BWCA To Beer or not to Beer Boundary Waters Listening Point


BWCA Messageboard

BWCA and Quetico Park Books and Magazines

Find Outfitters for the Boundary Waters Quetico

Boundary Waters (BWCA) photo gallery and individual photo journals

Boundary Waters Message Board and Forums.

username

password

Remember Me

Boundary Waters Guide Service
Site Search
	Contact Us
	Route Guide

Chat Rooms (5 Chatting) | Search | Login/Join

* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.

View BWCA Photo and Trip Report Contest Page

Poll: What is your favorite month in the BWCA/Q?
(486 responses)

2012 BWCA Photo Contest Results

Boundary Waters Quetico Forum

Listening Point - General Discussion

To Beer or not to Beer

View Boundary Waters Map Locations

Route Guide

community sponsor

Canadian Waters Canoe Outfitters

Last Visit: 05/22/2013 06:16PM
Sort by

Author

Message Text

shavdaddy81

04/04/2012 11:49AM

Okay...first off let me say we are not a bunch of lushes! Strangely enough the main question I keep getting from my group is "what about beer?" So....what about beer? I read no bottles, no cans...it would be nice though to share a beer over fish, or beer batter up some fish even.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

griswold

04/04/2012 12:00PM

We trip with tequila and lemonade...oh and we're not "lushes" either;)

Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling.~Thoreau

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

stormrider1

04/04/2012 12:01PM

We like to bring a few cans for the first night, and then just booze after that. (we like to pack light) Only bad part is carrying the empty cans all week, but it is worth it, to have steak, potatoes, and a beer or two the first night.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Papa09

04/04/2012 12:20PM

Depending upon what kind of trip we are taking we always bring beer, just depends on how much we want to carry. We have done basecamping with coolers with ice and bring 2-3 cases per person. We have also done longer trips with more portages and multiple campsites where we only bring a case for 4 guys. In this case, we carry it an extra backpack and sink the backpack as deep as possible and hope the beer gets cold enough to enjoy.

No matter how much we bring and how we carry it we ALWAYS bring plastic bottles. They are 16 ouncers so for every 3 beers you are actually getting 4.

Carry the empties can get to be a pain in the ass, but if you want beer you have to do what you have to do!

pa

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

arctic

04/04/2012 12:23PM

You can buy beer in plastic bottles in Ely, but who wants to carry that much weight around? Better to go with the whisky.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

inspector13

04/04/2012 12:58PM

Yes, no glass bottles, or cans that hold any food or drink are allowed in the BWCAW. If beer is something everyone really wants, you can buy certain common brands that come in plastic bottles at some liquor stores, or you can repackage it in plastic bottles yourselves.

Maybe have group members that keep asking about it carry around a case of beer for an extended period of time, before you make that decision.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

fadersup

04/04/2012 01:11PM

Stop at Fitgers in Duluth. The beer they brew is knock-out good and I understand that they have plastic growlers for tripping. Really excellent beer. Beer.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Guest Paddler

04/04/2012 01:19PM

Nothing beats a BWCA sunset with a Fitger's Apricot Wheat!

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

housty9

04/04/2012 01:42PM

I've seen groups carry kegs in little heavy for me.

our we there yet

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Fish_Bones

04/04/2012 01:54PM

No beer for us, just vodka and crystal light. But this year I'm thinking of bring some wine in a bag as well. One of my newbies works for a wine distributor so his job is to research the better wine in a bag. Nothing like a nice red to go with my steak the first night.

Oh, we not lushes either, for us it is for medicinal purposes.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

shavdaddy81

04/04/2012 03:25PM

quote inspector13: "
Yes, no glass bottles, or cans that hold any food or drink are allowed in the BWCAW. If beer is something everyone really wants, you can buy certain common brands that come in plastic bottles at some liquor stores, or you can repackage it in plastic bottles yourselves.

Maybe have group members that keep asking about it carry around a case of beer for an extended period of time, before you make that decision.

