2014 BCBS and Variants in Michigan

Haven't heard much this year either. One thing I did notice last year is that it seemed like certain areas got proportionately more than other areas. Last year I struck out in GR but when traveling to Chicago I found stacks in the St. Joe area. I asked a few industry people who said that AB distributors got much more than years past whereas non-AB distributors got less.

 

That's exactly what I heard as well. I work at a store in Oakland County where Goose Island is not distributed by the AB wholesaler. In two neighboring counties (Livingston and Wayne if my memory is correct), Goose is distributed by the AB wholesaler. It was a night and day difference in allocations between Oakland and Livingston/Wayne. My store got less Bourbon County last year than the previous two years (one case vs 3+) and none of the variants (although we hadn't got much of those in previous years, we at least got something). It also came out significantly later in Oakland, something like 3 weeks after it showed up in the counties where it came from an AB wholesaler.

 

Last year we had the invisible variant in Battle Creek. I haven't heard anything about this year's offerings, so we'll probably get the missing-in-action variant just to mix it up a little.

 

Not going to lie, I lol'd at a MI BCBS thread. It's most likely going to be the same buy singles @ $8+ a pop for reg and give your left nut to buy a variant Sh!t around here as last year.

 

I'm just glad I'll be down in Indiana for the other BCBS release that's been posted on here. That's all I'll say.

 

I bought plenty of regular at reasonable prices (in some cases, 2 4pk limits), and also got some barleywine and coffee. Didn't find it to be too difficult to find, tbh.

 

What City?

 

Was able to find a few bottles around Christmas time of the regular but that's about it. All the more reason to go to the release in Chicago and be done with it.

 

I'm assuming you're in the eastern part of MI? West MI was so dry.

 

THIS^^^^^

 

I was in New Baltimore last year for Thanksgiving & had to drive my daughter back to Kzoo on Black Friday. By the time I got back to Kzoo about 1pm I went to every beer store & scored exactly 1 bottle of BCBS with no variants to be found

 

lol...yes! I want to know where that is

 

SE MI as well as Mid-MI. I dunno, maybe I was just lucky, but it wasn't very difficult for me to find.

 

What city? I also live in southeast Michigan and didn't have that experience.

 

I agree with @wezzul. While we werent swimming in it in SE MI, most decent shops had a small share of the black gold. I got a four pack of regular BCBS at my local in South Lyon, and a Backyard Rye and two barleywines at Wine Palace in Livonia. I know Canopy, Champanes, and Holiday all got some. There should be little reason for spending your turkey hangover day chasing one bottle of BCBS.