ISO: Regular tasting group in PDX

Discussion in 'Northwest' started by kscaldef, Feb 24, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    The occasional bottle shares around town have been great, but I'm still finding I'm still rapidly running out of storage space in my cellar. In theory I made a resolution to end the year with fewer beers in my cellar than I started with, but the first 2 months have not been auspicious in this regard. So, I'm looking for some folks with similar "problems" who would like to get a regular tasting group going (or to join an existing group). I'm thinking every 2 weeks or so, but I'm flexible.
     
  2. beeraroundtown

    beeraroundtown Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2008 Oregon

    there is always the option of buying less beer.... but what fun is that right? Wish I could Kevin, but the drive drive and work make more frequent tastings unlikely for me.
     
  3. Shmeal

    Shmeal Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2009 Oregon

    I would love to be part of this, I think the PDX beer geeks need to get together more often.
     
    staggerlee024 likes this.
  4. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    Derek, less beer? That's crazy talk!
     
  5. maltmaster420

    maltmaster420 Initiate (0) Aug 17, 2005 Oregon

    I'd be interested, assuming we can find a workable time and location. Are you thinking about holding these tasting at someone's house, or at a bar someplace?
     
  6. OregonHopmonster

    OregonHopmonster Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2011 Oregon

    Hey Kevin, I'd love to join in. There has to be something in scale between the occasional bottle shared by a couple BAs who happen to be at Beermongers and the massive drunkfests at our 30+ attendee organized tastings. I also have been getting bottles in more quickly than I should drink. Let me know what you are thinking.
     
  7. oregonskibum

    oregonskibum Initiate (0) Mar 14, 2009 Oregon

    I find myself with interesting beers that I hate opening alone all the time. It may be a little difficult for me to keep a every-other week committment during the summer months, but I would be interested in joining as much as possible.
     
  8. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    I could go either way. It might be more comfortable initially for people getting to know each other to meet at a bar, but it also feels like a bit of an imposition on a business to regularly host this sort of thing.
     
  9. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. I've got lots of bottles I'd like to share with some people, but the big bottle share events, while fun, get a little too crazy sometimes and I don't feel like I can really appreciate most of what gets drank.
     
  10. Sarlacc83

    Sarlacc83 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2008 Oregon

    I'd be game.
     
  11. chumba526

    chumba526 Pundit (988) Apr 27, 2009 Oregon
    Trader

    This sounds like a good idea. Not sure if I would be down for every two weeks but every Month would be good.
     
  12. Mahlik

    Mahlik Initiate (0) Aug 21, 2010 Oregon
    Trader

    I'd be down for at least a monthly get-together
     
  13. EricCioe

    EricCioe Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2010 Montana

    Some advice from Missoula:

    We do occasional big tastings with 15-20 people, but they do get crazy. There is nothing more annoying than having one bomber to pass around a group of 15 and watching a guy pour four ounces of it. People like that don't get invited back.

    More frequently we do small, 4-8 person tastings where we'll break out the big guns. The group shifts around a bit but there are four core members who make it to most of them. Sometimes they're set up months in advance, sometimes it's the night before. We always have a good time.

    We rotate hosting duties. One of the guys has a just baller house, but it's not fair to ask him to host all the time. Even at our humble-ass abode (someday we're going to upgrade to having a kitchen table, for instance) we have a good time. Hosting has its ups and downs. You have to clean up a bit, but you also don't have to drive.

    I met up with one guy the first time at a brewpub and then we went back to his place and he cracked bottles from his cellar. We get together every week or two now, his place or mine, and share stuff. Other than that, the best way might be to get a big group together and see who you want to invite back based on that. That's kind of what happened with us.

    Eight months ago, there was talk of maybe getting together four times a year to share stuff. There have since been seven full on tastings and a couple of other random bottle shares. It's all about finding the right mix of people.

    Good luck with this. Getting a regular tasting group of pretty like-minded folks is the best thing that ever happened to me with beer. The key is, like everything else, to not be a dick.
     
  14. goodbyeohio

    goodbyeohio Pooh-Bah (2,018) Jul 13, 2004 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'd be interested... but like Eric above said, to be honest, I'd like to keep it small. It takes some of the joy out of the whole thing when you have to split a 22oz bottle with 25 people. I end up not being able to enjoy the beer at a level up to my satisfaction, especially if I bought it because it's something I like that I want to drink (which defines most of my cellar). Forget about bringing a 12oz to any of this stuff. Any time I hear about an EPIC AWESOME TASTING where 20+ people are showing up, I hesitate to bring anything of note because it just seems like a waste. Those quantities work for bourbon or scotch, but not beer.
     
  15. Shmeal

    Shmeal Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2009 Oregon

    Seconded. Small would be nice, not so much for the small sampler pours, but because I can just hang out and talk to the small group of people instead of continuously rotate between groups so I can say hi to everyone.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.