Trade Value Thread (Q4 2021)

I'm not sure dB Huna b2 was ever really a whale. It rode the coattails of b1 but it was not nearly as beloved a beer and it was not that difficult to get.

 

All whales ride the coattails of their predecessors.

It's not so much the beer but that Cigar City hype itself died off long ago. Yes, because of accessibility overall, but they have one of the best barrel programs in the world nevertheless, in this man's opinion.

 

I know you used to, but do you still go down for TBBW? Years ago people talked about it so much leading up, seemingly everywhere on BA. Last few years I feel like I hardly hear it mentioned anymore.

 

Well for good reason, considering the primary fests were all cancelled the past two years due to the pandemic. While Tampa still has a TBBW, per se, a lot of it is to-go related and I'm not really familiar with the events right now, although I've seen a few in person parties since, because Florida's gonna Florida.

I was an El Catador member and really enjoyed it, but was putting my aunt out to the point I didn't really feel comfortable with. Plus, considering I didn't want to wait a whole extra year to pick up my allotments, shipping such a massive amount of beer is sketchy for someone not really in the game. If not for all that I'd still be a member. I know considerations were made with 3rd party shipper involvement, but that came to be just a hair too late for me unfortunately.

 

B2 was not very good. Maybe you enjoyed it?

 

Here we go with the "not very good" issue again.

b2 not having the astronomically high score b1 had is no surprise, considering Huna was at the height of its popularity when it first came out, and hardly anyone was doing quality barrel work relative to today, not to mention palates shifting and becoming more accustomed to both Mexican stouts and what barrels can do to them.

b2 is still world class, but I always found all alternative Huna treatments to either benefit primarily from coffee, or from sweeter barrels like maple, personally.

 

Simply asked if you enjoyed it... Tbh not very good was being kind. I didn't enjoy it all solely based on drinking it and not enjoying it.

 

I very much enjoyed it, but can understand how its unique complexity relative to the other Huna variants did not mesh with some palates.

The few folks who didn't like it were very vocal but largely seemed to be in a very small minority of people who had also tried b1 and looked back at it with rose colored glasses. Just my personal observation.

 

I’m now at 78/100 in trying to tick BAs top 100 - I can say without a doubt DB Huna is in my top 5 biggest disappointments in the 78 I’ve ticked

 

I don't think it should be anywhere near #4, but neither should Pliny the Younger, Heady and BAA.

Those beers made it to where they are by being extreme in a time when no one was doing what they did--almost, if not more than, 10 years ago. IMO BAA has always been a cinnamon bomb of epic proportions, whereas Huna is a more balanced on the Mexican mole side, but the best barrel treatments I've had of either have been on the Huna end, none of which are on the top 250.

And as far as I'm concerned, Heady and Pliny are both outdone by year round shelfies here in Ohio, but that doesn't preclude them from being on the Top 250. Historical precedent and years of people hyping and seeking these beers out before the rest of the country caught up in quality is going to keep them on there.

They're all solid beers, and groundbreakers, but the absolute best ever? That's really impossible to gauge anymore.

 

PtE maybe you have a point and a leg to stand on, which you didn’t mention btw. However PtY you maybe on your own on that one as I haven’t had many WC TIPA that come close to it. There are some breweries out there that come close but nothing that I would prefer over PtY. It’s worth the hype especially if you can get it on draft. Of course this is my opinion but over the past year or two I’ve had plenty of hype and sought out beer and PtY still gets the juices going no matter what.

 

Haven’t been able to track down PTY yet, but def ageee on BAA, and Heady. Heady is a great beer, but not top 10

 

I will venture to say that nobody thinks the BA top 250 is actually the top 250 beers out there. I think of it as more of a fun scavenger hunt.

 

Hop Juju is better than PtY by a fair margin. I have had both fresh side by side on draft in Philly.

And that's not the only IIPA better than PtY, not even close, but neither belong on a short list of the best beers ever.

PtY is a trend setting Imperial IPA from a bygone era, much like Britney Spears.

I'll continue to hold the position that there is no such thing as a best beer ever, and it's entirely subjective more in the vein of personal favorites, but brews like Westy XII, regular ass Bourbon County and even SNPA belong on such a list before PtY. And I'm not just talking about the concept of "Beers of Fame" either.

In the particular case Fame, maybe PtY does belong, but it has been surpassed in quality, consistency and production a thousand times over all over the country, whereas others have not and never will be, because certain styles can only be so good, just like champagne, parmesan, bourbon and the like.

And stepping back a bit, if I had to choose, I'd take PtE over PtY 100% of the time.

 

I think you sometimes takes things to seriously and like @Affinity said the top 250 is like a scavenger hunt for beer lovers. Let’s not over think this and have as much fun, responsibly of course, enjoying beers. Btw you’re not the first person or the last to say they prefer PtE to PtY. If they would produce PtY more often then maybe I suppose but that takes the fun out of seeking it out. I feel like I’m a kid pretending to be an adult most of time anyways and ignorance can be bliss at times.

 

This was my personal favorite part of this conversation. Thanks.

 

The phrasing here insinuates that Samuel was available to be shipped to PA. Only the VT shipment had Samuel included and by the looks of it, that was the last of this batch, they probably planned it that way.

The PA home shipment list:

Florence: Foudre
Sankt
E.
Anna
Raspberry: 2020 Harvest
Mélange 2019 Harvest

The VT home shipment list:

Samuel
Charlie
Arthur
Anna
Raspberry: 2020 Harvest
Mélange 2019 Harvest

 

What kind of trade value does Cantillon Baie d'Agousier (2021, 0,375 bottle) hold? I'm looking for regular and special BCBS's and Pliny. I'm in Europe.

 

You're welcome, but don't think I don't know what you're getting at.

No, you! Do you get tagged every time I speak on PtY? Lol

I'll try to stop derailing this thread by speaking in generalities that most of us can agree on.

People can often become way too beholden to precedent and hype, preventing themselves from stepping back and making fair assessments. If more people did side by sides, blind or otherwise, it would help put things into perspective.

Anyway, I don't think any of us disagree that there are plenty of beers on the top 250 that belong there, and plenty that don't.