bcbs black Wednesday - NYC

I figured I would share this story after someone here posted about BCBCS in BK.

I happened to drop by Brooklyn harvest market on Tuesday after seeing their post about BCBCS. When I got there I frantically walked around the store looking for the beer aisle thinking they would have sold out within the hour they had posted it online (they took the post down now FYI). I saw 2 guys stocking shelves and they said "I bet I know what you're here for" and I pointed at the BCBCS case. They asked where I was coming from and I told them midtown --they laughed and said i was the second guy in the past half hour to trek in from there. So they pointed to about 15 cases of BCBS and said we had to order all this BCBS in order to get that 1 case of BCBCS. So I said no worries I had planned on picking up a 4 pack of BCBS as well. The stocking guy brought up the two 4 packs to his boss and the guy was like umm you know what I had to do to get this--and I went through the same convo with him. He stated that they will be getting Vanilla too but he has to sell all the cases of BCBS before he is allowed to sell it. I had a brief beer geek convo with him so that he knew I wasn't some hoarder, then he reluctantly brought both 4 packs to the register and I was on my way! So reality is I must have been the last customer who was allowed to grab a 4 pack before they limited it.
On a side note this place has a great selection and all the guys in there were super nice and knowledgeable about beer. I guess it stinks that they require you to buy BCBS now in order to get BCBCS, but being that they were early to the game in NYC, it only makes sense from their standpoint.

 

I'm confused about when stores are supposed / allowed to start selling it.

I thought:

1. Select bars (Dive Bar and One Mile House in NYC) have official release events today (11/26)
2. Select stores (Top Hops in NYC) have official release events on Friday (11/28).

Presumably all other stores can start selling it from that point on. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. If I'm right, then would be cool if places just stuck to that.

Are most people on here who are planning on going to an event tonight, going to Dive or One Mile? Dive is probably the wiser option, even though I don't like the place. Personally I'm going to hit One Mile, and if it's too much of a zoo I'll just give it a miss. BCBS + variants are great, but not worth the shitshow I imagine this will be.

 

I had the exact same convo with the same guy! All the stuff about "we had to buy 10 cases of BCBS to get BCBCS". But my understanding is that most places have to buy these quantities. It got strange and I felt guilty for wanting one beer and not the other, I sort of just didn't want to deal with it.

Wait, he gave you 4x Coffee just for buying 4x BCBS? He told me I had to buy 8 BCBS to get 1 bottle of Coffee. When I flinched he said he'd "cut me a deal" and let me buy 2 bottles of Coffee if I bought 12 BCBS...

@rollom I think you're right, I don't think this store was supposed to be selling it yet. Maybe it was old cases of the 2013?

 

hoping the weather keeps a lot of borderline folks home tonight...

i'm on the fence myself

 

I bought a 4 pack of BCBCS and a 4 pack of BCBS--they are both the 2014. BCBS abv on this batch is 13.8% bottled late aug and the BCBCS is 12.6% bottled under a month ago.

 

I heard from a beer buyer in Westchester that due to the new markets they are hitting this year, NY will be getting a third less as a state than last year of all variants.

 

Also the event tonight at Dive Bar is not at the 101st St location but is at the 96th St location (@ Amsterdam), taps start flowing around 7, here is the facebook event site: https://www.facebook.com/events/725808450830486/

 

Wow - so essentially the same exact tap list. Only difference is that One Mile House starts earlier which may give some the opportunity to get in early and get out before it becomes a mad house. Although I am sure there's no way to avoid the mad house part.

 

Part of me wonders if OMH will really be that crazy. Crappy weather, holiday tomorrow, wouldn't most people head out of the city to see families?

Either way, it's on my way home from work, so I'll at least stop by when I get out (which is hopefully before 5 thanks to the holiday). I'll be in a blue/white collared shirt if anyone wants to say hi.

 

Just going based on the Facebook invites - OMH has 90 confirmed and Dive Bar has 12. Dive Bar posted their listing two days ago, but I still have to assume it will be the quieter of the two. I'll be at OMH since I just like to support that bar and also that walking distance to some Chinatown dumplings after cannot be beat.

 

Same here - it's on the way home for me as well, so at worst I'll get home a few mins later if it's really not worth it.

Yeah I hope the same - that the weather and upcoming holiday deter people.

BUT - beer nerds are a resilient and... focused bunch (think what people will do for certain releases), and two bars are servicing the Greater NYC area. So I'm keeping my expectations low, and if I'm pleasantly surprised, then cool.

 

Just got back from Brooklyn Harvest Market, spoke to the same guy. Similar story as above. He told me about the Vanilla as well, not sure when they're getting it but they're getting it. Also said that he put the one case of coffee out on the shelf and some guy bought most of it.

 

Was there any coffee left? I may swing by during my lunch break

 

Did you get any?

 

No, sorry that wasn't clear. Some guy bought most of it and the rest was gone quick.

 

Well when i was there on Tuesday only one 4 pack was gone from the case and I got the second 4 pack--leaving 16 beers in there. The "some guy" must have had to buy a s**tload of BCBS in order to clean out those 16 BCBCS

 

Yeah I don't know. He was kinda weird about it to be honest but seemed nice so I took him at his word. Hopefully they'll actually get the vanilla, I'm going to check every day until I see it haha.

 

Im hearing end of December.....

 

This makes me so depressed as a New Jersian. You have to sell your BCBS to get BCBCS?? Stores here get 2-3 cases of BCBS MAX and single it out. What a joke.

 

if you don't live too far from NYC--take a day trip and grab a case. there is still 2013 on the shelves by me