Craft Beer Only. Except Bourbon County?

If it was only Bourbon County keeping other Goose Island beers on the shelf (which it's not), then I'm glad it's so popular, because I buy their other beers.

 

I get your point, but it's a bit naive to think the BCBS is keeping other beer of the shelves (maybe out of barrels, but that's another story). None of the competitive Barrel Aged beers have trouble getting shelf space.

 

Not drinking something due to who makes it is pure snobbery as has been already pointed out.

This is BEERAdvocate, not JUST a place for rare craft loving hipsters.

Enjoy what you enjoy. Drink what you drink. Judgement free from me.

 

In order to get BCBS the retailer needs to carry all those GI shelf beers. Soon it will be Blue point Elysian and whatever else they buy.
It is those beers that are taking shelf space from other real craft beers.

 

Goose Islands regular beers struggle to reach average. Big you enjoy them God Bless. But don't pretend they are there on merit. They are on the shelf because AN/InBev says so.

 

It has nothing to do with snobbery
It has to do with caring where your dollar goes.

 

Fully on you. If a big brewery makes a good beer, I'll buy it. End of discussion. My dollar goes to who pleases my taste buds the most.

 

I was at a Goose Island BCS dinner earlier this year and this was brought up by the brewers themselves, nobody asked them. They needed to join a large brewery group for national distribution to occur. As big as Goose was, they were not big enough to get the loans they needed for them to start national distribution themselves (as I believe Stone did). There only way to to this was join a big brewery group. When it occurred they gave a list of about 50 things that needed to "stay the same" or they wouldn't have joined In Bev. In Bev agreed to the Goose demands, all of them.

I know that somebody is gonna call bullshit or say yeah but... I really could care less. Give me a label-less beer. If I like it and then you tell me it's from Miller or Busch or whoever, I don't really care; I'll buy it. On the same point, I've had many "whales" that I thought were way over-rated. Probably get rated higher because of the label, brand recognition, or because you finally got that beer and had to justify it. That's my 2 cents. I'll be in line on Black Friday. Cheers!

 

I applaud the anti BCBS stance, but i have to be real: 2014 BCBS was the best batch since 2008. the beer has only gotten better since the buyout.

Re: snobbery, someone having a different opinion or set of principles than you isn't fucking snobbery. Thinking "i don't care who makes the beer, and anyone who does is a snob!" is childish and sad.

 

P.S. by the by, whenever i interacted with GI people pre-buyout (beer fests, bar events), they were fucking dicks. Honestly, knowing what dicks they were was a bigger impediment to me supporting their business than the AB buyout. still, you're kidding yourself if you think any other brewery has the knowledge of how to barrel age a stout like GI.

 

My take on the whole conundrum.

Can I find an independent equivalent? If so than I will buy that one, if not than I'll buy the one that tastes best regardless of where it came from. So far BCBS is the gold standard for barrel aged beer, I'll buy if I see it but I would never camp out for it. There's a lot of other great ones out there too, but have yet to find one as good. I fear this may change though...and when it does I'll gladly say goodbye to it.

 

Those places would carry the GI shelf beers either way, they don't carry them so they have access to a limited one week or less supply of BCBS, that's just not how it works, they carry the shelf beers because people buy them...and likely a few other pressures, but not because of BCBS.

 

Merit? What does merit have to do with anything? People buy them, so bottle shops stock them. It's been that way for a long time in Chicagoland at least.

When will people realize they don't possess the tongue of God?

 

Ok seems this thread pops up about 2 times a month. But as far as shelf space goes, If I go into my local Walmart, then Bud/Miller/Coors have approx 95% of the shelf space. Kroger gives them about 40%, Specs Liquor gives them probably 20%. So if they are selling 80 - 90% of the beer they will get the space where it makes sense. InBev is a shit, they have proven it over and over, they are a big business and the take advantage of it. I hate car dealers more, but I still have to buy a damned car from one of them. I have way more problems in life than worrying about where my beer came from. Kind of like the guy that loved Blue Moon and when he found out it was actually brewed by Miller he goes and sues them.

 

Agreed! For the record, Blue Moon isn't the worse beer out there

 

No Bud beat it by a mile with that Oculto

 

LOLLLL

 

I just . . . wow. ITT you created a new acronym, of which I highly approve, AND just differentiated levels of caring.

In.One.Sentence. My hats off to you, sir!

 

I have yet to try this beer, but it oozes over-hyped, and slightly overpriced. They could at least use a better bourbon than Heaven Hill for f*#ks sake. With that said.. I still can't wait to try it

 

Nobody should buy it. You'd just be supporting "The Man!" I will support anyone's boycott. I'm busy that day so I can't join you all though.