"

I can picture this happening and it is very funny to me...I may just turn them loose in the yard for a few hours while I sit in a lawn chair then see what the verdict is. ;)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

airmorse

04/04/2012 03:27PM

No beer. I find that Makers Mark and or Captain Morgan works just fine.

"It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and you think you've got the stock market beat...but a man worth while is a man who can smile when his shorts are to tight in the seat", Judge Smails.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Savage Voyageur

04/04/2012 05:03PM

Our group likes to bring a case of plastic bottles, Miller I think. Tastes good if you put it in the cold lake

"So many lakes, so little time."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

PaddleAway

04/04/2012 05:08PM

If you like good beer I'd double-down on the Fitger's plastic growlers.

That being said, I never bring beer or booze into the BWCA. I love a good beer, probably more than most of you (I have a beer cellar), but hey, I figure it's a 5-10 day vacation for my liver as well as the rest of me. :>

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

lundojam

04/04/2012 05:46PM

We have a dediated wine pack for boxes of wine. Use the search function and you can get lots of info. Red wine is good because it doesn't have to be cold to be good. I am a lush, so I also bring scotch or something.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Canoeski999

04/04/2012 06:09PM

quote Fish_Bones: "No beer for us, just vodka and crystal light. But this year I'm thinking of bring some wine in a bag as well. One of my newbies works for a wine distributor so his job is to research the better wine in a bag. Nothing like a nice red to go with my steak the first night.

Oh, we not lushes either, for us it is for medicinal purposes. "

I'm with you. Vodka and crystal light is great at night but we also bring whiskey for morning coffee.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

billconner

04/04/2012 06:13PM

So is a keg a metal container and not allowed? hmmmm I've taken wine in boxes and that's kind of nice - cheap red for pizza and white for the pasta alfredos. First task upon landing is drop the wine in lake with rocks in mesh bag on a rope.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

04/04/2012 08:11PM

fitgers nalgene growlers ftw! starfire pale ale-its Trump tight like bowls and bob

that's how I ro'

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

PlumberDave

04/04/2012 08:45PM

No beer here.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

mc2mens

04/04/2012 09:01PM

We've never brought in beer, but we always bring in red wine. Buy good box wine and take the bladders out of the box. They go in one of our blue barrels. The wine goes good with meals and after too. And it doesn't need chilling.

"Big fish eat little fish."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

snakecharmer

04/04/2012 09:36PM

I always throw a couple beers in the pack. Nothing goes better with shore lunch.

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after"
~ Henry David Thoreau

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/04/2012 09:48PM

I'm thinking about bringing some homebrews this year. Something about the surroundings & the work necessary to get there...I think a beer that I made would go pretty good with that! Now I have to decide what kind - Dry Stout, Rye Pale Ale, Bourbon Barrel Porter, IPA, or brew up a "BWCA Brown" specifically for the trip....decisions decisions!!

I am a lush...but not a loud one : )

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Savage Voyageur

04/04/2012 10:30PM

quote BillConner01: "So is a keg a metal container and not allowed? hmmmm I've taken wine in boxes and that's kind of nice - cheap red for pizza and white for the pasta alfredos. First task upon landing is drop the wine in lake with rocks in mesh bag on a rope."

Yes a keg is in a metal container, It in in a aluminum container that is reusable and IS legal to bring in as long as you pack it out.

"So many lakes, so little time."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

AdamXChicago

04/04/2012 10:35PM

Booze-free zone

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Chilly

04/04/2012 11:29PM

I empty 6-10 bottles of Bells Hopslam into an empty plastic gallon milk/water jug. Used to bring a plastic growler from the Brewhouse but when on vacation why not have the best!

"Now days these kids take out everything: radar, sonar, electric toothbrushs" Quint

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

desertcanoe

04/05/2012 12:21AM

wow, congratulations on managing to not drink all your Hopslam by canoe season. I have two left. Not a chance they'll see May.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

PINETREE

04/05/2012 08:44AM

What ever you do is fine with me,I do remember years ago on Peter lake some people had a keg and they were drunk and swearing and telling people to get off their lake. The young kids we had with us and everybody else it still leaves a bad memory experience.
Just like everything a little control.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

oldgentleman

04/05/2012 10:00AM

I have seen guys packing in a pony keg. They were base camping and fishing for a week.

