2016 Montmorency vs. Balaton Release

Anybody in line today want to trade mvsb for a 12 pack of opus vert?

 

Is there already a line at JK?

 

Does it matter? 1500 bottles is going to last a couple of hours, and, possibly, the whole day.

 

200+ in line now. how has it come to this?

bleh....

 

It was similar yesterday, just grab a beer and have seat. In 30 minutes the line will be short and there will still be plenty of bottles.

 

I doubt it even takes 30 minutes to get through if you are #200. Just make sure you have cash, so you can choose the shortest line between cash/credit.

The only minor hitch Friday was that people started rushing past the employee who was IDing/stamping people in line as they entered. This took him away from the line, which then basically caused a second line of people trying to get stamped. The employee handled it as well as one person could. People need to just calm down a bit...

Random thoughts on waiting in line:
1) It really helps to have that second person with you to go grab a drink while you wait.
2) If youre going to cut the line past 50-100 people, dont walk up and shake everyone's hand making it obvious that you just arrived... At least act like you were in the bathroom, or bring some glasses of beer.

 

Actually, thinking about your post - it really is the better idea to not get in line at all on a large release like this, where it wont sell out in the first hour... My wife grabbed a beer while I waited, but really, we could have sat in the shade, and spent less time in the sun. Good idea.

The speed of the line has really improved over the years, making this possible.

 

Got here at 2:00, still plenty of bottles. Draft is down to the last keg. I've always like the staggered release model, and it seems like it worked well here

 

I stopped by on Sunday around 1:30PM. Zero line. Grabbed bottles with cash, a few glasses on tap and totally enjoyed myself. I'm massive happy with this release. I really like that it's spread out over the whole weekend. +1 JK

 

I like the staggered release, although I showed up on Friday around 6 only to walk up the tent and watch the last 4 bottles being sold. That was a little frustrating as I figured the first 1000 bottles would maybe last later into the evening. Got some today with no problems. I think that as they continue to implement this policy, it'll reduce the craziness on Fridays as people get used to it, hopefully letting bottles last later into the evening as folks are getting off work.

On another note, what does everyone feel about a wristband idea when it comes to more limited releases? As you get in line, get a wristband, guaranteeing your allocation for the day. You could pick up your bottles anytime that day up until closing. That way, you can go grab some pizza, get some beer, hang out and enjoy the afternoon without having to stand in line so long.

 

Too many variables, and 4500 bottles isn't "limited". Save this idea for an actual small release like Gin Nocturn, Sherry Atrial, etc.

• People getting wristbands, then changing their mind / not getting bottles.
• People trying to game the system still, unless they are going to still stamp people when they actually purchase, but then you have to have an extra blacklight checker person at the wristband handout location.
• You can get your friend or mule to go get you a beer or order pizza while you're already in line. If this isn't possible, then invite someone to go with you next time.

No need to change what was already a successful test against their (arguably) 2nd most popular beer they put out regularly - we'll really see how well this works when the next LPP bottles come out.

Maybe the only tweak would be having more bottles available on Friday since it was the only day to actually sell out of the allocation, but there was no way to predict that. Beyond that, I haven't seen or heard any complaints about the way it was done this weekend. From my experience being there just a little after opening on Saturday, it was perfect - had bottles after 30 minutes. That's not bad at all.

 

Yeah, I agree with most of that.

I usually bring the wife and kids out for the releases, her getting pizza and beer while I wait. I was actually thinking about the Gin Nocturn and Sherry Atrial type releases when I proposed the wristbands. I think they sort of did that with the Gin Nocturn release, but I guess there were a few problems. I was out there for the Sherry Atrial release and it was a scorcher. If I remember correctly, they released it prior to business hours, so really the only thing to do was to stand in line. The heat doesn't bother me much, but it would have been nice to get a wristband and come back later to pick it up during normal operating hours. That may or not be possible for everyone and if they want to stay and wait for their bottles, more power to them.

As for the folks trying to game the system, that's always gonna happen, no matter how they do it. I would argue that the wristband/stamp system may actually reduce that, making it more difficult for a same day purchase. Someone could always go wash of the stamp, but you'd have to be really motivated to do that.

I like the new system and think once people get used to the new release schedule, the Friday craziness will die down and the bottles will last later into the night. Of course, as someone said on another forum, this system allows the hoarders to be able to come out all three days and load up on bottles, more if they bring their grand mules.....

All that being said, I'll gladly wait in line for any beer they release, no matter how they do it.

 

@Ajenkins626 people will always try to game the system. There isn't any way to really stop that from the breweries perspective. The only way to stop that comes from personal responsibility. Some people feel they need and deserve as many beers as possible, you can't change that and wrist bands, stamps, or staggered releases won't prevent that.

 

We have about 500 bottles left that will be for sale this Friday at 4pm. Still limit 2.

 

Other than some people possibly missing out on Friday, I don't think this weekend's release could have gone much smoother. CC line went relatively quickly, cash line was extremely fast. If one was able to make it out in the first couple hours each day and have enough cash on hand, one could have mostly avoided lines, gotten full allocations, and enjoyed pours on all three days. I don't think the release could have gone any better. However, this release was still 4500 bottles; it remains to be seen how this release format would have worked with O&P and will work for Atrial. I think JK should stick with this format for now and see how it works. Either way, JK deserves credit for trying to figure out the best way to run things knowing there is no magic bullet. And the new batch of MvB is excellent by the way!

 

Any draught left to go with those bottles?

 

Very true. I always find it funny when people post pics of their 20 bottle 1pp haul after their trip to JK.

I was just throwing out the wrist band suggestion to maybe offer some more convenience to folks who don't like standing in line for so long. Doesn't really matter to me as I'll happily wait in line for most of their beers. It wasn't so much about making it more fair, or to prevent dishonest people from getting more than their fair share.

On another note, MvB was damn good this year!

 

Shot in the dark, but any bottles left? @jesterkingbeer

 

I like this idea!

 

I think Stanley's should pay attention to JK's Twitter feed and open up an hour before JK does on the big release days. Having pours from their taps and pizza from their ovens would be fantastic for sitting around talking about beer with new friends while we wait for that one guy who starts the line while we're all trying to sit in the shade.