2014 Bourbon County Brands release - Chicagoland

this beer really brings out the worst in people. they should probably just stop making it.

 

the fact is that "regular" is an unmeasurable term that these employees use to justify what they do. Make it all a lottery. Make it a brewery only release. Shit, go hand out tickets outside and if you dont get a ticket, you know not to waste your time. It's the secrecy and shady bullshit I have experienced this year that is making me go crazy and no one seems to do anything about it. Announce how many cases you have. And don't get me wrong, it's not just Binnys. Most of these shops in Chicago all have their little cult following. Capones, Vavs, I can go on and on. I know distributors are pushing products on these stores. I know demand outweighs supply. I was a place on Black Friday that promised this big release and they had 6 bottles of each variant. 100 people left with nothing. But make it somewhat fair. Archer Liquors did a fair release that if you bought $25 you got a token. Later they said the token was the right to purchase BCS. Im cool with that. If you want to reward "regulars", then start a reward system. More you purchase, more points you earn. you can cash in points to reserve bottles. I mean, it's measurable. It can be proven. I dont always drink beer. I drink bourbon, wine, vodka..Shit, I even like margaritas on a hot summer day.

Just do something. if you want to reward regulars, let me know what that means. If you want to be bribed, let me know what your price is. if you want to charge $60 a bottle, dont make me buy a 6-pack of Honker's ale. I can see why people a few years ago were getting out of the "beer game". It's not becoming fun.

 

You can. It's called "cashing a check."

 

Nothing but a bunch of clowns talking shit about the guy working at Binny's but then again, it's the same clowns who think their Darkness should trade 1:1 for vanilla rye then also say that their vanilla rye should be 1:1 with DDG, trying to hype up the value of Chicago beers. If the small mom and pop stores treat you better than Binny's in your opinion, go shop there instead of Binny's - Simple. When the mom and pop store starts holding beer for you, you can go to sleep at night knowing you're a "regular" who gets special treatment. Why is there so much butt hurt in Chicago regarding BEER? No matter if you're a beer guy, garbageman, banker, flip burgers at McD's, etc., people work hard at their jobs so respect them for what they do. For you clowns to call them out publically and trash them about their job is laughable. Surely, craft beer seen in Michigan, California, Denver, Oregon, etc. has to be better than this garbage, right?

 

It's astonishing to see how angry people let limited release beer make them. And the egos displayed in this thread are really unreal. There are reasons that jobs exist and people fill these roles and are then able to live their lives in hopefully a way that they desire. If you love beer, why would you hate on someone who dedicates their time to helping make it available for you and others?

Every job has its downfalls, and I have to imagine for the beer retail world the limited release and collector mentality is one of its biggest.

Hypothetically here, why do people value being a regular? It really seems just so that they can get the more limited beer. I enjoy being a regular at Binny's because Adam acknowledges me which feels nice, and he offers me great recommendations. I ask him what he's found to be great lately, and often purchase it. He's around beer all the time, I trust his opinion. I've never asked him for rare beers. Here's a little secret -- limited beer is often disappointing. Save your frustrations and buy tested products that won't let you down. Don't fall victim to the hype. Oh, and if you're a regular at a store and buy limited beer to trade to someone for beers that excite you more, doesn't this negatively impact the chances that another buyer who regularly shops at a store from obtaining said beer? Living in a market such as Chicago there are so many options for amazing beer -- I don't understand the need to trade it. Some people just need to be extra hardcore, I guess.

And the person who listed a bunch of beer stores after Binny's and included "vav's". You might not get it. Vav, who I referred to as Adam, is a manager at a Binny's. He works hard. He may not work at a bank, but he works hard and I commend him for what he does and the way I see him handle things. If I had to deal with the attitudes displayed on this forum I'd be a far angrier person. We're all people, and I think we work in all sorts of fields. Hating on someone for what they do and/or what their income may be compared to yours is a horribly negative trait.

 

Hi there. Where did you crawl out from? When stores get items to sell it's up to their discretion how many can be purchased by staff before they're sold to the general public. You mentioned Target and some super low-end TV (I thought you were a banker, bro). Do you think no Target employee purchased that before they opened the doors on Black Friday? I bet they did. This is a dated comparison, but remember when people would get excited about a CD or DVD release on Tuesdays? Guess what, store employees are buying those before the doors open as well.