I take in a fifth of Bushmills Irish carried in a couple flasks.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

CapitalCity

04/05/2012 11:10AM

One- Fitgers Nalgene growler full of Apricot Wheat
One- liter of 12yr Jameson.

We brought a fresh pineapple last year and saved the juice. I am normally a whiskey and water kinda guy but fresh pineapple juice, Jameson and a side of fried walleye is something everyone should try once in life after a long day of portaging and paddling.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

shavdaddy81

04/05/2012 11:37AM

quote PINETREE: "What ever you do is fine with me,I do remember years ago on Peter lake some people had a keg and they were drunk and swearing and telling people to get off their lake. The young kids we had with us and everybody else it still leaves a bad memory experience.
Just like everything a little control. "

I hate that for you man...My group is going to be too lazy to carry enough to get drunk anyways. Similar thing happened to me at a ball game this year. "Daddy, what does F*** Yeah!! mean?"

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

mr.barley

04/05/2012 04:42PM

As a homebrewer, I used to bottle some beer into plastic bottles and bring a few with on trips. I'm not real big on carrying the added weight anymore and stick to a qt of bourbon to sip on at night.
Oh,and I also have a beer cellar at home and work for a brewery.

Because I'm wearing one and I just did....

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

oldtown

04/05/2012 08:46PM

I have been asking myself this question for years now, maybe this is the year of the beer, not big on the hard stuff.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

walter

04/05/2012 10:28PM

quote Chilly: "I empty 6-10 bottles of Bells Hopslam into an empty plastic gallon milk/water jug. Used to bring a plastic growler from the Brewhouse but when on vacation why not have the best! "

Just curious, does the beer stay carbinated long? I love the Hopslam!

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Chilly

04/05/2012 11:13PM

quote walter: "quote Chilly: "I empty 6-10 bottles of Bells Hopslam into an empty plastic gallon milk/water jug. Used to bring a plastic growler from the Brewhouse but when on vacation why not have the best! "

Just curious, does the beer stay carbinated long? I love the Hopslam!"

nope, but with our crew I'd be happy if it even made it to camp. Beer gremlins were common place on portages but I never did see one.

"Now days these kids take out everything: radar, sonar, electric toothbrushs" Quint

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

trailcherry

04/07/2012 10:02AM

I watched 4 guys carry 5 cases of beer into Tuscarora, looked like a lot of extra work. We blew by them, had camp set up and went out fishing. While trolling by the portage we found them sitting there having a beer, they looked BEAT. No beer here.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

overthehill

04/07/2012 10:26AM

quote trailcherry: "I watched 4 guys carry 5 cases of beer into Tuscarora, looked like a lot of extra work. We blew by them, had camp set up and went out fishing. While trolling by the portage we found them sitting there having a beer, they looked BEAT. No beer here."

Yep. Can drink beer anytime. Too much to see and do in BW. Beer doesn't make it up the priority list very far with me when you carry everything on your back or in a canoe.

Not to Hurry-Not to Worry

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

motdur

04/07/2012 11:08AM

quote Savage Voyageur: "quote BillConner01: "So is a keg a metal container and not allowed? hmmmm I've taken wine in boxes and that's kind of nice - cheap red for pizza and white for the pasta alfredos. First task upon landing is drop the wine in lake with rocks in mesh bag on a rope."

Yes a keg is in a metal container, It in in a aluminum container that is reusable and IS legal to bring in as long as you pack it out."

Savage Voyageur...I'm confused by your response. Here is what the regs say. What am I missing?

