Duke787

Awesome thank you!! I'll plan to just do the table side and try some beers and then have them fetch the 12 pack.

I've got some bubble wrap and tape on order from Amazon to take with me so hopefully that'll be sufficient. I usually use wine diapers for beer/wine but I'm not sure I've got enough for 12 separate bottles so bubble wrap seems like the best bet

gobluetwo

My local Costco has Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest, which I prefer to the Warsteiner. Just had a couple the other night. Good stuff.

zippy the pinhead

Wine diapers are great for wine, but for a carbonated beverage like beer, they're expensive and maybe not well-suited to the application. I have my little kit, at this point, refined over several visits. I usually go for 24 bottles, spread 'round two bags. Space inside the bags isn't really the issue; weight is. I usually take:

• 60 sheets of bubble wrap, about 12" by 18";
• 50 gallon size ziploc bags;
• A roll of strong box tape;
• Pair of scissors for cutting aforementioned box tape;
• A hand-held luggage scale

I wrap the bottles individually, rolling them up with a sheet of bubble wrap, secured with tape, and double-bag them. I use a few extra sheets of bubble wrap to cover the periphery of the bottles and lay in the suitcase as extra insurance against breakage. I sometimes watch those baggage handlers on the tarmac, and those guys can be hard on a bag, even when it's plastered with FRAGILE stickers, so I always insulate the bottles generously.

My brother, who drives to RRBC, always laughs at my elaborate transport scheme, but like I said, I'm very thankful for no broken bottles yet.

Once a bag is loaded, I weigh it carefully. I've not paid an overweight bag fee yet.

I have an expandable Costco rollaboard and a 24" spinner that I use for this, and I secure them with straps.

I've booked a stay in the area next year and plan to visit RRBC, but hopefully will be driving up this time. No need for the kit, as I'll have a 150 quart marine grade cooler.

That place does get hoppin' on the weekends. Weekday or weekend, my routine is breakfast by 9, in the queue by 10-ish, and get a table right when they open at 10:30. Have a few pints, head out for lunch, and then a nap back at the hotel.

kipper

Wine diapers?

zippy the pinhead

Yep, Wine diapers.

Duke787

Yeah they are amazing. I bought them on a whim in 2014 before going to Australia because I didn't want the one time use Wineskins and they've been great ever since.

​​​​​I've brought wine, scotch/whisky/bourbon, beer (cans), olive oil, etc., back from all sorts of places with multiple connections on the way back and never had them fail thus far. Just wish I had thought of the idea first!

JY1024

Heady Topper, Ballast Unfiltered Sculpin

braslvr

Carnegie 100W IPA. Stockholm, Sweden. Quite good but like all beer here, ridiculously priced at over $9USD per .4 liter glass.

kipper

Very interesting.
I will have to try them!

james89

Fremont Lush. Delicious.

der_saeufer

Duvel Triple Hop. Tastes like the love child of standard Belgian blonde ale (Leffe, etc.) and a West Coast IPA.

So far the only 'hoppy' Belgian beer I've found worth drinking. Not cheap (€7 for a 4-pack), but cheaper than a trip to London or back to the US and a nice addition to the rotation of double and triple ales and tasty fruit beers. Belgians make great Belgian beer, but there are very, very few places making any other styles. Americans are spoiled by the ability to have Belgian beer today, German beer tomorrow, English beer next week and something really weird like chipotle chocolate stout to mix it up... sometimes all at the same brewery if you're lucky.

BamaVol

One of my local watering places switched the "Rotating IPA" when I wasn't looking. It's been the same beer since April or May because that's what the manager likes. Sat down and ordered an Elysian Spacedust only to be told it was no longer available. This is a place with few selections worth drinking. With some trepidation, I asked what it had been replaced by.

Hop Gun by Funky Buddha. Even though FB is my favorite Florida brewery, I had never tried their IPA until last night. An excellent replacement, in my opinion.

thelark

Founders KBS

BamaVol

Out tonight at the local brewery taproom. My first choice was a nitro Irish dry stout. I have no idea what makes it dry. The beertender did a smart thing and poured 2 pints, combining them when the heads had sufficiently settled.

The follow up was a gose, no fruit flavor. I think I like it better when it's flavored.

tcook052

Pabst Blue Ribbon