4 Hands Madagascar

Anybody hear anything yet from their local retailers about possible drop-offs?

 

Decided not to take chances on the Madagascar release here in Chicago, so girlfriend and I took a road trip to St.Louis today for the release. We got there around 10:30AM (for stated noon release) and we were probably somewhere around 300-350th in line. They actually decided to start selling at 11 because there was a solid line even behind us at 11. First two hundred or so got 4 bottles of Madagascar per person, after that it was 2PP. Only a couple of tools line-cut but nothing too bad. Plenty of bottle sharing was going on, granted the street was left like a mess which the 4 Hands staff had to clean up. Sad.

As for Madagascar itself, gf and I ended up getting a couple of pours each at the brewery. When it's served cold, there's a surprising amount of bourbon booze in the initial taste which is followed by tame vanilla flavor at the end and aftertaste. As it warms, the vanilla flavor opens up more throughout the whole drink. Body feel is on the lighter side and it's relatively easy/pleasant to drink.

Overall, I still like this beer a good bit because it's not vanilla overload, but I'd never put this in the class of VR or FO. If the body were thicker, I'd really love this... as it is, it's somewhere in the 4.25-4.5 score range for me.

So rest assured folks, you'll have one less person to compete with for Madagascar when it hits Chicago distro.

Ps. Pappy's Smokehouse bbq ribs were some of the very best ribs I've had, and burnt ends weren't far behind. Anyone going to St.Louis should stop there.

 

Each batch I've had has been a vanilla bomb. So I can't imagine that won't be the case this year. I would love to be proven wrong though. Either way, never a beer I would go out of my way for.

 

Pappys is amazing. I'm pissed I only ordered a half slab. Those ribs were awesome.

 

This is absolutely true....however, be careful where you park in that area. Got my car broken into when parked in the lot behind the restaurant. The fantastic lunch helped lessen my rage....kinda

 

Yeah, I got a little bit uneasy after seeing a sign at the place about bringing all valuables with you out of the car. Fortunately we came out unscathed.

 

Different strokes, different folks. I can say the same about two dozen other beers people go goo-goo-ga-ga over, but that doesn't mean anything nor do I get the point of that comment.

As for it being a vanilla bomb, I'm speaking as someone who doesn't even like ice-cream, or cake, or sweets or anything along those lines. So if something has a hint of a vanilla or chocolate or cinnamon, I will pick it up in a big way. This to me was not a 'vanilla bomb' by any stretch. But then again, I don't have your palate.

 

People of St. Louis (I moved back to STL Sept. of last year, so... Fellow people of STL?) and surrounding areas, why are you doing this? Why are you coming out in these numbers for beer like this? Seriously, what is the motive? Is there that much of a lack of somewhat affordable 'rare-limited-so-trade-bait-I-hope(?)' beer around here that warrants this kind of madness? I love you guys and gals but this is ridiculous. There are so many other far better beers on the shelf these days that there is no reason to go crazy over something like this. Anyone willing to shed light on this phenomenon I would be very interested in trying to understand the mindset here. Cheers!

 

Came here specifically after being tipped off from a friend who sent a picture of the line from Sunday. Topic caught my eye in the forum. Time spent thinking about/researching this release, approximately 60 seconds. Cheers!

 

Could be any number of those reasons you mentioned and a 100 more. As far as there being better beer on the shelf as opposed to Madagascar, that is your opinion and most people here don't know you so that kind of a broad stroke opinion carries very little weight, and likely none to most.

More important question is, why do you care that people attend these events, and how they choose to spend their time and money? You said it yourself, there are far better beers sitting on shelves, and since you won't be attending these releases it won't make one bit of difference as to the availability of those beers you deem superior.

Bottom line is, I didn't get the sense you were interested in any kind of a discussion on the matter. More likely is that you just wanted to subtly take a dig at those who chose to spend their time and money differently than you do yours. I see those same kind of comments from the same type of people in dozens and dozens of threads. Everywhere from BCBS releases, KBS releases, Tree House, etc etc etc.
Cheers!!

 

I have anxiously awaited this release every year, but when I saw they raised the price from (I believe) $17 last year to $23 this year (35%) and reduced the limit to 2 pp, I decided to skip. Also think it's funny that these guys put out soooooo much political stuff thru their twitter feed that leans far left, but when it comes to their beers, suddenly they turn into uber-capitalists. Interesting.

 

Not necessarily trying to put words in @Lansman's mouth, but I (at least partially) get where he's coming from. Not because Madagascar is a bad beer (I was pretty pumped when it hit last year), but because it sucks that every BA release (and a lot of IPA ones, it seems) is turning into a huge ordeal. I can definitely see coming to StL from Chicago and breathing in deeply, saying, "ahhhh, a place where every beer release isn't a clusterfuck!"

And then you see this, and the natural inclination is to say "nooo, guys, what are you doing?!?"

Obviously this sort of stuff is going to happen, but I'll admit to partially being on the same wavelength as more and more releases around Chicago become bigger pains in the ass (and require more significant time investments).

On another note, since I haven't seen this answered: Anyone know if there are any Madagascar variants coming?

 

Do liberals hate Capitalism?

 

I'm with you on this. The price jump is a little questionable in my mind and the fact that I got sick over the weekend gave me good excuse to not bother attending. I'm anxious to see what the retail price is once it hits stores, breweries like to say they don't want to undercut their retailers (understandably so) but I don't see how they can justify 20-25% more. Also, the crap I saw on facebook about stolen allocations, cars blocking people in, and guys peeing all over the Columbia group's bus restroom was pretty sad.

I've also noticed what you mention about the political thing. Definitely a little ironic...

