It’s a Wednesday afternoon and another beer is being released in the area tomorrow. Twitter is on fire and my cellphone is ringing off the hook. Friends, Family and Neighbors are calling to inform, inquire and request a shot at the 24 bottles that have been dropped off in a Metropolitan area of 850,000 people. The unknown here is how many people know about the beer, want the beer or even enjoy craft beer.
My job or duty in the Brews Travelers world lately is to make sure that we get our hands on at least 15% of the local quantity, although 25% is our goal. It’s a figure that has been tweaked throughout the years. Limited quantity, special releases and special events have driven our desire to get the taste of the next great beer. I can only compare it to the release of the Cabbage Patch dolls or Furby during Christmas time. If only there were a beer catalog that was delivered to my doorstep weeks in advance.
Today is the day. I wake up early, grab a cup of Peet’s coffee and start perusing Beer Advocate and Rate Beer for release notes. The night before, I charged my cellphone and put a full tank of gas in the car. My secret weapon is an empty cooler and newspapers to cushion the bottles. I think I’m ready.
The call comes. (We have someone on the inside, a beer spy.) A case has been delivered to one of the few lucky locations. Outside, I have the car pointed toward the road. It’s an easy jump into the car and off I go. The highway is clear as far as I can see. It’s a quick 20 minute drive to the first stop. Ten minutes later, I come across my first accident. I wait twenty minutes before getting past it. One mile after that I come across a lane closure. It’s another twenty minutes before I get past that obstruction. My nerves are shattered and even the CoffeeHouse Channel on XM isn’t calming my nerves.
I arrive at my destination and the parking lot is almost empty. Of the 24 bottles that were delivered this morning only 8 remain. 8!?! Within the hour, 16 bottles have left the store. Another of the Brews Travelers pulls up behind me and we are able to procure 4 of the bottles… 17% of the total haul. I get word that another two guys grab 6 more bottles at the other location. Overall, we gathered 20% of the regions newest release. Not bad.
Beer Chasing has many forms, such as, buying, trading or even special tastings or tappings. It adds excitement to the already exciting world of Craft Beer.
This isn’t just something new that we have been doing. Beer Chasers have been around for many years. I’m not the best one, the first one or the last one. But, I am one. A modern day Indiana Jones. OK, that may be a little far fetched , but I can’t deny that the excitement is unnerving, the hunt is addictive and the “kill†is rewarding.
Recent Kills:
Russian River Brewing Pliny the Younger
Founders Nemesis
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Foothills Brewing Sexual Chocolate
Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter
What beers have you caputured/killed lately? Let us know!
