Beer trades: What people want . . .

I’ve mentioned before that one of my other hobbies is Medieval re-creation, and every summer we go to western Pennsylvania for a week for two to camp with 10,000 other people as crazy as we are.

Since people are traveling from all over the country to get there (we also gets Brits and Aussies and the odd Israeli), it’s a great chance for beer-trading.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been in touch with folks, mainly from the Midwest, trying to figure out what I’d like them to bring and what I can bring for them.

The answer to the latter question is Saranac. For folks outside of the region, it’s a highly sought after beer, especially the mixed packs, because there are so many different beers in them. Also, I think Saranac’s one of those breweries that people feel is consistently good across different styles. One of the most asked-for varieties is the Black and Tan.

Another commonly requested brewery is Long Trail, and again I think it’s for overall consistency and for specific varieties, such as Blackbeary Wheat and Double Bag.

Magic Hat also draws a number of requests, especially for the No. 9.

One specific beer that folks ask for is the Ubu Ale from Lake Placid.

This year’s list from my friend Henry in the Midwest asked for Victory Wild Devil
And three from Troegs -- Flying Mouflan, Nugget Nectar or Dead Reckoning


If people say, “Pick what you think is best,” I will start with the 12-packs of Cooperstown Brewing (they are actually packing a 13th beer as a promotion. There’s a lighter-brewed pack with ales and the pilsner and the darker pack, which includes the stout, porter and my favorite from them – Pride of Milford, a strong ale.

I will also often pick up some Trout River, especially if they like the Oatmeal Stout. Wanting to promote very local beer, I sometimes bring Dacker from Davidson Brothers Brewing in Glens Falls or Brown Brewing from Troy.

In the next post: So what do I ask for?