Are you over the Chase?

This is so me. I don't Social Media anything, unless being a member of this site counts as that. So in turn, I don't know if the stores I frequent have a "Limited/Rare" beer. Then again, as long as my standbys are still on the shelf, I could careless if there is a limited beer in the back.

 

I am on a new chase, if you can call it that. I am looking for brews that fly under the radar because there is no hype behind said brewery/beer. I feel that chase is more fruitful than getting a hyped beer and it not living up to your satisfaction.

 

I'm nearly there. The Backwoods chase followed up immediately by the BCBS drama has me pretty petered out on "the game". Feel like an idiot fanboy running in an out of bottle shops looking for this crap!

 

I guess it depends. I don't mind a bit of hunting as long as there's a reasonable chance of success without having to go to the ends of the earth. Anything that involves setting an alarm, standing in a huge line, traveling way outside my normal radius of beer stores, schmoozing employees etc, in the hopes of maybe getting a whiff of one of the few bottles the state received... nah.

 

It is a love/hate relationship. I am heading out now.

 

I was driving to work this am and there were 10 people already in line at 6AM at Binny's. I thought about going out, but honestly I'd rather just stay in bed for a bit longer...you can find a couple 4 packs of BCS without too much effort and that's just good enough for me.

 

Seems like the beers I don't need to chase end up being better than the one's I do. How many of these rare or once a year brews followings are driven by their limited supply?

 

Luckily, I am a Belgian beer lover and it is quite plentiful.
So, for me there is no chase.
And, I have learned to brew my own of the two beers I crave the most.
Imperial IPA's and Bourbon Barrel Barleyine.
Hill Farmstead and Bourbon County have much longer lines than mine.
Thus, my picky palate is very pleased, right in my very own cellar.

 

It depends on the outcome of the chase. If I have to drive to a bunch of stores and get shut out then yeah, it sucks. If I come home with what I went out looking for (and usually quite a bit of other suprises) then I tend to think of it as a successful day of treasure hunting.

 

i don't know If i'm done indefinitely but i'm certainly ready for a break.

 

I will occasionally ask for a beer from the back, but 99% of the time there's so much good beer that it doesn't even matter. I do notice that most of the people who ask about PtE aren't interested in substitutions when the store doesn't have it, because they don't want a similar beer, since they probably don't even know what PtE tastes like to begin with, because they want the HYPE! PtE is awesome, btw, not knocking it. But So Cal has so many great shelf IPA/DIPAs.

 

I still love certain chases for pales/IPAs and DIPAs. A Vt run on the right day at the right time from my MA home always nets case of heady and whatever Hill Farmstead has for bottles and drafts....and lately at least half dozen Sos's. Basically 12 hrs and a tank of gas. It's predictble -- and perhaps more of a "timely tour" than a chase. The ride is usually beautiful and very relaxing -- and combined w a couple of stops at great beer bars. The day is basically therapy -- and can be solo or w my wife or a buddy or two-- it always works. From the bounty I trade w a couple of trusted partners to get my favorite hoppy brews from Cali and the Midwest. An expensive hobby for sure but right now things are in balance. With trillium opening up "down the street" it has reduced the vt run frequency and may ultimately reduce it to a once a year thing.

 

Today at the downtown Specs in Houston is Black Friday Bourbon County Stout release. There are over 300 people in line, which started last night. This is just one day and one example, but no way no how am I doing that. I don't even chase the regular "rare" local releases anymore, but still usually run into a few bottles lingering somewhere. If that happens fine, cause I do like the beers, and don't mind the price increases that seem to be happening. It is just not worth my time anymore, if other people feel differently, that is fine I guess. It is their time and hassle, not mine.

 

Never been much interested in anything I'll call a "chase" - I'll buy a beer if I have the opportunity, and will wait in line for a few minutes, but I'm not going to travel just for an event, not going to do the line for hours type of effort, and cannot bring myself to worry about too much if I don't get one beer or another as a result. Trading does not appeal, so I either can find it in a store or it will not be in my cellar.

So I might get BCBS at some point, but I didn't head out at 4 AM.

 

Absolutely done with it.

Though I am not in the average BAs shoes...my workplace allows me to grab the best of what hits distro in NJ. I'll drink what I can find on vacations to VT or Chicago and call it a day. Plenty of good stuff coming out every week here.

 

I'm just tired. I'm so tired. Markets of scarcity make me want to curl up in a fetal ball with a Hamm's.

 

I have come to my senses and realized the stupidity of fighting for/waiting in line for very limited release beer. Bourbon County, Hunahpu, Pliny the Younger, Dark Lord, etc., etc., are likely to be great, but seriously. Waiting for hours, sometimes in freezing weather, just so you can buy beer that's probably only marginally better than what you could have regularly makes you a collector or a lemming. Your time is likely too valuable to waste for this. Why do people fuel this madness?

 

Unless you are bored, have nothing to do, have money, and have nothing but beer you want to spend your money on...

 

I waited 30 minutes to get two bottles of BCBS, and both BCBS and BC Barleywine on tap. That's really not bad. I wouldn't wait hours, but 30 mins isn't a big deal.

 

Then don't do it. Other people have a different opinion and are entitled to that opinion. Don't make me go America all over everybody's ass.