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Me too, but not on everything (for example, the definition of session beer and what makes for a sensible way of showcase the delivery method that is cask).
Oddly similar, I am a one-trick pony also. I ride those lebowski quotes hard and often. It is upon them that I will ride gloriously into the sunset one day.
 
How would you respond to the following sentence?

'Whale hunting (and the associated activity), is the antithesis of the relaxed, non-event based beer culture that is actually, truly at the heart of a sustainable beer culture'.

Okay, I'll bite.

This is like saying that the "SuperBowl (and the associated activity), is the antithesis of the relaxed, non-event based football culture that is actually, truly at the heart of a sustainable football culture."

Please let me know why your statement is any less ridiculous than my statement. Feel free to sub "Champions League" for "SuperBowl" if you prefer to use the more widely accepted definition of Football.
 
Haha god damn iPhone always undermining my high handed references.

Other times I type "mite" like a 14 year old Filipino and iPhone is like "oh mite I got this, autocorrect, MITOCHONDRIA."

I mitochondria need to get a new phone

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell(phone)
 
#whalezbro

I totally missed this thread...

What proves to be the hardest beer for you to hunt down? The correct answer for this is "The next beer." Seems like something is always popping up and there's some stuff I've had over my time that I had no clue even existed.

What was the best tasting rare beer? Don Quijote is probably my favorite beer of all-time, so I'll go with that.

What was the most surprising rare beer (good or bad)? The first time I had Midnight Sun M, I was blown away. Some of the older bottles from the 80's & 90's just aren't all that good and not "worth it" for me.

What's your favorite daily drinker? Whatever is on in the kegerator.

If you could fill your cellar with one beer, what would it be? Probably Don Quijote.

This probably sounds sappy, but the best part of hunting/trying super-rare beer is the friends you make along the way. The guys I met in 2008/2009 through beer here in Chicago I consider some of my closest friends. They came to my wedding, our wives chat all the time, we do dinner a lot, chat daily and not 24/7 about beer. That's definitely the best part.
 
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ding is a perfect example of why i avoid the other site like the plague, you sir are one toxic individual so please go fap to your session ales else where

but i'm sure someone out there cares deeply about your opinions towards the american craft beer scene

Dumb-Dumber-s-Harry-Lloyd-Laughing-At-A-Burger-Joint.gif


 
I personally find hilarious anyone who adheres to "traditional" English styles that developed during the World Wars in response to shortages and poverty, rather than the real English heritage of high ABV, heavy hops, barrel-aging, and brettanomyces.

In case you weren't aware, beer was perfected at 3.2 ABV in 1943 during the blitz. Everyone else is doing it wrong.
 
Ding again? Man that guy is like a ******* tornado of self-absorbed destruction. Is he trolling for blog hits, or what?

http://www.oldrow.net/attachments/this-*******-guy-gif.881/
 
  1. Are you married / in a LTR?
  2. If so, how has your hobby affected your relationship? Do you have a specified budget? Does your SO also have a similar hobby / discretionary budget?
  3. Are all your vacations beercations? Do you and your SO alternate picking vacation destinations or something along those lines?
 
  1. Are you married / in a LTR? I was but no longer and no not because of beer lol
  2. If so, how has your hobby affected your relationship? Do you have a specified budget? Does your SO also have a similar hobby / discretionary budget? She enjoyed the beers but not the packing supplies. No budget
  3. Are all your vacations beercations? Do you and your SO alternate picking vacation destinations or something along those lines? I became a big fan of beer after traveling to Belgium. I love traveling so it def sucks traveling to places with no craft beers whatsoever.
 
I'm answering this one because I think this is a generally interesting question that shouldn't be limited to whale hunters.

1. Are you married / in a LTR?

Engaged.

2. If so, how has your hobby affected your relationship? Do you have a specified budget? Does your SO also have a similar hobby / discretionary budget?

We enjoy beer together. I had started getting into beer (basically by buying random Stone/DFH stuff instead of SA/Newcastle at BevMo) around the time we started dating, and so we started going to beer festivals and things together. We started trading at the same time (when we lived apart) and have basically been into beer at similar levels for our entire relationship.

