Just looking to get a price and availability check on this one. Does it go $4$ or will I have to part with something precious to secure a bottle or two.
Sorry I can't be of help on an answer, but it's worth noting that Sip is going to start being canned around the start of 2015. Cans of Heady + Sip + Mastermind/Second Fiddle? Gonna be fun!
its going to be the only beer that will be put out weekly for a while. but as breadwinner stated, it will be canned. i just landed my first bottle from a very generous ba that threw it in with some other vt stuff. it took some ba jackie o's stuff along with some FFF. hope this helps!
Pricing is right around $9 I believe. It is readily available, although it bears the Lawson's name; it is contract brewed in CT w/ Two Roads in much larger batches than the traditional Lawson's small batch brewed in VT. For comparison purposes, the VT brewed varieties are delivered to 3-4 stores in >10 (don't quote me on this) case batches; while Sip of Sunshine is sent to stores in 100+ case quantities. Quality is there, but certainly FAR more readily available than any of the other Lawson's on the market. I would say if you can't go $4$ you not be working with a good BA, you should absolutely NOT have to part with something precious.
I agree with pretty much everything you said, except for the part I quoted above. SOS is only available at the same 3 stores that get his VT brewed beers. It is still delivered only once a week. The difference is instead of selling out in 45 minutes, it lasts most of the day because of the increases quantity. This past week SOS actually lasted into the next morning at Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, but that is only because they limited it to 4/pp whereas they usually do 6/pp. So while it is definitely available in greater quantities than any other Lawsons's beers, it is not readily available.
Despite seeing the same limited distribution (there are indeed more than 3 stores that get Lawson's distro), in comparison to the rest of Lawson's offerings; I consider Sip to be readily available. I have seen it last multiple days on numerous occasions, and considering one store see's 100+ cases in one allocation, including much higher PP limits 4-12 (normally 1-3 at most)...in comparison to any other Lawson's ever on the market (aside from DD maybe) , I 100% consider it to be readily available...when it comes to Lawson's. Of course we're spitting hairs here, you know what they say about opinions?
Not looking to start an argument here, but this is incorrect. The Warren Store in Warren VT, Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, and Beverage Warehouse in Winooski are the only stores that get Lawsons (not including collabs like DD). I can't comment on the Warren Store or Hunger Mtn, so maybe that is what you are referring to, but I have only ever seen SOS last more than 1 day at Bevy twice (including this past week). How???? It is available 1 or two days a week at 3 stores across the whole state. I agree with you that it is the easiest of all the Lawsons beers to acquire. But describing it as readily available is simply misleading to those who are trying to track it down. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to the day that SOS is readily available - preferably in four packs of 16oz cans - but that simply isn't the case right now.
The co-op people have referred me to a wine store not far from them that does get the lawsons delivery on the same day as I picked some up there.
That would be news to me, and even Lawson's themselves don't acknowledge it (http://www.lawsonsfinest.com/find-our-beer/). However I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong, if they in fact get regular secret deliveries. But even if it is 4 stores across the entire state, it still isn't readily available.
While I guess your definition of readily available may be different I think I got the info I am looking for. The fact that they drop bottles weekly to me would mean readily available as in there is new supply on a regular basis.
Since SOS is going to be the only lawsons beer available for the next 6 months or so, how "readily available" it is remains to be seen, especially for those looking to trade for it
Their will always be folks trying to exploit or profit... but there are also always those that are just cool people and like to share the good beer around. Cheers. /thread
Readily != Regularly. readily: promptly; quickly; easily vs. regularly: at regular times or intervals. Sip of Sunshine is regularly available, Magic Hat is readily available. My intention of posting in this thread has never been to hype up SOS or make it seem more difficult to obtain than it is. I am simply trying to provide accurate information for folks seeking it out. Practically every time I am in a liquor store I overhear someone asking if they have Lawson's/Heady, and invariably the answer is no and people leave disappointed because they didn't know they had to in the right place at the right time.
LOL, breaking out the dictionary...pretty hilarious. Sorry my use of the english language isn't up to your standards. This is why I stay off these forums, I think my point went over your head. Glad I could answer your questions OP!!
My guess is that it'll probably go more the Heady Topper route- made regularly, delivered regularly but still requires a good amount of effort (at least timing considerations in being there for deliveries) to actually get.
Here's my experience from when I visited VT earlier this month. Hunger Mountain and the Warren Store got their deliveries of SOS on Thursday. I stopped by Hunger Mountain on Friday morning and there was still plenty available (2 bottle limit). I then drove down to the Warren Store, which also had plenty available (3 bottle limit). Also, SOS is tremendous.
I spoke with the kind people at Hunger Mountain today and was informed that SOS will not be running on the regular delivery schedule while Mr. Lawson is on hiatus. They got a palette a week ago and still have 5 cases with a 2 bottles limit. The person I spoke this wasn't aware of a current regular(hope I used the right word ) delivery date.
Yup, this mirrors a friend's experience a week or two ago -- rolled in to Hunger Mountin Friday mid-morning to a healthy stock of SOS. I appreciate what @bahnfire is trying to get across -- that folks who think they can just stroll in and snag Lawson's/Alchemist/etc. stuff any old day of the week will be sorely disappointed -- but for those who make a scintilla of effort, they shouldn't be THAT hard to track down.
