Nugget Nectar, Ballast Point and Better Half in NJ

Boonton?
I was going to go there but won't bother if they're out already

 

Yup they are out.

 

wow that was fast! glad i didn't waste my time taking a ride ups there after work. And what's with the 2 6-pack NN limit? It's all over place - that's a little extreme i think.

 

i was playing the numbers on this one. i think i'm content with what i have. if i end up with any more opportunities, i'll let you know.

- joe

 

According to accurate sources that Canals (in W Deptford) is THE ONLY store in south Jersey that is getting it. Doesn't matter who got CBS....Hunterdon sucks!

 

I picked up Sculpin and Better Half today at 2 at my usual store in monmouth county. Also had Carnevale and Big Eye. But I guess the NN was still in back, didn't see any.

 

Boo hoo. A North Jersey store gets shut out. Have you're driver take you in your Rolls Royce to a store 5 miles away that will have it. All we want down here in what you'd call the impoverished, lower income part of the state is fair servic and representation, which we don't get.

 

Look at how Hunterdon exists in the first place.

Beer & Distribution Laws/Regulations are equally archaic right now. If we are still going to be required by law to have a Distributor, at least shorten the contract times to allow better competition between Distributors to get the product out and keep consumer relations good. Ideally, there shouldn't be a law at all!

If you look at most Liquor Legislation/Regulation they are almost all created pragmatically without understanding of the unforeseen consequences. Layering Legislation overtop of Legislation only hurts us all in the future, and provides less choice to us, the consumer. There are other ways for the states to tax instead of complicating the issue. Less pragmatism, more consequentialism.

/Rant

p.s. In Vineland @ Brewster they got Blushing Monk, and I'm pretty sure they have next to 0% Founders Sales. I have seen the same 4 packs collecting dust for months... and the people that work there don't have any understanding of craft beer. The manager couldn't even tell me what distributor they work with.

ps.s. blushing monk was awesome

 

Never knew South Jersey was so bitter, lol.

 

Well, I fully realize North Jersey and South Jersey are two very different places. I'm more bitter about the Laws than anything else.

 

turning buying beer into an experience similar to 15 year old's parents trying to buy lady gaga tickets on ticketmaster. trying to find limited releases in NJ isnt fun, but i dont think this is the answer.

 

i picked up 3 sculpin at joe canals in w. deptford yesterday. sculpin is one of my favorite west coast ipas, i was significantly disappointed last night to find that the hops (at least in the first bottle and it's reasonable to assume the other 2 will be the same) have severely faded. it tasted like a shadow of itself (mediocre at best). i was really looking forward to the availability of sculpin, even at $8.99 a bottle, but am wondering if ballast point is shipping out-of-date bottles to the east coast to dump older stock or maybe they are waiting until they have a sizeable load before shipping across the country and therefore some of the bottles are older than others...

 

That's dissappointing to hear. I'm going to drink the bottle that i bought the other day tonight. Hoping it's good at that price.

 

Last year all the sculpin that came to nj was old too.

 

last year i scored a few at a different canals that were good (have no idea how fresh they were because ballast point doesn't date their bottles - pretty primitive these days). the port stuff i've been picking up has been relatively fresh...

 

Just got a bottle of Better Half at Bottle King on RT-17 in Ramsey, I think it was a bargain at $15 per bottle. Also picked up a case of NN for $40 plus tax. The guy said they already sold a few and are putting one out on the shelf at a time. Whole Foods in Paramus at the Bergen Town Center also got a case of Better Half. Ramsey Liquors did not get any.

 

cool i had no idea WF in paramus sold beer.....

 

grab'd a bottle of better half this afternoon, also got 1 of all the ballast point offerings.. 6 pk of big eye, bomber of sculpin, bomber of victory at sea coffee vanilla imperial porter, bomber of sea monster imperial stout... i believe those to be the ballast point beers that hunterdon got and has sent out... bombers were going for 9.99 at the shop i got them.. i know they'll be 8.99 at other shops... i really hope it's not super old stock and ballast point is just sending leftovers of old stock out east... seemed that is what port was doing as the mongo and wipeout ipa's i saw were old...

Nuggett Nectar is making it's way around the stores today too.. now the battle is finding the place with the lowest case price in my local... place i got the ballast point stuff and better half isn't doing any breaks and selling six packs at $ 12.99 so a case would be $55.60 after tax.. think last year i got my case of NN for like $43 after tax... looking to spend under $48 for a case.. don't want to broach the $2/bottle mark as that is starting to push it really.. store had 15 cases today... limit per person was set at a case

 

Any idea which store? Shop-rite or Sparrow maybe? I could always drive to JC buy rite but would be easier to get it in town.