EPIC 2017 Beer Tasting - Know When to Fold 'Em
All good things must come to an end, and sometimes you need to bite the bullet and drink the last (or only) bottle you have of a beer. This is going to be a journey through the darkest, dustiest parts of my cellar. There will be some rare stuff, there will be some old stuff, there will be some things that were bought, forgotten, and only recently unearthed. When you only have a bottle or two left of something irreplaceable, and you're like me, that can be paralyzing and make it difficult to ever bring yourself to open. So this tasting is going to be a catharsis for me in some ways as I force myself to get over that and take some bottles down from the wall.
It's not about waiting for a special day to drink that treasure, it's about looking at that bottle and saying, "Today is special because I'm drinking this with special people."
Because of the nature of cellaring beer, most of what we'll be dealing with will be 8% ABV and higher, darker, and maltier. There won't be much less than 3 or 4 years old in this tasting. There may be some surprises in store, but expect strong ales, barleywines, old ales, strong Belgians, etc.
I hope you'll sign up for the event via the Eventbrite registration and we'll see you folks there!
No need to post "In" here unless you want to publicly display your excitement - the only way to get in is to choose the Beer Tasting add-on when you're buying your Expo ticket.
So don't forget to do that!
Comments
In to publicly display my excitement
^^^ What he said
No joke, plus I mean I am really excited now since I read this after purchasing my pass ?
THIS!
In, so long as I can get registered in time for a spot.
For those who skipped the Expo description: Tasting seats are by lottery this year.
So, there'll be a round of refunds who didn't get placed but paid ahead of time?
From the Eventbrite registration:
Extras!
Events with extra costs are built right into this registration. This is the only signup! Ever! Please read details about each option (including its scheduling) carefully. Additionally:
1. They are ALL limited capactity.
2. We'll use a lottery & waitlist at the end of ticket sales to determine overbooked event attendance and refund you at Expo if you are not allowed to participate.
You must pay ahead of time or you can't do the tasting.. No money collected day of.
Yes, but we'll organize that after the tasting happens so we only have to do it once. Last minute waitlist changes could turn it into a mess real fast.
Also, in case this wasn't obvious: House residents are exempt from the lottery.
Not quite sure what you mean there... if you pay for a seat at a tasting you get one?
Hmm. I totally misread #2. I thought that the lottery and waitlist applied to anyone who bought their ticket after the event filled up, I didn't realize that the first "X" people who registered before the event filled weren't automatically in. Where's the incentive for @UPSLynx to buy his ticket on time?
There's no joining the lottery after ticket sales end.
Yes, they get auto-in if they want to be.
@Linc Ok so the lottery is only for the wait list then? I am so confused.
And they say community management isn't a job
The lottery is for everyone who signs up, excluding any house residents (priority because they live there and organize this shit
). Non-winners get a refund after the event occurs because of the general shitshow of last minute event seating swaps.
Example: 35 people sign up for a 30 person event. 3 house members sign up in that 35. The lottery applies to 27 people of 32, 5 will get refunds.
EDIT: I'm speaking from a position of re-reading the above stuff, not actual authority.
This means:
From the look of things so far, this is only gonna matter for the tastings anyway. Escape The Room has a flexible limit, I don't think we'll hit the Pedal Pub limit, and I'm not clear Darts has a limit at all.
Ok thank you for clarifying. I was seriously getting confused between all the comments and responses. Also @primesuspect it's all about herding cats, every single time you lose one or two or all of them in fact. Also since set up was so easy this year without house projects we had to make something difficult for you @Linc ?
This is going to be lit. ???
How many slots are going to be available for this?
If there is such huge demand that a not insignificant number of folks cannot be seated at the tasting, I will find out from Lincoln if a second seating can be done - looking at the schedule right now, there's 9 hours from the start of the first tasting to Teamfortress 2, and if the tasting actually starts on time (lol) we could have time for another seating before TF2.
It's not like I don't have enough beer or glassware.
I retract any jokes about anyone being drunk.
Let's please remember that 10+ really drunk people kind of drag down the sober people in terms of fun, especially when people pay to be here. It's why we instituted the no-liquor rule years ago. The intent wasn't to single out liquor, it was to prevent anything beyond "Happy buzz" at expo because it often devolves into drama, tears, and fun ruining.
And there are a lot of people who just simply aren't comfortable around alcohol or people who have been drinking, for a wide variety of reason. This community does have recovering alcoholics, people who suffered with alcoholic loved ones, etc, who are sensitive about these things but remain quiet because they don't want to be a downer. I'd really just rather keep it to one seating.
He meant for different people. Not repeat customers.
It is my understanding that tastings are for education and not to get smashed. I know there are quite a few of us who really enjoy the opportunity to learn about the beer/wine and excercise our pallet. I completely understand the not getting super drunk rule but I'm pretty sure that all of us who look forward to these tastings are more about sharing the experience and appreciation of the craft than we are about getting smashed.
I have the long view on these things
That is exactly why I am telling you that I respect whatever decision you make regarding the event. That being said I'm not personally signing up for these events to get drunk. I actually care about the education and experience and would rather have the opportunity be available instead of it being cut out because people were disrespectful and made others uncomfortable.
We have had multiple seatings at past EPICs; we did two seatings in 2015 because there were close to 30 people who wanted in and we could only do 18 people in the initially planned tasting. I have a feeling we would have had to do 2 seatings last year if I had my shit together sooner.
Ideally, for logistical reasons, it's best if they're on different days, as was the case last time. If ICHQ powers decide there's no room for a second seating on the calendar, that's no skin off my back, but if 40 people sign up, I can create delightful experiences for all of them if time permits.
The way I've done every tasting thus far has involved calculating the ABVs and sample sizes and typically, it works out to the equivalent of consuming a 16-20oz of a 6-8% beer in 1 hour. What happens before and after my tastings, are, of course, out of my control, but I have yet to see someone start the a tasting half in the tank, so at least there's that.
I can volunteer some of my cellar if I go and is needed