The first step in understanding how to be comfortable in rejecting volunteers/ideas is ensure you are ABSOLUTELY clear in what you push out for expectations. I have no problems telling my teams ‘go back to the drawing board’ as long as I can pinpoint what needs to be changed based on clear direction previously given. Also, if the initial pitch/product/prototype isn’t quite what I’m looking for, I ask probing questions till I can figure out what they’re trying to deliver. If the answer doesn’t measure up then I see if I can get them excited about another role in which I think they’d thrive or thank them for their time and effort and move on. This is a tough position to be in but one I’ve had to get comfortable doing as a program/project manager. People first, mission always!
From my experience: Working with and building volunteer staffed (and eventually lead) teams has always risen and fallen on standards. It feels awkward at first, but letting someone know that there is a standard that they have to meet in order for the organization to continue to produce well and consistently is a fair concept that most people wanting to get involved can understand and agree with. Along the way, feelings WILL get hurt, we are just human, but clear communication and expectations help keep the waters a little clearer and leave less room for misunderstandings. I really like the "See-Do-Teach" method in implementing standards because of how collaborative and empowering it is for people getting involved. It may not be feasible for right now, given how time consuming it is up front, but it is an effective tool in your belt. You guys are killing it and the humble approach is appreciated. Thanks to the team for all you do on and off the camera!
That is where Quality assurance comes into place. You need someone who writes that line of standards and can hold their line in the sand. It gets hard when people put in a lot of work into something but thats where QA gets to be the asshole and let people know, you need to improve this before we move forward. It is a very procedural method and someone from a QA background can help.
Absolutely. Pre-load the expectations. There's more expected than some free love. There's the proverbial character on a board with its arm stuck out with a dialog bubble saying "you must be this tall to ride". The pre-loaded expectations must meet thus and so. If it helps, make it a competition. Some winners, some losers. Both can be a driving force to make things better.
@@bluflaam777LSA I was going to like this comment, but I have been traumatized by one of those height Nazi critters when I was eight. Man I wanted to ride that rollercoaster so bad. 🥺 Seriously though, I too have a bit of a QA background, and predefined ground rules, expectations, and standards take anything personal out of it, so that there is no grounds for resentment. It won't take the sting out of every situation, but sure will go a long way, and a competition style setup could help with some of remaining situations also. It's a good idea.👌 *Sigh* I guess I can like your comment then. It was only a big wooden kangaroo, and I have hit one with my car so I guess we're even. 🤔
Bingo! Clear, concises, and well written QA/QC standards will save you a lot of hassle. If possible boiled down in a checklist style form so the person doing the work can easily check it before sending it to you.
Absolutely this. Establishing minimum expectations can salvage so much time by putting soft boundaries around what's needed and desired. Without clear criteria, you end up submitting work to be told no, go back, and you end up in an endless cycle of revision and refusal which just causes frustration and burnout
@@ozziedudemike There is a very fine line in the sand between being an asshole to improve quality and being an asshole to be an asshole, the goal is to find someone humble enough to know where that line is.
My go-to when someone recommends something or tries to help and comes up just short is "I appreciate what you're doing, this just isn't quite what we were looking for/ho we were hoping to do this" and then I often try to give specific points about why. Not just a straight rejection, but try to be polite and maybe help refine their efforts going forward. Especially when doing something creative and so much about subjective taste.
Weirdly enough, there's a brewing/distilling experiment I'd love to see you guys try... Essentially, you know how you need to water a spirit down to age it? Instead of watering it down with water, use beer! So you would only use enough beer to get it to the right % for aging, and you'd pick a type of beer that matches that kind of spirit you're trying to make... But I think it could be really interesting!
@@Higlac89 Well some of the barrel impact follows from re-distilling an aged sirit, so an aged beer SHOULD also have a similar effect? However the problem is the hops... Which causes problems in the still.
As a Native Kentuckian, and a homebrewer, I've brewed Kentucky Common myself more than a few times over the years. I liked it and my friends who tasted it liked it too. Glad to see you all making it, and really glad to see that www.youtube.com/@GlenAndFriendsCooking has made it too!
My perspective is to make sure that is part of the discussion RIGHT AWAY when someone is volunteering. Let them know up top that "hey we have a standard of excellence, and we will review your work and come back with notes and ways to make it better when we do so" Make it a part of the process that that review will take place and make sure they are aware before they start helping. Also frame it more as a "these are the ways we need this to improve for these reasons," not necessarily a "nah that isn't good enough" give them the chance to improve, and if that doesn't work, then have the conversation of, " do you think you're going to be able to meet this standard?" And make sure the appreciation is felt throughout the whole exchange. Even if you don't end up using their work, thanking them for it. If I was doing work for the tribe, and I didn't execute up to the necessary standards, I would be frustrated with myself, but totally understand if it was presented like this; i.e. with the clear intention of high standards from the getgo. Volunteers for this sort of thing might not be compensated, but it is still a professional relationship at that point, and framing it as such is a good idea.
For 17 years I’ve managed skilled volunteers for a non profit. Here’s my tips: 1: its REALLY hard. You’ll wish you could just hire people. And the depth of it goes beyond a 5-tip-list 2: CLEARLY define your needs and expectations, both for conduct and production/skills BEFORE letting them on a task. 2a: have a probationary or trial period 3: if people don’t meet the expectations, it is absolutely ok to “fire” a volunteer, and it can be done with empathy and integrity 3a: make the application process require some skill AND commitment. It weeds out uncommitted people and establishes professionalism even for vols 4: offer ways for training and developing people with promise to become better assets for you (workshops, guided tasting classes, online training, etc) 5: appreciate the hell out of them
13:43 The three most important things that must be addressed 1) You have to be up front with your potential business partners about how this whole operation is going to function. 2) You must have reasonable expectations that are realistically achievable (assuming they’re willing to do the work on their end). 3) Most importantly. You must make it clear from the start that this isn’t play time. It’s a business and needs to treated as such. Anyone who fails to meet the aforementioned reasonable expectations(whatever they may specifically be) and shows no willingness to correct their mistakes will be cut from the program. This will go more smoothly if in these hopefully infrequent situations steps are taken to insure that both parties can legitimately part on good terms no hard feelings.
I wish my electrical company could work with you guys. We do electrical and automation systems and I'd LOVE to work on your brewing and still monitoring and control. Love you guys!
I love all this pre-prohibition stuff. I was able to visit Leopold Bros distillery the week before I visited Crowded Barrel and loved what they were doing there. Keep bringing all the historic stuff back guys, this is great.
Having been in a group, that runs a small, non-profit, anime convention, for nearly 20 years, here are my thoughts on your conundrum. You have standards, and a level of quality, that you wish to maintain in your product, so that the greater community can enjoy. So, in order to maintain that, everybody, EVERYBODY, has to be able to maintain those standards, and levels of quality, that includes any and all volunteers. You cannot treat them any different from your paid staff. Yes, it sucks, turning away generously given free time, but you have more at stake, than losing a potential friend. Your brand's reputation is on the line, and those volunteers, as well meaning as they might be, represent that brand, just as much as anyone else on your staff. So, when you are in the room, having that moment with a volunteer, who is not meeting your expectations of quality and standards, that you have laid out to them before hand, they are, at that moment, staff, and need to be treated as such. You thank them for their time, and tell them why they are being let go, no different than any member of your staff. Let them know that this is not personal, but you have a business to run, and a brand to maintain; let them know that if they can demonstrate signs of improvement, they might be able to come back.
I think that's the way, everybody has to know the standards to be held and if it doesn't work be the least harsh when saying goodbye and let them know their time and effort was appreciated.