Containers

•Cans and glass bottles are not allowed.
•Containers of fuel, insect repellent, medicines, personal toilet articles, and other items that are not foods or beverages are the only cans and bottles you may keep in their original containers.
•Food may be packaged in plastic containers that must be packed out with you.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

mr.barley

04/07/2012 01:01PM

Kegs are actually stainless steel and allowed to bring in. People pay a big deposit on these things and it is very unlikely that they would be left in the woods. They also make nice marker bouys when empty.

Because I'm wearing one and I just did....

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Woodtick

04/07/2012 03:24PM

No beer here. Just straight vodka - helps me sleep like the logs in the woods.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/08/2012 07:48AM

Can anyone give any more info on the Fitgers plastic growlers? How big are they? Sounds like that might be an option this year.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TuscaroraBorealis

04/08/2012 10:16AM

The simple answer is just this. If you're willing to portage it? Go for it!

I have brought some on various trips. Just depends on who I'm tripping with & the objectives of the trip. We got lucky a few years back & found some snow/ice in late May that added to the enjoyment of said beverages immensley. :)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Savage Voyageur

04/08/2012 11:30AM

quote motdur: "quote Savage Voyageur: "quote BillConner01: "So is a keg a metal container and not allowed? hmmmm I've taken wine in boxes and that's kind of nice - cheap red for pizza and white for the pasta alfredos. First task upon landing is drop the wine in lake with rocks in mesh bag on a rope."

Yes a keg is in a metal container, It in in a aluminum container that is reusable and IS legal to bring in as long as you pack it out."

Savage Voyageur...I'm confused by your response. Here is what the regs say. What am I missing?

Containers

•Cans and glass bottles are not allowed.
•Containers of fuel, insect repellent, medicines, personal toilet articles, and other items that are not foods or beverages are the only cans and bottles you may keep in their original containers.
•Food may be packaged in plastic containers that must be packed out with you.
"

I was responding to a question from BillConner1 that asked if Kegs were legal. They are legal. I have seen many people bring them in and have no problem with this. I also know of a outfitter that holds kegs for a group of paddles close to ELY at there lodge. The law is written for food cans and Beer bottles mainly as I understand it. Not Kegs of beer. Never heard of people packing out empty beer kegs left by others. Beer cans and food cans are everywhere in the BWCA lakes and woods. Bring a pair of goggles and swim next to a camp sometime, you will see many of the old pop top cans. If you find out anything about kegs of beer from a Ranger please post for us to read because I have been told it is legal.

"So many lakes, so little time."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Woods Walker

04/08/2012 01:10PM

I never drink beer outside the BWCA, so don't see drinking any on a trip... I would possibly have a mixed drink with a friend, if they brought some along, but I'm not carrying it in.

A road is a dagger placed in the heart of a wilderness. -William O. Douglas, in Ghost Grizzlies

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

willpaddleforsmallies

04/09/2012 10:31PM

I bottle some homebrew in 20 oz. plastic bottles for the first night. Each man carries his own. I sink it to the bottom of the lake in my basketball net anchor/beer chiller while we set up camp and cook the steaks. Worth it for 1, but whiskey or sailor jerry the rest of the time. Cheers!

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/09/2012 10:40PM

quote willpaddleforsmallies: "I bottle some homebrew in 20 oz. plastic bottles for the first night. Each man carries his own. I sink it to the bottom of the lake in my basketball net anchor/beer chiller while we set up camp and cook the steaks. Worth it for 1, but whiskey or sailor jerry the rest of the time. Cheers!"

Homebrew and Smallies...two of my favorite things! That's what I'm thinking....I'll carry in a growler or two for the first night or two. After that it'll be Bushmills & lake water.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

h20

04/09/2012 10:53PM

quote Chilly: "I empty 6-10 bottles of Bells Hopslam into an empty plastic gallon milk/water jug. Used to bring a plastic growler from the Brewhouse but when on vacation why not have the best! "Couldn't find the 10 oz.bottles, but the 12 oz'ers worked good. Also fitgers Nalgene bottles are fine. Try the Starfire Ale.

