Who's ready for another buy?! No, seriously, are we ready?
First, hope everyone is safe and sane and has spent the pandemic brewing (and spending quality time with the family). I sincerely hope my fellow brewers have been spared from the worst of this and have not been touched by tragedy. Maybe we're coming out the other side, finally, and can get on with whatever the new normal is.
Secondly, I'm firing up the buy but also gauging if we as a group are ready to go through the long slog again. I still have a lot of grain but others in my HBC have taken this opportunity to brew up a storm and are in need of supplies. If the HBT gang has been brewing a lot then a) hopefully you've been supporting your LHBS and b) are ready for some bulk purchases. If the buy takes a while to close then we may be able to go back to doing splits. Gauging response to this thread and, if positive, I'll start the conversation with 3 Stars and get their updated ground rules.
On a side-note, I did reach out to Jay's for those in NoVA who wanted to explore alternate locations. Had a nice talk with the owner about requirements and logistics but for now we'll stay with 3 Stars. Pricing would not be as competitive as 3 Stars, even with the per-sack surcharge, and if we have a large buy the owner of Jay's is concerned about storage space (he doesn't have a loading dock or warehouse like 3 Stars). Will circle back in the future depending on how this buy goes.
So, nearly the same old rules below but subject to change given the reality we now live in. As always, happy to answer questions for newcomers and regulars alike.
Stay safe, my friends.
Sláinte!
-----------------
*** Please review the information below to save both you and me a lot of headaches. These guidelines are to help maintain my sanity (and marriage) and will hopefully not turn off long-time buyers. Realize these buys are Peter and me donating time and 3 Stars being generous to order and host, please be considerate to all of us. ***
* This group buy is open to HBT members who are local to the DC metro area including MD and Northern VA.
* The buy takes place3-4 1-2 times per year and a new thread is posted each time we start a new round of purchasing. The buy makes use of a website for ordering and you must first obtain a login by PM’ing me your Real Name, Email Address, and Cell Number. I will setup the account and you will then receive a password reset email. Once you set your password you will be able to log in to the site. Your information will be kept strictly private and not shared with anyone inside or outside the buy. By establishing an account you agree to the rules (terms) detailed in this post.
* We allow splitting of sacks but please confirm that a split has closed before paying for it. Not all splits close and those items will not be ordered.
-- We may allow splits, stay tuned --
* PAYMENT is via PayPal only! Pay me at the personal email address I send to you when the buy is over. Do not use the email address you receive password or list messages from! Use the pay friend/family option and DO NOT pay via PayPal check! If you are not familiar with PayPal make sure you acquaint yourself before the end of the buy as it does take some time to setup.
* The pickup location is at 3 Stars brewery in DC and always on a Saturday from 1000-noon. You MUST pick up your grain on that day during that time or have someone do it for you, NO exceptions! If you cannot pick up your grain, you MUST arrange with someone else to do so and let me know who is picking up your grain, NO exceptions!
-- Last buy was curbside and contactless. 3 Stars takes everyone's safety very seriously and all buyers must respect their pickup guidelines --
* If you fail to pick up your grains, or make arrangements for others to pick up your grains, you are solely responsible for your grains at this point! Failure to pickup your grains after one week from the original pickup date will result in you forfeiting YOUR GRAINS AND forfeiting YOUR FULL PAYMENT. I know this was considered in the past but it only takes one bad apple to ruin things for everyone. Repeat offenders to this rule will be BANNED from future group buys.
* The pickup will occur three weeks after the buy closes. The reason for doing this is it gives 3 Stars multiple chances to order and should greatly increase the chance of getting the entire order. In the past we have had issues with some sacks not showing up or the wrong sacks showing up. Be forewarned that this can happen although the three-week ordering window should help minimize this.
* The prices posted on the ordering website are not to be shared outside this group. Do not post prices in the forum.
* This forum is used to communicate the details of the buy and splits that are currently available.
*The brewery has growler hours at 1PM; they cannot sell you a growler before that by law. Don't ask. 3 Stars is offering their lineup curbside and has a tent set up outside. Please patronize them as they help us out a lot!
