Chicago Stout Releases (2018)

Any updates on Western Suburbs BA Darkness would be appreciated this week, guys! I'd love to grab one, have a busy ass week. Counting on you guys!

 

Also for the city!

 

Asked at South Loop Binnys and they looked at me like I was crazy, haven't heard a word about it.

 

No, they just didn't want to fight with you and tell you that they have all been pre-allocated to their friends.

 

Let's hope that's not the case!

 

you're saying its been difficult to get information from Binnys employees at the south loop location? you clearly must to be friendly enough..

 

I really hope we don't fall into the "how to become friends with Binnys employees", discussion. Each place I've called has either been "I don't know", or "maybe middle of the week".

 

I've gotten those same two answers when asking if they'll be my friend.

 

I asked at LP Binny's and they had no idea when it was expected either.

 

Must not be in the Binny's system yet. I remember the same thing happening with Bible belt, i asked like 2 weeks before it even showed up in their system and looked at me like I had 2 heads.

Pretty stoked though, if this is like BA 10:50 ill def pick up a bottle. I like Darkness but not enough to grab a bottle. If the BA version is THAT good then why not?

 

what have they heard about there? It's like a
Dead zone of information

 

I was going to say this, but didn't want to start an argument. Unless you're talking to the exact same person under the exact same circumstances, there's no reason to believe that people who aren't successful in getting info are somehow "beer nerding wrong."

 

That statement sounds like someone who is "beer nerding wrong".

I really just wanted to use that phrase you came up with - I like it.

 

In this case, "beer nerding" correctly at least at the Binnys by me is making friends with the beer guys there by bringing them gift beers and hanging out there and uncomfortably talking for way too long.

 

I think it's safe to say that most of the people who know the "beer guys" at any of these places are people who stop by often enough, enjoy talking beer beyond being asked when they're getting X or Y but most importantly they spend more money a month than the average customer.

So the real challenge these places have is balancing customer loyalty/retention with those higher than average spending customers by holding certain beers limited release beers for them without it becoming a secret society where it might feel uncomfortable trying to "get in".

If the person who spends more than average can't get X beer, they'll go to another store that will and you've potentially lost a high spending customer. When you're dealing with basic supply/demand issues, it can be tough to find the right balance of rewarding loyalty without completely locking out unfamiliar customers.

While it's frustrating for sure, I do sympathize with situation they're put in.

 

Oh yeah, I have no issues with how Binny's employees handle this sort of shit; as an ex-retail employee, it's a fucking mess.

My main issue is with people who try to tell others that they're not shopping correctly. It's not a game; I'm not trying to befriend people for the explicit purposes of getting rare beers. That just makes me feel dirty.

 

So I've gotten word that the Elmwood Park Binny's is getting their BA Darkness shipment on Friday, and that it shouldn't be hard to get if you come in and ask for it. It sounds like they're getting a decent amount - and they won't be holding any bottles, just first-come-first-served