The Thrill of the Trade

THE BOTTLE OF TOPPLING GOLIATH MORNIN’ DELIGHT looks unassuming enough, with its tan label of a steaming coffee cup. But to the particular type of beer geek who trades and purchases rare beers, it’s solid gold. Not just because the maple coffee stout inside is delicious but because purchasing Mornin’ Delight requires winning a lottery and driving to Decorah, Iowa, to pick it up.

Milwaukeean Daniel Roberts has a bottle from the inaugural 2013 Mornin’ Delight release, a bottle of which sold last August at $1,750, as reported to

beerblackbook.com. Roberts, a self-proclaimed beer hoarder, has no intention to sell, though. It looks just fine among the some 1,500 other bottles in his cellar.

The internet has made it easy to trade with other aficionados for the rarest of beers. Facebook groups and niche websites connect beer drinkers from around the world and let collectors swap and proudly show off hauls of rare beers, known as “whales.” One Milwaukee Facebook group has more than 550 members. Big stouts, sours and fresh, hoppy beers are the most sought after.

“I used to collect baseball cards as a kid. For me this is kind of the same thing for adults,” says Doug Atkinson, whose Grafton home features a stunning cellar and tasting room. “It’s like ‘I got a Robin Yount rookie card’ but instead it’s, ‘Here’s my Toppling Goliath Assassin.’ You get a rush.”

One downside of successful trading is sheer volume. The thrill of the chase can outweigh the thrill of the taste, and result in massive collections of boozy brews. “You start buying different things just to try them,” says Eleanor Wonser, who has roughly 500 bottles in her Milwaukee home. “You start having tasting parties. It just becomes a bigger and bigger thing.”

Says Roberts: “I don’t think I can physically drink all of the beer that I possess. But it’s not only about the beer, it’s about the friendship and camaraderie. I’ve probably made more friends through beer than any other avenue in life.”