Not always.

While those who favor craft beer often deride the big brewers for skimping on grain and using fillers such as rice and corn to achieve alcohol and thinner bodies, fillers can be used to ad wonderful characteristic to beer.  Belgian candy sugar, for example, can be used to up the ABV of a beer while keeping the body thin (sugar from malt thicken the body of the beer) and adding some delicious caramel flavors.  The result is a very smooth beer that goes down easily.

As a home brewer who has a affinity these styles of beer, I frequently find myself loading up on Belgian candy sugar at my local brew shop.  Two things irk me as I throw the one pound packages in my cart.  First, is the price.  One half pound costs $4.99.  Second, I realize that someone else made the candy sugar.  one of the many enjoyable aspect of home brewing is the sense of ownership you feel as you sip on one of your creations.  Each step of the process that I can take away from a manufacturer, the better I feel about my brew.

Recently I designed an imperial recipe that called for $50 worth of grain.  Ouch!  In addition, it called for 3 pounds of Belgian candy sugar.  With my wallet wincing, I decided that the additional $15 from the Belgian candy sugar was just too much.  So I decided to make my own.

Believe it or not, Belgian candy sugar is easy to make, and cost a fraction of the cost of the finished store product.  In fact, I made 4lbs of the sweet stuff for only three bucks!  Here is the simple procedure:

First I made a thick syrup using 4lbs of  sugar and hot water.  I didn’t measure my water, just added until I could see that the sugar was dissolved.  I wanted a darker finished product, and thus needed a longer boil, so it was on the thinner side.  I added a little bit of citric acid too, which makes the candy more fermentable.  Then I brought the temp up to about 250 degrees. I kept it at this temperature for about an hour by adding water when the temp seemed to be spiking (which happened frequently as the water in the solution evaporated).  When the solution got dark brown/red, I let the temperature rise to about 275 degrees, pulled it of the burner, poured it onto some wax paper, and stuck it in the freezer.

I was very pleased with the results.  It tasted great, with orange and caramel notes, and looked beautiful!  The true test of quality was the presentation to the candy expert, my six year old son.  As he snuck a few pieces when I “wasn’t looking” I knew I had passed.  The only thing I will do differently in the future is avoid using wax paper.  Where the paper was creased the candy enveloped it and I had to run the candy under hot water to remove it.  A greased or Teflon pan may be a better choice.

Dissolving my creation in a pot of bubbling wort (soon to be beer!) was a joy…and so was saving $13!  I would heartily recommend to the advanced home brewing sacrificing a couple of hours to put on his/her chef hat and undertake this culinary adventure…your home brew will thank you for it!

Spread the Word:

This is part one of a two part series, and unlike the soon to be posted part two, this is going to be short and simple, and entirely unscientific.  Part two will deal with the categories that beer reviews typically cover, and thus will be more methodical.  Until then, the thesis of this article can be summed up in one statement:

Do Not Be A Lemming

Lemmings are the arctic rodent fabled to commit mass suicide by jumping off of sea cliffs.  The metaphor, of course is that of “don’t follow the herd.”

Following the herd is inescapable in many senses and necessary in some cases.  For example, if it came out that a brewer used urine as an ingredient in their beer, I do believe it would be wise for the common consumer to follow the herd and abstain from drinking such a foul brew.

In the case of the craft beer industry, being a lemming can only be insulting to the brewer.  Consider Joe “The Neophyte” Beer Geek.  Joe has recently discovered craft beer.  He purchases a bottle of Imperial Stout by Fake Brewery.  Joe wants to write a review on his blog after drinking.  Joe doesn’t want to appear stupid, so he goes to a beer rating website to see what the community thought.  The community said the beer was an A+ and was very, very hoppy.  Joe drinks the beer and writes and A+ hoppy review.  The beer was an Imperial stout.  Joe had accidentally read the review for Fake Brewery’s Imperial IPA.  Not only does Joe REALLY look stupid, he tainted his own perception of the beer, and did the brewery a disservice by tasting mass opinion rather than just sitting down and enjoying the beer, a brewer’s primary objection, I reckon.