We didn't used to have a budget, but we do now, though it's a very soft cap, more of a "try to only spend this much" sort of thing. I honestly think that this is the way to do it when you're not actually constrained by money, just keep in mind that it'll fluctuate month-to-month and try to seriously prioritize your spending.

Thinking about it this way is why I'm doing a lot less trading, a lot less buying of random releases, but the same amount of ordering from Belgium. A local keg costs $1.25 a pint and I enjoy it just as much as pretty much whatever I'd pay $5 for off the shelf, but good gueuze is irreplaceable. Similarly, a $6 bottle of BCBS is just as good as whatever-the-**** BA stout would cost me $50 to trade for, so why do it?

3. Are all your vacations beercations? Do you and your SO alternate picking vacation destinations or something along those lines?

Kinda. Our last two big vacations both hit Belgium prominently, but since we both love the area it's not a big issue. We'll be going back (briefly) for our honeymoon too. But small trips don't necessarily need to be about beer, though we'll usually try to do some fun beer stuff while we're there.
 
I'm answering this one because I think this is a generally interesting question that shouldn't be limited to whale hunters.



Engaged.



We enjoy beer together. I had started getting into beer (basically by buying random Stone/DFH stuff instead of SA/Newcastle at BevMo) around the time we started dating, and so we started going to beer festivals and things together. We started trading at the same time (when we lived apart) and have basically been into beer at similar levels for our entire relationship.

We didn't used to have a budget, but we do now, though it's a very soft cap, more of a "try to only spend this much" sort of thing. I honestly think that this is the way to do it when you're not actually constrained by money, just keep in mind that it'll fluctuate month-to-month and try to seriously prioritize your spending.

Thinking about it this way is why I'm doing a lot less trading, a lot less buying of random releases, but the same amount of ordering from Belgium. A local keg costs $1.25 a pint and I enjoy it just as much as pretty much whatever I'd pay $5 for off the shelf, but good gueuze is irreplaceable. Similarly, a $6 bottle of BCBS is just as good as whatever-the-**** BA stout would cost me $50 to trade for, so why do it?



Kinda. Our last two big vacations both hit Belgium prominently, but since we both love the area it's not a big issue. We'll be going back (briefly) for our honeymoon too. But small trips don't necessarily need to be about beer, though we'll usually try to do some fun beer stuff while we're there.
I agree this is an interesting set of questions. But it maybe belongs in Off-topic adjacent to the "How did you meet your SO/hand?" thread if answered by non-whale hunters.

Or maybe I'm just butt hurt you didn't drink with me when I was in CA :(





;)
 
I agree this is an interesting set of questions. But it maybe belongs in Off-topic adjacent to the "How did you meet your SO/hand?" thread if answered by non-whale hunters.
Reasonable idea! Also I think we need a criteria for answering here, some % of the whale list?
Or maybe I'm just butt hurt you didn't drink with me when I was in CA :(





;)
Haha I don't remember why that didn't work out.
 
Reasonable idea! Also I think we need a criteria for answering here, some % of the whale list?

Haha I don't remember why that didn't work out.
You were out of town. Next time I'm in CA for two weeks I'll try to set up another tasting thing.

Anyways, Waehl hunters, what makes something a whale? There are beers coming out now with 400 bottles or less but a lot aren't whales.

And what are thoughts on insta-whales? Are they actual whales? Does it depend on quality or something else?
 
You were out of town. Next time I'm in CA for two weeks I'll try to set up another tasting thing.

Anyways, Waehl hunters, what makes something a whale? There are beers coming out now with 400 bottles or less but a lot aren't whales.

And what are thoughts on insta-whales? Are they actual whales? Does it depend on quality or something else?
I think that the only way for a beer produced in the past few years to achieve real whale status is for it to come from 3F/Cantillon AND be limited to a single point of overseas distribution. Think of JCN or Heerengueuze. The only exception to this that I can think of is CCK, and that was before it was sold to-go by Toronado, my guess is that now it would be significantly lower. Some other things make the lower-down areas of a whale list, but they'll never breach the top, and the bigger whale hunters would have no issues landing stuff like Mimosa or Ann.