Buy the ticket, take the ride .Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

h20

04/09/2012 10:58PM

Hopslam is v good, carbonated or not.

Buy the ticket, take the ride .Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

DayDreamin

04/10/2012 12:33PM

quote h20: "Hopslam is v good, carbonated or not."

agreed

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

shoreviewswede

04/10/2012 12:38PM

Beer always strikes me as too much trouble. Always a box of wine for us.

Be Nice -Swede

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

wb4syth

04/10/2012 12:49PM

A couple years ago I brought in Everclear - more bang for the weight. Considering I don't remember the last game of cribage, and apparently I nearly knocked my head on a log trying to stumble to the tent - Never again...
Now it is just vodka and Tang or Crystal Lite - and not much at that.

I've thought about a few beers but it seems such a hassle.

"I'm not superstitious. I'm a little stitious" - Michael Scott

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Ingvald

04/10/2012 02:26PM

quote wb4syth: "A couple years ago I brought in Everclear - more bang for the weight. Considering I don't remember the last game of cribage, and apparently I nearly knocked my head on a log trying to stumble to the tent - Never again...
Now it is just vodka and Tang or Crystal Lite - and not much at that.

I've thought about a few beers but it seems such a hassle."

And here I thought I'd invented the Tangdriver...

A bottle of Candian Club always seems appropriate too.

Honesty is my only excuse.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Bwoods

04/10/2012 02:40PM

I just had to add this excerpt of a message from my brewing buddy. He has not done any sort of canoeing that involves portaging. This is in regards to a porter that I had asked him to make and bottle in plastic growlers for my next trip. He must have missed the request for plastic.

"My concern for you guys is the extra weight and bulk (corny keg, dispensing line, CO2 dispenser and cartridges.) I think the equipment would make it and pour but depending on the roughness of the water you may be serving foam."

I responded back saying that we may have to enjoy the beer at the outfitter before leaving if he can't bottle it in plastic for us. I can't imaging lugging all of that stuff on a 9 day trip just to enjoy a couple of nights of beer drinking.

I may have to take him up on the offer for some moonshine instead.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/10/2012 04:38PM

Funny mental image...bobbing in waves on Sag trying to pour the perfect brew with your corny keg! If he's set up to keg the beer, I'd just have him fill up a few plastic jugs (I'd use 64oz juice containers or something with better caps than a milk jug) and electric tape the lid around the circumference. That should get you a couple days no problem. That's basically what breweries do when they fill your glass growlers from their draft lines.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

DayDreamin

04/10/2012 05:14PM

This message has had HTML content edited out of it.
quote Ingvald: "quote wb4syth: "A couple years ago I brought in Everclear - more bang for the weight. Considering I don't remember the last game of cribage, and apparently I nearly knocked my head on a log trying to stumble to the tent - Never again...
Now it is just vodka and Tang or Crystal Lite - and not much at that.

I've thought about a few beers but it seems such a hassle."

And here I thought I'd invented the Tangdriver...

A bottle of Candian Club always seems appropriate too."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Bwoods

04/10/2012 08:24PM

quote TeamTuna06: "Funny mental image...bobbing in waves on Sag trying to pour the perfect brew with your corny keg! If he's set up to keg the beer, I'd just have him fill up a few plastic jugs (I'd use 64oz juice containers or something with better caps than a milk jug) and electric tape the lid around the circumference. That should get you a couple days no problem. That's basically what breweries do when they fill your glass growlers from their draft lines.

"

Thanks for the advice, I will pass it on to my buddy if he hasn't already figured that out himself.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

card0056

04/11/2012 03:33PM

I do something really goofy just so we have beer the first and second night. I pour it in a vacuum seal bag and seal it (obviously I can;t vacuum it) and then I freeze it. I put one bottle per bag and make the bag big as it does expand after it thaws. I have been doing this for the last 6 years and its a good conversation topic. It gets a little flat but it tastes really good after a day in the BW. Doesn't everything taste better The first night its still semi icey chunks and the next day its air temp. I usually end up taking a 6-12 bags and use them as ice packs to keep stuff frozen as well. Plus you cant beat the fun of trying to drink beer out of a flexible bag.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

keth0601

04/11/2012 08:30PM

quote Ingvald: "quote wb4syth: "A couple years ago I brought in Everclear - more bang for the weight. Considering I don't remember the last game of cribage, and apparently I nearly knocked my head on a log trying to stumble to the tent - Never again...
Now it is just vodka and Tang or Crystal Lite - and not much at that.

