NBS BIF #16 Sign Up Thread

It's here. It's finally here. It's here, ladies and gentlemen!!!

NBS BIF #16 is now officially in the sign-up phase!

Before you ask to join, if you're a newcomer, consider the following:

*This is the BIF specifically and explicitly in support of the New Beer Weekend thread (hey, that's going on right now!). If you don't care to participate in that thread, then kindly stop reading here.
*This is not a BIF for newbies. (There's another fantastic BIF for that, and I highly recommend it.)

Let's get right to it.

Important Dates:
*Sign-ups are live from now until October 7th. That's almost a full month for sign-ups (and to close out the current round).
*Hints & Hauls will go live on October 8th. That's when the chicanery truly begins!
*Official share date is the weekend of November 11-13. That gives us over a month for shopping, shipping, porch bombing, and drinking before we even reach the official date.

(Please don't ask for the official dates down thread. That makes it really f'n clear that you couldn't be bothered to read literally the second bolded paragraph in this post, which is a pretty good indication that you don't have any idea what the hell you're doing, and therefore probably should look elsewhere.)

Pairings will be sent within a couple days of the H&H thread going live. Please be patient if the pairings take longer than normal, as the BIF leadership is undergoing a bit of a transition. Please ensure that at least one box of beer reaches your target by the Thursday prior to the official share weekend (November 10th), including a mystery beer.

Wait, what's a mystery beer?

Rules:
*You must send 96 ounces (or more) of new-to-your-target beer. Many (most) will send much, much more, but every member must be OK with receiving the minimum. There is no pressure to send more than the minimum.
*You must send at least one Mystery Beer: a beer with the label concealed in such a way that your target does not know the beer (or, hopefully, style). The intent is that mystery beers are consumed and reviewed blind, but that's really all up to the recipient. You may send more than one beer so disguised. Custom labels are at your discretion.
*You must send at least one local food item. We've seen some crazy stuff. It's really up to you. The intent is to give your target a taste of your local cuisine and culture, whether that's a full Taylor Ham, agricultural specialties, local coffee roasts, rare candies, or whatever you want.
*You must sent at least one item of brewery "swag," be that glassware, a T-shirt, a hat, some stickers, coasters, or coozies, or something even more creative. The swag I've received over the years from this BIF are actually some of my favorite things.
*You must drink at least one of your received beers on the official share weekend (unless you literally cannot). More on this under the etiquette section.
*Finally, and most importantly: you must participate. All participants are expected to post at least two clues per week in the H&H thread (until your target correctly identifies you; you don't have to stop dropping clues at that point, but it kind of makes sense). If you don't plan on participating in the H&H thread, then don't plan on participating in this BIF, please.

Member Requirements:
*You must have participated in a previous round of this BIF.

or

*You must be active in the New Beer Weekend thread and have a current member vouch for you. A positive trade record on BA is a plus, as is experience in a BIF, but not necessarily required. If you don't currently meet the NBW posting requirement, now's a great time to start to establish your track record!

Etiquette:
*Communicate black out dates for shipping, as well as any absences from the H&H thread (a week or more). It's totally OK to miss time from the thread (life is more important than beer!), but it's no fun if you're a sender whose target has suddenly ghosted the thread.
*Play the damn game. The H&H thread can be more fun than shipping and receiving the beer itself. Please play along and at least try to guess your sender. Some of us nerds will have full spreadsheets and try to guess every single pair, not just our own sender. Hell, I've been known to set some drunk pairings, so even I get to play along some rounds. Most importantly, though, a lot of our participants put a lot of time and effort into their clues, and it's crushing to have a target who doesn't put forth any effort whatsoever.
*Lying in your clues is allowed. I personally prefer leaving some kind of trail or later clue to identify which clue or clues is/are false, but that's really up to you.
*Deception (as opposed to outright lies) is not only allowed: it's encouraged. Ask @snaotheus sometime about being misled about multiple potential senders.
*If someone calls you out as his or her sender, it's polite to answer whether they are correct or not.
*Explaining your hints after you've been called out isn't required, but it can be fun.
*Save some beer for the official share weekend, and try to drink as much of your spoils during the NBW thread (that's the point of the thread, after all). Naturally, with the quantity of beer changing hands (and freshness concerns for IPAs, in particular), quite a bit of beer will be consumed outside of the NBW thread. It's polite to tag your sender (in WBAYDN? and/or in the H&H thread), and most of us will drop a review or at least some quick thoughts over in the H&H thread.

OK, that's a lot, and yet I feel I'm still missing something. @FBarber ? @2beerdogs ? @BBThunderbolt ?

Hey, y'all, get in here! Sign up! It's NBS BIF #16 time, MFers!!!!!

 

Am I in Georgia? Florida? Connecticut? Maine? Whatever, regardless, I'm in!

 

I appreciate you.