PVW DL

When compared to other BA variants? Look at the context of that post. I see no reason that BA DL justifies huge returns where other very limited BA variants do not. Nothing other than straight up fanboyism can justify that.

 

That's basically every barrel aged beer ever.

 

Right, so why is BA DL a "whale" that justifies huge returns when it isn't even as rare as some others? That is what I am trying to figure out. Does everyone just go "ZOMG 3Floyds!!!!!!111"?

 

I'm not an economy major, but I think the claim of demand mentioned earlier was pretty basic explanation. Trying to justify why it shouldn't be held in such high regard isn't going to make it anymore easily accessible.

 

It sounds like you've already got it all figured out.

 

I traded one + a Rare and KH for a 3L Consecration

 

Try considering taste.

 

I have considered taste...not sure Dark Lord has much on other stouts in the taste category. For my money I will take Darkness over Dark Lord any day of the week.

 

Not all BADL variants are equal, which is why you have to evaluate them separately. All of the ones people really want are legitimate sub-1,000 bottles (PVW - 484, Brandy Vanilla - 433, Bourbon Vanilla - 934). You're also talking about a bottle purchased at an event where literally thousands are shut out each year, and only about half of the people that were lucky enough to even get tickets, walk away with a bottle for a cool 50 bucks.

Simply, bottle count is not the end all be all of bottle rarity/value, it's only the supply side of the equation. It becomes difficult to quantify demand, but I'd imagine there's only a few hundred people looking for the Black Magick Variants while there are literally thousands that would love to land one of the rarer BADL variants.

It also doesn't help that Bourbon Vanilla in particular has been sitting in the top 5 on BA for the past several years prior to them changing the rating system and now it's "only" #10.

 

That basically is how you know what the demand is. Well, really, that's how you know where the supply/demand curves intersect. People can charge a high price and the product moves, so the demand (relative to the supply) is really high.

I think that, to a very large extent, this 1/person, multiple-variant, high-price release style is just set to create a shitshow. If Cigar City released BA Hunahpu's this way it would be even more of a disaster than it is, on BADL level. Only giving people 1 of something just creates problems, and the rest of the stuff makes it even worse.

 

So it really is the 3 Floyd's name then. People are only looking for the BADL variants more so because it's 3 Floyds and they have a lot of fan's/fanboy's.

I guess that is the point I am trying to get at. It seems to be more about the brewery and the reputation their beer comes with and less about the beer. If you did a blind taste test on BA variants across multiple breweries I can almost promise you could not tell the difference.

 

So which BA DL do you think is the best?

 

Exactly. Just because we don't all individually agree with the demand for ANY given beer, it doesn't mean the demand doesn't exist.

 

No. As I said above, just because you (or maybe even I) think the demand is ridiculous, it doesn't matter...the demand is what it is. If you don't like it, don't trade for one.

 

With the exception of the 2011 de muerte (which is only really needed for a true vertical), I think the hype and desire for the BA dl's is a situation where the hype actually meets taste. People desire brandy vanilla because nothing out there tastes even close to it. I don't think this has much to do with the base beer or Three Floyd's, it's just truly one of the best barrel aged stouts in the world. It obviously helps that it gets released in a very public way at a well-attended event, and costs a lot of money.

 

I agree with the bolded part. What I'm saying is that the supply is higher than people admit - objectively, the bottle counts are comparable to other small-batch brewery-only releases, numerically the scores are similar. Entire tasting groups go to DLD and compile the sets (I should know, I've traded for 3 sets of the 2012 BA Dark Lords so far - they're out there), so the trading supply isn't low.

But when people talk it up like supply is low and demand is high, that becomes the common wisdom. By saying it over and over again, you convince everyone else. It's not the demand, it's the perception of the supply. The people saying "it's just demand" are part of the perception problem. All barrel-aged beers are in demand, and Dark Lord isn't a particularly desirable beer. It's just that no one has actually pointed out when people post misinformation. I see the same thing is starting with KBS, by the way:

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/ft-4-pack-kbs-iso-chocolate-rain.80885/#post-1168386 (KBS is rare now? Really? LOL)

I've been at releases with "two bottles per person" limits and seen multiple people walk out with 8-10 bottles. I know a guy that had 3 BA DLs himself with his family's tickets. I think the most likely explanation here is that no one's really being honest about BA Dark Lord availability.

It's kind of an ugly truth, and probably no one wants to hear it, so I understand the backlash.

 

Of course the demand is what it is. I am trying to understand why it is that way as normal DL on its own isn't very remarkable, and as was pointed out in the post above...supply isn't all THAT short.

 

Try trading for a 2011 set and let us know how that works out. And yes, all of them are out there and can be traded for. I don't think anyone is arguing that they're actually rare. The lesser variants go for not a lot. The best variants go for a lot. The best variants from a few years ago are on their way to real whale status, regardless of the reasons.

 

That's not really responding to anything I said.

First, yes, there are people who say BA DL is rare; what an odd thing to deny. Second, yes, I agree the variants go for a lot. Third, I am talking about the reasons why I think that is (cult of misinformation), so "regardless of the reasons" is a complete sidestep.