Shout out Darkness Brewing in northern Kentucky. When I visited a few years ago, they had this fantastic line of stouts and porters and more stouts. For those who don't like dark beers, though, their alternative brew was a Kentucky Common and it was delicious. (I love the dark beers, but it was a delightful break between some heavier delights :) )
Rex, I just want you guys to know, you all have and continue to inspire me to reach for greater heights, I’ve recently completed uprooted my career path and undertaken an entirely new adventure, it’s been hard and challenging, and I’ve had successes and failures, but every time I see y’all working so hard to accomplish what seemed like an impossible task a few years ago it inspires me and gives me even more drive to keep pushing forward. I say all that to say, keep pushing, keep fighting stealing and drinking, and never stop being absolute magnificent bastards!
15:44 This sounds like the kind of music you'd hear while watching someone snuggled up in a sweater and sipping coffee in a commercial. It feels too cozy for an average shenanigan enjoyer like me. lol
Fun episode! On the volunteer situation: Setting clear expectations ahead of any work should mitigate most hurt feeling scenarios. I was president of a large all-volunteer organization and it's pretty rare for anyone to do work for the org that would be considered not good enough.
I was fortunate that I got to visit Acopon Brewing last time I was in Austin. I had a lovely chat with the legendary TOMMY over some kick ass beer. See you Bastards in October!!! 🖖😎🥃
Jar Fly brewery in Somerset, KY made a fantastic jalapeno Kentucky common. Unfortunately, they have closed. Fortunately, I have moved to Arlington, TX and definitely need to come visit!
My local brewery, Upstate Brewing Company in Elmira NY has brewed Kentucky Common Ale since 2011. It's literally the only brewery I have seen the style at
I cook, I brew beer. But when I make something and ask someone how it is. I want the absolute truth. Don't get me wrong, polite truth with a concise explanation of likes and dislikes. You don't get better at anything if you don't want to hear that.
The best way to get the results you need is to establish a clear set of goals and a timeline of expectations with built in check points to review/adjust the work/direction. As we all know and Mike Tyson explained so well, “No plan survives a punch in the nose!” That requires a lot of preplanning and documentation for each project which is where you might be most successful starting the volunteer process. Building the documented plan and goals and time line.
Just got my bottle of batch 15 today, bottle 17. Smells like a rum and kinda tastes like a rum, nice and smooth, light on the wood flavor. Gives a great warmth going down with a sweet finish. I REALLY like it!
@whiskeytribe, Have you ever looked into a Kanban system to support how you work and how you manage your in-flow? Kanban does a great job into understanding pull and managing work in a pragmatic and sustainable way.
I think a reasonable answer to 'how do i reject generous people' would be humility and honesty. Be real, but also respectful of their time. You have standards that you need to uphold that may not align with everyone and thats ok. You may be able to reduce the amount of rejection needed by having better requirements about what is wanted/need, but that is a hard one in something as subjective as whisky.
Have a list of exact areas you need help in with specific tasks, have them select three or four, have them trial each as an intern volunteer and make it clear you’re going to have them do a few tasks in each area to see what you feel is their best fit. Make sure when you give tasks that they have a clearly defined expectation of the result and an example from somewhere of another company that did it so they know what you’re looking for. If they don’t meet a standard in one area they still have two or three other areas and you can tell them they are needed most in “X” area.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_common_beer Kentucky common beer is a once-popular style of ale from the area in and around Louisville, Kentucky from the 1850s until Prohibition. This style is rarely brewed commercially today. It was also locally known as dark cream common beer, cream beer or common beer.[1] The beer was top-fermented and was krausened[2] up to 10%[3] making it quite highly carbonated. Like cream ale, it was consumed fresh, usually as draught beer. In 1913 it was estimated that 80% of the beer consumed in Louisville was of this type.[4] Many local breweries made only this style of beer. History Before modern refrigeration, most breweries depended on ice cut the previous winter for producing beer. The Louisville area usually did not have the weather conditions to produce enough ice for this. With an influx of European immigrants into Louisville during the mid 19th century, there was an increased demand for beer in the area. Common beer was fermented at higher temperatures like an ale, but was aged for a very short period of time if at all before being consumed, thus eliminating any need to keep it cool. (Compare California common beer or "steam beer", which has similar origins due to the lack of refrigeration.) This kept overhead costs down and made it inexpensive to purchase, so it was very popular among working-class people. Assumptions that Kentucky Common was a sour beer are based on the description of the style written in 1906[5] however, based on brewing records, the mash lengths and hopping rates would have made sour mashing impossible as Lactobascillus delbruekii and Lactobascillus hordei used in sour mashing are both hop sensitive, lacking the HorA[6] gene. Nonetheless, in the same work, the bacteria identified in the beer was identified as “rod shaped”, which would indicate Lactobascillus, but it would more likely have been Lactobacillus plantarum, which is hop tolerant and inhabits contaminated cooperage. The slight souring would have been incidental, even if widespread, and not a defining feature of the style.[7]
More frequent check-in’s will enable you to do quality control before the end of a task. Also, you can have a detailed action plan about what’s going to happen when with those frequent check-in to make sure that everything is on task. That is exactly what I do in my job in the learning department at my company.
Absolutely. And then stop making assumptions about how the other person is going to take things and proceed. If it’s something that can be improved, be clear on what needs to change. If it’s done, just call it done and thank them for their offer and time.
Others have commented with great advice, but I'll share my thoughts in tandem. While watching I saw that you answered your own question. If you are clear up front, both in terms of quality and potential rejection, then the volunteers know going in that the first try or first time may not work out (and subsequent tries). Tell me any business or endeavor where every attempt is successful? The failures along the way will sting at times, but they will point the path to learning, redirection, and eventual success. Those who can't handle it won't be back for more and probably didn't have much to offer to begin with. Those who stick around and are coachable, will be your future rock star volunteers.
Hey Rex, if you find the time, you should look into how Pixar and Disney handle those kinds of 'not quite there yet' situations during their development process. It takes countless iterations to get the thing just right, and even then it can change along the way. "The truth is difficult, but inside a creative company, its the Only way"
14:02 You need an X prize for each Whisky Tribe Crowd Sourcing Task. The Prize would be relevant to that which Whisky Tribe produces... small project might win a framed single shot bottle of signature whisky signed by the crew... big project bigger prize...
The only way I can think of to open yourself to free community work/ideas/contribution while maintaining a graceful rejection is typically through contests. A contest has winners so naturally there is rejection inbuilt into the process. Depending on how you set a contest up, you can have as many winners as you choose, then instead of focusing on those who didn't make it, you can put the spotlight on the success of those who did. Plus it's ultimately just more content for you guys to work with.
"I can see you've put a lot of hard work into this, thank you so much. For the community, we need this to be even better in X,Y,Z ways, can you handle that?" Be honest, appreciative, and authentic. The right people will relish the challenge and appreciate that you're asking them to do their best.
mmmmm that Imperial Stout just makes my mouth water! Have you ever made a Barley Wine? Done in an old English ale way with a touch of apple wood smoke, I could imagine it being something out of this world!
Always open something up to multiple people, pick the top X that meet the standard then have the community select the best. Quality without personal bias
Solution to the issue - if you get a substandard item from a generous person, just temporarily hire them. You're then able to say 'no' without worry. New issue: Now you have to worry about firing them ... but that's not my issue to solve.
