BCBS Black Friday release in Chicago

I've never been to it but been to plenty of limited releases i suppose on similar level and well this year has just blown up imo....also considering the hype for prop last year i would expect a to be standing in a long, long cold line and hope your wife is understanding^n

 

Yeah, I wasn't there last year (so wait until you hear from someone who was), but given the insane popularity of Proprietor's (insta-whale status), and given the fact that this year they're bringing back a rye version of vanilla (also insta-whale), I'd say it's pretty safe to assume this year will be an even longer line than last year.

Which figures, because it's the first year I'll be in town for the event.

Also: I don't know how you'll fare, but if you have the time I'd certainly recommend running around the city to random places, to see what you can find; I got most of my stuff from Whole Foods, and found random smaller liquor stores that had variants to sell. And if things stay the way they were last year, The Beer Temple might do a staggered release (part of their stock Friday, part Sat., part Sunday), so if you miss everything Friday, get up rrrrrrreeealll early on Sat or Sun and head there, and you'll be good.

 

You don't need to camp overnight. Just go early in the morning.

Earliest people will get there at 2 or 3 am, but it won't start filling in until 5-6am.

Doors opened at 9am last year. The ticket drawing was around 11am IIRC.

 

I usually show up after thanksgiving dinner, put my chair out by the door, then sit in the car with my wife.

 

I got there at 7:00 last year and was #370. I got a Prop, Backyard and 4 pack of Coffee. People that got there as late as 745 were still getting Prop and Backyard just fine.

 

$0.02, for whatever it's worth: This seems like a big mistake to me. If you go back and look at the various regional threads, with the exception of Prop, with Goose Island's new distribution scheme the greater Chicago area was one of the worst areas in the country to get BCBS. There is just way too much awareness in the region about it, and too many people chasing it as a result. And it's only going to be worse this year.

I thought about going down to Chicago for the release last year, and after a little digging decided against it, and I'm very glad I did. Wisconsin was also chaos (too much awareness up here at this point too), but not quite as bad as Chicago, and at least our prices were lower. :-)

 

I have to ask... why would you come into Chicago on the busiest shopping/traveling day of the year for beer when you'll be able to snag most everything, besides Prop, in your own area?

I'd argue to save yourself the trouble and trade for the prop. The trade value couldn't possibly offset the time/money spent traveling to Chicago, staying in a hotel on the mag mile and waiting in line for 7+ hours. Downtown Chicago is NOT fun Thanksgiving weekend... its a nightmare!

Btw, last year it was 6 degrees with a -10 degree wind chill.

Also, I wouldn't camp out in the binny's parking lot. There's a large homeless population near there and there's minimal lighting at night. Not to mention the industrial business with the semis and the crushers. The area reeks of crushed plastic.

 

The current date is August 13, 2014.

 

This runs better than Black Friday door buster fiascoes. There's no mad free-for-all when the doors open, and people (mostly) respect the queue.

 

I stand corrected. I assumed most areas get all the other BCS stuff.

Dress warm, drive safe and bring along an extra suitcase full of patience. lol. ... and don't be mad if you somehow don't land a bottle of Prop. Its very possible that you won't get one.

 

The "exception of Prop" is a big thing for a lot of people, though. Personally, if I missed a year of the regular BCBS, I'd be okay. Coffee, possibly. There are plenty of awesome beers comparable to those two (not necessarily as good in my opinion, but close enough). But Proprietor's? That's a little tougher to replace.

With that being said, you're definitely right that getting the rest of the stuff outside of Chicago is probably an easier/better bet, as long as it's in your area. Speaking from the experience of someone who spends a great deal of time in Southern Wi., though, I can get any New Glarus I want whenever, but I have really no chance at BCBS out there, so I'm better off in Chicago (which has worked out well so far).

Hopefully we're not going to be dealing with the Polar Vortex again this year, but who knows. And in terms of waiting around Binny's, yeah, it's not the safest area in the city, but there will likely be plenty of other people around when you get there, so I wouldn't worry about safety too much. And plenty of people like the spectacle of Black Friday, so for them, Chicago would be the perfect place to be on that morning/day (personally I hate Black Friday, but I know I'm in an increasing minority).

 

$18 for one BCS if absurd.

Regular BCS is available for a month past Black Friday here. BCBBW has popped up randomly even recently. The coffee was a ghost last year.