxder, and Chat d'Or will be VIP silent items.

 

We don't like to announce things until we actually have them in hand... One will be part of the live TG package with KBBS, SR-71, and Assassin, and the other will be a stand-alone item in the VIP Silent Auction.

 

Thanks to Jessica, Jeremy, Don, James, and Andy for a great event!

I just want to add that I was wearing my snazzy VIP shirt around town for "hangover Sunday" and a young man recognized the New Avenues logo and immediately started thanking me before I could even explain I was just an alcoholic. He said that New Avenues saved him and he's now working full time trying to do them proud.

It just goes to show that the work New Avenues does is real, and that the results do make a difference to those right in our own community.

 

Like I said, I had a great time at the event and thought it was well run other than the lack of water. I only have my opinions, and have heard talk from other folks about a few things although nothing really impacted my enjoyment of the event while I was there. It's that "talk" that concerns me because it is not something I've ever encountered. Again there may be nothing but you know how the "rumor" mill can run.

 

I don't understand what this means. Someone donated a rare bottle for the auction, then outbid everyone to take the beer back home?

 

I am very surprised by these allegations, so please let me address this right now.

The picture you see above of two bottles of Mornin’ Delight are what Toppling Goliath sent to me for donation to be auctioned off at the event. One of them was in the VIP silent auction, and one of them went in with the TG package in the live auction. These two lots raised over $3000 total. Thanks TG!!!

In addition, I am a TG Mug Club member, and personal bottles were also included in the same box. Upon receiving the box, I explicitly confirmed what TG wanted donated (two bottles, both were auctioned off) and what was for me.

We have never pulled auction lots or allowed any kind of special bidding. Everyone is equal. The event is to raise money for homeless youth in our community and this year we raised over $58,000. We hold this cause near and dear to our hearts, and we pride ourselves on making the event fair and transparent. The fact that rumors/accusations regarding any unethical conduct would even circulate, much less be alluded to on a public forum is extremely upsetting given the thousands of hours of work that goes into this event.

As always, we welcome criticism and are constantly striving to improve the event and awareness of the cause. If anyone, especially people who know us personally, ever have any questions or concerns, please contact us privately, especially if it involves rumors of something this serious.

 

Well all I know is what I have heard.

 

So are you saying that someone put out their own bottles, then came in and bid the "buy it now" price to be able to take them home?

 

I have seen this before at charity auctions. However, not with the 'buy it now' function but bidding on an item against the person who donated it. It's still fair, you just have to bring your wallet. The charity wins nonetheless. There are some people who go to these auctions thinking they are going to score a Cantillon for $5. They are almost always wrong.

 

I have no idea. All I was wanting, or at least trying to do was hear if anyone else had heard of anything that was going on. I see now that most people probably woudn't even mention anything openly as I have found out that it is looked down upon. That is having an open discussion about any issues. Perhaps I worded my post poorly, or didn't come off clear. For anyone who thinks that I am trying to put down the event or the function please know that was not my intent. Like I said before, I enjoyed the event very much.

 

Speaking on behalf of the four organizers of this event, we take these allegations very seriously. New Avenues for Youth is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This means that all donations for Brews must be processed in a donor database to ensure proper documentation and to provide the tax documentation for the donor and the purchaser. We spend hours entering every donated bottle into this database.

New Avenues has strict fiscal controls for both cash and in-kind donations to prevent any type of unethical transactions. In fact, the agency was recently selected one of the top 10 Most Respected Non-Profits in Oregon. Staff oversees and documents all donations to ensure the event is held to a high standard. We have strict policies and processes in place to ensure all transactions by staff and volunteers are held to this standard.

If anyone has specific concerns, please reach out to us directly, or contact Jessica Elkan with New Avenues. A public forum is not an appropriate venue for rumors and unfounded allegations of this magnitude.

Thanks,

~James, Jeremy, Andy and Don

 

So you know nothing?

