I know that pretty much in the entire state of NY Bell's Beer is now available. I see the Two Hearted & Oberon flying off some shelves but I also notice that their Midwestern Pale Ale, Porter & Kalamazoo Stout are sitting around colecting dust at most beer stores/grocery stores I visit from Nassau/Suffolk to NYC to Westchester to White Plains to Ulster and Sullivan Counties. I even went to Broome County last week and saw the same issue. Is Bell's basing their sales and distribution to NY on the sale of their core beers?... I certainly hope not as I want to get me some Hopslam, Expedition, Double Cream, The Oracle, Third Coast Ale & Christmas Ale when they're released in a fair and reasonable manner. I know Larry Bell doesn't care much for us "city slickers" but his core beers are just 'meh' and his seasonals 'kick ass'. Don't make me buy a case of Midwestern Pale Ale just to get a chance at a bottle of fresh Hopslam Larry Bell!
I've been wondering the same thing. If they are basing what we get from their limited releases on what their year-round releases sell, then that is just unfair. I love Bell's, and having lived in NC for 5 years, have had almost every beer that they bottle. However, their Midwestern pale ale, golden ale and kalamazoo stout are just not that good. Their expedition stout is WAY better, yet I haven't seen a stitch of it in NY. I also love their Double Cream and Amber Ale (if they even still make it). Really disappointed to not have seen any of these seasonals in NY yet. We did get Hopslam in February, but very limited. We wound up getting more well after the beer turned into a malt bomb that was virtually undrinkable. I feel like we are getting the tail end of their distribution. I love me some Two Hearted and Oberon, but for the sake of your fans, start distributing your seasonals to NY!
I too was underwhelmed by Bell's with exception of Two Hearted which I felt lived up to the hype. Hopslam stuck around awhile by me and I like to believe that was just due to inflated price. Damn good beer though I will not lie. Never saw Expedition my way. I was pretty jazzed to get Bell's in NY but after trying some of their "core" beers: Amber , Oarsman, Kalamazoo etc. I'm disappointed. And it doesn't seem like their stuff moves off the shelves at all minus Oberon and Hearted as OP noted.
Noticed the same thing and feel the same way. Really missing the Expedition Stout... so much I had to order it from a vendor in Florida (Leukens).
I've had no trouble noticing their seasonals around: Oberon, Best Brown, Winter White, Cherry Stout, Christmas, Hopslam, Double Cream, Third Coast, Smitten. Amber Ale is being made and easy to bump into. I'd be happy to drink their Porter or Kalamazoo. I don't know if they do this or not, but Bell's obviously knows how to run their business successfully - and they do make good beer.
Where do you live that you literally saw every seasonal they make? Not one store I visited in Nassau/Suffolk had anything but Hopslam as a seasonal.
I didn't buy any, this same store was loaded with MBCO also, unfortunately all of it was out of code.
The Amber Ale is also a fair beer (there are many others I'd purchase at the same price or less). There's only so much Porter and Kalamazoo one can enjoy before moving on to a different beer style (IMO these beers taste pretty similar with the porter getting a slight edge although it doesn't come anywhere near GLBC Edmund Fitzgerald for the same price). I mentioned the counties (Nassau/Suffolk - NYC - Westchester - White Plains - Ulster - Sullivan and Broome) where I visited a beer store or two during the time since Bell's has been distributed to NY (over 6 months but less than a year ago). At the places I visited I never saw Best Brown - Winter White - Christmas Ale - Cherry Stout - Double Cream or Third Coast Ale. I over-paid for a single bottle of Hopslam in Nassau County but I got a few more via a beer buddy. I have had a few six packs of Two Hearted & Oberon (both delicious) and I have seen the Smitten but passed on it. I'm not putting Bell's down, I'm just hoping I get to see a lot more of ALL of their beers. Cheers!
I live in Brooklyn, but shop all around the area. Decicco's in Ardsley (Westchester) had almost all of the beers I mentioned. They currently have (at least) Oberon, Consecrator (I forgot to mention that one before), and (I think) Smitten. If I remember correctly, Bell's was in Westchester a little before hitting NYC. I've noticed the seasonals appearing quite a bit on tap in Westchester and NYC. If they are hard to come by in LI, hopefully their presence will pick up in time.
I agree that they hopefully pick up in LI because there is no chance I'm driving to Westchester to get some Double Cream or Expedition.
DeCicco's Brewster had all of those and more. They also had a tap takeover with a bunch of other rarities on draft, like La Bretteur.
I do believe that Bell's overestimated the amount of beer they would sell in NY. Why do I say this? DeCicco's ad for this week has Bell's Seasonal, Amber, Porter, Pale or Oarsman on sale for $9.99 a six pack. Anyone who has ever gone there knows DeCicco's has a fantastic selection but seems to only put items on sale that they are overstocked with or are getting older by the minute. And this is not an isolated case. I've seen Two Hearted offered at $9.99 at other places. Normal price was $11.99 - /$12.99.
