Anybody up for a BKB homebrew swap?
I throw out the proposal, if there are enough willing participants, I would say at least 6, and could be as many as everyone, it would be worthwhile.
This is basically how it would work, and I would be happy to administer the details.
1. We would put a deadline on when people could sign up as willing participants. Arbitrarily lets say it is 9/30/2011. Those who sign up before then are considered participating. If you sign up but feel you change your mind- that is fine, just do so before the deadline!
2. I will RANDOMLY pair each brewer off in triangulation form, so each brewer will have a DIFFERENT receiver then they are sending to. In other words:
Brewers A, B, C, D, E want to participate. the matchup will look something like:
A sends to C
B sends to D
D sends to A
C sends to E
E sends to B
This allows every brewer the chance to communicate and chat with 2 brewers not just 1 single partner, It also allows there to be an odd number of participants, so nobody feels uncomfortable about being "forced" to play, or miss out.
3. Once the pairings are announced, a ship deadline, probably 2 weeks after the pairings will be set. This gives plenty of time to make the arrangements to get your package out.
4. Before shipping, contact your receiver through PM on this site, then communicate however you would like after that. Determine their address that is best to receive.
Completely optional, however you can also see if they happen to live in an area that cannot get a special beer that perhaps you can get at your local store. If so this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the shipping and include that in your package.
5. Ship the beer (I will include best shipping and packaging process further in this post) and notify your receiver it is sent. 4-5 bottles.
6. When your beer is received, notify the shipper, so they can rest easy. Then chill the bottles for at least 24 hours to get the CO2 back into solution at proper temp, so it can be enjoyed properly.
7. Consume the beer at your leisure, and take notes. Give feedback directly to the shipping brewer privately, however you want. I suggest being completely honest and fair, but nice. If a beer is not particularly good, AND you may know or suggest why, talk about it.
The rules are simple. If you want to be in, just post in this thread, and say "I'm in"
Ship 4-5 bottles. Homebrew is the whole reason here, so a variety of home brew is nice. If you do not have 4 bottles or 4 different brews, you can send a couple bottles of the same style, and perhaps a bottle of a very good store bought craft beer, or nice local micro. I say a limit of 5 because some may feel very generous and ship more, making others who may participate in the future feel uncomfortable if they do not match this generosity. This is a great chance to share, however it should be equal and not have to break the bank for someone to later match.
I have shipped a gazillion times to every part of the country, never with an issue. This is how:
the best bet is to use UPS or FedEx. Do NOT ship US postal mail. When describing the contents do NOT say beer! I have said "yeast samples", "antique bottles", and "soda extract" These all work very well. You can expect to spend an average of $11-12, the most I have spent is $20, and the least has been $7. It all depends on the destination, which again will be completely random.
To package, choose a box large enough to hold all of the bottles with padding, place each bottle in a ziploc bag, then wrap in newspaper. Place in a box leaving room between each bottle. Stuff the space in between with newspaper, stuffing, bubblewrap, whatever you choose. Just be sure to pack it all very tight, but do not let each bottle touch. Close the box up tight, so it is jampacked and there is no wiggle room for anything. Tape it up secure, then place it into a slightly larger box, and pad the space between with newspaper. Tape this outside box up VERY securely, then ship!
A suggestion is when you receive this box of love from your shipping brewer, save it and all of its contents. Now for future swaps or competitions, you have a vessel all set and ready to go!
This can be a lot of fun! If there is anyone who just lurks around here and dosnt post- feel free to PM me, and I can annonymously get you in the loop as well, your only contact will be with your partnered brewers. It is a tremendous opportunity to try other styles which you may not have thought of brewing. There may be many recipe exchanges, and many new ideas formed. I usually sit with a group of 2-4 of us, and savor and share what I receive, giving multiple chances for feedback. It also gives us the chance to have physical interation with other BKBer's, and at the very least share the wonderful homebrew generosity!
I will start it.
I'm in like flynn.
Also feel free to ask questions and discuss
thirsty wrote -
I'm in like flynn.
In like Flynn
Meaning
To be quickly and/or emphatically successful, usually in a sexual or romantic context.
Maybe it applies to brewing too?
I'm in. Give me another reason to get off my butt and get some beer brewed.
I am also in.
I love you guys, sniff sniff.
I'm in.
put me in, coach
How can I resist.
I'm in.
Cheers!
By this time my 9.4% Lake Erie Monster clone (DIPA- simcoe & Fuggles) will be all bottled and ready to go. Just sayin. I'm a rookie too, 7 batches since march, two all grain, so this would be awesome to get some critique. I've been satisfied with my work thus far but I don't have any fellow brew friends to do this with.
You may get more than you bargained for with this post Thirsty.
Hogarthe wrote:
put me in, coach
I'm ready to play...today.
Look at me, I can be centerfield.
I'm in
i'm in.
Hook me up with someone in seattle, so I can get some Amber baby
It seems most everyone who's been active in the last 6 months is in...I was wondering when bruguru was going to jump in. Now we just need brewski and we have a complete set!
Hit me - I'm in too!
I'm in
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