Hauling vs Hoarding

Depends on how many are available. You can't really hoard something plentiful.

It doesn't matter if you intend to drink it. You're absolutely not off the hook with that reason. If you found a bottle shop selling all of their 2 cases to you only, of something very rare, yeah that's hoarding.

The essence of hoarding is gathering a relatively large quantity when supply is very limited. The 'relatively' varies from beer to beer.

 

I agree with almost everything you said. If you are planning to trade with others, that seems like hoarding to me. Like if there were no limit on Vanilla Rye at a store and I bought all 12 intending to drink 3 and trade the other 9, I would consider that hoarding.

That being said, my vote was "more than 5." I like to buy around 3 bombers of a limited release and hopefully try it on draft somewhere. That way I can put one down for 1, 3, and 5 years. For 4-packs, I usually buy just 2, so I can cellar 5 of them and drink 3.

 

A baker's dozen vs 13.

 

Buying it to sell at a profit, is.... buying to sell at a profit, which is a total dick move. But that's not hoarding

Proper hoarding in my mind, is buying an excessive amount to hold onto yourself (and likely not to drink - just to look at, take pictures of, and give oneself a sense of worth).

Having said that, buying an excessive amount to drink, share, trade or gift is still not cool either, if it stops others who've made the effort from buying any. Especially when it's for trading.

As for an appropriate number, there really is no set answer to that question. Depends on the beer and the distribution in your location. I.e. Regular BCBS 2013 release. Some parts of the country were selling out instantaneously even with strict one bottle limits. So for those places I would say one was ok. In NYC, there's still 2013 BCBS all over the place, so buying a case would have been totally fine.

 

if you have to ask what hoarding is, you are probably guilty of it.

 

To give an example, I got about 5 cases of 2008 Bourbon County Stout. Craft beer scene was better back then, in my opinion. This wasn't much of an accomplishment because it was on shelves here for weeks. Arguably it wasn't hoarding, either.

But if now I told you I have 5 cases of the 2014 4-packs, then that really seems like hoarding.

 

I think it's mostly fair game until people start buying for profit and posting for hundreds of dollars, or trying to trade for some absurd quantity. Don't be a douche. This is a joint effort. Let's all share and educate.

link to auction site removed.

 

I consider "hoarding" to be taking unreasonable amounts of something that other people in the same area cannot get, usually because you are using unreasonable measures to get it. Obviously "unreasonable" is dependent on the situation and is usually opinion-based so not set in stone. But obviously there is a grey area when it comes to that.

 

my haul was one bottle, so I'm not going to beer hoarder's anonymous quite yet.

 

Depends on the amount available...for example, I waited in line at a bottle shop that had a case each of BCBS and BCBW, 2 bottles per person of each. By the time the store opened, there were 20-25 people in line. Every one of the 12 people first in line took both of their allotted bottles. Not that they aren't entitled to that, but I'm surprised that out of 12 people not one decided to be nice and give someone else a chance to try a rare beer. I'd like to think that if I had gotten there earlier and was one of the first 12 in line, I would have only taken one of each, but I suppose I can't speak for everyone.
This is the first time I've encountered anything less than stellar camaraderie and fairness with fellow beer geeks however.

Also at the first store I went to, I was 5th in line. By the time they opened, the line was about 20 people as well. The four guys ahead of me immediately grabbed up ALL of the BCBS that was there, and asked the owner if he had more, at which point he said yes but decided to institute a 2bottle/person limit. I could understand getting a bunch of it if you found it alone in a store, but I marvel at the type of person who tries to buy the entire supply when there is a line of people behind him who came for that beer.

 

The George Carlin routine applies here: anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who drives faster is a crazed maniac asshole.

Anyone who buys less rare stuff than me is a philistine who doesn't appreciate quality beer, and probably likes Fat Tire. Anyone who buys more rare stuff than me is a damn truck chasing Captain Ahab ticker who is more interested in hype than good beer.

I have been trying to cultivate a zen-like attitude lately. I can live without trying the big Kahunas. If I do come across something rare I will buy maybe three: one for myself, one to send to my trading guy, one for a local buddy. It helps that I don't do much trading. There is enough good beer out there that something else good will come down the road in a month or two. It helps that I live in a good beer state (WI).

Agree that it's relative to amount produced and limits though.

 

Dumb question : GI obviously sees the demand for this beer. Why don't they produce more ? Takes too long to brew ? To keep the high $ of supply and demand?
I would buy it and am sure most of us would if was more readily available year round.
I got a 4 pk, that was my limit and was gone locally in about 15 minutes.

 

I don't get why people look down on stocking up on something.

For instance, I went to Darkness Day this year and got my six bottles. I would absolutely love to have a dozen more bottles, I'd drink one every night if I could. Since I only got six bottles I can only have on for a special occasion, I'm not popping one on a random Tuesday.

But if I were to have brought three friends to Darkness Day and gotten 24 bottles people would call me a hoarder.

I think it's based on intent. If you're buying it for your consumption and doing the legwork of standing in line or driving around to hole in the wall stores and paying the $20/bottle that it costs then stock up.

If you're buying it to sell it on Craigslist for $50/bottle the next day then that's a little different.

 

I think that taking all of the product from a place would be hoarding but most places around me don't let that happen. Even putting extreme limits or not even selling it at all. I heard some places in my area put bc out early and let folks get cases. Not sure how much they had but really hoarding is a label that is used by people who don't get a product. If I bought all the eclipse beer at a shop I'm sure I would still be a hoarder but won't have that dick hoarder label. It only applies for rare or hyped beer. But really is rare beer really widely distributed?

 

Well said.

 

They have been expanding production every year since ABInBev bought GI. Eventually there will be a limit on capacity, eg., brewing facilities, number of barrels they can acquire, storage space for the barrels, etc.

 

I know that BC stuff gets distributed everywhere, and those in big cities can walk into CostCo or Total Wine and walk out with cases of the BCBS and BCBW and armloads of the rare variants, but out where I am we have to fight over the single case of the stout alone that the local store might get.
It's because GI bases their BCBS distribution on sales of their year-round beer; in a low population area, there simply aren't enough people to drink enough Goose Island beer so that they'll send us enough BCBS to satisfy the demand for it.

 

I'm not that familiar with Darkness Day. If there's lots of bottles and it lasts for days, then I suppose that's fine, although even then it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

But if the presence of your 3 friends (who are purchasing beer on your behalf - aka mules) prevents other people (who like you really love the beer) further back in line from buying the beer, then it's a dick move. Surely that's clear to you?

 

If a store has a 2 bottle limit and you go to 5 stores and buy the limit... Then you're hoarding.