How to get I get good beers?

I wouldn't be too discouraged if I were you. If you're on the trading forum enough you'll see the same people posting the same things ISO and FT day after day. Some times persistence is what it takes to find the right trader.

In fact, I would say, many of us started in the same place as you. We have decent beers and were trying to expand our horizons. But it takes some time to get a hang of what the demand is like for your beers and the value of the beers you are after.

I think it is also important to recognize that it may not totally be people not interested in your beers as it is people not willing to let go of theirs. The same beer can have different value to different people.

For example, you recently messaged me looking for a Black Tuesday. Now BT is not really a "whale" but for me (in Michigan) it is tough to get. I need to have it shipped to a guy in California, he needs to ship it to Michigan and I need to pay the cost of the beer + cost of shipping + throw in a thank you beer or two. So BT is "worth" more to me than it might for a person in California who can get it much more easily (and cheaper).

I think you will find that there are more than a fair share of legitimate beer advocates around here. Again, don't be discouraged, this is a pretty welcoming community. If I had more than one BT, I would definitely spread the wealth!

As far as how to get beers people really want...that's a story unto itself. Be active on the forums (especially your regional forum), learn about when certain beers are being released and which ones are getting buzz. Travel to some brewery only releases (if possible). And just keep an eye out for the highest rated beers in your area: https://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/south/

 

If you can access Good People brewing in Alabama they have some sought after beers. Snake Handler is a DIPA that was hot for awhile and I'm sure some people would still want.They also just released el Gordo which I saw in the trade forums.
Good luck.

 

I started out in Stateboro, GA which literally has nothing. The first thing you need to do is look for local releases or nationwide releases that will be coming to stores near or around you and go from there. Then, and i can't stress this enough, make good trading partners and be very generous with them. Everything always comes back around.

It's also not going to happen overnight. unless you have a ton of disposable income, you're not going to be sitting on a cellar of whales in a couple months. It takes years. But its a fun journey, just enjoy the ride and drink what you can.

 

I have the same problem. I've always wanted to get my hands on something in the realm of some Trillium, Tree House, Bissell Bros, etc or even something remotely similar but I live in a very beer scarce area of North America. I'm not after "whales", I'm just after offerings that I can't get locally. I have limited local selection and even if it is good (there are a few) it's not known enough to register any value on the secondary market.

It's tough sledding. You try and make due with what you can, make plan a road trip here or there to get some inventory that may be of use to others.

 

It all depends what you are willing to do/spend. A couple of thoughts:

1. Beer tourism, such as a trip to the NE would certainly get you a bunch of tradeable IPAs.
2. Joining Beer clubs like the Bruery's club is another way to get some tradeworthy beers.
3. Going to some of the festival bottle releases like Huna Day or Dark Lord Day will get you some stock.
4. Order from online liquor stores that might be able to ship to your location or somewhere nearby, there are many CA ones, for example, that have decent beers periodically available.
5. Finally, you can always buy some bottles on the secondary market as "seed" or to skip the trade altogether.

Obviously all these options would be more costly than if you live near a high demand brewery, but you have to play the hand your dealt, right? Good luck, however I can say beer trading is an expensive habit no matter where you live.

 

Look into joining a BIF. Its a great way to meet people (on BA) and potential trade partners. Often you will need some trade history or someone to vouch for you, but there are some that are designed for people new to trading.
At this point nearly all of my trades are back and forth with people who I met in BIF's or BIF fantasy leagues.

 

This was pretty much my first question as well. We don't have a lot of beers in AZ that people in other states have heard of. I've only done one trade to date, but it was basically a "locals for locals". Based on talk I've seen here, there are more people willing to do something like that than you might think.

 

There a plenty of people here that love to do local for local trades. It is a great way to try something that would never be on your radar.
I recently did one that was 5 for 5- 2 IPAs, 2 stouts and 1 wildcard. We were both very happy trying new stuff.

 

I echo the travel and searching for limited releases. The flood gates opened when I started doing that. That's the part that no one wants to do, but also the part that sometimes results in the most lucrative rewards.

 

For the OP, if you're in Tennessee do you have any access to Bearded Iris? I haven't had them yet, but I do have 2 of their IPAs in my fridge right now. I've heard good things about them and see that some people trade for them. It might get you moving (and after these two I might be looking for more).

I know they're not as well known as the trillium / tree house / tired hands / monkish IPAs yet, but it might start getting some trades going. Open you up to some not quite as prominent IPAs, or other local for local trades. If you've got something like that as well you can always try to shoot for some QTY and go over $4$ to get what you are trying for.

I was also going to suggest your regional IP forum, but I just looked in there, wow, that is sad. Not much going on.

 

you'd be surpised what you have on your shelf that others really want. go here
http://seekabrew.com/distro/index.html

see the brewery distros that you get but other states dont, and trade those guys for good stuff in other areas. distribution comparison page breaks down between any 2 states you pick. tennesee to CA i can already see things a CA trader would be interested in:
brooklyn
duck-rabbit
foothills
good people
new holland
schlafly
sweetwater
terrepin (wake and bake plus variations right there is huge)

and htats just a list of breweries ive traded for before. select the state your after and build a box of out-of-distro brews

another thing i used to do before, to avoid the chaos of the trade forums, is pick a beer you really want, look over the list of people who have that beer for trade, than break it down even further with 3 or 4 traders who havw the most wants that you have access too and reach out, most people are pretty friendly here, ive done a lot of trades of people reaching out to me in the past

lastly a BIF is one of the best things to do, because 1, you will get some of the beers you want to try, and 2 someone else will get your best that might be outstanding but have no hype and no one knows about it, trust me thats very very common!

happy trading!

 

As someone who does very few trades. Sometimes its just that people only like to make a trade if its worth it due to costs. Like I have access to Trillium whenever I want. I work a mile from the Fort Point location. But the issue is, if I'm sending out 8 beers of Trillium somewhere, it's costing me $45 but then it's also going to cost me anywhere from $20 - $50 to ship it somewhere. I know there are plenty of people on here that trade a lot but I just like to do it here and there. And when I do make a trade, I like for it to be worth it for me to spend the extra cash for shipping and handling.

Also check out the Reddit beer trade page as well.

 

You could do a locals for locals trade. I just did a trade for Alabama beer, laika and both BA versions, snake handler and BA el gordo, you have good beer down there. You won't be able to trade for whales, unless you get your hands on some very limited beers, but you should be able to get some very good regional beers.