So next time you review a beer, I would suggest, and some may reasonably disagree, not to read any reviews before hand.  Some beers, Westvleteran for example, are so renowned as being “the best in class,” avoiding prior reviews will be futile.  In such cases, be yourself!  If you liked the beer, say you liked it.  If the beer made you cringe, write that it made you cringe…just don’t be a Lemming!

After I write a review, I typically check out the community reviews and it never fails, that while there may be slight variation in rating, it seems that everyone tastes the same fruits and same spices.  I have to wonder if each review ends up just being a variation of the one prior.  If you taste gin (see this review) in your beer and know one else did doesn’t mean there was not a gin quality.  If you taste green olives (see this review) in your beer, write that down, even if sounds absurd.

Subjectivity is the only way to wholly embrace not only the enjoyment of beer, but the reviewing process.  Just be yourself.

Spread the Word:

Having learned of this book through a notable beer blogger, Simply Beer, I knew I had to have it.  Having casually mentioned to my wife that it was on my radar, she somehow remembered this book with a brutally long title and made my day this past Monday.  Aren’t I a lucky guy?

The Essential Reference of Domestic Brewers and Their Bottled Brands is the brain child of Micheal S. Kuderka, whose purpose in creating this reference book was “to be the industry recognized resource for information on all domestic beer and brands…”  And let me tell you, he is is doing a great job.

This book is exceedingly exhaustive, easy to navigate, full of helpful charts and figure, and just what it aims to be:  a great resource.  The book walks the beer business man and the simple beer geek, like myself, through the domestic beer world starting with and alphabetical listing of breweries, followed by pages of color and bitterness charts, beer style index, state availability, geographic brewery index, commentary, supply charts, and full brewery portfolios.  I do feel that in further editions, the book will add to the content, but already it is brimming with necessary information.

There are a few things immediately found appealing:

-Layout:  The book is easy to navigate, unlike some beer resource websites
-Overall look:  Not cheesy.  Dignified and classy, like beer itself
-Internet Companion:  With purchase comes access to the online companion, updated monthly.
-Accuracy:  Do you know how many errors I have found on a couple of online beer resources?

Perhaps the biggest selling point of this book is the fact that it is a book.  As a society, we have been dumbed down to the point of dependence on technology.  We used to memorize important phone numbers, now we rely on the address book in our phone.  We used to go to the library for research, now we rely on google, which is quite often incorrect.  In order to pass publishing, a book must withstand scrutiny that Wikipedia does not.  And besides, the experience of flipping the paper page far surpases clicking the “next” button at the bottom of the webpage.

I do not see how the more developed conniseur of beer can escape purchasing this book, and I encourage any read to purcahse the book, which can be found at the company’s website. The company’s mission is not dissimilar from many of ours, “To help more people discover great beer!”  Either way, I do think in the near future, this resource will enhance my beer reviews.

Spread the Word:

I rarely–let me rephrase–I’ve never written on religious topics on the site.  Nate has posted a couple of things, but we don’t want to make this a Christian beer website.  Nate and I both happen to be Christians, but our website loyalties are strictly beer.  Of course, we were being quite literal when we called the site thankheavenforbeer.  Be that as it may, I would like to write an article about whether or not it is actually sinful to drink beer.  I realize this is a niche article and not everybody will appreciate, like, or even understand what all the fuss is about.  Fortunately, there is a plenty of other unaffected, at least as far as “religion” is concerned, stuff on the site.  Feel free to read on or go to another article.

Why am I even bothering to write this?  Well, the answer is simple.  I’ve seen multiple times that people have searched the exact terminology “Is drinking beer sinful?” or “Is drinking sinful?” and I want to be a vanguard against neo-prohibitionist logic.  In some sense, I know very well that tortured soul who is asking this question, and I feel an obligation to answer him or her. I’ve asked this question and have found a reasonable answer, so I feel that I need to share it with anyone who is asking.

Tell me this: why do we blog?  Is it to hear ourselves talk or are we all doing this very thing?  Aren’t we assuming that people are seeking advice, instructions, answers, filling curiosities, seeking a community, wanting helpful replies and a myriad of other things when they get on the internet?  It’s not inconsequential that the names of google and the like are called “search engines.”  Isn’t that what a lot of being on the internet is about?  So, in quite another sense, I am not simply aware of the tortured soul…I’m hoping to instruct it.