 

Seen your posts more than a few times with a similar get-the-pitchforks-out sentiment whenever an inkling of dissension in the ranks pops up, so figure answering this one to get everything out of the way more or less. Apologies for the super long note, I appreciate the discussion.

Those who do know me know what kind of 'beer geek' and person I am, I've been around for quite a while, no need to get into that here, if we cross paths at an event in the future, happy to introduce myself and pour out whatever we have open.

I don't. That's why I asked the question because I don't care enough to go to these events and ask the questions in person. I'm curious if people are standing in line for 2 hours behind 300+ people to sell, trade, hoard, drink, etc. Let's turn the focus on what I did this last weekend that was beer related. I went to Central Waters. I drove over 900 miles round trip because it's an annual tradition and we rent a cabin down the street and proceed to crack a lot of great beer together. Lot of great folks there. I stood in line to get inside for about 25 minutes in freezing cold temps (even though it was ticketed) because I like to support CW, I like their Anniversary beers, I like sending these beers to regular trading partners and crack the same with people from other areas who otherwise wouldn't be able to try it. That was my choice, and it was, admittedly, ridiculous to do so, but meeting up with longtime friends and opening up a ton of awesome stuff is a treat and I wouldn't trade it for the world. (This is similar to the sentiment of the social scene comment made above, which I appreciate and agree with).

My question was more aimed at why this release, with a beer that will hit shelves, makes hundreds of folks stand in line. I love this beer, I think it's great. I obviously made a conscious decision to do something else, though if I were in STL last weekend, I certainly wouldn't have waited in line, and yeah, that's more for everyone else. Let's go to another story. Last weekend, Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton. Apparently there was a line out the door for Abyss variants. Why was there a line out the door for such a widely distributed beer? I went down the street to Schnuck's, and sure enough, 2 cases of each variant just sitting on the shelf or out. Thought, that can't be right, must be a mistake. Nope. Went to the Schnuck's on Clayton and Big Bend, same thing. Stuff was there for several days. Now, granted, there is the argument that you want to 'guarantee' you get this particular beer. That's totally legitimate, we've all been there. Just genuinely curious why this particular beer scene has exponentially exploded of late (as background, I lived in STL from 2001-2007, moved back just last year, so the landscape of course has dramatically changed, though I would still come down for some events from Chicago from time to time and I certainly don't remember the scene being this 'collect em all' focused).

I think this is where you miss the mark the most. As I said above, I know you've gone after similar responses in the past (for BCBS, etc.), so this reaction comes as no surprise. That issue aside, I appreciate the discussion a lot more than most. This is a very good beer. You know that feeling you get when you wait in line for a long time, finally get the beer you've been waiting for and then return to your car and think (even for a moment), why did I just wait in line all that time for the (1, 2, etc.) bottles in my hands right now? That's what I'm going after. I'm honestly trying to see if the scene here (and this isn't a dig at anyone whatsoever, in any way) has turned into the collect-em-all sentiment seen in many other places, or if this passion comes from a genuine love of 4 Hands, Perennial, Side Project, <insert other brewery here>. If it's the latter, I really look forward to how this scene transcends the rest and becomes an awesome place to share and grow this great culture of ours.

 

I likewise appreciate your comment and the reply.

I get that many people dread the long lines for certain beer releases. There are plenty of times I feel the same way about a number of beer releases in Chicago. 'G'damn it, I just want to go in, grab my beer and go home.' Other times, I don't mind waiting in lines at all, especially if it's in a festive manner like Dark Lord Day. There I actually like the lines because of the socializing, the sharing and meeting other like minded people (despite the miserable weather!).

But strictly focusing on the issue of long lines at special beer releases: that is a fact of life now and it is not changing in the 'shorter' direction. The lines will get longer. They will get longer here in Chicago, they will get longer in St.Louis, and they will get longer everywhere else with time. In South Dakota, BA Ten Fidy sat on shelves for a week but give it a few more years and lines will start forming there as well. Whether due to hype, new people entering this hobby, loving the beer, wanting to hang out, wanting to trade, etc etc. the lining up part for certain beers is and will be the norm.

Constantly reading posts from people railing against long (and increasingly longer) lines and slamming those, as I interpreted it, who choose to attend this special beer release but are OK with attending that one has gotten very predictable, boring and hypocritical. It's just cluttering threads with same comments seen many times over. The sooner people start accepting that lines will be long for most of the special beer releases, and that it's an individual's choice which beer he/she chooses to wait for, the easier it will be to deal with.

My primary issue is with people who I feel give off that judgemental holier than thou attitude and stance, as if they have some greater understanding than others of what beer they should like more, how much money and how much time they should spend on a given beer. If they don't like a beer and it's not worth their time, that's fine and move on. I have no problem with that, but no need to slam others decision.

And yes, I will get defensive at time, I have no reason to dispute that. Most of the time I prefer to take the even keel path, but if I feel someone is taking a shot at me or making judgements based on decisions I make without knowing me, then yes I will chime in with some pointed remarks. If that was not your intent, then I apologize and owe you a drink. I've read and 'liked' many of your comments because I agree with them. In this particular instance I felt as if you were coming at me, and what kind of a person would I be if I didn't defend my decision.

This has now gone way off topic. If I misinterpreted your original post, again, my apologies. If not, then I'm fine leaving things as they are.

 

All good, stuff on here can certainly be interpreted a myriad of ways without real context or additional meaningful conversation. No hard feelings on my end, no doubt.

You do raise a number of good points with regard to the projected lines increasing over time. Here's hoping enough supply makes it into the marketplace to make this a non-issue (eventually). We're already seeing a degree of saturation with Side Project releases that aren't stouts or fruited, which is awesome. Better beer- and more of it- is a win-win for producers and consumers alike.

 

Any word on 4 Hands having Madagascar on draft this week? I'm in town for work through Friday.