In some cases I feel like maybe the rejection can be crowdsourced as well, or, at the least giving good feedback on what exactly isn't good enough. Maybe set expectations that you'll give it a go, and if it works - great, but it may not and that's OK. If you find someone who is really good at what you need, maybe later you contract them so you can compensate them to some extent. I don't know how much of this is viable, because I just don't know enough of how you imagine it, but I think just not having a misunderstanding is going to be the important part.
There needs to be written basics standards for people to work up to, samples when possible so that they can see the quality required, and a clear way to contact them for critiques. Also, having a disclaimer for each task that volunteers work will not be used if below standard, and that any work submitted will undergo review and may require revisions to be used should be posted with every request/task posted.
As someone who coordinated and trained volunteers this is the best advice I can give (granted I worked for an organization completely different than yours). Look at their qualifications and what they do in daily life. Everyone comes to the table with strengths and weaknesses. I helped run an animal rescue that worked alongside county animal control. Our volunteers came from literally every walk of life. You're a nurse? Great! It doesn't take us long to pair you with a vet tech and we'll have you doing medicals and working with a vet in no time. Plumber? Get you set up installing a livestock watering system. This is a bit basic but if someone comes in with the passion to volunteer they should always have a place. The absolute best thing we ever did was set up volunteer meetings and committees. This was separate from our organization as a whole to prevent scope creep. We gave them a list of needs and goals with a (small) budget and let them work by consensus. Nothing was binding, but a lot of great ideas came from it. People do amazing things when you let them get creative. And often times our volunteer members would ante up and surprise us. The plumber from the above 'hypothetical' had a cosmetically damaged water softener system that the manufacturer wrote off. He offered it up when his employer approved. You better believe we installed that and solved so many problems caused by hard water. The dark side of this is that a lot of personalities will volunteer because they want power, control, and clout. They're easy to spot and luckily you have no obligations to keep them around. Tell them they're not welcome and let them stroke their ego elsewhere.Just never let them become entrenched.
Home brewers and BJCP have been working hard to keep Kentucky Common alive. Great beer. Ive never had one with Rye in it though. Now you got me thinking.
Quality Control is important. Have a disclaimer, your efforts are appreciated and Tribe will decide if can be used. Its Game On not Game Over for a redo.
How to reject generous people: tell them what they did right, then tell them the bad news (or what they did wrong), finally tell them the good news (or something else they did right).
I'm a high school teacher. I completely understand your dilemma. Some kids have thick skin and can take any level of criticism or suggestion. And some are very fragile and the smallest thing can utterly deflate them. A classroom full of students - or a crowd of patrons - is a sea of randomness. The only suggestion I can offer is, whenever possible, clarify your expectations as much as possible. I hate doing them, but if you have to, provide a rubric which outlines what you're looking for, or keep one on standby for those patrons who need it.
As someone that works in the field of workplace psychology, the solution to your problem, as others have mentioned is to set expectations on day one. You have a need that a volunteer may be able to help with but in that it is on your as the person that needs something done to set clear expectations. During that time you should also set standards for what is needed and how work will be evaluated, after that anything that is not up to par, you are not rejecting someone's work for arbitrary reasons. It just wasn't up to the standards that are needed and then you can provide feedback in a way that says, here is where something missed the mark, and here's what I need.
If something isn't good enough, the best thing you can do is explain why it isn't and thank them for their effort and time. Without understanding why their contributions were not good enough then their effort was a complete waste. If they know, then they can learn from it and hopefully do better in the future.
If someone is selflessly dedicated to investing the time, and resources to produce, create, develop, and promote a public product...it is imperative, potentially life saving, for them to receive only the best, skilled, educated, and brutally honest feedback and guidance. It is the difference between failing a project versus wasting a lifetime.
when rejecting do so by listing all the requirements not met, do i easy to understand and what you are looking for. Listing all this makes the person understand it was not against them as a person. Also i do think second chances should be a thing, after listing the things not met it would be easier for them to improve the next time if there is one.
@12:00 Remember: Start small with a new project, and build. It decreases your legal liabilities in the long run and sometimes actually increases standards compliance when people have an idea of what you are looking for. Reduce expectation of significance, or value, of that participation. Or rather, keep it low. It's not /impossible/; it's just hard. A contributor is always going to want /something/ in return. Even if it's anonymity. Usually it's a shout out, their name mentioned. That's all they want. that makes them happy when they feel they are contributing to a project they feel good about. It's a mentality that is similar to 5th column attempts during warfare. You generally don't turn people away who want to help, you just have to figure out HOW they can help. A lot US media channels avoided showing footage of Ukrainian citizens making napalm, for obvious reasons, but great grandmothers were shown helping. Running a channel like this is a lot like running a small city's worth of citizens and frequent visitors. Be as honest about stuff as you can regarding why it's not up your standards. If you are going to open up your operation to include a community that might not know shit about US distillery law, put that shit in bold print and point at that as the process of engagement moves forward. First step: Define what your standards are. Second step: Create a webform where the contributor can describe what the contributor would be contributing where they can see the things that are actually needs or strong desires, and rate their value. Third step: Depends on how the first two steps go. There's that whole, "No plan of action goes perfect, there's always going to be a hitch" because it goes both ways. Ya might get flooded with submissions for projects; ya might not get any. Focus on the first two steps. They'll elucidate and illuminate the third step. Maybe step 1 was too confining. Maybe step 2 was too liberal. It's a bit of an epic journey regardless and every venture worth pursuing starts with a single step. Maybe step one was TLDR kinda stuff, like how a minority of even comment skimmers didn't read this far!
it depends on what's being donated. if its something like a brew, then create a contest, and make it so people compete with their contribution, and then accept the top winners to put towards your projects. the others win notable mentions but get to keep their brew. if its something else like money, its easy to accept and repurpose. If its something like materials, again, you can repurpose things accordingly. If your talking about brews though, a contest is an easy way not to insult anyone, and if they put all that effort towards creating something, then they will likely rather keep it and drink it themselves as its right up their ally, than have it wasted or rejected. as long as they know its appreciated, and constructive criticism on what they might even be able to do to make it even better, like they might receive from a contest judge; they shouldn't have a problem. So again.. it really depends on what's being donated. even time and labor can be reallocated to where its most useful. And for that matter, even brews that are less than stellar can be mixed and turned into something decent. as long as they all have a minimum standard. And setting minimum standards keeps everyone safe, and is the law anyway. you don't control that. Anyway.. not really a normal viewer, so I don't know the context, but hope something in that helps.
I have abandoned Facebook but not The Tribe; Draco the Whiskey Memester lives abroad from social media. Rex, and Daniel, you have my support, my prayers, and I would love to help and partake of your ambitions however I can
That guitar interlude while the barrel was being emptied was fantastic. Just thought I would mention that since sometimes it seems like the music is under appreciated.
For the QA question: You need to communicate your minimum standards up front, so that if your generous volunteers don't make the cut you can point to where they had all the information they needed and still didn't deliver. If they're guessing, being told they aren't good enough is demoralizing. But if you know the standard going in it's easier to work to it.
When dealing with volunteers and needing to maintain standards... -Be explicit in what you need and expect -be magnanimous in your praise and appreciation - one way to minimize a personalized feeling of rejection is to ask for a pool of responses (minimum of 3 for each point) for each point of interest or need, and be clear that each submitted response will be gleaned for usable content. -anyone participating gets included in recognition, while allowing you to use or ignore content as necessary.......if desired you can offer extra recognition to those involved who contributed the most.....without bringing to light the things that you needed to discard. Hope this helps
Depending on what it is you're asking the community for setting it up like a competition could be an interesting way to do it. You all get more options, and no one is EXPECTING to get their thing used and so feelings will get less hurt
Another really awesome style of beer that's all but extinct is the Grodziskie. I've had thousands of different beers in my life and only about 5 of them were a grodziskie. It's a kind of lager with heavy oak-smoked flavor. I love them, but they're shockingly difficult to find, especially in the US.