Our concerns in life run the gambit of the deadly serious to the inane.  However, this question is somewhat serious to me.  You may have to excuse me, this one time, when I don’t have the same sort of levity that I normally do.  Also, as Polonius says in Hamlet, “Since brevity is the soul of wit, brief let me be.”  Actually, I plain to expatiate on this one (normally, I try to keep articles under 500-600 words).

To answer the question in brief, drinking (in and of itself) is not sinful.  I doubt many people will take issue with me when I say that drinking alcohol to excess is at least unwise (I’m avoiding the terminology of sinful here intentionally).  That is to say, our bodies tell us that it was unwise when we have headaches and hangovers. I would even go so far as to say that drinking and driving with the consequence that we injure or kill someone is, whatever terminology you want to substitute here, sinful.  Courts and legislature deem it to be criminal, and therefore, impose penalties on such individuals.  Call it mere convention, but the very name penitentiary implies that we are performing penance for acts that are deemed “sinful,” which is to say perpetrators are wrong and improper in an act toward someone or something.

Be that as it may, let’s assume that the real question is actually, and I believe this is the marrow of the question, “Is drinking any alcoholic beverage fundamentally a sinful act?”  Put another way, “Is alcohol inherently sinful?”  This, I believe, is really the core question.  Why would someone ask this question?  Most of the time, I think some well-meaning individuals say that it is sinful.  Fortunately, their listeners have the faculty to question this assessment, hence they search for the answer to whether or not it is. The well-meaning individual quotes a few bible verses, some statistics, their pastors, some other “authority,” some reason why it was a necessity then and not now, and call it a day.  Simply stated, they build a cumulative case on slight grounds and find more evidence to amass in order to take others captive to their convictions about alcohol.  As Paul says in Galatians, they came to spy on our freedom in Christ.

Okay, let’s take a couple bible verses first.  ”Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler.”  This Proverb is an oft quoted verse used to bolster the case against alcohol.  ”See, the bible is against drinking.”  Let’s read the rest of the verse, which says, “And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.”  Notice that drinking too much is the imperative section of the verse.  Moreover, too much drinking is relegated to a lack of wisdom, not sin.  Whatever else one may say, the beginning of Proverbs states its primary concern is not with sin but with wisdom.  One need only read the first few verses in order to ascertain this fact.  More specifically, the concern of Proverbs has to do with the context of wise court behavior (as in royal court).  More often than not, the point being made is for what might be called Aristotle’s “Golden Mean.”  That is to say that excess, greed (appetite or otherwise), and impulsive action is unwise.

In fact, ostensibly the same writer of Proverbs says in the Song of Songs 1:2 that “love is better than wine.” Of course, love is the primary concern, but the foundational assertion is based on the presumption wine is in of itself good to the point that it takes on a superlative quality.  The same author who “prohibited” its use in Proverbs extols its virtue in Song of Songs?  Is the bible wrong on this or has there been a misunderstanding?  I doubt that the person who says alcohol is wrong would say that bible must be wrong on this account.

What about not drinking as a cultural expedient?  ”Too much violence and loose living is associated with drinking,” some might say.  It’s true enough that some people can’t handle drinking.  It’s true enough that people wreck cars.  Some people have, let’s say, lowered inhibitions.  Many regretful mornings have happened when someone wakes up next to a stranger.  There are various grounds for not drinking too much.

Still, I can’t help but point out that we are not talking about the same thing.  The frequent, singular appeal often made by teetotalers has connections by one of two means.  One, they point to excess. I feel that I’ve dealt with the first of the two pretty thoroughly.  Two, they point to guilt by association.  Do I mean like Jesus associating himself with “tax collectors and sinner”?  I suppose I do.  The problem with the second is that surface judgments are rarely accurate.  (Also, the same person who would get on someone’s case about guilt by association might tell you something like, “God looks at the heart.”  Apparently it’s not all cases and all times.)

Here is my solution.  Fatty food is associated with obesity and heart disease. Heart issues are the number one killer in America.  My idea is to abstain from fatty food totally.  One step further, no food anymore; look at what it’s doing to some people.  Frequency doesn’t matter, portion doesn’t matter, and the health of the person eating doesn’t matter.  I’m just going to assume that everyone eats fatty foods excessively, will become fat, and will someday have a heart attack.  Furthermore, anybody I see at McDonald’s (or anybody who knows someone who eats there) has an obvious obesity and eating problem. How could it be otherwise?

