Great Idea!

This is a great idea. Even if people didn't feel like getting into too much detail it would be nice to see more talk regarding beer trades.

I was in the Tyranena tasting room last night and questioned the staff about some tap-only offerings and whether they might be bottled in the future so I could include them in future trades. One bartender was intrigued by the whole idea of beer-swapping and questioned me about the logistics involved. She immediately observed “so you guys are like beer pals, then?” With her use of that term I did a double-take but soon the discussion revealed that she was quite perceptive in comparing it to her childhood experiences of being PEN PALS with people across the country and overseas. I grinned and said yes, BEER PALS, that’s EXACTLY what we are. So far, my valued beerpal trading partners are: bluesandbarbq (many times), Brett, zythum, Suds McDuff, and philbertgodphry. I love introducing folks to great Wisconsin beer, especially from New Glarus, but also Tyranena, Sprecher, Lakefront, Lake Louie, Ale Asylum, Furthermore, Capital, Sand Creek, Central Waters, Viking, etc. -------------------------------- Pen pal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pen pals (or penpals or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to reduce loneliness. As with any friendships in life, some people remain penpals for only a short time, while others continue to exchange letters and presents life-long. Some penpals eventually arrange to meet face to face. Penpals come in all ages, nationalities and cultures. Pals may seek new penfriends based on their own age group, a specific occupation, hobby, or select someone totally different from them to gain knowledge about the world around them.

quote: Originally posted by pfoxyjohn I was in the Tyranena tasting room last night and questioned the staff about some tap-only offerings and whether they might be bottled in the future so I could include them in future trades. One bartender was intrigued by the whole idea of beer-swapping and questioned me about the logistics involved. She immediately observed “so you guys are like beer pals, then?” With her use of that term I did a double-take but soon the discussion indicated that she was comparing it to her childhood experiences of being PEN PALS with people across the country and oversees. I grinned and said yes, BEER PALS, that’s EXACTLY what we are. So far, my valued beerpal trading partners are: bluesandbarbq (many times), Brett, zythum, Suds McDuff, and philbertgodphry. -------------------------------- Pen pal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pen pals (or penpals or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to reduce loneliness. As with any friendships in life, some people remain penpals for only a short time, while others continue to exchange letters and presents life-long. Some penpals eventually arrange to meet face to face. Penpals come in all ages, nationalities and cultures. Pals may seek new penfriends based on their own age group, a specific occupation, hobby, or select someone totally different from them to gain knowledge about the world around them.

MCrapps just sent me a couple each of Highland Mocha Stout and Highland Kashmir IPA. I am working on a shipment to her which will include: 1 Yazoo Dos Perros 1 Yazoo Pale Ale 1 Smoky Mountain Brewery Cherokee Red 1 Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock Rita is into hefes and I may substitute a good hefe for one of the Yazoo beers. Phishpond sent me a Wisconsin/Midwest mixer: 1 New Glarus Coffee Stout 1 Lake Louie Kiss The Lips IPA 1 Viking Whole Stein 1 Ale Asylum Madtown Nut Brown 1 Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter 1 Bells Winter White and the clincher 1 22oz Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA Thank you Travis! I hope you enjoy your Southern brews.

My wife asks how much I spend just on shipping said beers. I smiled. Of course she ships some of it for me from her office.

I've traded with pfoxyjohn, changeup45, beerhunter, chef chad. I've sent selections from North Coast, Anderson Valley, Russian River, Firestone Walker, Maui Brewing, Kona Brewing, Grand Teton, Alaskan. a wide selection of barleywines. whatever they want that I can get my hands on. I've gotten back a great selection of beer from New Glarus, Central Waters, Bells, Great Divide, Jolly Pumpkin, Avery, New Holland, Magic Hat, Summit...theres more, I cant even remember them all. I recommend all these guys. I'd trade with any of them again. Thanks to all of you for the trades!! I hope you're as happy as I am.

I did end up giving this another try, and it was vastly improved over the first bottle. I upped my score a while back from a 3.7 to a 4.0 (new bottle from the stateside gift packs by itself was a 4.2+). Looking at the ratings on this, there are 102 reviews... 24.5% of them are perfect 5's 7.8% of them are under a 4 I'm sure the legend contributes, but man, that's a lot of perfect scored. Gotta respect. I've narrowly avoided giving a perfect 5 in any review. One or two beers have an instance of perfection, but then are not consistent enough to keep it (I'm thinking of the best batch or two of Speedway I ever had - but it's usually not at that level, and the one time I had Beer Geek Brunch Weasel on tap).