2016 BCBS Chicago Release (Black Friday & Beyond)

True, most people complaining about gouging probably already got full allotments at Binny's or somewhere and want more to age

 

As someone who can't stand waiting in line, I'm sorta happy about the gougers. I'm willing to spend more to just waltz in to a store & grab a bottle of coffee, for example...an extra $25 is fine with me as a convenience charge.

 

Nah not really. I spent my Black Friday with.... wait for it.... my family. In Wisconsin by a fire eating fresh venison and sucking down cans of Blue Ribbon, instead of sitting in a line outside of a liquor mart. My complaints are justified when my local guaranteed spot increased their prices from $13 coffee bottles last year to $40 this year.

 

No, thats called opportunity cost.

 

To each their own. Dropping $140 on a full allotment vs $60 is not a convenience charge. It's immoral. Is $30 per ticket Ticketmaster convenience charges fine with you too?

 

So basically we've established that beer should be sold 1) at cost to everyone who plans on drinking it immediately or trading at cost, 2) at a markup to everyone who plans on hording, and 3) at market value to anyone who plans on flipping or trading at market value.

My uncle who knows a guy at Binny's said they are separating everyone into those three different lines going forward in order to ensure the fairest process

 

Maybe its time to change your local spot. At least you can still count on it being guaranteed at that price

 

Basically 10$ per hour to not stand in a line.

 

It depends, is 3-7 hours of your time worth $70 bucks? 2 Years ago I waited 7 hours at LP Binny's for a 4 pack of regular and 1 vanilla, the full allotment. I would have happily paid a gouger to avoid that mess.

 

No, because with Ticketmaster I have no choice.

With BCS, it's my choice.

 

Personally, I'd Pliny the Younger the whole BCBS line. You want to drink it? It's only going to be available on draft in the Chicago and Philly GI pubs/taprooms.

 

I like to drink and enjoy beer with my friends and family. Both the barleywine and regular were extremely enjoyable. The barleywine was leaps and bounds above any previous vintage and the regular was better than 14 but not quite as good as 15 when fresh (and uninfectionated). My release was different bc I live in a smaller town so was able to get a few bottles later in the day. I wouldn't pay much over msrp for a bottle but some people feel it is worth it. Not I Jedi. Price gougers get no respect and should take a long, hard look in the mirror, but that is their right as a store owner. To each their own and such and such. Bottom line, really great brews!

 

IMO the price gougers are no better than the people who sell "collectable" bottles on aftermarket websites. You know, the ones "not intended for consumption." How can some people defend one and denounce the other?

 

If the price is too high, people won't buy it. Retailer will be forced to lower price to get people to buy it. If people still buy it, it means the price is appropriate for the value of the product.

If you don't like the price, you don't buy it. Want to buy it at a lower price? All you have to do is trade another valuable commodity - time - and wait in line somewhere.

Why some people don't understand this simple concept, I don't know. The market isn't perfectly efficient, but it does handle some of these pricing situations pretty well.

 

Man, we have the exact opposite impressions of these beers. I thought with the BW '15 taken out of the equation due to infection, I thought '16 wasn't even in the same ballpark as either '14 and especially '13 BW. '16 was lacking complexity for me when compared to the '13 and '14. But to each his own though. I just find such vastly differing opinions on the same beers interesting. Cheers.

 

I got the 13 and 14 BW Vintage bottles from Binnys, so I can do a vertical tasting and let you know

 

I think another point is that some people just want a couple bottles, and don't need 9. I personally gladly pay $15-20 for a couple regulars, and $25 for a barleywine if they have it so I can not waste a day if not a weekend driving around. Time is more important to me than paying an extra $7 per bottle

 

I just got back in town from my Thanksgiving trip. I was able to score 2 regulars, 2 coffees and a BW down in Florida, but only brought back a coffee and the BW.

Any spots I should keep an eye out for more shipments? I assume most smaller stores got their shipments and that's it, but last year Regular and BW popped up a Jewel well after the release. Should I expect the same this year?

 

Whole Foods has their "Black Friday" this coming Friday, that's probably a good start.