Well it is November, and soon everyone’s attention will be focused on family gatherings, big meals, and shopping for presents. And at this time of year a great amount of beer and whiskey is purchased and consumed, but it is rarely the focus of the gathering. Instead it is Uncle Bernie and his fourth wife that you haven’t seen for 10 years, and one look at Uncle Bernie and his fourth wife and you remember why it has been 10 years since you last invited him to your home for the holidays. No, I will be attending a gathering that celebrates the beverage. An ungettables gathering. The concept is brilliant and pretty simple. Gather a group of people together, and everyone brings a bottle of beer that is not available locally.
This was the brainchild of Chad Brusse here in Boise. You might know him better as the Beer Poet or @BeerPoet on twitter. Invite 10 friends to get together at Brewforia, everyone bring a bottle of beer that you cannot find locally, and share the experience together. And really that is the fun part, sharing the experience. having an ungettable brew or whiskey is great, but sharing the experience with others that appreciate the rareness of the occurrence, and appreciate the drink is where the fun comes in.
So before you start to put together all your holiday plans, perhaps it would be possible for you to put together a different sort of gathering. One where the drink is the reason, and the people share the experience and make everyone’s night better. I am excited that I will be going to the latest gathering on the 21st at Brewforia.
I have four options to bring. I have Bourbon County Stout Rare. This is the BCS That has been aged in Pappy Van Winkle Barrels that previously aged their 23 year old bourbon. I also have a New Glarus Belgian Red. That is their Belgian Triple brewed with Cherries. Another possibility is the Bells Batch 9000. This is a pretty rare treet, and once it is gone it is gone for good! Finally I have a Duchesse De Bourgogne. Pretty pedestrian for you folks on the east coast, but in Idaho this is pretty rare. I haven’t had any of these before, so I will be able to share in the experience along with the others at the gathering. What brew do you think I should bring to share?
*Final Note* The picture above was from a Burning Man gathering in the Nevada Desert in 2007. Looks a lot like another famous tree house we all know. I bet they had some great beer to share!
So the question is, which came first the DFH treehouse, or the one at Burning Man?
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
It’s the same treehouse. We do a tasting once a month with half the beers coming from out of market and the rest split between in market and homebrews.
I thought it might be the same one. The look is so similar. I’ll bet they brought a lot to share!
The Duchesse, take the Duchesse. Everybody appreciates a lady.
The only problem with bringing the Duchesse is that the bottle I have is only 11.2 oz. Pretty small if we get 10 or more people who want a taste. So, I might bring one of the bombers. Or I might just bring her as a bonus. Decisions…decisions.
That’s plenty for folks to find out it sucks. 🙂
Well, we may find out all together!
Jim, you suck.
Damn. I don’t want to know what you’re bringing, Don! (Although, I am pretty stoked at your list.) Part of the fun is seeing what rarities others bring. An Ungettables Tasting is like beer geek Christmas.
You’re right, Don, it is about the experience. This surprised me a bit at the first event. I thought it would be all about the beer. But the shared experience of great beer with people who are seriously passionate about the beverage is something to behold. Good times indeed.
And since you’re putting it out there Don, by all means people, throw your own Ungettables Tasting wherever you happen to reside. You’ll meet new friends and enjoy beer that you might not have otherwise gotten a chance to. Plus, here’s another favorite aspect to these events: in a small and very fun way, you get to give the three tier system your middle finger. And who doesn’t like doing that!
Cheers!
Way to ruin Christmas Don!
Bears HATE Christmas! GROWRRR!
Then why the hell do they call it Decembear?!
Then WHY do we do it every year?
Oh, and I like “Ungettables Gathering.” Has a nice ring to it, Don.
Glad you liked it Chad. I think it puts the whole event into perspective! 😉
Don actually copied that name, it’s what he also calls his wifes underwear drawer.
Can you blame her, with all the claw marks and whanot?
Now that Jim has whiskers, what animal would he be? I said weasel, but I could go Marmot, Nutria, Swamp Rat…
Honey Badger!
Honey badger don’t give a sh!t!
The honey badger stuff needs to be over already.
I agree that the honey badger has jumped the shark, but damn if I didn’t laugh listening to it again today.
Oh, I’ve got others I could bring. I’m pretty sure I have a trick or two left up my sleeve. BTW Chad, thanks so much for putting this together. I think it will be a blast!
I’m sure you’ve got plenty of Ungettable treasures in that bunker, Don!
The treehouse is featured on Brew Masters “Grain to Glass” episode.
Nice idea Don. Unfortunately, all my old beer drinking buddies have dropped out of the game–age related health problems. But my son-in-law and I will both be bringing beery surprises for Turkeyday and Christmas–we do it every year. Will that count?