Does Colorado have any whales?

With a bottling of only 216 bottles, I would put Zeke's Belly Up Imperial Stout (Buffalo Trace) pretty high on the list of awesome beers coming out of Colorado.

I know, too few to ever be considered a whale, but still damn good.

 

You see them every now and then but it takes so much to acquire them and or there are so few left that it just doesn't pop up much. How many trade threads do you see of any of the top 100 whales? It's few and far between.

I don't see many being saught after in this state because the majority are not at that level. Not a lot of Mind blowing sours, saisons, and BA beers coming out of this state. Just is what it is.

I think people are getting whales confused with limited sought after beers also. This is a pretty solid list of so called whales https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aX2Bo6odEgdMgzpyHNvgEwy-nA-TDtBl3T-9j3idSzA/mobilebasic?pli=1

 

Ok take izzy out, so that's 3 beers ever in the history of Colorado brewing that deserve "whale" status if you want to use that term

 

Trust me, I’m a huge proponent of our local scene. I don’t think a weekend goes by where you won’t find me and the wife at a beer-centric spot.
We definitely have more breweries and big stores than NYC does, but they have a LOT of really good beer bars over there.
I could pretty easily scout a path through downtown Denver that makes it seem like a beer wasteland, and there are entire areas in Denver proper that still are (I’m looking at you, Lakewood).
I think you just had a guide that didn’t know some of those spots...both here and there.

Back on topic with whales, I’m not sure anything produced in CO has been so intentionally limited that it really counts. I suppose old vintage of anything might qualify, but that’s really the case anywhere. We don’t really have anybody bottling their random BA beers as they usually just sell them on-site and call it done. Odell and NB both have the ability to distribute in huge quantities, and even the “rare” Avery items aren’t that uncommon. Stuff like Woodcut is/was on every shelf in town for 6-8 months thanks to the price. Zeke’s probably should be, but is the demand there? Ditto with the AC Golden sours. I think we fly under the trading radar and our breweries are either making too much or too little. I do recall the first batch of Ten Fidy being a borderline whale at one time. It was a tiny batch that never left the state, but obviously subsequent batches weren’t.

 

Twisted Spoke wasn't available here either, was it?

 

Is Westy 12 considered a whale? It's purrty good and hard to get. Maybe I'm not clued in to the "whale" definition. To me it means a beer that is rare and fabulous. Rare could mean limited release, special release (somebody's bday, special event....), or just plain hard to find. Fabulous means purrty good, although this factor doesn't seem to hold the same weight as the rare-ness.

 

I know...

 

Oh your right, Chitown. Whatever you get what I'm saying

 

It's not a whale, and really easy to get in Europe. The list I posted is pretty spot on as far as most sought after, rare, old, amazing, orgasmic, etc....

 

Bligh's is not a whale. I picked up 14 bottles of it at random times all throughout the month after it was released. I gifted 12 of them because I thought it was one of the best beers I've ever had. Then in 2012 it became the best beer in US-Mountain & #4 best English Style Barleywine. If it became a whale it's because everyone in CO drank all their bottles and because there are few unopened bottles left.

 

Somebody needs to make an amazing beer and call it "O-Face"

 

http://www.focusonthebeer.com/2012/06/catching-up-with-trinity-brewing.html

Actually they originally called it "Occupational Hypnotherapy" but "TTB claimed that name promised unwarranted affects to consumers and made us change it." So they stuck the "Face" board over the original title.

 

Like... ?

 

It doesn't compare in terms of locally produced craft beer, but they smoke the hell out of Colorado(and everywhere else) with distribution and number of one-offs and special releases.

I applaud you for your commitment to local beer(I'm the same), but to downplay NYC as a beer destination is redunkalous. Next time you go, I'll give you 30 places(within 5 miles) to go that all have awesome beer.

 

It's almost as if..............local, more available beers of the same quality as other breweries.............that might have a more limited distribution............get more hype..............and therefore more trade value.....................

Naw, that couldn't be possible.

 

haha yeurps

I think population density is a factor. Those other beers (DLs, KBS, FFF et al) are limited, too, but in an area with more people in the surrounding 50-100 miles. The hype builds locally, then spreads.

 

There are no whales. I've been disappointed so many times by these so called "whales" that I don't even bother actively searching for them.

 

People in Colorado Springs act like Bristol's Venetucci Pumpkin Ale is a Whale. They actually sit in Bristol's parking lot and follow the delivery trucks to various liquor stores. It's ridiculous. I don't know of any beer in Colorado with this rabid a following.