Crazy beer culture

I've waited in line once, and that was for BCBS. I only stood in line for about 30 mins, so it wasn't bad. Festivals here are usually full, but not to the point where you can't have a good time. Special/limited releases generally sell quickly, but a lot of them can be found without waiting in a long line. Only really big name stuff like KBS and BCBS tend to require waiting in line, at least from my experiences. Not many shops/bars have "release" events for beers, but they occasionally do.

 

Maryland can be pretty bad, but it doesn't sound like it's on the level of Chicago.

 

ahahahah, FIB's complaining about their distribution.

 

Not too bad in Vermont. The known retailers of Heady are published and lines form on delivery day every week, and obviously big releases of HF require lotteries etc. Our brew festival in the summer sells out in minutes and resale tickets are inflated to 3x face value. Other than that it doesn't get too crazy.

 

Market not sated. Give it time.

 

That sounds pretty crazy to me. I feel bad for the locals who just want a 4 pack of some god damn heady topper lol

 

Well if you know the right people it's never a concern...

 

So as someone from VT, what would you say is the best DIPA coming out of your state? Ive had double fiddle, heady topper, and sip of sunshine. Double fiddle wins in my opinion.

 

Sometimes its really frustrating. I have been to the Russian River Brewery twice a Friday and a Sunday. Both time I was there before they opened and there was a line to get in. I was visiting from Las Vegas and was shocked how packed and croweded it was. We got the last table and people would ask how long we would be so they could grab the table when it opened up. Beer festivals in Vegas have been just as bad where you can not move without bumping someone. Makes me want to stay at home and just drink easy to find beers.

 

I am with you @SeanBond I live in Chicago and it is just going nuts at the moment.
A couple of random anecdotes from the last week:

- I am in the beer store chatting to the beer manager and I notice the empty case of DinoSmores that got delivered an hour or 2 previously. He told me that the distributor was bringing in the delivery and stacking everything up in the middle of the store, and some random customer sees the one case of DinoSmores on the bottom, starts unstacking the cases of beer to get to it, rips the box open an helps himself to a few 4 packs - right in front of the staff. Doesn't ask, just takes it and then gets shitty when he is told that it is a 1 4-pack limit and he will have to wait until they have completed the delivery and scanned everything into the system.

- A small new(ish) brewery near me is doing a party for their first bottle release of a barrel aged stout. $85 for a 4 pack of bombers... Parabola was 20% cheaper than that last year... I mean, what gives? Your first ever barrel aged stout, and you sell it for $21 a bomber and throw a release party?

I can only agree with the OP that the beer scene in Chicago is nuts at the moment. I think it is fueled on both ends of the spectrum too - there are douchy beer bros (like the guy above) who are just getting carried away with special releases and forget all sense of manners or perspective because they are tied up in 'the chase'. I think the breweries here in Chicago are actively trying to encourage this mania in a lot of ways by making a big deal out of every release that is just out of proportion with the product. It is just good old fashioned marketing, and will calm down eventually, but at the moment 'shiny and new' is best...

 

Chicago gets the widest variety of beer and the highest allocations. that comes down to distribution.

 

Double Fiddle is definitely the new craze in the state. It's kind of hard to take a stance too strongly against any one of them since they are all pretty amazing. Sip of Sunshine does it more for me, I don't taste as much of the bitterness but all three are great. I actually am a fan of Fiddlehead's regular IPA which is fantastic on a hot day (sadly they don't come about often up here).

 

'Second Fiddle' obviously intended there!

 

I honestly believe there will be a major correction in the not so distant future. I'm really not sure what it is, but IMO the industry can't/won't sustain some of the behaviors that are taking place.

Already you're starting to see the online reservations, auctions, no proxy type releases. I don't think that's the first step.

The bubble is still growing from both brewer and consumer. Again IMO, it's on an unstable bubble. Where the saturation point is, when the bubble bursts, I don't know, but I don't think its all that far off.

 

The Heady Topper delivery schedule is on the Alchemist website too. It's not that hard to find, particularly for a local who might have more flexibility than a traveler. I think VTer's had a harder time getting Heady when most of the sales were direct at the brewery and out-of-staters lined up to get the lion's share of it because they knew exactly when and where to go (sort of like Hill Farmstead). At least now Heady makes an appearance on local store shelves.

 

They do make a ton more Imperial Stout than KBS, which is fine by me because I actually like it more than KBS. I've found that often the more hyped beers from a particular brewery that people chase around are not necessarily the best offered IMO.

In Wisconsin the beer culture has gotten a bit crazier in the last year or two, but so far at least it has been reasonably under control. I just got back from Central Waters anniversary party and though it seemed like there was 5 times the people there this year vs. last, most everyone was really cool (always have your outliers haha). CW's decision to make enough beer to satisfy demand certainly helps that.

 

Never stood in line, haven't been to a Fest yet, and they have about 1 a quarter in NE Ohio...scene here & around Ohio is great. Just not a scenester, really.