Why Do Russian River Magnums Have So Much Trade Value?

just fyi, a 3 liter = jeroboam. 1.5 liters = magnum.

i don't get the trade value either. there's a big disconnect between what owners want and what people are willing to offer. for example there was a period of time where 2 or 3 owners would just troll through the iso/ft group with the same 3 liter for months on end.

it's pretty funny watching owners talk up how difficult they are to ship and watching people who want them say "it's just a shelf beer!" but refuse to settle for smaller bottles.

 

I traded 3 Rares for one and I think that was fair.

They only make like 40 or so a year of some marquees and they are ~$100. You can't get much rarer and from a novelty standpoint it fucking is novelty.

 

It's just novelty and rarity. That, and people are trying to compensate for..umm.. you know...

 

Some men like more girth

 

Some people like to party. And when you're partying, it's more fun to pour from a 3L than popping 8x375 bottles. I'd love to have one for a NYE party someday, but not worth the premium to me, so I'll just retain hope that someday I'm walking down 4th street, thumbs in my pockets, whistling a tune when the conch is blown.

 

I mean, if you're going to drunkenly pose for pictures at the end of the night, wouldn't you rather pose with the 3L bottle as you wang rather than a measly 375 mL bottle?

 

Larger format bottles cellar better also, less oxidation over time. (If you like aging RR sours). It's also cheaper to buy the 1 3L over the 8 375ml. Plus it's a fuckin 3L RR beer.

I've been ISO for months if anyone wants to help a guy out

 

Trading and Trade Value aside, is there are premium for the Russian River 3L, versus 8x 375ml? $100 actually seems like a deal to me on a per oz basis, but I'm not 100% sure of the shelf price of the 375's.

EDIT: Knownfactor answered my question / agreed with my position.

 

The 3Ls are actually cheaper than the typical price of a 8x375s, it's like $85-90 vs ~$96 (I usually see the sours for $12).

OP, they're just sort of neat, that's why I wanted one. That's also why I have an Eclipse one. I'll open them some day at some special occasion. A buddy of mine is opening his at his bachelor party, another friend is opening one to celebrate the birth of his son. They command a bit of a premium because people want to open a huge bottle of a good beer, and there aren't very many of those around. Not everyone wants to do that, though, so it'll look mysterious to those who don't.

 

I can understand commanding a premium for coolness/novelty/rarity, plus you are going to be looking at $90+ of stuff just to match $4$, but x3 Rare or multiple BA Dark Lords (I'm pretty sure I saw that one)? I'm amazed at just how much of a premium they get.

 

Right, the premium I was referring to was the trading premium. Since I don't live in the Santa Rosa area, getting a 3L any other way will take luck.

 

I'm very confused as to why you don't consider the 3L a Whale. It's a world renowned beer in a very limited format.

See how much fun it is pouring a 375 and then try a 3L.

 

I was talking about penetration (for when you have to bend over to trade for one; also a good name for an RR beer)

 

I think that there's a disconnect with some people about 3Ls. At Eclipse last year someone opened a 3L Supplication, and it ran out more quickly than any other bottle, and people had old Oude Geuze Vintage, old Cantillons, DDG, and other whales there. But everyone went apeshit for a shelf beer in a big bottle!

But then again, if you ask most of those people if they'd trade those beers for a 3L, they'd probably say no, even though they bumrushed the guy with the 3L. It's clear that there's something ineffably cool about the 3Ls in a way that just isn't matched by 8x 375's, but it's not worth the obvious coolness of a rare beer versus a rare bottle for most people.

I hope that made sense.

(As an aside, "People ask for more for their something when they own it than they're willing to give up to get it when they don't own it" is a well known, robust psychological principle. "FT's ask for so much more than ISO's do!" is basically just stating that principle. It's always going to be that way because of how people's brains work.)

 

Best. beer pong. ever.

 

Large format bottles are fun, and there is a certain novelty about them, but what matters is what's in the bottle. If a brewery/retailer wants to charge a premium for a large format bottle, so be it. I did just pay a pretty hefty premium for the Christmas Magnum of Rochefort 8, so the premium can be worth it to people.

If you just want a large format bottle for the novelty, I would recommend going and getting whatever is at your local packy, rather than getting raked over the coals in the trading forums. I see Chimay Blue 3L everywhere at roughly the same price as the RR 3L's. Last time I checked, that beer was pretty world renowned.

 

Already saved off a pre-review for Penetration: "Dark Strong Ale. Pours a deep brown coloring with ruby hues. White, glue-like foam head. Smells of bath soap and tastes a bit salty. Medium/heavy body, smooth mouthfeel. Lingering, sweaty aftertaste. Best paired with smooth jazz and vanilla-scented candles."