I’m simply pointing out that it’s amazing what we choose to find “sinful.”  Actually, alcohol has some very well known health benefits, and maybe we could consider those as well.  Many of we Christians could rail against our own excesses of eating, etc., before castigating someone who sips a beer.

“They needed it back then but we don’t now.”  I’ve heard this one before.  Essentially, the argument runs along the lines of wine was safer than water.  It draws any enjoyment out of the drinking and relegates it to simply a matter of necessity.  Interestingly though, there will be wine in heaven.  Jesus said so explicitly.  I guess heaven’s water system is not quite as good as the one we’ve got here.  Seriously though, we will presumably not need to eat or drink in heaven to stay alive.  Yet, in scripture’s depiction of heaven, we will be doing both.  Why?  I think this is the bible’s way of pointing out that some things were made for our enjoyment and satisfaction.  The sheer joy of a good meal or good glass of wine seems to be of paramount importance to heaven.  That it to say, that God wants us to enjoy what he has (at least in the bible’s view) given us by inspiring the creation of culinary and viniary (I made this word up) delight.  More than this, it is interesting that people will make the argument about how beer was needed for safer living and then ignore the science that underscores the positive health effects of beer/wine.

I subscribe to (again, I think I coined this term) a theology of abundance.  I’ve stated before that beer was probably discovered by accident.  One major reason for this was excess grain.  Here is a link to my theoretical reconstruction.  The people were blessed with more than they could eat, so extra grain was used for different purposes.  Beer and or wine was discovered incidentally and without knowledge of the positive health effects.  The process for beer and wine (especially wine) was cultivated once its pleasing taste, effects, and qualities were accidentally discovered…perhaps divinely revealed is better terminology.

“The wine was weak, weaker, or not wine at all.”  Have you heard this one?  It’s amazing how many characters in scripture get drunk on something that doesn’t exist or is substantially weaker.  Granted, they were unwise to drink excessively and do what they did.  But their stories, like Proverbs, serve as a warning and not a prohibition. Admittedly, there were better and worse wines (like today), maybe even some weaker wines, but wine is weak because it is short on the grapes or it is watered down.  It’s not that strong wine couldn’t be made.  In fact, Jesus himself made the best (superlative) wine at the wedding feast in Galilee even after the guests had too much to drink.  Did Jesus sin by making and distributing wine to intoxicated people?  I suppose some people might stake their entire Christology on whether or not Jesus made, drank, and enjoyed real actual wine.  Absurd.  Perhaps our morality is not quite what the scriptures are on this one.  I also want to add that any discussion on the Greek word oinos meaning anything other than truly fermented drink is absurd.  Only ignorance drives this assumption.  Furthermore, Jesus stated the danger of putting new wine into old wineskin, presumably because of the expansion during fermentation.  The pressure of this weak, non-alcoholic, watered-down wine was such that it could bust animals skins, which are very tough, by the way.

Much more could be said about church history and the fact that the majority of it (even the pious!) has concluded that drinking is okay.  In fact, it took the American Puritan ethic to deny and destroy the beauty of church history on this issue (one of the unfortunate consequences of the degradation of concern for church history bequeathed by Luther; I’m Protestant, so don’t get me wrong when I say that and the point is not about the factious church anyway).

BUT DON’T DRINK IF YOU ARE AN ALCOHOLIC!!!!

In conclusion, I could have turned this into a 200 page book, so I’m not being real systematic about method, taking every verse into account, etc.  What I am doing is offering some thoughts on why I think people who believe that drinking is sinful are fundamentally misled in this misgivings.  I understand if your aunt Flo was an alcoholic and died of liver disease.  My own aunt died a few months ago due to severe alcoholism.  But I want to say to all of you who are searching the terms mentioned at the beginning of the post, you were right to ask the question.