* Finally, we always need help with the buy. Please collect plastic grocery bags and donate them to the cause each time you participate. We need 3-4 sets of scales and we need about 6-8 people to come early and help split sacks (10AM). We label every sack, so make sure your name is on it before taking something and please always check in and out with me.
-- This may or may not apply, depends on whether we are able to do splits --
First, hope everyone is safe and sane and has spent the pandemic brewing (and spending quality time with the family). I sincerely hope my fellow brewers have been spared from the worst of this and have not been touched by tragedy. Maybe we're coming out the other side, finally, and can get on with whatever the new normal is.
Secondly, I'm firing up the buy but also gauging if we as a group are ready to go through the long slog again. I still have a lot of grain but others in my HBC have taken this opportunity to brew up a storm and are in need of supplies. If the HBT gang has been brewing a lot then a) hopefully you've been supporting your LHBS and b) are ready for some bulk purchases. If the buy takes a while to close then we may be able to go back to doing splits. Gauging response to this thread and, if positive, I'll start the conversation with 3 Stars and get their updated ground rules.
On a side-note, I did reach out to Jay's for those in NoVA who wanted to explore alternate locations. Had a nice talk with the owner about requirements and logistics but for now we'll stay with 3 Stars. Pricing would not be as competitive as 3 Stars, even with the per-sack surcharge, and if we have a large buy the owner of Jay's is concerned about storage space (he doesn't have a loading dock or warehouse like 3 Stars). Will circle back in the future depending on how this buy goes.
So, nearly the same old rules below but subject to change given the reality we now live in. As always, happy to answer questions for newcomers and regulars alike.
Stay safe, my friends.
Sláinte!
-----------------
*** Please review the information below to save both you and me a lot of headaches. These guidelines are to help maintain my sanity (and marriage) and will hopefully not turn off long-time buyers. Realize these buys are Peter and me donating time and 3 Stars being generous to order and host, please be considerate to all of us. ***
* This group buy is open to HBT members who are local to the DC metro area including MD and Northern VA.
* The buy takes place
* We allow splitting of sacks but please confirm that a split has closed before paying for it. Not all splits close and those items will not be ordered.
-- We may allow splits, stay tuned --
* PAYMENT is via PayPal only! Pay me at the personal email address I send to you when the buy is over. Do not use the email address you receive password or list messages from! Use the pay friend/family option and DO NOT pay via PayPal check! If you are not familiar with PayPal make sure you acquaint yourself before the end of the buy as it does take some time to setup.
* The pickup location is at 3 Stars brewery in DC and always on a Saturday from 1000-noon. You MUST pick up your grain on that day during that time or have someone do it for you, NO exceptions! If you cannot pick up your grain, you MUST arrange with someone else to do so and let me know who is picking up your grain, NO exceptions!
-- Last buy was curbside and contactless. 3 Stars takes everyone's safety very seriously and all buyers must respect their pickup guidelines --
* If you fail to pick up your grains, or make arrangements for others to pick up your grains, you are solely responsible for your grains at this point! Failure to pickup your grains after one week from the original pickup date will result in you forfeiting YOUR GRAINS AND forfeiting YOUR FULL PAYMENT. I know this was considered in the past but it only takes one bad apple to ruin things for everyone. Repeat offenders to this rule will be BANNED from future group buys.
* The pickup will occur three weeks after the buy closes. The reason for doing this is it gives 3 Stars multiple chances to order and should greatly increase the chance of getting the entire order. In the past we have had issues with some sacks not showing up or the wrong sacks showing up. Be forewarned that this can happen although the three-week ordering window should help minimize this.
* The prices posted on the ordering website are not to be shared outside this group. Do not post prices in the forum.
* This forum is used to communicate the details of the buy and splits that are currently available.
*
* Finally, we always need help with the buy. Please collect plastic grocery bags and donate them to the cause each time you participate. We need 3-4 sets of scales and we need about 6-8 people to come early and help split sacks (10AM). We label every sack, so make sure your name is on it before taking something and please always check in and out with me.
-- This may or may not apply, depends on whether we are able to do splits --
