The Bar Towel

Didn't want to clog up the events

So, you know how Google Chrome has that feature where they have screen shots of your popular pages?

Aleta thought she would check this site (she never does - doesn't really care for beer geek stuff) just to see what other people's perceptions were of the event...

And...she saw my post in the "Events" thread here, and saw the picture I posted of her on Amsterdam's feed.

So she know that I knew...

Apparently my son's idea, when he found out that I knew, was just to knock me over the head cartoon-style so I'd forget.

She was a little disappointed, but didn't want me to have to fake it for a month, and also, Soods, she liked your attempt at the diversion attempt at a diversion

Anyway, still have to wait until Christmas, but yes, I have an awesome wife...

Jeff, I am a little lost here but I think I get the important part of this whole thing, which is that you have a pretty cool wife Enjoy the Double Barrel Tempest

TheSevenDuffs wrote:Jeff, I am a little lost here but I think I get the important part of this whole thing, which is that you have a pretty cool wife Enjoy the Double Barrel Tempest

Yeah - I just edited for a little clarity, but it's still confusing. Apparently when she tried to explain this to her dad at church he was very confused.

He couldn't understand why anyone would line up for beer, and why there would be a picture of it online

JeffPorter wrote:
He couldn't understand why anyone would line up for beer, and why there would be a picture of it online

Common folk never understand us...

I was going to say - common folk commonly drink common beer, hence our justified glee & smugness at obtaining rare barrel-aged imperials. Muahahahh...

I'm not posting this with any disdain or sarcasm. I really, truly hope this beer is good enough to justify all the ceremony. I'm pleased to see Amsterdam stretch it's wings and hopefully get rewarded for their great efforts, but I do get suspicious of all the fad releases in many industries, not just brewing.

Engineering lineups has taken over for engineering good products in too many cases (i.e. Apple).

Tapsucker wrote:Engineering lineups has taken over for engineering good products in too many cases (i.e. Apple).

To be fair, the guy working the shop at the brewery told everyone in line there was lots and recommended those who showed up way before the release time to chill out inside and have a beer. We popped in for the wheat wine. We went out to line up at around 1 expecting it to sell out quick (memories of the first whisky barrel aged Tempest) and got our bottles and then went back inside for some food. When we were leaving there was still lots of Tempest left. Today on twitter Amsterdam said they still had some left.

In short, I was expecting a line with staff trying to keep things orderly. That is clearly not what they planned for and any line was (aside from needless) just folks (myself included) used to any little drop of hype for a beer in Ontario turning to madness in a heartbeat. It's a tasty beer to boot!

Tapsucker wrote:I'm not posting this with any disdain or sarcasm. I really, truly hope this beer is good enough to justify all the ceremony. I'm pleased to see Amsterdam stretch it's wings and hopefully get rewarded for their great efforts, but I do get suspicious of all the fad releases in many industries, not just brewing.

Engineering lineups has taken over for engineering good products in too many cases (i.e. Apple).

I think Ontario could use with more self-promoting ceremony for beer. Hype, for better or worse, drives heightened interest and enthusiasm in beer and we've seen that time and time again. I'd like it for once that people from the States and elsewhere come here for a special release and it gets all kinds of glowy ratings, not the other way around. But it starts with us.

Cass wrote:I think Ontario could use with more self-promoting ceremony for beer. Hype, for better or worse, drives heightened interest and enthusiasm in beer and we've seen that time and time again. I'd like it for once that people from the States and elsewhere come here for a special release and it gets all kinds of glowy ratings, not the other way around. But it starts with us.

Took me 1.5 hours to get some Hill Farmstead last Saturday. Talk about (totally well deserved) hype! I cannot see their model (farm down dirt roads in the middle of nowhere) working here with that kind of line-up until we get more hype for our industry.

Yep. I was on the weekend in Chicago where there were lineups of 500+ overnight at Binny's for the release of Bourbon County Stout. All the beer frenzies that have happened here (e.g. Westy) were driven by an external (ie. out of province) reputation hitting on the home front.

The HF lineups and things like that all began with lots of love locally, something that would be cool to see here.

Every bar/restaurant I went to in Vermont had local craft on tap. Every store that sold beer, sold local craft. I even stayed at a small B&B that had a kegorator in the common room, with local craft on all the taps. Vermont sure does support local better than anywhere else I've been!

Cass wrote:I think Ontario could use with more self-promoting ceremony for beer. Hype, for better or worse, drives heightened interest and enthusiasm in beer and we've seen that time and time again. I'd like it for once that people from the States and elsewhere come here for a special release and it gets all kinds of glowy ratings, not the other way around. But it starts with us.

While the line-ups and annoying pick-ups have at times made us devotees a little testy I agree Cass. Tempest is a local beer I was immediately proud of; hell even the second-runnings of this beer's brewed grains are delicious (AKA Before The Storm.)

I don't take it out on any brewery if the hype-and-ceremony means, dammit, I'm sick or away or busy working and miss that beer. I don't resent the 'oh we just sold out' or 'oh we just didn't get that bottled yet.' (Not strongly resent LOL.) Brewers are trying - hard. And as with any business, let's be fair, it's ideal for them to have customers out there already searching & coming to them looking for a product they offer that's unique. They all deserve the hype and the glory and - quite hopefully - the success it helps create for their brand.

Slainté Amsterdam. And make more pinot barrel Goudenavond if you can!

MatttthewGeorge wrote:Every bar/restaurant I went to in Vermont had local craft on tap. Every store that sold beer, sold local craft. I even stayed at a small B&B that had a kegorator in the common room, with local craft on all the taps. Vermont sure does support local better than anywhere else I've been!

That's a great example of hyper-local. Hope it's not too much of a stretch to say that all beer was local beer for most of brewing history.

To paraphrase Cass, we need more self-promotion and "elevation" for a triumphant local beer deserving of it.

Ontario brewers would get the love Hill Farmstead gets if they could brew like Hill Farmstead. Nobody is going to travel and line up for "pretty good" beers.

PeenSteen wrote:Ontario brewers would get the love Hill Farmstead gets if they could brew like Hill Farmstead. Nobody is going to travel and line up for "pretty good" beers.

Well yes let's not get starry-eyed just because it's local and limted and expensive. Quite right. There are many 'pretty good' hyped beers that are starting to make me a bit cautious about trying new and 'radical' Ontario ones (provide your own brewery examples, if you follow...)

But I think for example Nickel Brook Winey- and Kentucky Bastard are outstanding regardless (they've been tweaking their stuff a lot.) It's more about keeping our eyes open, offering support to our own scene, and shining accolades where due - not dismissing a good one as 'just' an Ontario beer we 'tasted' one ounce of and sniff at with a lazy rating.

Amsterdam is certainly the surprise comeback of the past decade with new stuff they make. I'd like to see that movement legitimately grow, and for now still like grotty brewery line-ups for really good stuff better than gimmicky packaging on something less good.