For the conversation about contributions, I think it has to start with communication about what you need and what your expectations are. Almost as if it were a freelance gig if you will. Also be upfront about what your standards are and that if the end product doesn't meet them you will need to move on. The biggest issue is going to be lost time. Good luck
Rule #2 "Benefit of the Doubt" should also extend to an objective assessment of your work. If someone says "not good enough" they're not being an asshole; they just need better work 🤷
Manage expectations. If you did not get what you wanted. You did not set expectations. In industry, we call it "SOR" (scope of requirements). My mentor even had a delegation template.
With the concern for quality with fan-made things, the best thing you can do is set someone to writing guidelines. And make it clear that all fan things while appreciated, might not be up to commercial standards since to have something meant to be used in and with the business means that it inherently represents said business. And just because something may get rejected, and yeah that'll suck, something they make in the future could still be good enough to meet standards.
Similarly across the pond WW1's abv reductions killed Porter and trying to change the control over pubs in the 80s arguably lead to the freefall of Cask beer, and thus also Mild.
It comes down to setting high expectations from the start. Regardless of if the people working are being paid or not, training and supervision should be in effect. While it may be tough, if someone who's not being paid isn't cutting it, you'd have to ask them to contribute to the tribe in a different way, even if that just means being a customer or patreon donor.
You need an Operations Manager. Use that OM to vett and handle working with the community, and let them be the employee you work with. You said that you're not good at this unless it's an employee, so make an employee role that handles the tasks you feel less suited to handle.
So might be long winded, but....I think the word that needs to be set is "Expectation". If you are reaching out for help from helpful people, sometimes you have to stop them before they hurt themselves or others. Now, the field I was in had more threats than some drinks. I worked SeaWorld for 13 years in the Education and Animal departments. We all had expectations to keep ourselves, our animals and the guests safe. Some people would come in because they had a passion, but no comprehension. At the end of the day it was still a business...which is what you are. Ultimately the work that gets put out is a reflective of your brand. While it would be fun to get MB's to help out, there has to be a vetting process. Essentially, these folks are coming on as Freelance (or 1099 Contractor perhaps). I think, and this is just me, it must stay a business level. It would only become a matter of time that someone submits something, you say I am sorry I can't use it, and they sue. Or, someone goes to try certain bottles for you, gets hurt in the process, and sues because of damages. the TL:DR is this....having MB's help can be a great use of a resource, but make sure to set the expectations and litigation to protect yourself, and them. Hope this helps. It has been interesting watching all the changes going on.
Speaking of hippies... those fum things' packets... remind me of a certain green product we can't talk about on youtube... that more people consume than beer ;)... same type of packaging.
Have a review process to remove you from the things and services coming in . We accept things we review them and the if they pass review they can be used . We are grateful for you giving x . Our standards are high so we review things if it passes review we can move on to use it
I worked as a paid employee for the Boy Scouts. Most of my job involved working with the Boy Scout volunteers. That job sucked! My job performance was judged based on how well volunteers did at recruitment and fundraising but I was told in no uncertain terms that I couldn't "fire" any of the volunteers if they weren't doing a good job. It is kind of an impossible sitiuation and my advice is just do the best you can. 🤷♂
How long will it probably be before any of ur stuff will be available in the Uk. Even ok master of malt or whisky exchange? Would love to try what u are doing.
Don't say "Nah"... Say Nah and support it with the reason why. Constructive criticism is something that we need more in our world regardless if it is on donated or compensated time.
As a general rule, when I have overseen pro bono or volunteer work, I give myself permission to reject ideas or hold a quality line as early as possible, so people can expect that not everything will be accepted. They are signing on, knowing what the possible outcome may be from the jump.
what would happen if you barrel age beer then distil it. would it change the taste of the new make and what would it do when you age it in a barrel after?
What you’re describing with rejecting generous people is the bread and butter of nonprofit volunteer management and fundraising. If you ever want to chat about it, I’m here and happy to talk
If you give somewhat clear directions in the beginning, that makes it way easier. If you dont only say "give us some information on this", but "this is the topic, we need 3 pages, make sure to include the history of this and the development of that" youre gonna get way more results the way you want, and if you have to reject something its easy to pinpoint and nobody leaves hurt. Also: If you ever need something in or about Germany, im your guy :D
As a general rule, when I have overseen, pro bono or volunteer work, I give myself permission to reject ideas or hold a quality line as early as possible, so people can expect that not everything will be accepted. They are signing on, knowing what the possible outcome may be
If you're talking about rejecting what people are bringing back as suggested potential flavours, then, reject away! After all, the process of seeking those flavours down can only be one of absolute joy and a project of passion...also, a jolly good piddle up at the same time 😀 If they're tasting for them, then, they need to be guided to taste for you when their taste falls short. The only way to get at what you want, therefore, is to keep pushing back until your minds are at one with one another. Or, have I misunderstood what it is you're concerned about rejecting here?
The same thing is happening with the legalisation of marijuana. Many of the classic strains are disappearing and being replaced by varieties of a similar phenotype and potency.
thank for what yall do. just gotta say it in case yall dont hear it enough. just for a bit, im distracted from the too often shitty world we find ourselves in and makes me smile. oh ... thats the whiskey ... but yall are alright I guess ;)
You guys NEED to contact Matt Carriker from Demo Ranch he is doing a HUGE BEER FEST and is looking for TEXAS BEERS and i think he would love to include you guys! o ya also Rex and Matt OMG the SHENANIGANS
i got an idea... save the whisky from two very different flavor profile barrels. then age the same beer in both barrels. have tastings with both whisky's and both barrel aged beers.
i totally understand where you’re coming from on the being able to try and trust someone else’s pallet profile and recommendations ..im still a littl eupset at you guys for convincing me to go out and spend my money on the mermaids bathwater a few years agolol......hifive!!!!
Go to tryfum.com/WHISKEYTRIBE or scan the QR code and use code WHISKEYTRIBE to get your free FÜM Topper when you order your Journey Pack today.
At the 0:50 second mark I was sure you would segue into a mattress ad.
Edited to add - I've brewed a Kentucky Common here at home a few times.
any chance youll do a full video on it with an indepth recipe?
love the stuff you do.
@@BrotherHoodMovies331 I've started filming for the brewing hannel again - so I'll put it on the list of brews to film.
The first step in understanding how to be comfortable in rejecting volunteers/ideas is ensure you are ABSOLUTELY clear in what you push out for expectations.
I have no problems telling my teams ‘go back to the drawing board’ as long as I can pinpoint what needs to be changed based on clear direction previously given.
Also, if the initial pitch/product/prototype isn’t quite what I’m looking for, I ask probing questions till I can figure out what they’re trying to deliver. If the answer doesn’t measure up then I see if I can get them excited about another role in which I think they’d thrive or thank them for their time and effort and move on.
This is a tough position to be in but one I’ve had to get comfortable doing as a program/project manager. People first, mission always!
From my experience: Working with and building volunteer staffed (and eventually lead) teams has always risen and fallen on standards. It feels awkward at first, but letting someone know that there is a standard that they have to meet in order for the organization to continue to produce well and consistently is a fair concept that most people wanting to get involved can understand and agree with. Along the way, feelings WILL get hurt, we are just human, but clear communication and expectations help keep the waters a little clearer and leave less room for misunderstandings. I really like the "See-Do-Teach" method in implementing standards because of how collaborative and empowering it is for people getting involved. It may not be feasible for right now, given how time consuming it is up front, but it is an effective tool in your belt.
