I'm from the Philly area and one of the things I enjoy about GenCon is traveling to Indy and trying beers that haven't made it to my area yet, but will probably be here in a year or two; I had Goose Island and Fat Tire in Indy at least a year or two before it started popping up in the Philly area. I honestly wouldn't know what to bring because I don't know how far some of the beers brewed in my area have gotten across the US; It also doesn't help that I do not like many of the beers brewed in the area because I think they are too hoppy so I would be making blind recommendations. If anyone has any recommendations on beers they would like to try from Yards, Victory, Troegs, etc...I would be more than happy to pick some up and bring them.
Arcus, Manayunk is in your area and I don't think they have distro where I am. I'd be down for any of their stuff - specifically their Flanders or Gose. What kind of brews are you looking for?
You're not the only one Arcus in the less than fond of hops crowd. I'm out of Ohio Valley and always looking for a good porter or american stout. Fortunately i've got Great Lakes in my proverbial back yard and some other nice smaller operations that are starting to pickup here in the region.
Central location would be a plus, I volunteer during con and have my volunteer training late Wed afternoon/early evening. Before or after that is the traditional trade and token swap meet so my time is restricted. That said if we pick a place and time i'll figure some way to either be there or at least swing by.
Brotherbock, depends on the day, i'm up east of Cleveland a bit. Some of the Columbus brewing makes it this far if i hunt a little for it. I volunteer for True Dungeon and participate in the annual token swap/trade session on Wed evening. A little more difficult as this is first year TD is in the stadium and nobody really knows timings, exactly where we're going to end up at for trades and such.
Arcus, yeah aside from Dortmunder most of their stuff is Fall/Winter but then again i drink the heavy stuff year round. Do like a good shandy when it does eventually warm up here in Ohio.
If you can find some of that Columbus IPA, I can def bring something to trade, sixer for sixer even for that. Other stuff I can go bottle for bottle as interesting brews pop up :)
Remind/message me when we get closer till exactly what it is and i'll take a look see what I can find. Otherwise i'll tend to bring up some stuff from Thirsty Dog brewing company (great black lager) or something else suitably local. I wish i could committ on time but until I know my volunteer schedule i just don't know. I do plan on being to Indy relatively early as I have to check in for my group at the hotel this year.
Brotherbock, I suppose that leaves more IIPAs and sours for me :)
We'll have to discuss what time works for everyone when the event gets closer. I think our CT group will be there by 6-7pm and stuff goes on outside the convention center fairly late if I remember correctly.
Other Philadelphia area breweries: Philadelphia Brewing Co, Susquehanna, and Lancaster to name a few. Some East Coast breweries: Dog Fish Head, Southern Tier, Riverhorse, Ommegang, Flying Fish, & Long Trial to name a few.
I'm looking to bring a six pack or two so if anyone has any special requests from these breweries or others on my side of the US, please let me know and I'll toss a bottle in for you if I can find one.
@infectionagenda - Ever have a Flemish Sour Ale? Delicious!
@arcus yes several - Monks Cafe, duchesse de Bourgogne, ommegang's Zuur... Great stuff. Sun King brews a sour called Velour Soccer Mom that's outstanding. Looking forward to picking more up during gencon.
Little History: Monk's Tavern in Philly is considered the first bar in the US to ever have Chimay on tap and boasted a selection of over 200 bottles of beer decades before the beer craze hit the US. If you wanted rare beers, it was the place to go. Due to the connections the owner developed traveling Europe for beers, he was able to bring Chimay on tap and have a brewery make their signature Flemish Sour Ale. If you like that sort of beer, it is definitely one to have.
I don't think we have Sun King in my area so if u see a bottle of the beer you mentioned, please grab me one.
Sun King is right down the road from the convention. Don't think the distro goes outside of Indy but I could be wrong.
i see a lot of people interested in stouts so I will bring some local ones. Was also planning on bringing some stuff from treehouse but their stuff tends to be hoppy juice bombs. Hope there are also some hop heads interested in trading.
Looking forward to meeting and trading with you all!!
boc_mage wrote: jaysirignano wrote: Sun King is right down the road from the convention. Don't think the distro goes outside of Indy but I could be wrong. i see a lot of people interested in stouts so I will bring some local ones. Was also planning on bringing some stuff from treehouse but their stuff tends to be hoppy juice bombs. Hope there are also some hop heads interested in trading. Looking forward to meeting and trading with you all!! Stouts to fortify oneself before the madness of gencon works for me. I've never really tried much of Sun King. At con i tend to do my drinking mostly of the three wise men stuff on tap at Scotties and the whatever Granite city has on tap during con. We went to Scottie's last year and wasn't too impressed. Tried the goblin ale which was good but the food was meh. I'll have to check out the other breweries. We are doing the bus tour this year. Excited to try more local flavors.
Most people tend to have a love/hate with Scotties, either you love the place or go meh and never venture back. Fortunately lots of good places to eat and drink around the convention center. Once con starts proper i don't really leave the dungeon so i tend to fall into predictable habits.
My buddy and I found Scotties about 6 years ago during the Con and really thought we found a hidden gem as they actively welcomed attendees and catered some of their activities toward us, like dressing up and playing movies instead of just sports. About four years ago, I think a new manager took over and he is and avid gamer. He really got the place to go the whole nine yards for Gencon. Unfortunately, I think it had a negative effect as the quality of the service took a hard hit during the Con. I'm not saying they do not try, but I don't think they encounter this volume of people regularly and often look lost, at least behind the bar anyway. The food has been meh for quite a few years now as well. I worked in the industry for a number of years, six as a bartender, so I can be more understanding than maybe the average customer, but it also means it is easier to recognize some of the things that is causing the dip in quality.