This is lame. Rumor starts and you're perpetuating it? Contact the fine folks from BfNA directly. It's not that dialogue can't happen, it just has to be in the right forum. You do more harm than good by vaguely mentioning some gossip you heard, on a message board. Your statements don't promote anything positive

 

Well I didn't hear it from a message board, four people mentiond it to me asking about it to see if I knew anything at and after the event. Your right it isn't positive, which is why I was hoping to learn more about it. However it seems that everyone is blaming me for pushing a rumor since I mentioned it. Most of you know me and I don't usually listen to rumors and the like, however I was interested in hearing more about this to see what the hell was going on.

 

I generally avoid weighing in on contentious issues on this forum, as there is already too much negativity and wild speculation going on here. Typically it's regarding things of which many posters have little actual understanding but very strongly stated opinions supported by ridiculous statements of, "fact," particularly regarding beer production issues. The tangent you've taken this thread on just stinks too much of beer geek sour grapes to let pass. As someone who has been disappointed plenty of times that I didn't get a bottle I really wanted, or that some draft beer I was looking forward to kicked, I can certainly understand the root of feelings like this, but the desire to float some sinister theory that places blame on someone for a beer experience not going as perfectly as you imagined is going too far.

This isn't the appropriate venue to go into specifics of whatever impropriety some guys you know think they may have witnessed, but thanks for turning a positive thread into this nonsense. If you have a real concern about this, please do as they asked and contact them directly. If there was a hint of something fishy going on I'm sure they will get to the bottom of it quickly and take appropriate action.

In the interest of helping you understand why you're feeling attacked in this thread (aka rhetorical question, aka please don't answer this), I, like others, fail to see what the potential gripe is here. Are you suggesting there was some sort of conspiracy on the part of the organizers to allow certain people to pull or drink auction items they suddenly didn't feel like donating, or that there is something immoral about purchasing your own beer back at an auction? If I were to donate a bottle, they set the buy-out price at $200, and I then spent $200 to purchase it at the auction, it's true that it would have been more efficient to just make a cash donation, but it's not even in the neighborhood of sketchy, and hardly worth calling the organizers' motives into question.

I was at the auction in question, can independently verify how it was set up, and know the organizers well enough to confidently state that there is no valid cause for their characters, intentions, or actions to be called into question.

These are wonderful, generous people working their butts off to raise money for a great cause. As someone who has worked with them the past three years on events leading up to Brews, and as an attendee at the main event each year, I have a pretty good understanding of who they are and how they operate. Each year during planning and while enjoying the main event I've had so many moments when I just stopped, smiled, and felt fortunate for the amount of time and effort they have given to make it an event that is fun, welcoming, and rewarding for everyone involved, while raising a bunch of money to help people.

Backtrack however you want, but that you would blindly float rumors like this in the name of, "hoping to learn more about it," at the risk of good peoples' reputations, speaks to your own character and judgement, not to theirs.

 

All the TMZ gossip aside, my friends and I all had an amazing time at this event. Being my second year attending, this is without a doubt my favorite beer event to go to. The quality of the beer options available to drink, as well as the opportunity to participate in the extremely awesome auctions/wall of beer, make for an amazing time.

In a beer scene plagued with "new money" antics, it's extremely refreshing to see the polar opposite of that. Awesome people and awesome beer accomplishing an amazing goal. I can't wait to donate more beer and attend next year's event to help y'all try and earn even more money for your cause!

 

Yeah I'm all about floating BS.... You nailed it. I hope you feel better after your rant.

 

That's a nice, deep hole you've got there, Glen. Probably time to stop digging.

I did not read Paul's post as a rant, rather a very reasonable defense of his friends who you are criticizing with seemingly baseless rumors for which you can't even supply any specifics.

More to the actual point of this thread, I had a great time again this year, and am very appreciative of all of the hard work the organizers put into this event every year. Not only is it supporting a great cause that benefits all of Portland, it is far and away the best beer event I've attended. I look forward to it all year, and will continue to go as long as they keep having it. Thank you Andy, Don, James, Jeremy, and Jessica for another awesome event.

 

Jesus, I'm not criticizing anyone! Anyways Jeremy And I already discussed this and it seems that people saw something and went to conclusions.