You guys are killing it and the humble approach is appreciated. Thanks to the team for all you do on and off the camera!
That is where Quality assurance comes into place. You need someone who writes that line of standards and can hold their line in the sand. It gets hard when people put in a lot of work into something but thats where QA gets to be the asshole and let people know, you need to improve this before we move forward. It is a very procedural method and someone from a QA background can help.
Absolutely. Pre-load the expectations. There's more expected than some free love. There's the proverbial character on a board with its arm stuck out with a dialog bubble saying "you must be this tall to ride". The pre-loaded expectations must meet thus and so.
If it helps, make it a competition. Some winners, some losers. Both can be a driving force to make things better.
@@bluflaam777LSA I was going to like this comment, but I have been traumatized by one of those height Nazi critters when I was eight. Man I wanted to ride that rollercoaster so bad. 🥺 Seriously though, I too have a bit of a QA background, and predefined ground rules, expectations, and standards take anything personal out of it, so that there is no grounds for resentment. It won't take the sting out of every situation, but sure will go a long way, and a competition style setup could help with some of remaining situations also. It's a good idea.👌 *Sigh* I guess I can like your comment then. It was only a big wooden kangaroo, and I have hit one with my car so I guess we're even. 🤔
Bingo! Clear, concises, and well written QA/QC standards will save you a lot of hassle. If possible boiled down in a checklist style form so the person doing the work can easily check it before sending it to you.
Absolutely this. Establishing minimum expectations can salvage so much time by putting soft boundaries around what's needed and desired. Without clear criteria, you end up submitting work to be told no, go back, and you end up in an endless cycle of revision and refusal which just causes frustration and burnout
@@ozziedudemike There is a very fine line in the sand between being an asshole to improve quality and being an asshole to be an asshole, the goal is to find someone humble enough to know where that line is.
My go-to when someone recommends something or tries to help and comes up just short is "I appreciate what you're doing, this just isn't quite what we were looking for/ho we were hoping to do this" and then I often try to give specific points about why. Not just a straight rejection, but try to be polite and maybe help refine their efforts going forward. Especially when doing something creative and so much about subjective taste.
You said what I meant to say, much more eloquently.
@@tommccafferty5591 I have practice
Weirdly enough, there's a brewing/distilling experiment I'd love to see you guys try... Essentially, you know how you need to water a spirit down to age it? Instead of watering it down with water, use beer!
So you would only use enough beer to get it to the right % for aging, and you'd pick a type of beer that matches that kind of spirit you're trying to make... But I think it could be really interesting!
I want to see what happens when you distill barrel aged beer. Think any of the barrel notes will come through the still?
@@Higlac89 Well some of the barrel impact follows from re-distilling an aged sirit, so an aged beer SHOULD also have a similar effect? However the problem is the hops... Which causes problems in the still.
As a Native Kentuckian, and a homebrewer, I've brewed Kentucky Common myself more than a few times over the years. I liked it and my friends who tasted it liked it too. Glad to see you all making it, and really glad to see that www.youtube.com/@GlenAndFriendsCooking has made it too!
My perspective is to make sure that is part of the discussion RIGHT AWAY when someone is volunteering. Let them know up top that "hey we have a standard of excellence, and we will review your work and come back with notes and ways to make it better when we do so" Make it a part of the process that that review will take place and make sure they are aware before they start helping. Also frame it more as a "these are the ways we need this to improve for these reasons," not necessarily a "nah that isn't good enough" give them the chance to improve, and if that doesn't work, then have the conversation of, " do you think you're going to be able to meet this standard?" And make sure the appreciation is felt throughout the whole exchange. Even if you don't end up using their work, thanking them for it.
If I was doing work for the tribe, and I didn't execute up to the necessary standards, I would be frustrated with myself, but totally understand if it was presented like this; i.e. with the clear intention of high standards from the getgo. Volunteers for this sort of thing might not be compensated, but it is still a professional relationship at that point, and framing it as such is a good idea.
For 17 years I’ve managed skilled volunteers for a non profit. Here’s my tips:
1: its REALLY hard. You’ll wish you could just hire people. And the depth of it goes beyond a 5-tip-list
2: CLEARLY define your needs and expectations, both for conduct and production/skills BEFORE letting them on a task.
2a: have a probationary or trial period
3: if people don’t meet the expectations, it is absolutely ok to “fire” a volunteer, and it can be done with empathy and integrity
3a: make the application process require some skill AND commitment. It weeds out uncommitted people and establishes professionalism even for vols
4: offer ways for training and developing people with promise to become better assets for you (workshops, guided tasting classes, online training, etc)
5: appreciate the hell out of them
13:43 The three most important things that must be addressed
1) You have to be up front with your potential business partners about how this whole operation is going to function.
2) You must have reasonable expectations that are realistically achievable (assuming they’re willing to do the work on their end).
3) Most importantly. You must make it clear from the start that this isn’t play time. It’s a business and needs to treated as such. Anyone who fails to meet the aforementioned reasonable expectations(whatever they may specifically be) and shows no willingness to correct their mistakes will be cut from the program. This will go more smoothly if in these hopefully infrequent situations steps are taken to insure that both parties can legitimately part on good terms no hard feelings.
I wish my electrical company could work with you guys. We do electrical and automation systems and I'd LOVE to work on your brewing and still monitoring and control.
Love you guys!
I love all this pre-prohibition stuff. I was able to visit Leopold Bros distillery the week before I visited Crowded Barrel and loved what they were doing there. Keep bringing all the historic stuff back guys, this is great.
Having been in a group, that runs a small, non-profit, anime convention, for nearly 20 years, here are my thoughts on your conundrum. You have standards, and a level of quality, that you wish to maintain in your product, so that the greater community can enjoy. So, in order to maintain that, everybody, EVERYBODY, has to be able to maintain those standards, and levels of quality, that includes any and all volunteers. You cannot treat them any different from your paid staff. Yes, it sucks, turning away generously given free time, but you have more at stake, than losing a potential friend. Your brand's reputation is on the line, and those volunteers, as well meaning as they might be, represent that brand, just as much as anyone else on your staff. So, when you are in the room, having that moment with a volunteer, who is not meeting your expectations of quality and standards, that you have laid out to them before hand, they are, at that moment, staff, and need to be treated as such. You thank them for their time, and tell them why they are being let go, no different than any member of your staff. Let them know that this is not personal, but you have a business to run, and a brand to maintain; let them know that if they can demonstrate signs of improvement, they might be able to come back.
I think that's the way, everybody has to know the standards to be held and if it doesn't work be the least harsh when saying goodbye and let them know their time and effort was appreciated.
Shout out Darkness Brewing in northern Kentucky. When I visited a few years ago, they had this fantastic line of stouts and porters and more stouts. For those who don't like dark beers, though, their alternative brew was a Kentucky Common and it was delicious. (I love the dark beers, but it was a delightful break between some heavier delights :) )
Darkness is an amazing brewery
Rex, I just want you guys to know, you all have and continue to inspire me to reach for greater heights, I’ve recently completed uprooted my career path and undertaken an entirely new adventure, it’s been hard and challenging, and I’ve had successes and failures, but every time I see y’all working so hard to accomplish what seemed like an impossible task a few years ago it inspires me and gives me even more drive to keep pushing forward. I say all that to say, keep pushing, keep fighting stealing and drinking, and never stop being absolute magnificent bastards!
