Bourbon County in Michigan

If Holiday Market and Horrock’s aren’t getting any variants, who the hell is? The Kid Rock restaurant at LCA?

 

grand rapids area is getting variants(aside from prop/reserve obv), kzoo is getting a decent amount of regular but no variants. although it is rumored that megabev west main is getting one case of northwoods and bw but no coffee.

 

And 1 bottle limits on regular in Kzoo....so crazy how little we are seeing this year
Time to start ordering kegs of Goose IPA & 312 to get those AB Inbev sales up

 

I know for sure Dshulers is getting northwoods/coffee/bw, 2 bottle limit, 1 reg and a variant or 2 regs.

 

It's evidently a regional thing. All of the Kalamazoo area stores that I follow are saying Regular only. My favorite place in Lansing also said they aren't getting any variants. Holiday Market in Royal Oak posted that they're getting Regular and BW though.

 

I've spoken to a number of my contacts and distributors this week and they've all confirmed the same thing: Their reps have told them the state of Michigan is only receiving Reg and Barleywine.

I didn't speak to anyone in the Grand Rapids area (yet), so that may be the exception, although it certainly goes against what everyone else is being told. Southeast Michigan is a huge Market, and as @westlaunboy stated, if Horrock’s and the other big stores (that move a lot of year-round GI product) are being passed by, it's hard to understand why GI would single out just a store or two in West Michigan and leave the entire rest of the state out to dry.

 

I was on the fence about trying to hunt this down this year. Based on the information here, I will say no. If anythin, I'll buy a few bottles from local places that are releasing on Friday as well.

 

FYI, Clarkston Union has 2015 BCBS 9oz for $15 at the moment.
I plan to have one tonight if it is still on.
Anywhere else have any Bourbon County on tap

 

This is why I make the trek to Binnys LP every year for the Black Friday release. MI gets screwed when it comes to BCBS.

 

Nobody really knows who is getting what because the distributors are still lining up deals with accounts who will take stacks of shelf turds to increase allocations/determine who gets variants. My allocation numbers have changed 3 times already and I won't really know until it arrives Friday morning. I know if I'm being told 7 total today I can count on 4-5 since I'm not going to put myself in a position where I have to push any 312 on people who don't want it.

 

4-5 cases or 4-5 bottles? If bottles that is sad

 

That's an interesting point which I think more people need to understand when calling shops. The distributors are trying to squeeze every last bit out of their accounts with the dangling carrot & the dust doesn't settle until delivery day. It can likely mean the difference in getting something like Northwoods or not. In the mean time, customers are calling shops and panicking when the store is unable to give any firm details. Beer nerds hate uncertainty.

 

Other than Costco on Friday when I get my cheap turkey and pork loin I plan on not seeking this out. More for everyone else.

 

Thank you for that. People are getting pissed at me when I have no details to tell them. At the same time, I might refuse the order. I told my rep that if it isn't a decent number of cases, he can keep it and all things ABI will be tossed from the store.

I can leverage too, lol.

 

Love the post above, way to go man. I can tell you my local shop isn’t getting any variants and that makes it very easy for me. Saving my money to get as many bottles of CBS as I can. I know all of Goose Islands regulars throughout the year are pushed in order to get bcbs. Solid pass here as I think their regular offerings are mediocre at best.

 

I know some stores have already received their allotment. Any reason your stores isn't coming in until Friday? I'm guessing that Friday is your normal delivery day from that distributor, but figured I'd ask.

 

I know the chains started getting theirs last night. I think overall it depends upon the distributor. My allotment gets hand delivered by my sales rep on Friday which is not my usual delivery day for that distributor.