Is it worth it?

I've been considering buying some of the beers I can't find here locally (Hopslam, Two Hearted, Zombie Dust, Pliny, St. Lupulin, etc) online. I know a lot of people here have shipped homebrew with good results. So, my question is, is it worth it? Will I be tasting the beers the same way I would if I traveled for them or will they be a shadow of their former selves? I've seen some on eBay but without knowing if the beer is being stored or shipped properly it feels like more risk than its worth for the money they're asking. Is there a site people use for bottle trades? I appreciate any help in advance.

This is just me, but I have considered ordering Pliny online, but decided that even if it was as fresh as possible, it would still taste wrong because I cheated. It takes all the fun out of the search.

I say, do whatever you can to get a hold of hard to find beer. However, if you do order online, check that they can ship to your state in the first place. It's not legal if you are in Texas.

http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/poe/buying_alcohol_from_out_of_state.asp

If you are OK with paying $20-$30 to ship a case of bottles, then it's worth it.

I would say that it will taste the same as it would if you bought a bottle somewhere else (those bottles got shipped too.) A bottle rarely tastes as good as the beer being on tap, locally though.

Its a crap shoot as to the freshness of what you are buying, especially on ebay. I will however guarantee that purchasing hopslam anytime that is not spring will yield you a beer that is not fresh, and frankly not tasty(even fresh hopslam has disappointed me depending on the year).


If you are ok with the added expense, wait until fall to do this. Shipping wine and beer in the summer is not a recipe for success.

MisterTipsy said:

If you are OK with paying $20-$30 to ship a case of bottles, then it's worth it.

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Xpertskir said:

Its a crap shoot as to the freshness of what you are buying, especially on ebay. I will however guarantee that purchasing hopslam anytime that is not spring will yield you a beer that is not fresh, and frankly not tasty(even fresh hopslam has disappointed me depending on the year).


If you are ok with the added expense, wait until fall to do this. Shipping wine and beer in the summer is not a recipe for success.

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These are the two biggest reasons I'm weary.

Anyone with a full bladder and a bottle capper can send you a bottle of urine. On tap for me - leave the ebay/online shopping to other things. I took a trip to Cali and hit all the must sees - one of my most memorable vacations.

makomachine said:

Anyone with a full bladder and a bottle capper can send you a bottle of urine. On tap for me - leave the ebay/online shopping to other things. I took a trip to Cali and hit all the must sees - one of my most memorable vacations.

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This just made the top of my worry list.

janitorjerm said:

This just made the top of my worry list.

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That's precisely why I would never buy a beer on Ebay. You don't know what you are getting and if you are cheated you have no recourse. I am actually surprised that some "enterprising" homebrewer isn't selling original bottles of Pliny with a homebrewed clone inside and trying to pass it off as the real deal.

Phunhog said:

That's precisely why I would never buy a beer on Ebay. You don't know what you are getting and if you are cheated you have no recourse. I am actually surprised that some "enterprising" homebrewer isn't selling original bottles of Pliny with a homebrewed clone inside and trying to pass it off as the real deal.

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...for,
ONE MILLION DOLLARS...
Muhahahahaha.

Why dont you get someone here on HBT to just do a trade with you. I see posts about it all the time. They send you some beers you can't get and you do the same in return.

The way I look at it is that there are probably hundreds of great beers, available for sale in CA, that I haven't even tried yet. I need to get through those before I worry about trading/buying online.

However, I am blessed by the fact that I travel quite a lot for work, and can get access to a lot of beer I don't get locally due to that.