[tony]

The thought that there was a significant portion of brewers who wanted to enter US competitions and bypass ALES is just not a good argument, regardless of some people living at the border saying that it is.

So responding to the stated desires of our members is a bad thing?  Noted.

I have it on good authority that it was only ONE person who asked that they be allowed to enter the US sites not the many stated. Ask Janis.

And no, it isn't bad that you respond to the desires of the membership if there are enough to complain about, but again, I doubt many asked for the removal of the Canadian site. It seems to me to be a patchwork decision for short term relief that I hope will be addressed in the current year.

[tschmidlin]

I have it on good authority that it was only ONE person who asked that they be allowed to enter the US sites not the many stated. Ask Janis.

I'll believe you that there is one who asked Janis about this.  That person may or may not be one of the two from Vancouver who approached me at the NHC in Seattle with the question of why they could not just enter here.  I told them it was not my decision (at the time I was not the chair of the competition committee, I knew them from previous conferences and I was one of the local Seattle NHC organizers).  Gary also said he was asked, but this may or may not be one of the same people who asked me or Janis.  This let us know that there was at least some Canadians who wanted to enter at US sites.

As far as I know, no one asked for the removal of the Canadian site - no one in Canada, no one outside of Canada.  No one has said anyone ever did.  But as was explained, given the imbalance in entries available vs. membership levels in the two countries and given the availability of enough sites in the US to judge all of the first round beers, all 11 sites are in the US this year.  If next year there are more first round sites needed than we can accommodate in the US we will ask ALES to host again.

[giant_macaskill]

Your sarcasm is hilarious. 

On one hand you are claiming that this decision to remove the Canadian site was made in great part for the MAJORITY of AHA members in the US.  Fine.  Yet you also proudly claim to be listening to a few mystery men in Vancouver in making this decision, who are clearly a MINORITY of members.  So you selectively listen to groups of members who suit your needs to kill the ALES competition as an AHA site.  Hypocrisy noted.

The only valid and continuous argument here is the lack of AHA members in Canada.  It would be better off to admit this, and start addressing that problem, instead of kicking this can further down the road.

[tschmidlin]

On one hand you are claiming that this decision to remove the Canadian site was made in great part for the MAJORITY of AHA members in the US.  Fine.  Yet you also proudly claim to be listening to a few mystery men in Vancouver in making this decision, who are clearly a MINORITY of members.  So you selectively listen to groups of members who suit your needs to kill the ALES competition as an AHA site.  Hypocrisy noted.

This is the right decision for the 99.4% of our members who do not live in Canada, and for at least some of the 0.6% of our members who do live in Canada.  They simply add to the majority of our members for whom this is the right decision.  You've made clear that you don't think the fact that some Canadians want to enter in the US is a valid reason.  I don't agree.

The only valid and continuous argument here is the lack of AHA members in Canada.  It would be better off to admit this, and start addressing that problem, instead of kicking this can further down the road.

I have stated this repeatedly and even offered to help address it.  What are you doing to help?

[hopfenundmalz]

Your sarcasm is hilarious. 

He is a pretty funny guy. Not Hudecek funny, but pretty funny.

[tschmidlin]

Your sarcasm is hilarious. 

He is a pretty funny guy. Not Hudecek funny, but pretty funny.

No one is as funny as a Hudecek, not even honorary ones like me.

[a10t2]

The only valid and continuous argument here is the lack of AHA members in Canada.  It would be better off to admit this, and start addressing that problem, instead of kicking this can further down the road.

The longer this thread goes on, the more trouble I'm having thinking of the lack of Canadian members as a problem.

[Jimmy K]

If this thread were an equation, I'd say we've reached the limit.

[Joe Sr.]

Take off, eh?  You hoser.