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detritus wrote:Last year it was 10 5oz samples, IIRC. Is it going to be different this year?
i haven't heard anything about it changing. and if that's not enough you can always buy more!
Ralph was actually talking to me about Cask Days tonight and we were throwing ideas around of how to make sure the casks lasted the 3 sessions, so everyone could at least sample everything. Anyway he's thinking of doing 20 x 2 1/2 oz samples this time instead of the 5 x 10oz or 10 x 5oz samples he's done before. Don't know if that would work, but it would certainly stop everyone moaning that 5 samples isn't enough!
Oh, and denguy, do you know how difficult it is just to get the brewers to do a cask for one weekend. To get them to stretch it over 2 weekends I'm afraid would never happen. Sad but true!!!
Jon Walker wrote:Okay, so we misunderstood each other. I made the " buying in volume" comment that you quoted fairly tongue in cheek. I got a lot of flack back during the DFH60 offering through the LCBO that I bought eight cases (the most I've ever bought of any beer) and that four of those cases came from one store that had only received six cases in the first place.
This I remember, since you all but cleared out my 'BO.
Last year, with the five or six charity beers that you had to pay extra for, I didn't find that a shortage of sampling tickets was an issue. In fact, I'd say the opposite: an abundance of tickets (I probably had around five left at the end) that I didn't get a chance to use.
So, after waiting in the Volo queue for several notches on the clock, four strangers came along and randomly provided us with a bit of comic relief... They arrived at the door to Volo after obliviously walking by the line (then already winding around the patio and up the side street). One of the ladies found the posted hours and sighed unhappily, "Oh, they're closed on Sundays," and then paused briefly before lighting up and exclaiming, "Let's go to Starbucks!!" So they all trundled away... passing the queue again.
I know, I know, it was technically closed, but didn't they wonder what was going on?? Lots of other passerbys were inquiring, out of interest. (We happily told them.) Anyway, go go magical Starbucks, but I'd rather queue for Volo.
If I remember correctly, the first event was 5 samples, 10 oz in size... but I could be wrong. Ten 5 oz samples seems reasonable.
As with the Michigan fest, I thought the C'est What samples were about as small as I'd like to go (3 oz?). Then again, C'est What had a couple that I couldn't finish (and you could always double up).
As an aside, I do like having a real glass I can swirl around... and my Volo glass still gets a lot of use.
Torontoblue wrote:
grub wrote:
detritus wrote:Last year it was 10 5oz samples, IIRC. Is it going to be different this year?
i haven't heard anything about it changing. and if that's not enough you can always buy more!
Ralph was actually talking to me about Cask Days tonight and we were throwing ideas around of how to make sure the casks lasted the 3 sessions, so everyone could at least sample everything. Anyway he's thinking of doing 20 x 2 1/2 oz samples this time instead of the 5 x 10oz or 10 x 5oz samples he's done before. Don't know if that would work, but it would certainly stop everyone moaning that 5 samples isn't enough!
Oh, and denguy, do you know how difficult it is just to get the brewers to do a cask for one weekend. To get them to stretch it over 2 weekends I'm afraid would never happen. Sad but true!!!
Well, there will be plenty of room in the new pint glasses to swill a 2 1/2 oz sample. May just have to triple up on tickets to get a decent glass size. Oh well, if it's what Ralph thinks is best.........
Derek wrote:If I remember correctly, the first event was 5 samples, 10 oz in size... but I could be wrong. Ten 5 oz samples seems reasonable.
you are correct. the first cask days you started with 5 tickets and samples were 10oz, which i thought was too much (especially when some of the servers "accidentally" gave you a full pint).
last year ralph dropped it to 5oz samples and started everyone with 10 tickets, with the option to use two tickets if you wanted a 10oz sample. i'm pretty sure the tickets were half the price of the first year, but due to those generous 10oz samples the first cask days is pretty hazy. i thought the smaller size worked much better. 5oz is a nice size to get a good taste of a sample, but small enough that you can try a bunch before you run into trouble.
if the size drops this year, i suspect i'll be doubling up on most things. anything under 3oz is too small to review IMHO, and i generally don't like to go under 4oz. but if he halves the size+price, it's easy enough to get whatever size you like for the same cost.
I would also very much like to hear from anyone who has extra tickets for sale. Arrived at 12:30 p.m. (had to take the kids to swimming lessons -- what was I thinking?) and everything was sold out.
Torontoblue wrote:Oh, and denguy, do you know how difficult it is just to get the brewers to do a cask for one weekend. To get them to stretch it over 2 weekends I'm afraid would never happen. Sad but true!!!
I see. Ya, I was just thinking out loud.
On the sample size issue: last year I had small samples and doubled-up when I found something I really enjoyed. I had two tickets left a the end of the night that I couldn't even give away. Whatever happens will be fine by me.
Torontoblue, are you going to the Saturday evening session?
denguy wrote:
Torontoblue, are you going to the Saturday evening session?
I'm going to every session, apart from the breakfast. It's too good to miss a single hour of the festival and I need my fill of cask living in this desert of cask ales that's called Canada!!
Torontoblue wrote:I'm going to every session, apart from the breakfast. It's too good to miss a single hour of the festival and I need my fill of cask living in this desert of cask ales that's called Canada!!
I thought it was more of a paramesian/athletes-foot aroma. I was literally afraid to try it... but I already had the sample and Doug assured me that it wasn't that bad! I don't think I could finish half a pint, but the sample was fine.
It was the Black Bullet that I couldn't handle (with a harsh quality like a tequilla shooter), and then the Vanilla Bean Wheat that I just didn't care for (too dry for the vanilla flavour?).
tuqueboy wrote:
Derek wrote:
Then again, C'est What had a couple that I couldn't finish (and you could always double up).
one of them wouldn't possibly be a certain belgian ``sour ale'' that smelled of, well, barf, would it?
Wow, with all the disappointment over the (understandably) limited accessibility of tickets (plus allegations of unscrupulous ticket hogging) it would make sense next time 'round to have a coordinated PLAN - a few bartowellers could buy up extra tickets for the out-of-towners & those otherwise unable to conveniently attend the ticket buying event.
It's not like we need 12 people to show up for 24 tickets, 4 people could handle that just as well if there were a definite arrangement planned in advance [even sending the money in advance to the person buying other people's tickets so that those people can't just flake out and change their mind at another's expense.] Personally I'd be fine to take my own time, drive my car, pay my parking while I go to buy a few extra tickets for those who really want them, at face value.
Won't be going to Volo Cask Days it this year myself but just saying. The mere fact that this is a very local, small-scale authentic event should not prevent the 519- or 905'ers or people with busy lives from joining in. We're all BarTowelllers. We can handle all this small thing and not make it Volo's problem.
Oh yeah, and bless Raplh at Volo for all the HEART he puts into the local craft beer scene!
