New England's 2015 Zwanze Day Locations

I always head to Novare for a beerific weekend. (And I live 60 miles from HF.) I bring all my Cantillon with me for a coop bottle share that night.

 

'13 Fou was $75 last year at Hobo

 

How does it usually work at Novare? What time should you typically line up? And how much are tickets? Is it cash only for the tickets?

Thanks in advance!

 

Same as during the last BA fest, MBTA cancelled train service from Lynn to North Station. Meaning public transport will take at least 2 hours to get to and from the Hobo. And since it willbe Very Illegal for to me drive anywhere aftera beer release, and since you apparently have to get there at 7, it all just seems very not worth it.

Portland's not a bad option, but I'm confused by Novare's facebook feed. Have the tickets already gone on sale, or do they go on sale on Saturday?

 

I got to Hobo at around 10:30 and had to wait an epic amount in line.

Anyone on here get there in the 8am range? Get in for the first tapping at 3pm?

 

Doesn't help when the distributors have a huge markup on the stuff ... wouldn't be surprised if it was a 100% markup.

 

Distributors may be a part of the problem, but why do the whole excessive restaurant markup? When it is on the shelf locally, I've never seen a Cantillon bottle priced higher than $39.99. Hobo was charging $75 for Fou ($35 off the shelf retail), so that's not all on the distributor. Also, Deep Ellum, when they would have Cantillon, would charge the equivalent of retail shop prices.

Again, any restaurant I've ordered Cantillon at in Vermont has also charged the equivalent of retail pricing, though I understand the tax laws are different in another state, Vermont has every bit the beer scene Boston has, yet the businesses their decide not to gouge.

I also just saw Framboos for $99 at Publick House and even though that's TWICE what a retail shop would charge, they couldn't even get the bottle size right (listed as 12.7 oz) nor the style (listed as an Imperial IPA) right.

Your bias is clearly showing if you can't admit Hobo gouges on Cantillon.

 

Totally agree, best price I've seen on Boos at a bar was $60 bucks and that was where the shelf price was $50. Any markup more than $5-10 on high end items is definitely price gouging. Hardly anyone wanted to pay $60 let alone $100 bucks. Restauranteering 101: mark up the hell out of the cheap stuff so you have a better profit margin, sell the expensive stuff close to at cost so it will actually sell and not take up space.

 

LOL ... I don't pay much attention to pricing at every bar for beers I never order. Bias? If you've ever seen me at Lord Hobo or Deep Ellum I'm drinking 1/2 liter pours of pilsners giggling at the beer geeks squabbling over the pricing of semi-rare beer.

Last I looked ... price gouging does not pertain to luxury items. Give me a break.

 

Alright... to maybe get this back on track...

What's it like at Armsby? Again, the description of the process sounds a little confusing:

http://armsbyabbey.com/2015/09/zwanze-day-919/

you can show up early, but also you can't. You can stake out a seat at noon, but also you can give your name to a hostess to reserve a seat.

Has anyone ever gone before? Is it bedlam?

 

You should run for office, fantastic job at avoiding the question. So charging double what a retail store charges isn't gouging because, hey, its a luxury item! Please tell that to Jean Van Roy next time you see him.

I don't think you understood what I meant by bias; what does drinking pilsners have to do with not admitting that Hobo is overcharging for Cantillon?

Also, lots of businesses that sell these "luxury items" would disagree with your opinion here; if there's no such thing as gouging on luxury items, why does Buffalo Trace bother to keep track of store owners that resell Pappy and thus usually cancel their accounts when its proven? Why do the Kimmichs bother keeping track of stores that go above MSRP for Heady?

So, are you still going to come to the bar I open even if I charge $15 for a .5L of Rothaus pils? luxury item

 

Are some of the bottles expensive at Lord Hobo? Sure, they've had some pricey bottles on the list as far as I can remember. So do many other beer bars in the Boston area. Many people balk at the price but there are some with disposable incomes that will drop the dough on it.

And no, I would not be going to a bar that serves $15 1/2 liter pours of Pils. Can't compare rare beer to something most of us have access to and has a lower markup from wholesaler to retailer.

Six pack of Rothaus pils is around $12 I think ... one bottle of it at a bar is around $7. What is the store to bar mark up on that? ~$0.16 and ounce at the store and ~$0.58 an ounce at the bar. So just because a bottle of rare beer is already expensive from the wholesaler a beer bar should just charge near cost to appease the beer geeks?

Lastly ... Just playing a little devil's advocate here. I've been talking about beer pricing in Boston since 1998 so I can relate as a consumer but also like to discuss it further because there are many factors that come into play that some people forget or don't even know.

 

Who's waiting in line tomorrow at LH? My day is still screwy though I know I'll be at Olde Magoun's later tomorrow for some German Lagers. Not sure if I can make this.

 

come up to HF with us instead Jason.

 

I feel like people are somewhat over-exaggerating the line. That picture at 10 AM was pretty accurate but it also only shows like 30 people. Nobody was getting there at 7 AM from what I could tell from talking to folks. I think I heard 9 AM from one of the earliest guys and he walked by - saw like two people and then went to get breakfast. I got there at 9:45 and my girlfriend and I got seats at the bar and there was still a lot of room - we were by the fruit basket place next door.

Only one beer had run out when we got in. It was some Dry Hopped Cantillon and there were like 4 bottles. I feel like you have to wait an hour in line to get in to this stuff. That's like all beer events these days, though. You have to show up an hour early. Not at 7 AM (unless you're buying Maine Dinner apparently.)


*Edit* and I'm probably going to line up again tomorrow at the same time, 945-10ish. I feel like people aren't even talking about it as much this year. I'd like to check out Armsby but I just know driving back afterwords would be rough.

 

i live next door to LH ,2 people in line at 8am.

 

You still got in line more than 5 hours before the tapping of Zwanze. That's nuts.

 

/FOMOs

/Runs to get in line

 

Not sure I agree. The beer is tapped at 2, not 11. I guess if you want to just drink the specials on tap then that's not so bad but I would consider another location for that before LH.