I've thought about a few beers but it seems such a hassle."

And here I thought I'd invented the Tangdriver...

A bottle of Candian Club always seems appropriate too."

Another one for the everclear + tang combo here tried it, once was enough. Now I bring in a 50:50 mix of Jameson and Baileys works great and not too strong.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

luft

04/14/2012 09:33PM

That Jameson Baileys mix sounds very good nightcap for cool weather tripping. I might have to borrow that idea.

I like the idea of Everclear in terms of shaving weight off the food packs but your stories are making me very afraid to try it! Sounds dangerous:-)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

gutmon

04/14/2012 09:44PM

quote desertcanoe: "wow, congratulations on managing to not drink all your Hopslam by canoe season. I have two left. Not a chance they'll see May."
I have some- sell you a six-pack for $35.

"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, but that they know so much that just ain't so." Mark Twain

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

BearBrown

04/15/2012 07:02PM

We brought in a solid array of booze on our last trip all in plastic 750ml bottles. Redstag, svedka, windsor, hot 100, blue 100, peppermint schnapps. Over 5 days for 6 guys only the vodka partially survived.

Beer for the first night would be a real treat, but I have yet to carry that much in. Booze just gets you a little more buzz for the weight. Plus its nice on those cold wet days, and chilly nights.

Richard "Bear" Brown----- "I would rather give someone one photograph they can't live without than one hundred they can live with." anonymous

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Traveler

04/15/2012 08:12PM

I am not a big drinker but I do think looking forward to a cold one after coming out is part of the trip. I cannot imagine carrying beer into the woods. I drink tea around the campfire. Tea bags don't weigh much.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

MrMooseMan

04/21/2012 02:25PM

5 liter mini kegs for our base camps.

Be safe out there! And stay hydrated.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

fishguts

04/21/2012 02:34PM

I am an Ex-Drinker.....16 years off the stuff.
I wonder about all the thought, time, and energy being devoted
to this booze you don't need and don't have a problem with....
"lushes!" ???

fishguts

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Hawbakers

04/21/2012 02:46PM

Oh yeah for the first night. Miller in plastic to have with our steaks!

"Far more interesting than the chase itself is the observation, the study of the life histories of the strange and wonderful creatures of the wilderness." President Theodore Roosevelt

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Jeriatric

04/21/2012 03:10PM

Evidently the dehydrated beer people have a good product but are still not in production.

http://www.patsbcb.com/beer/43-beer/85-beer.html

Sorry, the "add a link" feature did not work for me this time. The link takes you to Pat's Backcountry Beverages site.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

HowardSprague

04/21/2012 03:37PM

Well, I've never brought in beer but a brew or two in camp might be nice.
Instead of boxed wine, I buy a decent one and transfer it to a PLaty Preserve container and it works great. Since you push the air out of it, I'm wondering if a couple beers could be poured into a Platy Preserve container and be decent enough for a couple nights. Even if it's not as carbonated, it's a choice - a good beer minus a few suds, or a cheap beer in plastic bottles -- fully carbonated but still a subpar beer.
Might just experiment at home and see how it goes..transfer a cold beer into the platy, wrap it up and put it in a pack or something, then try it 8-12 hrs later.

"Enjoy every sandwich"

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Scout64

04/21/2012 04:46PM

We are debating on trying the coors light home draft keg this year. It is plastic and holds about 1.5 gallons. Hopefully the lake can keep it fairly cool. We are going in early june, so I am guessing it won't take much to keep it cool. 13 lbs. is it worth it????

