2016 BCBS Chicago Release (Black Friday & Beyond)

Watch it there, Templeton BCS is awesome! I'd probably drink that over Reg. And yes, I suppose calling it "more of a variant" kind of makes sense (if you don't spend too much time thinking about the fact that literally every iteration of BCS, outside of Reg, is a variant).

You have to remember that the Binny's BF events are going to have larger numbers of people coming out than almost anywhere else (and by almost anywhere, I mean 99% of the country, outside of possible the Lincoln Park Whole Foods, which is probably 2nd or 3rd place, line-wise). There's way too much demand in Chicago to justify letting people purchase cases (I think it can happen in Costco, but that's because it's Costco, and they don't give a shit about beer, really).

Contrast that with a place like NY, that gets a lot of BCS, but doesn't have the homer GI population of Chicago, and you can see why other places allow larger quantity purchases. Hell, I remember someone (maybe Lansman) mentioning last year that Rare was sitting on shelves in Washington at MSRP (almost made me buy a plane ticket).

 

oh yea ok I read that wrong then, my bad

 

When was BCBS released from Chicagoland Costcos last year (and in 2014, for that matter, if it was)?

 

On Friday

 

And you couldn't buy cases of it last year at Costco either. They limited it to 3 or 4 bottle of regular and 1 regal if they even had regal.

 

Fat Pour on division usually does something on Friday or Saturday.

 

Shhhhhhhh

 

For those of you in the suburbs, Schaumburg/HE area to be specific, where is the best spot to go for the release on Black Friday? Any tips?

I was planning to head to the Binnys in Schaumburg...I imagine I'd have to be there 1.5-2 hours before open, I assume they are handling the release similar to the LP location?

 

Id say closer to 4-5am, even for the burbs. Ridiculous

 

If you show up an hour before you'll be too late. Every year it gets worse with new money neckbeards showing up earlier and earlier. Although with the mess last year and lack of another rye variant besides prop, it may be even earlier then early to get that crap prop

 

2017 Fantasy Football name. Check.

 

Lol. I'm scratching my head as well. "I remember the old days of craft beer 5 years ago when there were no lines, before all this new money got involved....."

 

Agreed. Like yourself, I haven't been at this for 5+ years. I chased around alot the first year-ish to figure out what the hell I actually liked. My chasing has been lessened now that I know I don't like every beer that many others try to hoard. I'll be in line for the BCS release....but you'll never see me chase down KBS or Abraxas ever again. (::gasp!!:

 

I've been chasing beer for quite a while now and the amount of people who are into it now both annoys me and doesn't. I am happy that more people like craft beer, it just makes it more difficult to obtain some beers I really love. I do miss the days where I could get BCBS on the shelf days after the release. I also refuse to wait in line for beer but that's a personal choice.

That said, there's never been a better time to be into beer. The amount of incredible beers that just sit on shelves because they aren't "hyped" is just delightful.

 

This is one of the things people overlook with big releases. The whole "why are you chasing it? it's overrated!" argument is great, but you kind of have to chase the whales in order to find out whether you like them or not (either that or trade a king's ransom for 'em). I busted ass to grab a couple bottles of KBS one year, found out I didn't really like it, and won't be doing that again.

Totally agree. I think it's awesome when smaller breweries putting out quality beers blow up, but at the same time, it sucks from the perspective of "I used to go here and sit where I wanted, drink what I wanted, etc., and now it's almost impossible to get a seat or grab the beer I like."

It's a less dramatic version of what bourbon-lovers are currently experiencing; older drinkers could grab a bottle of Pappy or another high-end bourbon off the shelf 5 or 10 years back (and at a reasonable cost), and now they'll never even see them). The boom creates more great products to enjoy, but the dark side is that more and more people (and more and more people with seemingly infinite free time and disposable income) are trying to drink what you want to drink.

 

It must not be forgotten too that each year more and more people are coming to the Chicago area for Black Friday which further impacts lines. And the out of staters aren't going to show up at 7am & chance missing out on a full allotment after having driven 5+ hours. So they show up extra early to guarantee a full allotment. In fact I believe the first person in line at LP the last two years running is from MI. So Chicagoans can't get all the blame here. Although this year with the allotment being 2 reg and 1 of the others I don't see much appeal for out of staters. Heck, I don't even see much appeal for myself honestly as I still despise the 16.9 package format.

 

Plus as you are sitting in line, the doubts will start to creep in..."Why am I in line at 5am on a holiday weekend? I could be in a warm bed right now. It's 10 degrees out, how is it raining? Oh, gosh I hope this isn't infected again as I flew 8 hours and that international flight wasn't cheap. I wonder what the penalties are for bringing undeclared Lactobacillus acetotolerans into the country. I can't feel my hands from the cold, I hope I don't drop the bottles...oh damn."