Heady Topper in Santee CA

I am a protagonist for places bootlegging beer from out of state for me in general though. And I don't really mind places marking beer way up from special releases. I'm of the general opinion that special releases are severely underpriced, by and large, which is why that happens.[/quote]



Really???

 

If you don't think that special beer releases are severely underpriced relative to what the market would dictate, then you're in denial. Cable Car sold out at Toronado in ~2 hours on a Thursday afternoon with limited notice at $60/bottle.

 

However, what everyone is focusing on the heady. you *must* buy 5 other bottles to buy 1 heady at $10.
Since I've never been to his shop, let's say he you buy 5 bottles at $2 each. plus one head is $20 total.

if you buy 1x Russian River Sour ($11-14$ at various sources) and trade it for a 4 pack of heady, you'll pay the same amount (relative to shipping) AND get 4 headys.

In the end, this is one example of how he gouges. It's reflective of his business practices, which are poor in relation to a community that does not respect gouging / exploitation.

TL;DR - Regardless of selection, his prices take advantage of new to the craft brew scene.

 

Yes, I agree with you here. Like I said earlier, I've never shopped there, and don't plan on it. But the practice in general of reselling or selling out of distribution beers I don't have a particular issue with.

People on this forum tend to strongly devalue their own time. But if I can pay $20 more and save myself an hour of trouble - that's a great deal. It's why I've found myself gravitating toward beer clubs like The Bruery and The Rare Barrel.

 

Everyone can spend their money how they wish. If you wanna pay more money for something, go ahead. That's your decision. I also don't mind the resale of beer. If the seller and buyer are both okay with the terms of the sale, it's their personal decision to go through with it.

You clearly have seen the picture the locals have painted of Freddy. He's a scumbag. I think the entire point people are trying to highlight is this very fact. If someone told me, "hey, this guy over here has [INSERT BEER] and he's a really good guy that helps out the local community" vs "hey, this guy over here has [INSERT BEER] and he's a sheisty piece of shit that takes advantage of everyone he comes in contact with" I'm going to the first one! So, when people are continously bagging on him I think it comes from the fact that most people that live here want to see him go out of business.

People are allowed to sell their property. If someone buys a beer and privately sells it to someone else, that's their right. That's not something I'm trying to argue at all. I just want to make sure that everyone knows what they're getting into when they walk into his shop.

 

What are your thoughts on this Craigslist ad today?

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/clt/4148450334.html



I am coming out to Leucadia on vacation 11/20-11/24 and will be bringing cans of Heady Topper with me. If interested in the best DIPA in the world please contact me ASAP. $25/per 16oz can.

Trades for Pliny will be entertained

 

I'm gonna go listen to Biggie and rob a ************. Then I'll sell it to Freddy for $35 a can.

 

Along those same lines.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/clt/4149307595.html
For sale: One bottle of The Bruery's highly acclaimed, highly sought after 2009 Black Tuesday.

 

Post deleted by author lol

 

I always like "entertained." Will I have to act out the blind luck involved in getting the bottle?

 

$200 isn't that bad for '09 BT actually. More than I want to spend on it, but that year was delicious.

 

Some guy offered me a bottle of Grey Monday for $190 and B2 Chocolate Rain for $90. Guy said he's selling his beers because he needed the money.

 

Given how hard it was to get a bottle of that year and that SO many of them were had fresh, I would say $200 is actually quite reasonable. I don't know a single person that didn't A) trade theirs away almost immediately, or B) share them with friends that weren't able to get bottles.

 

Of course you aren't. Afterall it was you that said (regarding the Westy XII bricks):

​

link

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Wasn't it available via futures for several weeks? Or was that just for the BA Papier variants?

Granted, you had to go to the brewery to pre-order, but it was actually fairly easy to land until hype started building by people talking about how good pre-release samples tasted.

 

I read it but it isn't clear about a licensed retailer buying beer for resale from a brewery tasting room the way that some shady shops do (i.e. special bottle releases, buying at the bar, etc.). If I go to say, the DDG release and get a receipt made out to Peter J, I can't legally sell it at my shop. The invoice has to be made out to the business and have both licensee names on it along with some other legally required info. The brewery also has to have a resale form on file for the licensee. That's why I don't believe its true.

 

No, it was for illegally imported wines

 

Just Papier if I remember correctly.

 

I've never been there. Don't have any reason to.

I do find it funny that this place is called Beverages 4 Less. Less than what?

 

I was curious, so I went back to the first page of BT reviews to look for hints. Thorpe29's review on 08/10/09 mentions preorders being sold out, and the first reviews of tasters on tap were on 07/18, so it looks like there were preorders, but they went quickly once the hype from tasters started building. Certainly not as easy to get as BA Papier variants, but it looks like there was a week or two window where you could cruise in and preorder.

In hindsight, it's amazing how much hype built for BT and the Bruery in general over the span of a few months, from July through October.