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

kanoes

04/21/2012 04:58PM

quote Scout64: "We are debating on trying the coors light home draft keg this year. It is plastic and holds about 1.5 gallons. Hopefully the lake can keep it fairly cool. We are going in early june, so I am guessing it won't take much to keep it cool. 13 lbs. is it worth it????"
coors light, 13 lbs. worth it? no, imo.

now, if it was a gallon and a half of schells maifest...maybe. :)

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Beaverjack

04/21/2012 05:11PM

If I was to take beer, I'd be sure it was "light" beer.

Tony

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Scout64

04/21/2012 08:30PM

quote kanoes: "quote Scout64: "We are debating on trying the coors light home draft keg this year. It is plastic and holds about 1.5 gallons. Hopefully the lake can keep it fairly cool. We are going in early june, so I am guessing it won't take much to keep it cool. 13 lbs. is it worth it????"
coors light, 13 lbs. worth it? no, imo.

now, if it was a gallon and a half of schells maifest...maybe. :)"

Or Surly Bender...I would be happy to carry 26lbs. It could have it's own pack.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Jeriatric

04/21/2012 08:46PM

quote arctic: "You can buy beer in plastic bottles in Ely, but who wants to carry that much weight around? Better to go with the whisky."
That's what I do but I understand that some people take whiskey.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Beaverjack

04/22/2012 06:06AM

One good beer and a steak, for that first night. That's all I take. From then on it's tequila or bourbon with Country Time lemonade.

Tony

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Captn Tony

04/22/2012 07:08AM

I refuse to carry any liquids.
Makes me appreciate that 1st beer when I get off the water.

You're going to HELL and you're going to drag me with ya!! -Gunsmoke

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Royce

04/22/2012 10:54AM

Tried using the just add water fish batter, to avoid carrying beer. The taste was not very good and next trip will most likely be carrying a beer or two for the fish fry.

Otherwise, no beer for me

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Millrat

Guest Paddler

04/23/2012 06:58PM

Just so you know miller discontiued MGD in 16oz plastic bottles

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Intrekid

04/24/2012 12:08PM

quote TeamTuna06: "I'm thinking about bringing some homebrews this year. Something about the surroundings & the work necessary to get there...I think a beer that I made would go pretty good with that! Now I have to decide what kind - Dry Stout, Rye Pale Ale, Bourbon Barrel Porter, IPA, or brew up a "BWCA Brown" specifically for the trip....decisions decisions!!

I am a lush...but not a loud one : )"

Oooooh B-dub Brown! Sounds delicious, and marketable!

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

yellowcanoe

04/24/2012 12:32PM

No beer next week.. Temps are going to be below freezing for much of the canoe trip of five days.

Brandy perhaps.. and snowshoes perhaps.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

HowardSprague

04/24/2012 01:25PM

quote Millrat: "Just so you know miller discontiued MGD in 16oz plastic bottles"

Any word on when they'll discontinue MGD in all other containers? :)

"Enjoy every sandwich"

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Landstryker

04/24/2012 04:22PM

quote TeamTuna06: "Can anyone give any more info on the Fitgers plastic growlers? How big are they? Sounds like that might be an option this year."

Growlers from Fitgers are absolutely mandatory on all our trips. They're 64 oz (half gallon), and filled I guess they probably weigh about 5 pounds. Size-wise they're a little shorter and a little wider than a half gallon milk jug. The seal on them is not perfect so if you somehow put off drinking them, they will go flat after 4 or 5 days. Ours never last that long, of course.

We are sometimes criticized for our slavish devotion to this practice, but if you beast one in I guarantee you will not be sorry. After all, beer is good for replacing calories! Especially those displaced by portaging beer.

The Brewhouse's surprisingly crappy website doesn't list the price, but you pay a little more the first time (for the reusable bottle) and then each refill is about $15.

