Refunds for 2015 Regular BCBS and 2015 Prop

In the Podcast, the very beginning mentions that the interview is definitely NOT unbiased as Goose Island is a client of his. Still lots of good info within.

 

I agree completely , I'll be damned if I have to chug my bottles, and I won't. Everyone ive had has been is spot on, all the dates in my fridge are bottles and dates Ive broken.

 

My thoughts exactly either Greg or I would have done an excellent job.

The way They are handling this makes it really hard for me to remain unbiased.

 

Currently enjoying a bottle bottled on 04Nov15 1054 (14.3%) purchased in Minnesota. No issues at all and tasting delicious.

 

@zizouandyuki dude the suspense is killing me. Do we get your group's results tonight?

For anyone else who's wondering, the gist is we're hoping for some tell-tale sign on how accelerated aging might be in effect according to Jack's post below.

 

My 30OCT15 0919 was definitely showing rapid signs of an infection. No body, tart and metallic.

 

I had a November 9th bottle tonight that was amazing. Every bottle I've had thus far has been amazing. It certainly sucks that folks are getting some bad bottles, but there are definitely plenty of good ones out there.

 

Had BCBS on tap today, seemed fine. GI must still have a stock of kegs, and some bottles seem to be coming through distribution channels too since the bar had gotten some.

 

I just opened my last of 4 bottles of BCBS I bought, rancid! Could smell the sourness as soon as I opened it.

Straight down the drain. I'm in Seattle, the other 3 were good, but I also drank them before Xmas.

 

Opened a bottle of Evil Twin Cognac Jesus that was clearly not right, turns out it was infected. That bottle was 2.5 times the price of BCBS where I got it. And I didn't exactly drink it fresh, nobody mentioned anything to me when I bought it well after it's release date. Where's my Evil Twin refund? Why didn't anyone tell me about this? Is the sky falling? Who the hell do I give my tshirt size to?!?!?

Come on everyone, this has been handled as well as it possibly could have been. Glad to know there won't be any lineups for BCBS in November though

 

You got some heat in this thread for your initial post, but probably time to take a bow since you were proven right!

 

November 9 is my bday and I've had a case bottled on that day - all have been phenomenal.

 

I just completed a BCBS '15 tasting (and then some). Participants included myself, my brew buddy, the two founders of the largest beer festival in Texas, the executive chef from Braindead Brewery, the world's greatest server, and the two friends who introduced me to craft beer.

Warning: Lots of photos

Here's the lineup:
10NOV15 1124 (90*F for last two weeks and shaken morning and night)
10NOV15 1124 (55*F since 11/27/15)
11NOV15 1242 (~68*F since 11/27/15)


The plan was to see how a bottle stored at 90*F for (2) weeks would affect the condition of the beer vs. an identical bottle that has been stored under optimal conditions since purchase. A friend also brought along a bottle from a different bottling date to see how it fared against the others.

In theory, the heat would accelerate the reported issues associated with this year's release: sourness, tartness, metallic flavors, and other indicators of an oxidized and/or infected beer.


All three bottles were poured @ approximately 50*F. The most noticeable difference was the lack of carbonation in the 90*F bottle vs. the other two.


The 11NOV15 was the only bottle identified as having faint tartness. 4/8 people made this comment (2 blind, 2 informed)


To my surprise, 7/8 people (3 blind, 4 informed) ranked the 90*F bottle as their favorite. It was described as being smoother and more balanced vs. the other two examples. Two people commented that it tasted as if the beer had already been aged for over a year.

The 10NOV15 bottle that was stored properly was described as being very good and without off-flavors by all tasters. The only negative comments were that it was boozy or hot compared to the bottle stored @ 90*F.


Chef David was one of the blind tasters and identified the 90*F beer almost immediately. He was among the group that ranked that beer as the favorite.


I don't remember this guy's name, but he stopped by to say hello and was funny as shit. Sadly, we didn't include his vote as he only received a sample of the 90*F.


A satisfied table:


We then opened a bottle of Bourbon Barrel Temptress '14 and '15. One of these two beers is notorious for infection.


Without even tasting the beer, everyone immediately determined which of the two was infected by scent alone.


Cont'd...

 

Thumbs up for the BBT '15. The '14 was clearly infected and described as sour by all tasters.


We had one last comparison for the evening, which included two bottles of Boulevard's The Sixth Glass. One of these bottles was less than a year old and stored around 70*F in a closet. The other was in an attic for 7 years ... no idea what the temperature ranges were for that one.


The aged beer was noticeably darker and had less carbonation. Several people described the smell as sherry-like.


Though hidden in an attic and forgotten, the 7-year-old beer appeared to have been stored well enough for the cork to remain intact.


5/8 preferred the aged version over the fresher example. It was described as being more complex and refined with hints of dark fruit, vanilla, and caramel.


The outcome of the BCBS tasting surprised all of us and convinced me that not every bottle is at risk. This isn't to say that I dispute the issues reported by others on here. I just feel confident that the bottles in my possession are normal (see: delicious). For those who haven't fared as well, I hope GI takes care of you.

Feel free to ask any questions, point out any flaws, or straight up dispute my findings! Cheers!!!

 

After having a BCBS tap at a local taproom yesterday, I got talking to the taptender. They had gotten in some BCBS bottles also. He said he had bought one and per GI advice he had read, he planned to age it two years. He was unaware of recent revelations of BCBS infection, and when I told him that many folks were drinking through their stock, he said he'd chance it.

 

Thanks for both reports! Also for the extra effort that went into keeping the BCBS at that constant 90 degrees for a couple of weeks.

Even if there may be a few flaws in the methodology you used, there is a lot of useful information here.

 

It'll be interesting to see what (if anything) Goose does to compensate customers. I heard through the rumor mill that there were refunds given out for more bottles than were sold, so people were calling in and maxing out the refunds with no receipt. If I recall correctly, there were people bragging about stealing money from ab here on ba. So, like anything, if they choose not to make the same mistake again, I could see them demanding itemized receipts or nothing, which would limit their exposure significantly because most people don't keep beer receipts lying around for half a year.

Of course some people here will say they could send pictures of bottles they actually have, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was receipts or nothing.

 

Well no. I haven't had a bad one yet, what I have left are all Nov bottlings. I refuse to drink them any other way than what I intended when I bought them. All have been right on, why would I think they're all magically turning to shit before Xmas? Nothing, nothing at all. So relax drink them as you intended unless you have a confirmed questionable bottling.

 

I understand the need to prevent abuse, but if they do what you are suggesting, it would be barely better than nothing at all. How many people could possibly still have itemized receipts at this point? I'd guess less than one out of a thousand customers, and even that feels high.

 

Source for more on refunds than sold?

if true, confirms what I suspected might be the case.

Folks--barrel aged beer is a perishable product, not unlike wine. Delicate balance of oxygen, microbes. Corked, "austerity," are inherent to the wine process. Sorry some of the BCBS was "off."

Suck it up and move on. Tired of the pissing and moaning.