Let me ask a question, too.  Is sin often excess and corruption of that which was made to be enjoyed?  Isn’t one major understanding of sin is a perversion of something God made to be good?  I would argue yes on both accounts.  All the more, I can say to you that sinful drinking is excessive drinking, if you want the biblical perspective.  I’m not a Buddhist, Muslim, or any other religion, so I won’t presume to answer the question from their doctrinal perspective.  I can certainly answer it from the perspective of a Christian, beer lover, and beer writer.  In my mind the unequivocal answer to your question is a resounding, “No!”

Spread the Word:

1. Ichnusa (Sardinian Lager)
2. Spaten Lager (German)
3. Duvel (Belgian Golden)
4. Ayinger Brau-Weisse (German Wheat)
5. Jever (German Pilsner)
6. Samuel Smith’s Pale Ale (English)
7. Chapeau Framboise (Belgian Lambic)
8. Victenaar Flemish Sour (Belgian-Flanders)
9. Saison (Belgian)
10. Rochefort 8 (Belgian Trappist)
11. Crooked Tree IPA (U.S.)
12. Victory Hop Devil (U.S.)
13. Chouffe Belgian Trippel IPA (Belgian)
14. Tilburg Dutch Ale (Holland)
15. Double Bock (homebrew)
16. Belhaven Wee Heavy (Scottish)
17. Brasserie Ciel Du Scotch Ale w/maple syrup (Quebec, Canada)
18. Minschof Schwarz (German Black Lager)
19. Sineboychoff Porter (Denmark)
20. BBC Dark Star Porter (U.S.)
21. Meantime London Porter (England)
22. Old Fog Horn Barley-wine Anchor (U.S.)
23. Rigdeway Insanely Bad Elf (England)
24. Schlenterla Marzen (German Smoked Lager)
25. Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout (U.S.)
26. Flaky Boy Oatmeal Stout (homebrew)
27. Milk me for all I’m worth Stout (homebrew)
28. Old Rasputin (Russian Imperial Stout, U.S.)
29. Dark Lord (Russian Imperial Stout, U.S.)

The beer list is in the order of drinking.  In retrospect, I might have switched the order on a couple, but the basic structure was pretty good.  We drank from lighter to darker, or weaker to stronger.  I intentionally had beers purchased with a wide variety and number in mind, which is represented by the wide spectrum.  Were all of the beers a hit?  No one spit anything out, but it is likely that some of the tasters need a while before they will try some of the beers again.  However, the social side of the party was terrific and the beer a really big hit.

I truly love when people are willing and excited to try new stuff, especially when that stuff is beer.  The beer may have been about $140.00 (which is actually getting out of the thing cheaply) but the pricelessness of introducing people the the breadth and depth of beer is worth every penny.  Among the most common statements made at the party was the surprise people expressed at the complexities of beer.  I even converted some people who hold wine tastings to the idea that beer was at least as complex as their beloved drink (that was a victory for wine’s ugly cousin).

If you really love beer, you ought to consider holding a tasting.  You might be shocked at the amount of joy you get out of spending money on beer and giving the lion’s share away.  If you swing it right, you can get people to chip in on the deal.  My hope was that people were there to chime in and give some notes, opinions, or highlights of the night, which is why I’m not including tasting notes.  I’m also hoping to do another tasting (and spending some money on beer) as soon as possible.  I dare say that beer tastes best when had with the rest.

Here is how to organize the tasting:

The first thing that must be done is to have a guest list.  Who wants to come?  Who would appreciate the beers?  Whose mind do you want to expand?  Answer the above questions, get a date in mind, and invite the most people you can (assuming they don’t have a scheduling conflict).  Part of this whole affair is being or finding a host for the tasting.

Now that you have a people guest list, you need a beer guest list.  The second thing to do is consider what beers you will feature.  I go with a wide variety of styles to increase their exposure to people.  If you don’t know your styles, here is a link to our series on different styles of beer.  What you spend depends on your invitees.  Don’t go bananas (thanks for the spelling help Gwen Stephani) on spending, but don’t be a cheapskate, either.  If you want people to have a pleasant experience, you’ll have to shell out some bones.  I was lucky enough to have friends who were willing to contribute to the cause, so it was a much better price.  We did 29 beers, but you don’t have to do that many.

