Random Beer Thoughts

[Arbitrator]

Gonna drink a Black Xantus tonight.

Arbitrator

Life is worth living, man. Don't do it.

 

[regularjohn]

So what's gonna happen with beer next year? IPA's aged in bath salts?

 

[Sam Fu]

Life is worth living, man. Don't do it.

Nope. Do it.

 

[beerindex]

Gonna drink a Black Xantus tonight.

Arbitrator

Out of a Dave bottle, I hope?

 

[jbeezification1]

Could seriously just edit 2014 out and add 2016 and the lists would be close to the same. Especially top 5 worst posters.

Isn't it about time to give up on your kid's sports future and return to the degeneracy of TalkBeer, MordorMongo?

Or have you moved on to talkhandtops.com ?

I'd like to think I worked my way into that top worst list.

 

[arren]

So what's gonna happen with beer next year? IPA's aged in bath salts?

It's been done.

http://www.stillwater-artisanal.com/moneytrees.html

 

[LukeAleTime]

It's been done.

http://www.stillwater-artisanal.com/moneytrees.html

 

[regularjohn]

It's been done.

http://www.stillwater-artisanal.com/moneytrees.html

 

[JCastle1]

That's ******* ridiculous...


































































Who would pay 30 dollars for a Mikkeller beer?

I did a few times :/ that beer is delicious.

 

[CornAndBeer]

Has anyone made a great beer prominently featuring the hop formerly known as Equinox? It's the new Summit, in my experience.

Toppling Goliath Sol Hunter isn't quite great but it's pretty dang good I think

Lifted from dontdrinkbeer:
"For a relatively svelte little offering , it has this lack of balance to it that makes the 70 ibus feel oppressive in a sticky oily way like clear cutting in the sierras. Smashed pine cones, french pressed christmas decorations, crushing up danky buds on nana’s coffee table bc she doesn’t get home from bridge until 4pm.

This beer is fine, and how many breweries make beer that are like 'yeah, that’s cool, welp time to go work at STAPLES' and you go on with your life. This is one of those sandwich boards on a aserose sidewalk, a forgettable appellation that compels a mild smile."

 

[LukeAleTime]

Working solo all day in a mate's bottle shop. It's warm and sunny outside, the shop is quiet as **** and there is a fridge full of fresh IPA...

This work is fun, but the struggle is real.

Update: locking up at the end of the day, I set off the alarm twice then locked myself IN the shop.

So in 2016 I've gone from being senior management at a multinational company to a very successful career in beer.

 

[Snarf1]

well...the previous few pages have been encouraging for the aspiring commercial brewer/brewpub owner....

If this was talkpizza and you wanted to quit your real job to scrub pie pans, I'd tell you that was a bad idea, too.

Have you ever turned a hobby into a profession before? I have a few times now and I no longer work in those fields or really enyoy any of the three hobbies I used to be extremely passionate about.

Have you spent 8 or 12 hours in a row washing kegs and cleaning tanks? Or had to talk to all the idiots that work at breweries (aka your future coworkers) and think it's cool? Maybe get a few days of that in before you quit your job.

 

[SirDickButts]

the plan is to gain experience thru volunteering first, then jump all in. This is not a leap of blind faith. I know the consequences of leaving my regular job. I've been financially preparing for the day I decide to turn my hobby to a profession. It may be a bad idea or it could be a great idea. I wouldn't know until I try it for myself.

 

[Snarf1]

While I'm ranting, **** any brewery that uses volunteer labor. It's illegal, it's immoral, and it's disrespectful to both the profession and anyone volunteering.

 

[JulianB1]

While I'm ranting, **** any brewery that uses volunteer labor. It's illegal, it's immoral, and it's disrespectful to both the profession and anyone volunteering.

 

[SirDickButts]

While I'm ranting, **** any brewery that uses volunteer labor. It's illegal, it's immoral, and it's disrespectful to both the profession and anyone volunteering.

I mean, you could always present yourself as an part-time, independent contractor.

