BCBS 2017 NYC Releases

Last year Dive Bar also had a Wednesday night event. Haven’t seen any events pop up yet.

 

You forgot all the grocery stores that sell it whenever they want.

 

Bodega near me still trying to charge $30 a bottle for last year’s

 

Speaking of, anyone seen bottles of '16 close to retail ($12 or so) recently? Close to midtown preferably.

 

Croxleys in Farmingdale has a good event on Friday. A paid VIP hour and then also after that many vintages on tap.

https://croxley.com/farmingdale/

Go to events page on their site.

Last year they rotated taps in subsequent days, I had 2014 Coffee one night that was divine.

 

I was there last year. Had the glass of "Rare" and although it's fantastic, it's not like it blows away the regular version or other variants by much IMO.

 

Totally agree, I had a bottle on my 10th wedding anniversary dinner, was cool to have a bottle but was marginally better than regular.

I am going to VIP hour at Croxleys, if you or anyone else is going to that or the regular party let me know.

 

Yep, Rare is a huge waste of money, no two ways about it.

Last year Arts & Crafts by Columbia had a few vintages on and I think even a bottle of something for consumption. There were also a bunch of 50-60 year old beer geeks having a BCBS share in a corner and I saw an old bottle of Vanilla Rye.

 

Top Hops just released their Black Friday BCBS Release info via Facebook:

SAVE THE DATE. It's here! Once again, Top Hops is your NY home for the 2017 bottle release for Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout.

The All-Important Details!

- At 9 AM we will open doors and begin selling BCBS 2017 bottles.
- Customers waiting on the line outside of Top Hops will receive a numbered wristband based on their line position.
- You will receive a purchase form corresponding with your wristband number. We will collect these forms and when you make it into the store, your order will be ready for pick up.
- The following are strict limits on purchases per person:
NO LIMITS on BCBS 2017 and Barley wine. Limit of one bottle each of all other variants.
- Here is what we're getting from Goose Island:
BCBS '17 cases
BCBS Rare '15 cases
Coffee '17
Barley wine '17 cases
Northwoods cases

- PRICING IS AS FOLLOWS:
BCBS 2017 Bottles $14.99
BCBS 2017 case $161.89
Rare $84.99
Coffee $16.49
Barley Wine $16.49
Northwoods $19.99

Package (2 BCBS, 1 Rare, 1 Coffee, 1 Barley Wine) $147.95

- Top Hops will close once the line has cleared. We'll re-open at NOON for regular bar service with a whole slew of BCBS on tap as part of a Goose Island Tap Takeover, including a vertical tasting flight (BCBS 13, 14, 15,16 and 17).
- Goose Island kegs coming in for the Takeover:
2013 BCBS
2014 BCBS
2015 BCBS
2016 BCBS
2017 BCBS
2017 BCBS Coffee
2017 Barleywine
Northwoods
Juliet
Hallia
Lolita
Foudre Project
IPA
Four Star
312
Honkers
Matilda
Sofie
And others!!



FAQ:
Q: Is the beer good to go this year?
A: Yes, Goose Island will be releasing Bourbon County Stout on Black Friday

Q: What are the variants?
A: The 2017 BCBS variants are Original, Coffee, Barleywine, and Northwoods.

Q: So, there isn’t a national Rye variant?
A: Due to Goose Island's increased QA methods, they decided to focus on original this year. The barrels they intended for Rye this year weren’t ready for extraction when they tasted them, so those are continuing to age.

Q: Will someone be on hand to manage the line and make sure there is no cutting?
A: We like to think all of our customers can be civil and responsible, but we will have someone on hand to manage the crowd overnight.

Q: Can we drink outside while we wait for the doors to open?
A: Drinking on public property isn't legal in New York. Please be mindful of the law and our neighbors.

Q: Will anything else be open in the neighborhood?
A: We're in discussions with a few businesses on the block to staff up to support your early morning coffee and snack needs. We will also have some snacks and such available as in previous years.

Q: Will there be bathroom access for people in line?
A: We'll do what we can, but due to staffing needs, don't plan on it.

 

Wow, more Rare, I guess it isn't so rare! $84.99 for a bottle is absolutely absurd. That beer is worth a couple more bucks than regular.

 

I know of a few places the boxes are sitting around still.

 

Not sure about Midtown but i was able to pick up a bottle of 16 from Brooklyn Harvest on Union last week. I was in a panic cause i realized i was missing 16 from my collection. They were the only ones that still had it. 15 was still out in abundance for some reason. But no 16 except for in BK

 

There are still a handful of places that have BCBS, all over the city... but for good reason.

 

'15 is out in abundance because there's a good chance they might be infected. you should check the dates on your bottles as well.

 

Going to check out Top Hops for the first time this year. What time realistically would I need to arrive? I probably won't bother with Rare but would like everything else.

 

I don’t know why anyone would bother waiting on line at Top Hops. The only limited bottle aside from Rare is the coffee and it seems like their prices went up. I spoke to Ted and he said 2 years back anyone who lined up before 5 got a full allotment. Seems foolish when you can go to Whole Foods the next morning and buy as much as you want of BCBS and the Barleywine for much cheaper. Last year WF had everything but Coffee.

 

I opened my last one about 2 months ago from '15 and it was infected. I'm such a stubborn bastard I blended it with something and drank it anyway.

 

The top hops Black Friday early lining up may be my most least understood NYC beer line

 

To me its all about the guarantee of getting the Coffee. Thats all i really care about. You can keep the Rare and whatever else... Coffee is king.