15:44 This sounds like the kind of music you'd hear while watching someone snuggled up in a sweater and sipping coffee in a commercial.
It feels too cozy for an average shenanigan enjoyer like me. lol
Fun episode! On the volunteer situation: Setting clear expectations ahead of any work should mitigate most hurt feeling scenarios. I was president of a large all-volunteer organization and it's pretty rare for anyone to do work for the org that would be considered not good enough.
I was fortunate that I got to visit Acopon Brewing last time I was in Austin. I had a lovely chat with the legendary TOMMY over some kick ass beer. See you Bastards in October!!! 🖖😎🥃
Jar Fly brewery in Somerset, KY made a fantastic jalapeno Kentucky common. Unfortunately, they have closed. Fortunately, I have moved to Arlington, TX and definitely need to come visit!
My local brewery, Upstate Brewing Company in Elmira NY has brewed Kentucky Common Ale since 2011. It's literally the only brewery I have seen the style at
It's been revived in the Louisville and Cincinnati area, but I have never seen it outside there.
I cook, I brew beer. But when I make something and ask someone how it is. I want the absolute truth. Don't get me wrong, polite truth with a concise explanation of likes and dislikes. You don't get better at anything if you don't want to hear that.
The best way to get the results you need is to establish a clear set of goals and a timeline of expectations with built in check points to review/adjust the work/direction. As we all know and Mike Tyson explained so well, “No plan survives a punch in the nose!” That requires a lot of preplanning and documentation for each project which is where you might be most successful starting the volunteer process. Building the documented plan and goals and time line.
Just got my bottle of batch 15 today, bottle 17. Smells like a rum and kinda tastes like a rum, nice and smooth, light on the wood flavor. Gives a great warmth going down with a sweet finish. I REALLY like it!
@whiskeytribe, Have you ever looked into a Kanban system to support how you work and how you manage your in-flow? Kanban does a great job into understanding pull and managing work in a pragmatic and sustainable way.
I think a reasonable answer to 'how do i reject generous people' would be humility and honesty. Be real, but also respectful of their time. You have standards that you need to uphold that may not align with everyone and thats ok. You may be able to reduce the amount of rejection needed by having better requirements about what is wanted/need, but that is a hard one in something as subjective as whisky.
Why would you reject generous people? It's an insult to reject a gift.
Have a list of exact areas you need help in with specific tasks, have them select three or four, have them trial each as an intern volunteer and make it clear you’re going to have them do a few tasks in each area to see what you feel is their best fit. Make sure when you give tasks that they have a clearly defined expectation of the result and an example from somewhere of another company that did it so they know what you’re looking for. If they don’t meet a standard in one area they still have two or three other areas and you can tell them they are needed most in “X” area.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_common_beer Kentucky common beer is a once-popular style of ale from the area in and around Louisville, Kentucky from the 1850s until Prohibition. This style is rarely brewed commercially today. It was also locally known as dark cream common beer, cream beer or common beer.[1] The beer was top-fermented and was krausened[2] up to 10%[3] making it quite highly carbonated. Like cream ale, it was consumed fresh, usually as draught beer. In 1913 it was estimated that 80% of the beer consumed in Louisville was of this type.[4] Many local breweries made only this style of beer.
History
Before modern refrigeration, most breweries depended on ice cut the previous winter for producing beer. The Louisville area usually did not have the weather conditions to produce enough ice for this. With an influx of European immigrants into Louisville during the mid 19th century, there was an increased demand for beer in the area. Common beer was fermented at higher temperatures like an ale, but was aged for a very short period of time if at all before being consumed, thus eliminating any need to keep it cool. (Compare California common beer or "steam beer", which has similar origins due to the lack of refrigeration.) This kept overhead costs down and made it inexpensive to purchase, so it was very popular among working-class people. Assumptions that Kentucky Common was a sour beer are based on the description of the style written in 1906[5] however, based on brewing records, the mash lengths and hopping rates would have made sour mashing impossible as Lactobascillus delbruekii and Lactobascillus hordei used in sour mashing are both hop sensitive, lacking the HorA[6] gene. Nonetheless, in the same work, the bacteria identified in the beer was identified as “rod shaped”, which would indicate Lactobascillus, but it would more likely have been Lactobacillus plantarum, which is hop tolerant and inhabits contaminated cooperage. The slight souring would have been incidental, even if widespread, and not a defining feature of the style.[7]
More frequent check-in’s will enable you to do quality control before the end of a task. Also, you can have a detailed action plan about what’s going to happen when with those frequent check-in to make sure that everything is on task. That is exactly what I do in my job in the learning department at my company.
Clear expectations, well defined boundries, up front. Make acceptance the pleasant surprise.
Absolutely. And then stop making assumptions about how the other person is going to take things and proceed. If it’s something that can be improved, be clear on what needs to change. If it’s done, just call it done and thank them for their offer and time.
Others have commented with great advice, but I'll share my thoughts in tandem. While watching I saw that you answered your own question. If you are clear up front, both in terms of quality and potential rejection, then the volunteers know going in that the first try or first time may not work out (and subsequent tries). Tell me any business or endeavor where every attempt is successful? The failures along the way will sting at times, but they will point the path to learning, redirection, and eventual success. Those who can't handle it won't be back for more and probably didn't have much to offer to begin with. Those who stick around and are coachable, will be your future rock star volunteers.
Hey Rex, if you find the time, you should look into how Pixar and Disney handle those kinds of 'not quite there yet' situations during their development process. It takes countless iterations to get the thing just right, and even then it can change along the way. "The truth is difficult, but inside a creative company, its the Only way"
14:02 You need an X prize for each Whisky Tribe Crowd Sourcing Task. The Prize would be relevant to that which Whisky Tribe produces... small project might win a framed single shot bottle of signature whisky signed by the crew... big project bigger prize...
The only way I can think of to open yourself to free community work/ideas/contribution while maintaining a graceful rejection is typically through contests. A contest has winners so naturally there is rejection inbuilt into the process. Depending on how you set a contest up, you can have as many winners as you choose, then instead of focusing on those who didn't make it, you can put the spotlight on the success of those who did. Plus it's ultimately just more content for you guys to work with.
"I can see you've put a lot of hard work into this, thank you so much. For the community, we need this to be even better in X,Y,Z ways, can you handle that?"
Be honest, appreciative, and authentic. The right people will relish the challenge and appreciate that you're asking them to do their best.
Best tribe video in a while. Great feel to the whole episode. Reminds me of stuff from 1-2 years ago. Great production, information etc...
Brewed this once before, turned out very nice. Brewing with corn is always a pain in the neck though, have to stir so much because it gets so thick
FWIW, here in Kentucky Kentucky Common is commercially available and pretty available. E.g. from Against the Grain and from Falls City brewing.
mmmmm that Imperial Stout just makes my mouth water!
Have you ever made a Barley Wine?
Done in an old English ale way with a touch of apple wood smoke, I could imagine it being something out of this world!
Always open something up to multiple people, pick the top X that meet the standard then have the community select the best. Quality without personal bias
Solution to the issue - if you get a substandard item from a generous person, just temporarily hire them. You're then able to say 'no' without worry.
New issue: Now you have to worry about firing them ... but that's not my issue to solve.
In some cases I feel like maybe the rejection can be crowdsourced as well, or, at the least giving good feedback on what exactly isn't good enough. Maybe set expectations that you'll give it a go, and if it works - great, but it may not and that's OK. If you find someone who is really good at what you need, maybe later you contract them so you can compensate them to some extent. I don't know how much of this is viable, because I just don't know enough of how you imagine it, but I think just not having a misunderstanding is going to be the important part.
