Chicago Stout Releases (2018)

Well, after a plan/expectation of not getting BA Darkness, I ended up buying a bottle today. So much for not adding to my BA beer collection. And at the same time, I found myself asking about Madagascar.

 

Drink more, collect less. If only I could make that a full time occupation. Stupid job and bills.

Looks like Bitter Pops is doing a ticketed release of Madagascar and Cash Money tomorrow, including a tapping of both, and BA Darkness on Thursday. Let the fury be unleashed...

 

Was this in their newsletter (which I just signed up for)? I don't see any details for these on any of their social media outlets.

Any further details on time/process? Thanks.

EDIT: My google-fu was lacking tonight. Found it. Weird they're not blasting it on their own social media though.

 

Where were you able to find info?
My google-fu is not working too well for me tonight

 

Yup, I was thinking about this myself. I'm usually on a hardcore BA stout and bourbon kick this time of yeah, and I've found myself having a hard time getting to the stouts, and ignoring my bourbon almost completely. My theory has also been the weather.

 

Yep. 29 degrees right now and 60 this Saturday, obviously.

 

I believe they're trying to keep some of their releases mostly secret so that their "good" customers don't feel pushed out by whale-chasers. It doesn't sound like they're getting in much Madagascar, so I'd assume it'll sell very quickly (I'm guessing 30 minutes).

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-beeronaut/2017/01/chicago-craft-beer-events-january-16-19/

 

Date is wrong on that, but site is right.

 

Yeah, I know they've had their intentions to do this based on conversations I have had with them. I think they may need to find a "more secret" method of doing it, though, if they really want to go that route, since it just ends up getting posted on sites like this and the link above.

 

Agreed. I don't run to BP for every high-profile event, but from the ones I've been to, they really do not need the typical beer nerd rush (nor do they want it, according to the staff I've talked to there).

I'll probably be there tonight after the gym, and I'm only 50% looking forward to it; I'm not going to grab a bottle of Madagascar, and I'm worried that just trying to sit at the bar is going to be an unpleasant experience.

 

I'm in there often (prob 1x per week, although I'm pretty oversupplied at the moment like the rest of everyone here) it's extremely close to me and really enjoy the place/staff.

Feel bad blowing up their spot here but knew people would find it anyway...wasn't that hard to put in a search engine even though I couldn't even copy the right link as HoW points out.

Suppose I'm just over eager to promote a place I enjoy, it's a bit of a catch-22 given you want them to do well but you don't want one of your favorite spots to be overrun.

 

Oh yeah, I'm not faulting you, just saying that BP is not trying to get people to come in, grab a bottle and never come back.

I agree with you; I'm torn between promoting BP (which I do here, sometimes) and keeping them secret (which I do here, sometimes).

 

I wish BP were my neighborhood bar/bottle shop. Great place. That being said, the one release I went to felt like I was swimming in a shark tank with everyone getting ready to trample each other at the first site of blood, or in this case the release beer.

 

Yup, that's exactly my point. It's a great place to grab bottles or the occasional drink, but the big beer releases can be a clusterfuck (not BP's fault; it's a small space, so they don't have much choice).

 

Playing devil's advocate, but if they don't want feeding frenzies they should just put the stuff up on the shelf with no limits. Regulars would snap that stuff up in a day or so & there would be no hassle.

I'm assuming ownership has no problem with tons of beer geeks flooding their store. I'm sure the employees find it annoying, but in the big picture they don't run the show...

 

You have a point, but they're too new to entirely depend on regulars, I think. They still have to have promotions to bring people in. They do make some effort to accommodate regulars for certain bigger releases, though, so it's not like an all-or-nothing proposition for them.

Also, it may well be that the actual owner is okay with it (I'm not entirely sure it's his style, either, but it does drive traffic to the store, which is obviously a good thing, at least to a point), but I know that at the very least management doesn't want to be that sort of store.

 

*shakes head*

Jesus, man. Glad I'm not trying to get a bottle this year.