The third thing you’ll have to do is set up some pairings (if you want to match beer and food) and palate cleansers (wafers or crackers work well).  Have some food and water for people to drink.  We happened to have some steak, chicken, brats, fruits, chocolate covered coffee beans, and deer summer sausage.  Again, this was based on the generosity of our host, Jerry, which is why we had so much food. You’ll also need some adequate cups, glasses, or whatever you want to pour into.  Make sure you have a way to rinse out the old to put in the new.

The last thing you’ll need to do is actually taste.  I stood and spoke about the beer either before or during drinking.  DO NOT TELL THEM WHAT TO TASTE!!!  The way I handled the tasting was to tell the drinkers what we were tasting, not what to taste.  I talked about porter as a style and gave some history.  Don’t suck the fun out by telling them to taste 4 grams of Belgian candy sugar or whatever you’ve perceived in your wisdom.  I also brought some note cards along, so people could make notes.  You could also set up 8X11 sheets with beer facts and leave room for notes.  There are multiple approaches to this tasting.

Remember this thing is about fun and beer education.  Beer Neo-Nazism should not be what people gain from the experience.  Share your passion and zeal, but don’t be a Zealot.  Here is a link to our beervangelism article (it might give some perspective).

P.S.  I’m looking into trying to lead beer tastings as a part-time job.  If you know anyone who would be interested in having a party like this, please point them my direction.  We are currently living in Pasadena, California, and I would love to establish something here.  But I will be in Indiana on a couple of occasions during the year, so please pass the word on to someone who might like this.  Trust me: there is a lot to be learned.

Spread the Word:

Kolsch, as a style, was initially made in Cologne, Germany. The official name wasn’t given until the early half of the 20th century, and much attempt has been made to protect it, such as only calling a Kolsch from Cologne by that name. Some non-Cologne breweries skirt the issue by simply calling their versions Kolsch-style beers. Whatever works!

As far as what a Kolsch actually is, it is technically considered an ale because it uses top fermenting yeast and is kept warmer during primary fermentation temperatures. Subsequently, it undergoes lagering for a period of time after primary fermentation. Because of the specific yeasts used and the lagering time, Kolsch beers are about the closest ales get to the cleanness and character of lager beers. This is why many people consider Kolsch a good summer beer.

In comparison to traditional (read “authentic”) versions of Pilsners, Kolsch is just shy on the bitterness level and has what some people describe as champagne-type qualities. It is a refreshing and semi-dry style of beer that is worth giving a try, especially on a hot spring or summer day. Enjoy a Kolsch, ladies and germs.

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Packaging

For my shipping, I buy the Duck brand bubble wrap at Wal-Mart for $10-$11. It’s 100 square feet, perforated every 12”, and I wrap each bottle with one sheet and tape it in the middle. When I have a 22 oz or 750 ml bottle, I use two sheets, one for the bottom half and one for the top. I typically fold the loose ends at the top and bottom and secure them with tape. I buy boxes at Office Depot in the $2-$4 range.

I’ve seen people line the ends and sides of the box with foam rubber, bubble wrap, and/or crumpled up newspaper, either will work fine. I also wedge crumpled up newspaper in between bottles so nothing moves when the box is shook. I also use the 4- and 6-pack holders to separate the beers so they’re not knocking into each other. I’ve seen people use all kinds of stuff to ship beer, but remember that you’re liable if anything breaks, so it’s in your best interest to pack securely.

Shipping

Now for a little legal disclaimer: shipping beer may or may not be illegal. It is a violation of the terms of service for both UPS and FedEx, and it has been claimed that it is illegal to use USPS for shipping beer. I am not a lawyer, so if you’re worried about it, you might want to call one. That being said, I don’t know of any instance of a trader being prosecuted for trading beer.

You’ll want to open an online account with Fed Ex and/or UPS. Every trader has their preference, and there are horror stories for both. I go with the one that gives me the cheapest quote, which is usually FedEx. You want to use the online shipping service with a credit card, because it’s cheaper than going to a FedEx or UPS shipping center, and there’s nobody to ask any questions about the contents of the box online. They’ll even pick up the package from your house, but I drop mine off at a nearby hub.

Most people ship out on Mondays, because they don’t want to leave the beer sitting in a warehouse over the weekend. There’s no climate control in the trucks or the warehouses, so this argument is debatable. Many people avoid trading in the winter due to the risk that beer can freeze, and many avoid the summer because they believe the heat will damage the beer.

