Kane Brewing (May 2017)

It's a "yes" to the "Kane crowd" portion of your question, but the beer is fantastic as well. And I'm not one to put too much stock into ratings, but I think a 94 on BA and a 4.26 on Untappd indicate much better than "good-not-great."

 

It has a 94 rating here on BA. I consider that better than good not great.

Yes Kane is that good.
Yes the Kane crowd is obsessive
Yes the line is packed with traders

I believe there is a lingering affect following ANTEAD. Any releases following it have extra built in demand.

 

It's a fantastic beer worthy of great ratings, but personally I'm not going to stand in like for 2 hours to get it. 90% of what they sell is trade bait (which is hypocritical since I'm trying to find 2 bottles) but I won't be sitting here crying over spilled milk [porter].

 

Sure. To rephrase, I could've grabbed as much Founders Sumatra Mountain Brown as I wanted at the beer store earlier today at a cheaper price with no wait and no driving. That beer has better ratings than Morning Bell on this site. I don't ask the question to talk down on Kane, it's just that it seems like they have a crazier turnout for a ~94 rating beer than most breweries. I enjoy trying the different breweries in the region and prefer to go when there's some kind of release. Have been thinking about taking a trip up to Kane but most of their releases seem to be a shitshow, for lack of a better term.

 

I wonder how many people started their day online at Magnify (the line started at 5) than drove to Kane. That is a shielded of time standing in the rain.

 

amazing between this, Other Half and Magnify all today, how many people are willing to get up early, wait in rain, etc.... I think the trading in lines is a real draw to these things in as much as the specific beer on offer.. friend of mine went to magnify and came back with as much or more stuff he traded for as he also bought from magnify.. there's a whole culture that's developed around it, it seems... I kind of get it, but at the same time, it's definitely not for me...

 

Last part hits on it. I imagine Kane has a great name on the forums and the in-state fan base is large. Plus, Rook coffee is very well thought of and has cult following too. Put the two together, and FOMO is off the charts.

 

The limit last year was 6 and I still have 2 bottles left. I had a bunch of (smarter) friends text me to ask if I was going and if I could get them a bottle. So I'll keep 3 (2 since I'm having one now. Incredible nose, solid beer btw!) and the other 9 will have good homes. I think they could've kept the limits lower and it still would've sold out later, but I'm guessing there were many people that maxed out to make it worth it due to the weather?

 

Sorry all if my first post sounded like a jab at Kane. Just trying to plan a trip and trying to understand why these types of releases draw such a crowd. Seems like I should just plan on going on some random day.

 

Most of their releases are not a shit show. This one is different in that there was some advance notice. Most releases have no advance notice. While a line quickly forms it usually isn't bad.
It is hard to plan trips around a Kane release because of the lack of notice

 

If you go to Kane, just go and have a good time. You'll have great beer no matter what's there, and more than likely you'll be able to bring some cans back home. Don't let the craziness of the current beer scene deter you from enjoying Kane. The people there are pleasant and professional, especially Mike himself.

 

@beertoro glad you got a bottle, if you didn't I was going to PM you, from talking in line (I got on very late) it seemed like a decent amount off people can right from OH & Magnify.

Early openings likely made crowd bigger also.

One thing I felt terrible for was the mother in line whose son made her wait in the rain. everyone around felt terrible for her but she was a trooper.. Apparently her son didn't think it was raining

 

If you want to plan a trip around a release, every other Friday Magnify releases cans. Than hit Carton and Kane on Saturday. There are worse places to be than the Jersey shore in the summer.

 

Wow, super disappointed I missed bottles, Morning is my favorite of the rook beers they do (honestly). Surprised the Kane folks chose to double limits of the other similar beers and announce early - not surprised at either choice, but both together clearly encouraged the crowds. It is a cruel world when Morning Bell sells out in half the time the first bottling of Mexican Brunch does. Oh well, hopefully I see it on draft and I scored 6 bottles last year. Sunday Brunch was delicious on tap as always. Packed TR

 

Let's be honest. There's no reason to line up (in a downpour no less) for a milk Porter. Even one as good as this. There's even less reason to buy a case of 750 mL bottles. Nobody needs more than one or two bottles of this. The craft beer scene is way out of hand. I've been reading the forums today and between this, Magnify and OH rain lines and tents, I've pretty much given up on hoping that things will get more chill with this scene. It's going the opposite direction. I've learned to be content with my Carton, Kane and other stuff I've gotten without waiting in a single line. Sorry for the rant people, but damn, the frenzy of it all just turns me off to no end.

 

Count me among those who prefer Morning Bell to either of the Brunches.

 

Hey man, I really appreciate it. It's days like these that I love being a part of this community.

 

Add LIC to the list too.

 

Kane and Rook both have localized cult like following. Morning Bell is its own phenomenon. I'll bet there were as many Rook followers as Kane followers.

That said I think the 94 rating doesn't tell the whole story. NJ beers and breweries struggle to generate hype for whatever the reason. Taking Carton as an example they released a neopolitan ice cream stout aged in cognac barrels and the secondary trade market could care less. If Funky Buddha brewed that beer people would loses their minds. As an alternative comparison Cafe Americano has a 99 rating and I'd take Morning Bell over it any day any time.

 

Lined up and got a case. In fairness I am hooking up a bunch of buddies in the process and this is my wives favorite beer. It...was...miserable... but everybody was in good spirits... I agree it should have been 6 bottles but I am glad I was able to help out friends who couldnt get there..