Remember before the year 2015 when trading beer was "fun?" People would actually drink bottles and the large majority weren't hoarding indefinitely to sell on a secondary market. I dont get the lines either. Who the fuck wants to wait 2+ hours in line the same shit every other week? The beer itself is boring as all hell at this point. "Weve aged it in TWO barrels not just one!" "Oh and the 6 flavor adjuncts we added were after aging so they'd be soooooo strong." "Weve added lactose to this ale to make it feel like milk in your mouth." "We hopped this beer 7 times post fermentation because the first 6 times didnt leave enough bullshit in the tank" Considering that almost every brewery is doing the same thing, or you can straight up buy it on a secondary market, what's the point? What is it about beer in 2020 that makes you passionate about trading? Money? Instagram pictures? Status? I cant seem to figure it out. I am only 30 but I feel like an old man. Please inspire me.
I typically only trade with a group of BIF friends or repeat trade partners. Works out great for me. I feel like I have a network of BA friends that I could reach out to for almost any beer I’m interested in. I drink the beers I receive and share with friends. My trade group has a #gopickitupforme thread that remains active. Meet good trade partners and be generous, that’s fun for me.
I was nodding along with the headline until I started reading. There have been lines in beer since I started paying attention in 2007. This isn't anything new. Though the secondary market has taken off to an appalling degree. I see variations of this post frequently & think "Well, go drink Tang then. Or vodka. Or Bartles & James." If it's so terrible, why are you on a beer website? What are you doing to try to change what's terrible about it? Had any lagers lately? Or hefes? I'll never understand this complaint. We live in an age of beer nirvana. Anyone who can't find something that appeals to them isn't trying. At all. Every brewery is doing the same thing? I don't know where in IL you live, but Chicago is a beer wonderland. On the other hand, I agree that trading ain't what it used to be. People are greedier & putting together a trade can be far more difficult. But that's offset by the explosion of local options that are 50x better than they were ten years ago. We are all on your lawn. Please don't strain your voice.
You joined in 2018. As a side note, you’ve got one recorded trade to your name so what are you talking about? This has to be a second account..
Sure there have been lines in beer for a while, prior to the secondary market blowing up lines were manageable. You wouldnt be getting in a line thinking you're wasting time because A.) It's going to take over 2 hours or B.) The assumption that 1/3-1/2 of the line are in it for profits. As far as my complaint on the status of trading goes, it is in reference to the forums. People always trying to win, or having to overcompensate just to get attention. It's not that I'm bitter over flavor adjunct beers, I just dont get the commodity in swapping the same flavors around. So to answer the question of "what have I done to change it?" Nothing. I'm not going to start offering lagers and hefes on the forums, let's be real. I didnt realize my activity on beer advocate would be policed so I shall explain. My main trading forums were RB which had died a long time ago, then Reddit which up until the ban of the beer trading forum I had well over 150 trades completed over several years. Dont get me wrong, I have several people I can reach out to for a pickitupforme or old friends who wont try to clear your cellar out, this question was to people on the trading forums today, not so much the veterans that have an established pipeline
Dude... It was a serious question. Your title said the post was about trading but you shit on your current perceived state of beer the whole time. Lines, adjuncts, hoarding, etc. I honestly wanted to know why you were on BA if you seem so frustrated with beer in general. Clearly you're frustrated with more than just trading. I guess to answer your question though, I still enjoy trading because of the communal aspect of it. I've made some good friends across the country through trading and we enjoy hooking each other up. It's true that I have plenty of options on the shelf here in Michigan but I still enjoy tracking down hard to find bottles from around the world to share with my local beer friends. It's the community, both local and through sites like this, that keeps me excited and interested in beer trading.
Engage with the sections of beer culture you enjoy. Avoid the parts of beer culture that you don't enjoy. If you don't enjoy the vast majority of craft beer anymore or find the negative parts too overwhelming, then maybe you just don't enjoy engaging with craft beer culture in general anymore... which, if so, is totally fine! I'm not sure it warrants a post, though.
All of your complaints seem to center on a very tiny sliver of the beer/trading community, and they happen to be the sliver that is obsessed with getting "the best!" And letting those wins be known on social media. I've never waited in an hours long line for beer, I've never haggled with a trader who was trying to "win" the trade, but then again I've never had the desire to chase the latest and greatest. If trading isn't fun don't trade, what are you trying to get out of trading? If you're chasing the hyped up whales you have to deal with that hypey whale culture. If you just want some beer that's outside your distro you just have to be a little more patient to find someone with access to it who likes trying new beers.
Still fun for me. I trade to get stuff not available locally and have met some great people along the way.
Having had the unique perspective of taking 10 years off and returning in the last 6 months... When I look at the ISO forums it appears overwhelming. I’m seeing stuff like bbt, gcsics, bcbsc12, that is all gibberish to me. However when I’ve posted something realistic and down to earth I’ve always gotten realistic replies and had great experiences. Also the only big ticket item I’ve traded was pliny the younger. When I posted iso big stouts I got a bunch of hate mail that pty couldn’t pull in a big name stout... it did. And I think part of the appeal was that it is different. People have the psychological relief of actually needing to drink it. The sooner the better. The barrel aged 15% abv stuff almost seems like you’re always waiting for the right time to drink. And with more expectations comes disappointment.
It totally depends what your idea of "a big name stout" is You admitted yourself you don't even have a clue what all the acronyms even mean You're definitely not trading PtY for BAVDL or BAA What did you end up getting for the PtY if you don't mind me asking?
I would say that is more your opinion than fact. Some people do this others don’t. I used to be of the opinion I have this special beer I must wait to share with friends/brother/ some special event. Then was having a conversation with my brother who got me into craft beer and we were talking about wine, he hesitates to open a top bottle of wine for a special event but would open up a special beer for fun/taste it, I was the opposite, i will open up a peju reserve cab franc for a Saturday but will hold my assassin until a dinner party. As my cellar grew and my brothers words stuck into my head, breweries release beer when they feel they are at their peak, they want you to taste that beer then. Why hold onto the beer for your perfect time when the perfect time to drink that beer is now. So now I’ll open up a beer just to share with my wife at anytime. If I am able to get my hands on 2 I’ll open one up right away and age the other, but no longer holding on to those releases for just the right occasion, unless one is set up prior to purchase.
If you think beer trading is uninspiring if you live in Illinois (especially Chicago) then you'd find it especially uninspiring trying it in California.
this is exactly why they added the $4$ and locals4locals trade forums. there are many trades that make both ides happy. PtY isn't a big ticket item if you're n the trading game. It sounds like you made someone happy and you got some stouts that made you happy.
This post here is almost exactly what I'm talking about. There is clear secondary value associated with BAVDL and/or BAA. I guess I'm just referencing a period in time when selling beer was less viable and rarity was the balance factor.
