Imminent Liquidation - The Aftermath

First off, I'd like to extend personal gratitude to Paul Pendyck and the staff of The General Sutter Inn and Bulls Head Public House in Lititz, PA for hosting the inaugural "Imminent Liquidation" bottle share event.  Also, a big "thank you" to my fellow Team D(r)INK members Brandi, Dan and Kristen, Dain and Jill, Heath and Kim, and Deuane and Carolyn for assisting me with the planning and execution of this event.  Finally, a shout-out to Dean for coming early and helping out!

OK, now that the formalities are out of the way, let's talk beer.  And let me tell you, there was PLENTY flowing on Saturday afternoon in little ol' Lititz, PA!  Brandi, Dean and I arrived at The General Sutter at around 10:30am on a misty March 5th morning to set up some things for the event.  Dan, Kristen, Dain and Jill met us there early to help out, but to my surprise, the folks at the General Sutter were about three steps ahead of us, having already set up the water and rinse stations, seating, greeting table, raffle tickets and gift cards.  Paul was also preparing a special firkin of Jolly Pumpkin Nightmare Before Vicious (a sour wheat IPA), which Al's of Hampden in Enola, PA graciously donated for the event.

Firkin of Jolly Pumpkin "Nightmare Before Vicious"

  After enjoying a few samples (and getting in my lone beer review of the afternoon), people started to arrive, bottles started popping, and beer began to flow.  At first, it was extremely difficult to actually enjoy a sample of beer, because as soon as I'd pour something, somebody would come over to me with another awesome bottle.  When attending an event like this, you really need to avoid getting caught up into the "quantity over quality" competition, because you will surely LOSE!  Indeed, it is extremely difficult to pace yourself when ten beers you've never had before are suddenly flowing before your very eyes!  Needless to say, I'm not the "noob" I was a few years ago, so I was able to be a bit more selective, thus reducing my chances of becoming too inebriated to really enjoy the event.  Some of my personal highlights of the day were: East End Gratitude '05 (Al from Al's of Hampden brought a vertical run of '05 through '09!); Ithaca 13; Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak aged in Rum Barrels; and Three Floyds Broo Doo (I actually brought this... never had it before!).  Check out some pictures of the spread below...

Beer aside, it was also a fantastic, incident-free social event that brought together lots of folks from all around Central PA.  I received tons of positive feedback from all attendees about the venue, staff and food, so I am confident that "Imminent Liquidation" will become an annual beer event and gathering.  If you missed out on the festivities, never fear... things look promising for the Second Annual Central PA Bottle Share Event!  Cheers!

Me, Dan, Paul and Deuane

Imminent Liquidation is upon us!

On Saturday, March 5, The General Sutter Inn will host the inaugural "mother of all bottle share events" in the Central PA region.  Assembled for members of Beer Advocate and local craft beer enthusiasts, the event - dubbed "Imminent Liquidation" - allows participants to dust off rarities from their collective beer cellars and share them with fellow beer geeks.  Over the course of four hours (from 12 noon to 4pm), the event will allow participants to share and sample a variety of beers from potentially all over the world. 

While there is no admission per se, participants will be required to purchase a $10 gift card to The General Sutter Inn / Bulls Head Public House, which can be used either at the event for food or during a future visit.  Aside from the beer tastings, each participant will receive a free raffle ticket upon entry, and throughout the afternoon, several beer-related items donated from Beer Advocates and local businesses will be raffled off.  Some of the items include: a free overnight stay and breakfast for two at the Central Hotel and Conference Center in Harrisburg, PA (courtesy of the hotel); a 3L magnum of Stone Double Bastard (donated by Al's of Hampden) and a 2001 vintage 750mL Stoudt's Abbey Triple (donated by Mastracchio's Lounge).

If you plan to attend, please be sure to BRING YOUR OWN TASTING GLASS... preferably a small 4- or 5oz. tasting glass.

For more information, please visit The Bulls Head Public House or the official Beer Advocate event listing.  Hope to see you there!

Imminent Liquidation... it's official!

The inaugural Central PA Bottle Share Event will take place at The General Sutter Inn/Bulls Head Public House in Lititz, PA on Saturday, March 5, 2011 between 12:00 Noon and 4:00 PM.

The event, dubbed "Imminent Liquidation," will allow craft beer enthusiasts to dust off and bring rarities from their cellars and share with fellow BAs. Never fear, if you don't have any rare beers, feel free to bring a favorite from your fridge to share. It doesn't have to be a white whale or an uber-expensive corked and caged, hand numbered, limited edition, once-and-done batch. Just bring some good beer to share with everyone!

While there is no admission cost, participants will be required to purchase a $10 gift card, which can be used at The General Sutter Inn or Bulls Head Public House for food, drink or other merchandise. Food will be available via Bulls Head's Pub Fare menu, and will be pay as you go. You are not required to buy food at the event, however.

All participants will be required to wear nametags, which will be available at the greeting table upon entry to the event. Participants will also receive one FREE raffle ticket upon entry at no additional charge. Later in the afternoon, we will raffle off a few beer-related items donated from fellow BAs and area businesses. Please note that raffle tickets will NOT be available for purchase, and each participant will receive only one raffle ticket.  ALSO, PLEASE PLAN ON BRINGING YOUR OWN TASTING GLASS.  Please try to bring a small 4oz. to half pint glass rather than a full pint glass, if possible. 

While The General Sutter does have a small parking lot in the rear of the building, space is extremely limited (only six spaces). Event parking will be limited to what is available on the streets, as well as in the school parking lot, also in the rear of The General Sutter Inn. Please plan accordingly and car-pool if possible. Make sure to bring change for the parking meters. There is a two-hour meter limit, so you may need to feed the meters throughout the afternoon.  Also, The General Sutter Inn has seventeen rooms available to accommodate those who plan to attend the event, but must travel from afar. 

Imminent Liquidation is sponsored by The General Sutter Inn and Bulls Head Public House in conjunction with The Pour Travelers beer blog.

For more information about Imminent Liquidation, please email me.  Please do not contact The General Sutter Inn directly.

The General Sutter Inn is located at 14 East Main Street, Lititz, PA. For location information or directions, please visit www.generalsutterinn.com or call (717) 626-2115.

Imminent Liquidation!

Get ready to mark your calendars and dust off some rare gems from your beer cellars!  I am pleased to announce that I have been successful in organizing a bottle share event for Central PA Beer Advocates!  The event will be called "Imminent Liquidation" and will be held at The General Sutter Inn in Lititz, PA on Saturday, March 5, 2011 between 12 Noon and 4pm.  Stay tuned for more details very soon!