Instawhales aren't whales, that's more of a tongue-in-cheek description of how every release becomes the next big thing, only to invariably be eclipsed in two weeks by the next next big thing.
 
I think that the only way for a beer produced in the past few years to achieve real whale status is for it to come from 3F/Cantillon AND be limited to a single point of overseas distribution. Think of JCN or Heerengueuze. The only exception to this that I can think of is CCK, and that was before it was sold to-go by Toronado, my guess is that now it would be significantly lower. Some other things make the lower-down areas of a whale list, but they'll never breach the top, and the bigger whale hunters would have no issues landing stuff like Mimosa or Ann.

Instawhales aren't whales, that's more of a tongue-in-cheek description of how every release becomes the next big thing, only to invariably be eclipsed in two weeks by the next next big thing.
Interesting. I jokingly called a one-time brewed beer an insta-whale in a DDT and people seemed not to like that.

TBH, I know very little about HF and 3F beers, or the rare beer game in general. My name might belie that.
 
Interesting. I jokingly called a one-time brewed beer an insta-whale in a DDT and people seemed not to like that.

TBH, I know very little about HF and 3F beers, or the rare beer game in general. My name might belie that.
What beer? Odds are decent that some people were just butthurt.
 
What beer? Odds are decent that some people were just butthurt.
It doesn't really matter, my joke fell flatter than a lambic in a barrel for way too long.
But for reference, Hops & Grain Greenhouse IPA Jan 2014. One-off, 2400 cans. Austin only.
Or maybe it was just because it's a smaller brewery, or it was only an IPA.
 
  1. Are you married / in a LTR?
  2. If so, how has your hobby affected your relationship? Do you have a specified budget? Does your SO also have a similar hobby / discretionary budget?
  3. Are all your vacations beercations? Do you and your SO alternate picking vacation destinations or something along those lines?

1. Married.

2. I was into craft beer back when we met in 2008 so it's just gradually progressed since then. She knows I'm insane/OCD/etc. about craft beer but knew that when we met. No budget, I handle all the finances our the both of us and being a small business owner has allowed me to spend freely. Her "similar hobby" would be shopping. :D

3. We usually do something beer-related in just about every trip unless there's nothing in the area.
 
I agree that are are many different facets to the 'culture', but the question is, what is sustainable (and 'good') in the long run?
I couldn't care less what is "sustainable" or "good." I just like beer (including rare beer) and hanging out with people who also like beer. It's not more complicated than that.
 
Because I said please?

It's an interesting statement.

My gf calls me crazy about beer sometimes, I want to compare notes.

I'm more saying that she knew I was into beer when we met. So, when I talk about beer, go to tastings, do IP trades, etc. she already knew that about me so it's been easy and she's cool with it. If we would have met and then a year later I'm all crazy about beer, I'm not sure how that would have gone. Glad she likes craft beer as well...really helps.
 
I guess I'll also answer my own questions, despite not considering myself a 'whale hunter' (although my wife might argue the point!)

  1. Are you married / in a LTR?
Married, with beer-geekdom existing before we met, although it has increased over that time.

  1. If so, how has your hobby affected your relationship? Do you have a specified budget? Does your SO also have a similar hobby / discretionary budget?
Definitely a little complicated. My wife likes beer too, and is strongly attached to some breweries (It's in our wedding vows that she will stand in line with me for the HOTD anniversary sale, but I'm not allowed to trade away any of her case of Doggie Claws!), but she's definitely not as hard core as I am, and it can be a little bit of a stress-point when there's multiple beer things a week that I want to go to (which happens frequently in Portland).

We are fortunate that money is not a big issue for us, so as long as the bills get paid, she's pretty okay with how the rest of my paycheck gets spent, and she pays for her hobbies out of her paycheck. Time is probably more of an issue for us than money.

  1. Are all your vacations beercations? Do you and your SO alternate picking vacation destinations or something along those lines?

Definitely not, although we might go back to Belgium under the condition that we return to the Recour Pegasus in Poperinge. Generally, we do a lot more wine tourism than beer tourism, but for the most part our big vacations aren't driven by either.
 
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