There needs to be written basics standards for people to work up to, samples when possible so that they can see the quality required, and a clear way to contact them for critiques. Also, having a disclaimer for each task that volunteers work will not be used if below standard, and that any work submitted will undergo review and may require revisions to be used should be posted with every request/task posted.
14:22 I’ll let you know when I get my bottle of bottled-and-bond!
As someone who coordinated and trained volunteers this is the best advice I can give (granted I worked for an organization completely different than yours). Look at their qualifications and what they do in daily life. Everyone comes to the table with strengths and weaknesses. I helped run an animal rescue that worked alongside county animal control. Our volunteers came from literally every walk of life. You're a nurse? Great! It doesn't take us long to pair you with a vet tech and we'll have you doing medicals and working with a vet in no time. Plumber? Get you set up installing a livestock watering system. This is a bit basic but if someone comes in with the passion to volunteer they should always have a place.
The absolute best thing we ever did was set up volunteer meetings and committees. This was separate from our organization as a whole to prevent scope creep. We gave them a list of needs and goals with a (small) budget and let them work by consensus. Nothing was binding, but a lot of great ideas came from it. People do amazing things when you let them get creative. And often times our volunteer members would ante up and surprise us. The plumber from the above 'hypothetical' had a cosmetically damaged water softener system that the manufacturer wrote off. He offered it up when his employer approved. You better believe we installed that and solved so many problems caused by hard water.
The dark side of this is that a lot of personalities will volunteer because they want power, control, and clout. They're easy to spot and luckily you have no obligations to keep them around. Tell them they're not welcome and let them stroke their ego elsewhere.Just never let them become entrenched.
Home brewers and BJCP have been working hard to keep Kentucky Common alive. Great beer. Ive never had one with Rye in it though. Now you got me thinking.
Hops Brewing in Albuquerque brews a Kentucky Common with corn and rye. Highly recommend. It's like Four Roses if it were a beer.
Quality Control is important. Have a disclaimer, your efforts
are appreciated and Tribe will decide if can be used. Its Game On not Game Over for a redo.
I would love to see the mash bill for the beer. My brother in law and I just brewed a preprohibition lager that has corn in it also.
How to reject generous people: tell them what they did right, then tell them the bad news (or what they did wrong), finally tell them the good news (or something else they did right).
I'm a high school teacher. I completely understand your dilemma. Some kids have thick skin and can take any level of criticism or suggestion. And some are very fragile and the smallest thing can utterly deflate them. A classroom full of students - or a crowd of patrons - is a sea of randomness. The only suggestion I can offer is, whenever possible, clarify your expectations as much as possible. I hate doing them, but if you have to, provide a rubric which outlines what you're looking for, or keep one on standby for those patrons who need it.
As someone that works in the field of workplace psychology, the solution to your problem, as others have mentioned is to set expectations on day one. You have a need that a volunteer may be able to help with but in that it is on your as the person that needs something done to set clear expectations. During that time you should also set standards for what is needed and how work will be evaluated, after that anything that is not up to par, you are not rejecting someone's work for arbitrary reasons. It just wasn't up to the standards that are needed and then you can provide feedback in a way that says, here is where something missed the mark, and here's what I need.
If something isn't good enough, the best thing you can do is explain why it isn't and thank them for their effort and time. Without understanding why their contributions were not good enough then their effort was a complete waste. If they know, then they can learn from it and hopefully do better in the future.
If someone is selflessly dedicated to investing the time, and resources to produce, create, develop, and promote a public product...it is imperative, potentially life saving, for them to receive only the best, skilled, educated, and brutally honest feedback and guidance.
It is the difference between failing a project versus wasting a lifetime.
Awesome. If any of y'all are in Seattle. Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery has a great Kentucky Common on tap now.
I had a Kentucky Common ale at a microbrewery in Mundelein, IL.
Glad my comment from last video could help inspire a hilarious opening skit. RELAX!
Did you eat any of the spent grains? A small bowl of that used to be my breakfast working at the brewery. I'd often bring in dried fruit to mix in.
when rejecting do so by listing all the requirements not met, do i easy to understand and what you are looking for. Listing all this makes the person understand it was not against them as a person. Also i do think second chances should be a thing, after listing the things not met it would be easier for them to improve the next time if there is one.
@12:00 Remember: Start small with a new project, and build. It decreases your legal liabilities in the long run and sometimes actually increases standards compliance when people have an idea of what you are looking for. Reduce expectation of significance, or value, of that participation. Or rather, keep it low. It's not /impossible/; it's just hard. A contributor is always going to want /something/ in return. Even if it's anonymity. Usually it's a shout out, their name mentioned. That's all they want. that makes them happy when they feel they are contributing to a project they feel good about.
It's a mentality that is similar to 5th column attempts during warfare. You generally don't turn people away who want to help, you just have to figure out HOW they can help. A lot US media channels avoided showing footage of Ukrainian citizens making napalm, for obvious reasons, but great grandmothers were shown helping. Running a channel like this is a lot like running a small city's worth of citizens and frequent visitors. Be as honest about stuff as you can regarding why it's not up your standards. If you are going to open up your operation to include a community that might not know shit about US distillery law, put that shit in bold print and point at that as the process of engagement moves forward.
First step: Define what your standards are.
Second step: Create a webform where the contributor can describe what the contributor would be contributing where they can see the things that are actually needs or strong desires, and rate their value.
Third step: Depends on how the first two steps go. There's that whole, "No plan of action goes perfect, there's always going to be a hitch" because it goes both ways. Ya might get flooded with submissions for projects; ya might not get any. Focus on the first two steps. They'll elucidate and illuminate the third step. Maybe step 1 was too confining. Maybe step 2 was too liberal. It's a bit of an epic journey regardless and every venture worth pursuing starts with a single step. Maybe step one was TLDR kinda stuff, like how a minority of even comment skimmers didn't read this far!
12:06 - I felt that in my soul.... 🤬🤣
it depends on what's being donated. if its something like a brew, then create a contest, and make it so people compete with their contribution, and then accept the top winners to put towards your projects. the others win notable mentions but get to keep their brew. if its something else like money, its easy to accept and repurpose. If its something like materials, again, you can repurpose things accordingly. If your talking about brews though, a contest is an easy way not to insult anyone, and if they put all that effort towards creating something, then they will likely rather keep it and drink it themselves as its right up their ally, than have it wasted or rejected. as long as they know its appreciated, and constructive criticism on what they might even be able to do to make it even better, like they might receive from a contest judge; they shouldn't have a problem. So again.. it really depends on what's being donated. even time and labor can be reallocated to where its most useful. And for that matter, even brews that are less than stellar can be mixed and turned into something decent. as long as they all have a minimum standard. And setting minimum standards keeps everyone safe, and is the law anyway. you don't control that. Anyway.. not really a normal viewer, so I don't know the context, but hope something in that helps.
I have abandoned Facebook but not The Tribe; Draco the Whiskey Memester lives abroad from social media. Rex, and Daniel, you have my support, my prayers, and I would love to help and partake of your ambitions however I can
That guitar interlude while the barrel was being emptied was fantastic. Just thought I would mention that since sometimes it seems like the music is under appreciated.
For the QA question: You need to communicate your minimum standards up front, so that if your generous volunteers don't make the cut you can point to where they had all the information they needed and still didn't deliver. If they're guessing, being told they aren't good enough is demoralizing. But if you know the standard going in it's easier to work to it.
When dealing with volunteers and needing to maintain standards...