In the event of a broken bottle, there are three common responses from the shipping companies:

1. Deliver the soggy box as is. This is the one I’ve seen happen the most.
2. Repackage everything in a new box and send it back to you. You can expect a letter from their legal department afterwards, warning you that shipping beer is against their terms of service.
3. Repackage everything in a new box and send it to the original destination.

In order to avoid this, people will either wrap the bottles in bubble wrap, and then put them in zip-lock baggies, or line the entire box with a contractor grade trash bag and seal it shut. I don’t bother with either, because I’ve only had one broken bottle in a package that I’ve sent, and they still delivered the package. I’ve had broken bottles in about half of the trades I’ve received, and they were still delivered as well.

Wrapping Up

Trading is a fun and rewarding hobby, with plenty of reasons NOT to do it. It’s expensive, risky (broken bottles), and time consuming, but there’s no better feeling than cracking open a beer that you’ve wanted for a long time, and having it exceed your expectations. My only recommendation is to start small and work your way up. Don’t go for the white whales right off the bat, there’s plenty of regular beer that’s worthy of your attention. You’re guaranteed to make new friends, try new beer, and have a lot of fun.

Howard’s other articles in this series:

The Suds Swap Meet (1 of 5)

Beer Value and Ettiquette (2 of 5)

Getting Started (3 of 5)

Beer It Forward (4 of 5)

Spread the Word:

BIF stands for Beer It Forward, which is just like the movie “Pay it Forward”, but with beer instead of good deeds. Sometimes they’ll allow new traders, but they usually require you have at least a little bit of trading history. The way these trades work is:

1. A user posts that they’re starting a new BIF. They will either lay out the rules, or they’ll look for other people’s input on what the rules should be. There is usually a minimum or maximum amount of beer per package, plus a theme like local beer only, >10% ABV beer only, beeradvocate.com Top 100 only, etc. Sometimes there are extras, like X number of beers and X number of cigars, or a T-shirt, or glassware, you get the idea.
2. Users sign up for the BIF by replying to the thread and asking if you can join in, or by sending a private message to the original poster.
3. A master list is compiled of all of the participants, including their user names, real names, addresses and phone numbers.
4. The person who started the BIF picks one person on the list and builds and ships a package within the constraints of the rules. You usually try to hit as many of their Wants as you can. They might give hints about where the package is going, but nobody knows for sure.
5. When that person receives the package, they pick a target from who is left on the list, and build and ship their package.
6. This continues until the last recipient gets their package, then they build and ship a package for the originator of the BIF.

All of the hops of the BIF are usually recorded on a website, so everybody can see who got what, and who’s left on the list to receive. There is also a sense of competition with these, because nobody wants to be outdone by the other participants, so the boxes keep getting bigger or loaded with more rare beer. These are the most fun for me; it’s like Christmas morning wondering if you’re the next stop, and what will be in the box when you open it!

You’ll see other types of trading opportunities in this forum as well. LIF stands for Lotto it Forward, which is where somebody is setting up a game with beer as the prize. The usual rules are that you’ve never had the beer they’re offering before, don’t have access to it, agree to review it, and will hold your own LIF in the future. I’ve seen stuff like “guess my daughter’s middle name”, “guess my favorite guitarist”, “guess how many miles I drove to Dark Lord Day”, and others.

GIF stands for Growler it Forward, which is exactly like BIF, but with growlers. They usually run these trades with assigned targets, so you know who you’re supposed to ship to and everybody ships around the same time.

There will also be Secret Santa and Secret Bunny opportunities, which are exactly like any other Secret Santa you may have been a part of, but with beer. You’ll be assigned a target, and have a shopping and shipping window to get your package out to your recipient.

Howard’s other articles in this series:

The Suds Swap Meet (1 of 5)

Beer Value and Ettiquette (2 of 5)

Getting Started (3 of 5)

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Wants/Gots

When you’re browsing for beer on the site, there are a few links in the upper right portion of the page that relate to trading:

Clicking “+ Add to your Wants” will add this beer to the list of beers you’re looking for. Clicking “+ Add to your Gots” will add this beer to the list of beers you currently have. Keep in mind that you don’t actually have to have the beer you add to your Gots, it can be any beer that you can buy at your local liquor store. If you click on the “44 wants” link it will show you all of the users looking for this beer, and the “16 gots link” will show you the users who have this beer. Once you have added a few wants and gots, you can click on the “My Profile” at the top, and view your Wants and Gots lists.

