Chicago Stout Releases (2018)

wh what! Cut down on hoarding? I almost spit up my Mojito reading that.

 

Have any particular muddling pro tips you want to pass along?

 

So a guy walks into the Champaign Binny's looking for more barrel-aged stouts that he doesn't "need." He comes across Deth's Tar, Cafe Deth, BA Victory at Sea, Abyss 17 and variants, CW BB Stout, and a tower of CBS. He gets flustered, stops doing his usual browsing, grabs a Deth and VaS (he already has Cafe and CBS), and walks out. Oh wait, there's no joke here. Just my sad wallet taking relentless abuse.

This cannot become the new norm. But I don't see it stopping in the forseeable future... visions of Prairie, Rye Hipster,Wlletized, more Rev, etc. still coming.

 

I agree with @HouseofWortship. I don’t think this quantity of high level stouts in such a short window of time will be sustainable over the years. I went into Binny’s to grab a PW fish bomber, and decided to ask about BA Big Hugs as well. They had it, and then rattled off what else they had in back and I was overwhelmed. I’m proud for not buying anything else...even though I shouldn’t have bought the BA Big Hugs in the first place.

 

I'm blown away by all the cellar temp storage places people seem to have for all these stouts. I have a small closet that stays within cellar temps for ~4 months out of the year, so I turn everything over in that time. My fridge is full of hops/lagers in the warmers months, so I'd have no place to store BA stouts in July.

I do see BA stout season creep becoming more of a thing though with the sheer number of them being released. If I was a newer, less popular brewery, I'd think about strategically releasing mine pre-Black Friday, maybe late Oct.

 

I bought in Westmont; another bud got it in Naperville yesterday.

 

I seem to recall Marshal Zhukinov’s Penultimate Push saying something about being released in the summer because it will peak in 6 months...

 

I "get" whatbyou are trying to convey - but I don't think there is anything wrong with calling it a hobby as long as you are not using it to justify over indulgence.

I consider it a hobby because I enjoy the community, the people I have met, the boards, and trying new beers that are hard to get. I also like the idea of seeing how beers change as they age. That's an extremely hobby-oriented compinent for many. It's a cheaper version of belonging to a wine club where you try a new bottle a few times a month. That's long been considered "ok." It's also no different then belonging to a crossfit box where you not only work out there but hang out with the people you work out with.

What is unhealthy is over-indulgence. Most things are fine in moderation. Alcohol is one of them. Don't spend more than you can afford, and don't become an alcoholic. If you're doing neither, and not neglecting your job, children or family, hobby it up.

For the record, I drink on average probably 2-4 beers a week depending on the type and week, and spend on average $10-20 on average each week thoroughout the year. (Hence, I have a cellar). I can't get many BA stouts where I am located thoroughout many months of the year, so more than happy to overspend a little in the winter if I can afford it, even if that means I have to "Chase" some good beer.

 

anyone know if binnys grand got big hugs?

 

I feel like despite the semantic disagreement, you guys (Hawks and Beer_econ) are basically saying the same thing--Moderation and buying not much more than you can drink is your key.

I don't think there's any problem with buying every BA stout you want, but I think that mindset is contributing to the "there's no way this BA growth is sustainable" idea. No, it's not sustainable if every beer nerd tries to buy every single beer that comes out during the season, but it's probably sustainable for a long while if there are also people like myself, who choose their "favorite" options each year, and go for 'em. Example: I bought 2 bottles of BA Big Hugs, and 2 Vanilla. I didn't touch regular. I skipped regular Deth's and Cafe Deth, and will be (hopefully) grabbing 2 4-packs of VSOD on Friday. I will buy a bottle of any BCBS variant I find, but I'm not stocking up. I passed on the Baptist beers, because they weren't top priority.

I'm not trying to say that my route is the "right" one, but I think that the combination of people like me, and people who will buy anything they can possibly find/afford will give the stout craze legs for years. I skipped the Baptist stuff, but someone cleaned them off the shelves. And next year, I may pass on a bottle or two of the Big Hugs variants in favor of trying Triple Barrel Bapt. If you don't get burned out by buying up everything you can, it's much easier to be excited by each subsequent BA release (it doesn't hurt that I was sick on Black Friday, so got no BCBS).

 

I dunno, my tolerance is way higher now.

 

I think of beer as a hobby because there's something of a "collection" aspect to it.

With that being said, I don't really care what it's called, as long as I'm drinking.

 

Pretty sure you can't ask strangers for Big Hugs these days without it being considered sexual harassment....

 

A hobby is an interest, it isn't necessarily a skill-based activity (but it could be). It's something done in leisure time. Under the wording you've got outlined above, stamp or baseball card-collecting would not be a hobby, and those are the most commonly used examples of hobbies I've heard.

Beer can absolutely be a hobby. It can also send you down a bad spiral, as can other hobbies. I collected baseball cards for a number of years and knew a guy who nearly got divorced because he was spending an exorbitant amount of his family's available income on cards.

But like I said, only BA stouts for my family this year.

 

Just called Grand and they said sold out of the 2 BA cases they got. They have plenty of regular though.

 

No Rules hit the northern suburbs. Was very tasty last year.

Yes I know it's a porter, but it belongs in this thread.