-Be explicit in what you need and expect
-be magnanimous in your praise and appreciation
- one way to minimize a personalized feeling of rejection is to ask for a pool of responses (minimum of 3 for each point) for each point of interest or need, and be clear that each submitted response will be gleaned for usable content.
-anyone participating gets included in recognition, while allowing you to use or ignore content as necessary.......if desired you can offer extra recognition to those involved who contributed the most.....without bringing to light the things that you needed to discard.
Hope this helps
Create a glorious bastards ritual of sorts to acknowledge the work in a genuine way and reject it in a funny way
My suggestion was similar but for rex to have a veto punishment that makes him look silly for a moment and entertain us all in the process.
Depending on what it is you're asking the community for setting it up like a competition could be an interesting way to do it. You all get more options, and no one is EXPECTING to get their thing used and so feelings will get less hurt
Another really awesome style of beer that's all but extinct is the Grodziskie. I've had thousands of different beers in my life and only about 5 of them were a grodziskie. It's a kind of lager with heavy oak-smoked flavor. I love them, but they're shockingly difficult to find, especially in the US.
For the conversation about contributions, I think it has to start with communication about what you need and what your expectations are. Almost as if it were a freelance gig if you will. Also be upfront about what your standards are and that if the end product doesn't meet them you will need to move on. The biggest issue is going to be lost time.
Good luck
Rule #2
"Benefit of the Doubt" should also extend to an objective assessment of your work. If someone says "not good enough" they're not being an asshole; they just need better work 🤷
I recommend creating the Sharks of the Tribe. It's like Shark Tank, ideas are pitched to people empowered to support or trusted to reject ideas.
Manage expectations. If you did not get what you wanted. You did not set expectations. In industry, we call it "SOR" (scope of requirements). My mentor even had a delegation template.
12:11 I thought the sponsor was FÜM, not Helix.
With the concern for quality with fan-made things, the best thing you can do is set someone to writing guidelines. And make it clear that all fan things while appreciated, might not be up to commercial standards since to have something meant to be used in and with the business means that it inherently represents said business. And just because something may get rejected, and yeah that'll suck, something they make in the future could still be good enough to meet standards.
I need that whiskey barrel with wings as a tattoo!
Similarly across the pond WW1's abv reductions killed Porter and trying to change the control over pubs in the 80s arguably lead to the freefall of Cask beer, and thus also Mild.
It comes down to setting high expectations from the start. Regardless of if the people working are being paid or not, training and supervision should be in effect. While it may be tough, if someone who's not being paid isn't cutting it, you'd have to ask them to contribute to the tribe in a different way, even if that just means being a customer or patreon donor.
You need an Operations Manager. Use that OM to vett and handle working with the community, and let them be the employee you work with. You said that you're not good at this unless it's an employee, so make an employee role that handles the tasks you feel less suited to handle.
So might be long winded, but....I think the word that needs to be set is "Expectation". If you are reaching out for help from helpful people, sometimes you have to stop them before they hurt themselves or others. Now, the field I was in had more threats than some drinks. I worked SeaWorld for 13 years in the Education and Animal departments. We all had expectations to keep ourselves, our animals and the guests safe. Some people would come in because they had a passion, but no comprehension.
At the end of the day it was still a business...which is what you are. Ultimately the work that gets put out is a reflective of your brand. While it would be fun to get MB's to help out, there has to be a vetting process. Essentially, these folks are coming on as Freelance (or 1099 Contractor perhaps). I think, and this is just me, it must stay a business level. It would only become a matter of time that someone submits something, you say I am sorry I can't use it, and they sue. Or, someone goes to try certain bottles for you, gets hurt in the process, and sues because of damages.
the TL:DR is this....having MB's help can be a great use of a resource, but make sure to set the expectations and litigation to protect yourself, and them. Hope this helps. It has been interesting watching all the changes going on.
5:51 dude on the right is a straight line from nose to chest.
Bought my bottle of Eleanor 15, and i am really looking forward to it.
Speaking of hippies... those fum things' packets... remind me of a certain green product we can't talk about on youtube... that more people consume than beer ;)... same type of packaging.
Make it a competition. Have people compete for each roll you're looking to fill. It will be great content and you get to pick the best of each roll.
Have a review process to remove you from the things and services coming in . We accept things we review them and the if they pass review they can be used . We are grateful for you giving x . Our standards are high so we review things if it passes review we can move on to use it
I worked as a paid employee for the Boy Scouts. Most of my job involved working with the Boy Scout volunteers. That job sucked! My job performance was judged based on how well volunteers did at recruitment and fundraising but I was told in no uncertain terms that I couldn't "fire" any of the volunteers if they weren't doing a good job. It is kind of an impossible sitiuation and my advice is just do the best you can. 🤷♂
How long will it probably be before any of ur stuff will be available in the Uk. Even ok master of malt or whisky exchange? Would love to try what u are doing.
Don't say "Nah"... Say Nah and support it with the reason why.
Constructive criticism is something that we need more in our world regardless if it is on donated or compensated time.
You are going to force me to drive from Georgia to Texas to get some Eleanor. Road trip.
As a general rule, when I have overseen pro bono or volunteer work, I give myself permission to reject ideas or hold a quality line as early as possible, so people can expect that not everything will be accepted. They are signing on, knowing what the possible outcome may be from the jump.
what would happen if you barrel age beer then distil it. would it change the taste of the new make and what would it do when you age it in a barrel after?
What you’re describing with rejecting generous people is the bread and butter of nonprofit volunteer management and fundraising. If you ever want to chat about it, I’m here and happy to talk
If you give somewhat clear directions in the beginning, that makes it way easier. If you dont only say "give us some information on this", but "this is the topic, we need 3 pages, make sure to include the history of this and the development of that" youre gonna get way more results the way you want, and if you have to reject something its easy to pinpoint and nobody leaves hurt. Also: If you ever need something in or about Germany, im your guy :D
As a general rule, when I have overseen, pro bono or volunteer work, I give myself permission to reject ideas or hold a quality line as early as possible, so people can expect that not everything will be accepted. They are signing on, knowing what the possible outcome may be
If you're talking about rejecting what people are bringing back as suggested potential flavours, then, reject away!
After all, the process of seeking those flavours down can only be one of absolute joy and a project of passion...also, a jolly good piddle up at the same time 😀
If they're tasting for them, then, they need to be guided to taste for you when their taste falls short. The only way to get at what you want, therefore, is to keep pushing back until your minds are at one with one another.
Or, have I misunderstood what it is you're concerned about rejecting here?
Assuming you distill the imperial stout, would love to see your compare against Stone Imperial whiskey which I love.
The same thing is happening with the legalisation of marijuana. Many of the classic strains are disappearing and being replaced by varieties of a similar phenotype and potency.
thank for what yall do. just gotta say it in case yall dont hear it enough. just for a bit, im distracted from the too often shitty world we find ourselves in and makes me smile. oh ... thats the whiskey ... but yall are alright I guess ;)
You guys NEED to contact Matt Carriker from Demo Ranch he is doing a HUGE BEER FEST and is looking for TEXAS BEERS and i think he would love to include you guys! o ya also Rex and Matt OMG the SHENANIGANS
Seconded!
i got an idea... save the whisky from two very different flavor profile barrels. then age the same beer in both barrels. have tastings with both whisky's and both barrel aged beers.
i totally understand where you’re coming from on the being able to try and trust someone else’s pallet profile and recommendations ..im still a littl eupset at you guys for convincing me to go out and spend my money on the mermaids bathwater a few years agolol......hifive!!!!