Question: Going to First Bottle Share Tomorrow

Calling Westy, a home brew, and putting it to the side is an odd experience. First the bottle is recognizable. When I've opened one at shares, people instantly knew what it was. Second, what's wrong with a good homebrew?

Westy, doesn't have the audience it once did. But I would probably have followed you to your table.

 

And you would have been very welcome. I always tried to keep ours as inclusive as possible. Sometimes people just brought in new things available at the beer stores, which was always perfectly fine. We had simple rules:

1: Bring something the bar does not have, unless you are specifically wanting to try variations of, which we would then all purchase.
2: Buy something from the bar, it doesn't have to be beer. They had great home made pretzel and a killer meat and cheese plate, so we went through lots of those.
3: Tip well
4: Clean everything up, don't make the bartenders clean up the old bottles.

Most of it was just what people brought back from traveling around. I would also go back and forth from Texas to Illinois to see family. So always had Goose Island, Founders, Bells, well all that is just on the shelf now ha. I wouldn't know what to bring to a share now, as evident with Westy. Couldn't believe people didn't even recognize the bottle...oh well.

 

I wish I could homebrew Westy 12!

 

Someone brought BBT to a recent share. Probably the only way I would have gotten some. Bring a variety of things you like, then gauge what you pull out based on styles that maybe aren’t represented on the table. I’m a wallflower, but at a share, even I chat up folks who all appreciate good beers, and opinions on what makes them good…eat, drink, especially if you’re going for large diversity and/or high ABVs.

 

Approach it like a swingers orgy. After all those beers, they usually end there any way.

 

Great questions! It has been my good fortune to participate in a number of bottle shares (I’m attending our local monthly share this afternoon).

At our share, at a bar, we put our bottles on the table/in an ice tub and open what we want to pour at that time. The open cans/bottles can soon add up. I take my plexiglass taster glasses and pour me 2ozs. There will be plenty of beers.

I invite newcomers all the time and tell them to bring something that they like and would like to share. Doesn’t matter the style, everything is welcome. Relax. Meet new people. Drink beer.

For your share as part of a festival or big random group setting, I’ve attended many. Semi whales and the occasional whale (Double oaked ADWTD, which I’ve had as recently as last week at a share) are normal, but most beers will be good solid beers that the sharer has access to…there are guys who will sit/stand in one place with their cooler of beers, and others who will walk from group to group asking if anyone would like a taste of xyz? In return you will be offered a pour of abc. Take some small disposable cups with you as you may soon find you are tasting more than one beer at a time!

Most guys want to share their beers, and want to try yours. Mingle and have fun! Cheers!

 

You could've gone all cicerone-like and wowed them with a lecture on Belgian yeast or smoked malt.

 

@astrodanzz You know we’re all waiting for tales of ales, the beers with peers, and oh you get it…

 

Yeah @astrodanzz , don't leave us hanging!

 

Fill 'er up!

 

One of the first things I learned, If you brought it, you open it. Don't open other people's bottles, unless you ask of course.....

Also leave enough for anybody else to share, or if it's that close to the bottom, fnish it off (but you might want to ask around first).

It's tough if you don't know the crowd. I tend to share with the same people all the time.....

 

Stouts with the louts....

 

Seems like a bottle share is the best place to bring highly coveted beers. In my experience, happiness is best shared. Imagine drinking an entire bottle of insert current wank-off beer alone. Now imagine drinking a portion of it with a bunch of other people who are also drinking it and discussing it. Seems like the second option is much more fun. Just my $0.02.

 

Now I’m worried about @astrodanzz. It’s been like two days after the event. Maybe the “bottle share” was a ruse to get him drunk, then indoctrinated into a beer/sex cult. That happens all the time.

 

As long as he didn't wake up in a bathtub full of ice in cheap motel.......

 

ISO: Beer/Sex Cult accepting new
members

 

When I go to bottle shares, I definitely bring a couple of "Wow" beers to make sure people know I'm legit (ha). I also have no problem bringing non-buzzworthy beers - as long as they're fresh (if warranted) chances are someone will like it and not be a snob about it. Just nothing macro (obviously).

Never bring out of date stuff (especially IPAs).