"...at þat skulir þú vita, at eigi eru allir Völsungar dauðir."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Landstryker

04/24/2012 04:32PM

Oh, and then once you have consumed the beer, you can repurpose the growler as a water jug. And the water will taste a little bit like beer.

"...at þat skulir þú vita, at eigi eru allir Völsungar dauðir."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

schweady

04/24/2012 09:52PM

quote HowardSprague: "quote Millrat: "Just so you know miller discontiued MGD in 16oz plastic bottles"

Any word on when they'll discontinue MGD in all other containers? :)
"
amen.

"You can observe a lot by watching." -- Yogi Berra

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Hawbakers

04/24/2012 10:26PM

quote schweady: "quote HowardSprague: "quote Millrat: "Just so you know miller discontiued MGD in 16oz plastic bottles"

Any word on when they'll discontinue MGD in all other containers? :)
"
amen.
"

LOL well, we only brought the MGD BECAUSE it was in plastic containers.
Didn't know they were discontinued though.

Years ago we could buy 2-liters at Mike's Liquors in Ely, but those went away as well as Mike's, I believe.

Plastic growlers, eh? May have to check it out.

"Far more interesting than the chase itself is the observation, the study of the life histories of the strange and wonderful creatures of the wilderness." President Theodore Roosevelt

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

bjager

04/25/2012 01:05AM

were planning on bringing a gallon of vodka and maybe a fifth of whiskey each, and some cool-aid for jungle brew. You gotta purify the water somehow right?

“When you're good at something, you'll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they'll tell you.” - Walter Payton

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/25/2012 01:44AM

quote Intrekid: "quote TeamTuna06: "I'm thinking about bringing some homebrews this year. Something about the surroundings & the work necessary to get there...I think a beer that I made would go pretty good with that! Now I have to decide what kind - Dry Stout, Rye Pale Ale, Bourbon Barrel Porter, IPA, or brew up a "BWCA Brown" specifically for the trip....decisions decisions!!

I am a lush...but not a loud one : )"

Oooooh B-dub Brown! Sounds delicious, and marketable! "

It's coming out of the primary fermenter in a couple days - loosely based on Surly's Bender. Looking forward to it!

Landstryker - thanks for the info on the growlers!

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Landstryker

04/25/2012 08:20AM

For illustration, here's a picture of a Fitger's growler in action at (little) Crooked Lake. This was consumed with lefse and brats. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about this meal.

"...at þat skulir þú vita, at eigi eru allir Völsungar dauðir."

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Les Ismore

04/26/2012 09:57PM

We usually bring in whiskey, much lighter. Though the first night is always steak and baked potato, which requires a nice red wine in a bag. We put the wine in a mesh bag with a few rocks, tie a rope to it, and sink it to the bottom of the lake for a couple hours to chill. Works great.

Build a man a fire, keep him warm for a night; set a man on fire, keep him warm the rest of his life.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Harv

05/01/2012 02:34PM

Hmmmm.......beer!!!

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Lymphocytosis

05/01/2012 03:39PM

quote Landstryker: "

For illustration, here's a picture of a Fitger's growler in action at (little) Crooked Lake. This was consumed with lefse and brats. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about this meal."

Those look like my tissue culture jugs. How much does each one run you?

EDIT: In fact, I think that's what they are. I can see the little graduation marks down the side. Naglene labware, same bottles You can buy a case of 12 for $150 because they have to be sterilely handled, packaged, tested, etc. Now you know where all the money in research goes.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Killer

Guest Paddler

05/07/2012 10:27PM

I use one of these for my Homebrew on trips.

http://www.hydroflask.com/products/64-oz-wide-mouth-vacuum-insulated-stainless-steel-growler.html

Works out very well!

Killer

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

05/07/2012 10:57PM

I was in Whole Foods yesterday and they have a bottled water fill up station/apparatus at the front of the store. The bottles are half gallon and they are the type that look like a miniature version of the 5 gallon water cooler bottles. I'm sure I can pick one up for a few bucks for the homebrew.
64oz bottle

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

BWCA Messageboard