 

[SirDickButts]

Are you volunteering somewhere? Lol

 

[JulianB1]

Are you volunteering somewhere? Lol

I periodically (like, once every few months or so if they are short-handed) help out on brew days at the brewery my friends own and run, and occasionally behind the bar at the tasting room for tips and free beer. I've also brewed a couple of "collabs" on the SABCO, i.e. small-batch homebrew recipes of mine for tasting room one-offs. This isn't a regular practice for them though, I'm basically the only person it applies to and like it said it's fairly rare.

 

[SirDickButts]

that's cool you're offering a helping hand. whenever my schedule changes (3-11p) I may be able to work part-time in the mornings. We'll see how this plays out. I want the first hand experience of disappointment. LOL

 

[jivex5k1]

I helped out brewing at the Buddha lounge once, it was chill and cool to see the process but not something I'd ever do for free again.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

While I'm ranting, **** any brewery that uses volunteer labor. It's illegal, it's immoral, and it's disrespectful to both the profession and anyone volunteering.

Exceptions to this rule (in my opinion of course) involve the following

Picking fresh hops for use in a wet hopped beer
Helping out during events / festivals (pouring beer if your qualified in your state, emptying trash, cleaning glassware)
Doing a working interview to determine if they are going to hire someone full time

and that is about it. I know of a few places that bring in volunteers to help bottle / label / wax and that's a weird grey area that I'm not totally sure how I feel about for small places (ie smaller than a 15 bbl brewery).

 

[boogercrack]

Easy there guy advocating exploiting "volunteers" to pick crops

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Easy there guy advocating exploiting "volunteers" to pick crops

Fair point is fair, but typically the brewery will have a shitload of bines of fresh hops and picking that **** off the bine is novel and enjoyable for about 15 minutes. Then it's a painful slog that is much more enjoyable with company and free beer.

Personally I hope that next year they simply buy all their wet hops from Hopunion / Yakima Chief and leave the homegrown hops for the homebrewers / decorations.

 

[ant880]

Have you ever turned a hobby into a profession before? I have a few times now...

1. Brewing,
2. Stoat-hair merkin model,

What was the third?

 

[JBP]

Volunteering is one thing, but the best was when a brewery in Maine sold tickets for people to go pick spruce tips for a beer they make. Come "learn how spruce tips are harvested and the beer is made" for only $32 each. Making people pay them to do labor.

 

[JulianB1]

In general I agree with TNGabe that breweries should not be using "volunteers" or "internships" for major operations tasks like brewing, packaging, etc. This is especially true when you are going beyond "friends & family" type volunteering and are just soliciting the public for free helpers.

As Gonzoillini said, events are an obvious exception to this, especially in certain situations. For instance, based on current (and only recent) interpretations of SC law, breweries are not allowed to pour their own beer at festivals. Anyone connected officially to the brewery can hang out, talk about the beer, etc. but it has to be actual non-brewery volunteers (or event company employees, depending on the setup) doing the pouring. North Carolina is actually even worse in this regard.

 

[nathanmiller]

Volunteering is one thing, but the best was when a brewery in Maine sold tickets for people to go pick spruce tips for a beer they make. Come "learn how spruce tips are harvested and the beer is made" for only $32 each. Making people pay them to do labor.

Wineries do this ALL the time, so why shouldn't breweries get in on the fun? I know a lot of folks who pay, annually, to pick grapes. There's a sucker born every minute, or whatever.

 

[Lutter]

Ranger Creek Brewing in San Antonio uses volunteers to bottle beer and there's a freaking waitlist to do so (at least there used to be).

Also their beer is horrible, so there's that. I always imagine the volunteers' dirty grubby hands were infecting their beer.

 

[ccbstl]

I know Perennial takes volunteers to clean peppers during Abraxas season. That doesn't sound like a good time to me.

 

[Snarf1]

Exceptions to this rule (in my opinion of course) involve the following

Picking fresh hops for use in a wet hopped beer
Helping out during events / festivals (pouring beer if your qualified in your state, emptying trash, cleaning glassware)
Doing a working interview to determine if they are going to hire someone full time

and that is about it. I know of a few places that bring in volunteers to help bottle / label / wax and that's a weird grey area that I'm not totally sure how I feel about for small places (ie smaller than a 15 bbl brewery).

Things I hate include wet hop beers, beer festivals, and bottle wax.