Bourbon County 2018

Placing the 2017 prices on the first post is brilliant. So the 2018 label links are in one thread:

Regular
Wheatwine

I'm certainly curious to see what the allotment will be at LP this year. Will it be another double Prop cluster? Only time time and rampant speculation will tell.

 

Nah. I think we will see a down year for sure. LP is always a cycle between having to be there 6 hours early and strolling up at 9 to get a full allotment. Exciting Variants, Large Allocation, and how easy it was to get the year before led to the mess from last year. The mess last year will force everyone to spread back out this year and it will be back to normal.

 

Now a whole new level of confusion between BCBBW and BWBWW

 

Your positivity and logic are impressive in this day and age. I've wondered if this would be the case, which will have me rethinking my #LPneveragain mantra. If I end up next to you in line will there be BA Sump deliveries?

 

It's Chicago pal. Ideas like Ketchup variants will get you in a fight.

 

I give it 2 pages before someone asks about 2017 pricing.

 

Some wheatwines are fantastic, while others just taste like barleywines, because they only get the name because there's a small portion of wheat in the grain bill. I wonder which this will be.

Also, I can't comment without getting in my jab about barleywine being a shell of its former self now that they don't re-use the previous year's emptied Bourbon County barrels. And sadly, it looks like this will now be an annual thing

 

I've actually enjoyed the newer treatment more than the original, both years now.

I'm also curious, what makes the wheatwines that aren't like barleywines fantastic? I've not had a wheatwine that distinguished itself significantly from its 'barley' cousin that was particularly impressive.

 

Blackberry Rye!

 

I'd like to see that Black Cat Espresso Barleywine they've done for events before

 

I don't understand how VR isn't an annual thing, especially these days considering vanilla is almost always the most popular variant at many other breweries. I know vanilla's gotten more expensive, but premium bottle pricing isn't something GI is uninitiated in.

 

Anything coconut is an all-in for me.

And given how awesome Nutulhu was, yeah, I'd be 100% on board for a hazelnut and/or nutella version of BCBS.

 

Maple+Coffee

 

Reading between the lines a little bit, it seems like head brewers that aren't also owners, get some creative control. Most tend to be very reluctant to do a previous brewer's recipe. My guess is it's a mixture of respect, pride, and wanting to make a name for themselves. Although GI obviously isn't a small brewery, the same feelings still exist. The one time I met Jared Jankoski, we had a conversation about VR and Prop '14. He was quick to point out that it wasn't his brew. He also admitted he'd probably have to do it again at some point. I had a similar experience talking to John over at Clybourn when it came to Nutulhu. Fingers crossed that they realize at some point that they are sitting on gold and that they call still make a name for themselves by simply being brave enough to do it.

 

I'm excited for the wheat wine. Although not exactly the same beer, I've held onto a couple Sweet Reputes that I'd like to do a side by side with.

 

This would be my ideal variant.

Neapolitan would be tasty as well

 

There's been a long repeated supposed policy that Goose Island doesn't repeat BCBS variants on purpose. I went to the Making a Variant event last week and spoke to a few staff members who said that is not actually a policy that exists. They did say there is a bit of competitiveness from the individual brewers on creating the next variant/Prop, so it's plausible repeating VR or Backyard just isn't interesting to them from a brewer perspective.

They also said marketing has no say in the variant decision process. That part I was a little skeptical about, but that's what they had to say