Anyone trying for Westy next week?

I tend to be one of those crazy people who gets to things wayyyy too early. I figure it's better to wait an extra hour or two with friends to get what your there for than it is to wait four hours in line to come up empty handed. Probably just a symptom of other issues really...

 

No, I think everyone is going to stay away from this one.

 

i was able to pick up two bricks at Julio's after "the festival" due to not all attendees using their voucher. nice to be at the right place at the right time once in a while.

 

Considering going in on a brick w/ some friends. Way too broke to spend the whole $85 now.

 

Maybe I'm alone, and I've just had Westy a bunch of times now so the allure is gone, but I'm staying far away. $85 is a very borderline price to begin with, but if it's going to include trekking out to somewhere north or west of Boston during rush hour, and getting there early and waiting outside - meh - just way too much... I can buy half a case of Rochefort for less than that with zero hassle.

 

You forgot to mention that Rochefort is tastier.

 

Craft Beer Cellar announced their plans this morning. They got 316 bricks, and almost all will go to people on their list. The one annoying thing is that anyone who didn't call to "check in" over the past two weeks was entered into a lottery system for the right to buy. While I understand why they did it, I must have checked in 5-6 times since I put my name on the list in August of 2011, and stopped asking early this fall. So, because I didn't want to annoy them with my constant need for updates, I'm being thrown into a lottery. Seems backwards...

I keep reminding myself: it's for a good cause, and whoever gets the beer will enjoy it. I might take the morning off on Wednesday and go wait in line for one of the 40 cases open to non-listers (if my name wasn't picked).

 

Westy is still on my tick list, so I'd like to get a couple of bottles. I'm actually driving up from New York City that day and I'm trying to figure out if I can get it in New York or whether I should brave Redstones or Julios at rush hour. I don't have hours to wait in line for it, so if it looks like it will be tough I expect there will be plenty of them available for pretty reasonable trades.

 

BTW, I think they are doing the best they absolutely can. It won't be a 100% fair process anywhere, and I trust CBC to do whatever they can to get the beers to the most deserving people.

 

If CBC got 316 bricks I'd imagine Julio's get's/got at least double that.

 

CBC just called me and told me I was selected to buy one. I was on the list, but didn't call and check in or whatever.

 

Agree. It's a good quad, for sure- but not good enough to warrant $85 and the hassle.

 

What I'm struggling with is how so many people are stunned by paying 14 dollars a bottle for what most consider the holy grail of beer, yet will on a weekly basis spend the same on bombers for local brews

 

1. Which local bombers are $14 and being snapped up by people weekly?

2. I get the sense many people feel that other available Belgian quads:
A. Are of similar quality
B. Are less expensive
C. Are more readily available and/or don't won't require the same effort one will seemingly need to put forth acquire a Westy brick.

 

I'd buy one if I had plenty of cash to spend but I have other beers I want to buy and I already have the glasses which are the best part of the brick.

 

For people that haven't been lucky enough to try it, it's worth it. I don't see myself going to Belgium anytime soon, I'm not going to pay absurd black market prices for one, and I don't have the fire power to trade for it. For me this is a great chance to help out the monastery and try the holy grail of beer.

 

$85 during the holiday season = probably not gonna happen for me. Gonna be low on cash as it is. I have had this beer only once and thought it was great but not far and above other great Quads which are available 100% of the time for about half the price per ounce. I might split the set with another person to get a glass and 3 bottles. If so, I'll probably show up at Julio's on the way home from work at 530 and see what happens. Would much rather spend the money on other stuff.

 

It's $14 for an 11oz bottle, which would be the equivalent of a $28 bomber, or a $32 750ml. That puts it squarely in the top 1% of 1% most expensive beers per ounce, and I don't think anybody is regularly buying $28 bombers of anything. In fact, I don't even know if there is even a single $28 bomber that comes from New England.

Also, it's not the holy grail of anything. In fact, fresh, it's no better than a bunch of other easily accessible bottles for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price. Now, with a few properly cellared years on it? Yeah, Westy 12 is pretty special. But it's only worth $14/bottle if you've never had it.

I'm not stunned by it in the least. In fact, I'm actually surprised it came in under the $100 mark. I just don't think it's worth it, but to each their own.

 

I found this part a little strange, too. So, from now one, the more annoying you're, the better your chances? I remember inquiring about it in person, whether my August entry is still good, but whether it was within two weeks or not I can't remember.