This view is my Wants list, and there is a little + next to every beer I’ve added, that expands to show users who have matching Wants and Gots. After you have everything setup that you’re looking for and have to offer, you can either wait for somebody to contact you, or start sending messages to people that you have matches with. You have to follow the Beer Trading – ISO/FT group if you want people to be able to see your matches, so don’t forget to join. If you’re not the patient type, you can move on to option two.

Beer Trading – ISO/FT

This section of their forums is setup for people to initiate trades by posting what they’re looking for (ISO = in search of), and what they have to offer in return (FT = for trade). In order to start a post like this, you just navigate to the group and click the Start New Topic button. My first trade looked like this:

The subject states that I’m looking for Oskar Blues, and I’m pretty open about what I have to trade. I also included a link to a store that has their inventory online so people could look through and hunt for what they wanted in trade. I was specific about being dollar for dollar, but that’s implied for trading. I had about five hits on this offer in about 15 minutes, with several more coming in after. General etiquette is that you take the first reasonable offer to come in, but it’s your beer, and you can do what you want with it.

The first person to write me on this offer worked in a liquor store, so he knew the prices off the top of his head. In return for the 20 beers I requested, he wanted a 6-pack of Three Floyds Alpha King, a 6-pack of Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, and a 22 oz of Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine. Because this was my first trade, it was expected that I ship first, and he didn’t ship in return until my package arrived. This is the way it goes until you’ve got a few trades under your belt, and then you usually ship simultaneously. It took about two weeks to buy the beer he wanted, get it shipped out, and have his return package shipped back.

Read the first two parts of the series HERE and HERE.

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Beer Value

Most traders like to trade dollar-for-dollar, meaning if they send you $40 worth of beer, then you send them $40 worth of beer in return. They also like to trade rarity-for-rarity, meaning if they are trading a hard to get, or brewery-only release, they expect to get an equally scarce beer in return. So if you really want to get a bottle of Dark Lord, you’re going to need a one day only, brewery released beer (Darkness, Sexual Chocolate, Kate the Great, etc.) to trade. Some people are incredibly strict about this and will only trade for equal rarity. Others are happy to share their beer, and are willing to trade for other stuff that they want that isn’t so hard to come by. Some people will not give up their rare beer at all without completely taking advantage of you.

When you’re trading up, meaning trading regular beer for rare beer, all bets are off. There are no guidelines for what’s fair anymore, and it’s really what you and your trading partner feel is a good deal. If you don’t like the terms, then either try to renegotiate, or just walk away. As a matter of courtesy, once your trading partner has spent money on beer specifically for a trade with you, it’s unacceptable to try to change or cancel the deal.

Etiquette

The most important rule about trading is this: until the beer is in the recipient’s hands unharmed, the sender is liable. If you ship to the wrong address, you’re responsible for making it right, unless you were given the wrong address. If the box disappears during shipping, you’re responsible to resend it. If a bottle gets broken, you have to replace it.

It’s customary to throw in an extra bottle (or several) of beer above and beyond what the trade was setup for. Most people send either local beer or something on the other person’s Wants (we’ll discuss Wants in the next article). My rule of thumb is: the bigger the deal, the bigger the extra(s).

After you complete a trade, you should update your profile to reflect that you traded with that person. People use the profiles to check references all the time, and if you say you’ve completed a trade with user X, they’ll check user X’s profile to see if they have you listed too. You should be checking people’s references before you ship beer too. I usually just check their profile for completed trades, then check those user’s profiles to make sure they list the person I’m trading with as well. You should also add a “+” or “*” to denote that they sent extras in their package. Here’s a shot of my profile so you can see what I’m talking about.

When you’re on the forums, keep your mouth shut about other people’s trades. If you see somebody asking too much (or not offering enough) for a beer, it’s none of your business, just move along and ignore the post. You don’t want to give people buyer’s remorse if they’re happy with their deal, so leave them be.

Written By Howard

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