I have no idea if there is a fire ring in front of my hemlock cabin or not but if there is I offer up my front yard as grilling space . Just don't sit in my special beer drinking chair!

 

About the BBQ... I phoned Fontana this morning to see if our cabins have fire rings and they had no idea which do and which don't. I've spoken to Matt a few times and have already offered up at least one of the 3 cabins my group has reserved. I think I also have a sponsor lined up to help us out. They have a grille, but it alone is not sufficient for the number of people I expect we'll have. There is a good chance they will also be willing to provide food. Details are being ironed out. Since Matt already has his hands pretty full, I've agreed to do as much as I can to help organize our somewhat impromptu BBQ.

...D.Hammy, can I count on you if I need an assistant organizer?

 

I shall do what I can for you Mini2Go. Since we are all doing this "in the name of good beer everywhere".

 

I will be bringing it in the Teardrop. You are more than welcome to use it.

 

Thanks for the offer Zyamfier. We'll let you know.

We lost a participant, unfortunately, due to them being unable to now attend the Dragon. Upside of that is that it opens up spots for those on the waiting list. Still though, wish no one had to back out.

 

Its time to get working on my TBD beer.

South Alabama is not exactly a hot bed for local brewing activity. With that in mind, I searched :impatient around for something a little different and came across http://www.flyingdogales.com/ . It is available locally. I don’t see them on the list, and unless I get some negative feedback, I will gather in a selection of their Road Dog Porter and Tire Bite Golden Ale. The names are cool even if the brew is questionable. BTW, I have not tried it,,,,,yet. Comments?

Terry

 

I have tried and enjoyed "Old Scratch." If I can generalize from that beer, I'd guess the rest are also pretty decent.

 

In my opinion the Flying Dog porters are quite good.
The Road Dog Porter = Rich and flavorful (5.5% ABV)
Gonzo Imperial Porter = Rich, flavorful, and powerful (9.5% ABV)
Both had the blessing of Hunter S. Thompson, but the Gonzo is a tribute and one of my favorite beers.

 

Thanks for the feedback.
Matt put me down for an assortment from http://www.flyingdogales.com/
Terry

 

I'll take care of that Monday.

 

Ok so if you want a t-shirt you'd better hurry. You have 8 days left. After that I'm closing it off and submitting the orders. Remember, I will not be selling any extras at the swap.

We're also getting close to the time when I need to know what you are bringing more specifically.

I'll be making my local brewery tour on the 8th and buying what I need. The following week I'd like to hear from everyone regarding what they are SPECIFICALLY bringing. The week after that (17th-21st) I'll be creating the beer listings and signs for the swap.

The week after that I should be shipping out the shirts so I will have my handsful. Thats why I need to do the signs the week prior.

Any q's, let me know.

We now stand at 102 people, including guests, attending. I let the few people on the waiting list in. Anyone who comes forward now will have to wait for someone to drop out.

 

Wanted y'all to know that so far Big Sky & Carolina Beer have stepped up with some cool prizes to give away.

Big Sky, the makers of Moose Drool, sent me hats, shirts, stickers, key chains and bottle openers.

Carolina Beer sent me shirts and two kick *** tin signs shaped like a bottle cap. But they're BIG. One is for Carolina Blonde and the other for Carolina Light.

You should support all microbreweries and small timers but especially ones like these two who send us their support.

 

Very cool! So, what are we doing with all this stuff, raffling it off as door prizes? (Apologies if you've already said; I haven't read back through this thread in a while...)

 

Also: are we responsible for bringing some kind of tasting cup, like little bathroom dixie cups or something?

 

Per the website, this is to be determined.

 

As far as the beer stuff goes I plan to have some type of ticket thing to give everyone that BRINGS beer. Those are the eligible folks. If anyone knows where I can get a roll of numbered tickets cheap please let me know.

If not then I'll just use an excep spreadsheet and go the really cheap route.

How I give the stuff away (i.e. one item per winner or a small package per winner) depends on how much stuff I get. The more I get the greater the likelihood I'll do packages. All of the t-shirt so far are Larges. Sooooo us larger than large folks will be s.o.l. for those. But you could always win one and give it to a friend or loved one.

Great Lakes Brewing called me back today and they are sending stuff too.

Sampling cups...yeah the site says to be determined. Now that I know about how many people will be there I can start to figure it out. As I said before I have like 2000 of those sauce cups you get at restaurants with take out that I will bring. BUT that looks like it won't be enough. Dixie Cups are the next best option and I will advise everyone who has samples to bring some. Doesn't have to be a whole box.

Anything else?

 

Im so proud of Great Lakes now

 

Go to your local Party Supply store for the tickets. You get a huge roll for like $10 or something like that.

 

As am I. And I'll tell you now what I plan to tell you all at the swap. Support these guys. If you like the beer then go out and buy it and keep them in business. These breweries are sending us stuff to give out and most of us don't live in the areas they serve. They're being real generous.

I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Dont worry, I support them

Im also bringing their stuff, im happy to share it all with you!

 

Woohoo! You hear that folks! That Great Lakes he's bringing is ALL FOR ME! Hahahahahahaha no sharing with you!

 

I think you was ment more general than that, but so be it, you are organizing eveyrthing.

 

Or just save your dough and go the super-cheap route. No need to be all classy. Heck, I'll make tickets with a sharpie and a pair of scissors - and I won't say what color sharpie or what color paper, which should drastically reduce the chances of fraud. Can that be my job?

 

That's ok. I'd rather use actual tickets if I can.

I have to say we all lucked out too. What most of you guys didn't know was that I have been interviewing and negotiating for a job in Arizona. I accepted today. They wanted me to start May 1st which would have meant no Dragon and I'd be unable to run the Brew Swap. I was worried I'd have to to turn it over to someone else and it wouldn't come off as good. BUT FEAR NOT, they're letting me start the 15th. That means I get to drive 15 hours to the dragon, stay for 3 days, drive 15

 

That's ok. I'd rather use actual tickets if I can.

I have to say we all lucked out too. What most of you guys didn't know was that I have been interviewing and negotiating for a job in Arizona. I accepted today. They wanted me to start May 1st which would have meant no Dragon and I'd be unable to run the Brew Swap. I was worried I'd have to to turn it over to someone else and it wouldn't come off as good. BUT FEAR NOT, they're letting me start the 15th. That means I get to drive 15 hours to the dragon, stay for 3 days, drive 15 hours back, stay home for 2 days, then drive 26 hours in 2 days to my new place of residence.

Man am I going to be sick of driving or what. Nothing like crossing into Texas and seeing mile marker 880. Makes you want to cry.