I don't know Vince, but it sounds like he purchased that bottle of beer. Employees get discounts, but I don't imagine he stole it. If you steal from your bank, you'd be breaking the law and would be fired if caught. If you used your bank discount for some super sweet free checking account or discounted home loan, you'd be rightfully taking advantage of the benefits of your employment. Sure, there's a difference because these benefits don't restrict the chances of customers to obtain the same products, and when you're talking about a physical item (heck, now a commodity) the insider purchases can result in a lower amount for customers. So what. Jobs come with perks.

 

I worked at Target between college and getting a real job. We were very much not allowed to purchase new releases before customers. BF deals doubly so.

That said, I have no issue with employees getting a crack at some releases first. There have to be some perks to a retail job.

 

Also, are we done with this portion of the thread yet:

It's getting old

 

And given the responses here (which probably only scratch the surface with the BS they put up with), those are well-deserved perks.

 

and ultimately, Im cool with that too. I really I am. If I was in charge of the store, I would announce "this is how many cases we have (for sale) Line starts at this time, first ### get a wristband/ticket/etc. this guarantees your allotment (which is XYZ beers). if you hold back a case or two for employees, fine but go the extra effort in not making these releases more painful than they had to be.

 

Lolz.

Do you get welcomed by name at your bottle shop? do you spend time there beyond "hey what whalezbro you got?" Being a regular isn't a "I spend $xxx per month" it's bring a fucking human to these people.

I had a prop and a 4 pack held for me at a place and when I went in I had already picked up 3 4 packs and didn't need another. There was someone else there asking and they were "all out". I gave the guy my allotment and then talked with him and the owner for like 20 minutes about the release, what other Non-BCS releases were coming up and the guy ended up buying a big luscious and a 4 pack of Penrose - a brewery he'd never heard of. When the guy left the owner turned to me and said "and that's why we have a list"

So yeah. That's the same as showing up to a grocery store an hour after everyone else and jumping to the front of the line, stealing food from shelves, and being obnoxiously loud.

 

@blue-dream please don't lock this thread. instead, if you can just clean it up and send some warnings. that'd be appreciated.

If anyone wants some BCBS 2013 on draft. head to whole foods in park ridge and get a drink. i believe it's dollar off all drafts today too.

 

Also, on draft at Tap House in Oswego is '13/'14 BCBS. However, unless you're really desperate to try it I wouldn't recommend it at $13/10oz! Ouch!

 

8 dollars for 8 ounces currently at the whole foods so not bad. Also, it's not dollar off drafts today, i was mistaken. i think it's either wednesday or thursdays but don't know if it'll last.

 

The anger and disappointment showing through here is misdirected.

When a place like Delilah's, who has been supporting Goose Island for 21 years, is allocated no BCBS and has to use internal contacts to get one case of regular BCBS at wholesale, it is clear what has happened from a Corporate perspective. That is both cringe-worthy and disappointing. ABInBev sales = BCBS, bottom line. That's the way it is, and there's little that can change it going forward.

Expect Whole Foods, Walgreen's, Jewel, and Binny's to continue to receive a larger percentage of the already small allocation so long as folks continue to buy ABInBev product in massive quantities.

 

Stop making sense.

 

Truf

 

I've been buying BCBS at whole foods since 2009 and they've sold it before 2009 so they're definitely not a new market. This year was the first time whole foods was severely undercut in allocations. i can bet Walgreens in the city (proper) got more BCBS than the whole foods in the Chicagoland area. Only two stores received 'large' portions which weren't even large
We'll see how it looks next year but you're not wrong though. whole foods will be opening more stores next year and they'll all get BCBS.

 

Beer is a business and breweries want their beer sold, so even the not so big guys incentivize stores that purchase their "bread and butter" products by offering them a chance to sell the ones available in smaller volumes.

I don't think too many drinkers are bothered by this, since regular drinkers like a bunch of beer, not just the rare stuff.

 

This is what I've been trying to say. The issue this year isn't that stores are hoarding, or giving Prop to their "best" customers, or that Vav didn't allow the first 100 people in line to have 6 bottles of everything. The issue is that this year, the distribution of the beer was expanded, demand inccreaded, Prop (and Vanilla Rye, I think) did not increase in production, and, most importantly, Walgreens, CostCo, Whole Foods, Jewel, etc. got the lion's share of Chicago's allotment. Even some of the bigger Binny's in the city (I'm thinking South Loop, specifically) didn't get as much as last year. Blame distribution, not the guys at the stores; most of those dudes would be more than happy to sell your some Bourbon County, but they haven't got the Bourbon County to sell.