Does chasing beers make you frustrated or excited?

Ask your doctor if Hopocil is right for you.

 

i chased BCBS this year with calls even talking to the distributer. so when the beer landed i knew when & where. i scored a case of BCBS a case of barley wine, half case of coffee, 3 bottles of rye & a prop. so with that said its a rush chasing whalez

 

It's exciting when it's something that I can realistically get, but it's also really frustrating. I had a lot of fun tracking down BCBS (all) this year, but that was because it's a local "rare" beer, so I can go to places that normally don't get that sort of thing (Whole Foods, for example), and still have a chance at getting these beers.

If we're talking something out of state (the Abyss, FW stuff, etc.), it's more frustrating than anything else. I work a typical office-job shift, and my local stores usually get shipments an hour or two before I get out of work. By the time I get over to a store, they're gone. It's a pain, because some of the more rare stuff requires taking a day (or part of a day) off just to ensure you get it, and sometimes that's not a possibility. Sometimes makes me wish I lived in a smaller beer market!

 

I'm over it.

Almost over it.

Seriously, though, I've made enough friends and contacts at bottle shops that I usually don't have to chase anything I really want. The last couple of things I "chased" involved just checking into a few places until I found the BCBS I was looking for, ordering from an out of state bottle shop and having the bottles shipped to me OR using the brewery's beer finder and traveling to an out-of-the-way shop that had something they probably ordered by accident.

But by and large, I'm done with that stuff.

Usually, some whale or other turns up at nearly every bottle share I have ever been to...

 

Fortunately for me there are some good shops nearby, if they don't have the "latest or greatest " that's fine as there are plenty of more great beers on the shelves for me to try. On the other hand, maybe I'm just lazy and don't feel like driving all around the area.

 

It makes me very tumescent.

 

It's all in the game. I know the cost and time for some beers is not worth it. I will always have wants and play the game as my attitude, money and time permit.

With that said I will cut people down for some Double Sunshine!

 

I get excited. I live about an hour and a half from Chicago and I make a day out of my trips. Sometimes I go a little farther to Wisconsin for New Glarus, but I always hit the Beer Temple and 2 Binny's every time. Sometimes, I find stuff at one place that wasn't at the other, but even if I miss out on something (Double Daisy Cutter comes to mind. A day early once, a day late once) I still end up with a trunk full of awesomeness. I never know what all I'll find, but the thrill of the hunt is exciting as all get out. I love it!

 

I once found "the chase" to be thrilling, but it kinda drives me nuts now.

 

Chasing beer is like chasing hot women: After countless nights leaving empty handed, its best to stick with what's "easily accesible".

 

Chase? I'm more of a drink fresh, drink local. A little looking and asking, sometimes. I find Founders not that interesting, better local stuff. Boston, MA has a great local beer scene ad gets a broad range of left coast stuff as well.

 

I gotta say I don't usually try to track anything down in particular, but I really hunted for pumpkin ales this year, and it was a mixed bag. Scored some good ones, but overall there were a lot that I thought were mediocre at best, and I definitely shelled out for some bombers that I was not pleased with. It was fun to look for them and I really branched out as far as what liquor stores I go to, but overall, not worth the time and money.

Next year I'm just getting a case of Night Owl, some Great Pumpkin and some Upslope and calling it good. And if I can get these all at the same liquor store on the same day, perfect.

 

I'm sure this is the status quo among many other regions, but this past year for your whales has just become too frustrating in the Philly area.

Case in point, the BCBS family. Even last year, I was able to walk into several beer stores and get a 4-pack or even the BCCBS the day of the release. This year, I arrived 3 hours after the release of it and was told everything sold out within an hour, and this is the beer store telling me they received an even higher quantity of the line this year. I practically had to kill a man to get a couple bottles of KBS this year when the year prior I made out like a bandit. Even last week, I attempted to pick up the bourbon biscotti break which I found out was also sold out within hours. I have at least 3 other situations in addition to this that solidifies my claim.

There's a momentum of whale watchers here which indicates how successful craft beer is in the region, but these days I'm better suited with counterparts that are just as good I can get at any time.

 

Sharing beer I can get easily for things other people can get easily (or just don't care much about anymore) seems to be the most fun. Mostly I keep trying to get the hyped beers so I can show friends and co-workers that these beers aren't necessarily the golden gods people make them out to be. Once people know that, then they can enjoy the brewery down the road who makes a bad ass DIPA that's as fresh as can be. It's still fun talking with people across the country and in town about beers we can't wait to try. I really want the craft beer industry to keep on with the camaraderie, ingenuity, and just the all over culture that I have grown to love. Just be generous people and share the beer with people you love... uh wait, what was the OP's question again?

 

Absolutely! Recently I was checking out a new (to me) bottle store and found 7 dusty bottles of Terrible in an obscure corner. One of my favorites so - SCORE! (Available year-round in the U.S. my ass!). On the other hand, made a trip across PA to Downingtown to stock up on Baltic Thunder, only to find Victory no longer bottles it. Sort of like rooting for the Steelers.

 

I'm still chasing my "Velvet Rooster". It's disappointing that I haven't had access to any in over a year, but I do enjoy the Chase! I buy limited releases throughout the year as I come across them. If I find a case or two of Limited Release, il buy it (if funds allow) and il give some away as Xmas gifts

 

I'm in a brewpub phase right now and have been on a two year brake from the whale chasing phase.

The chase is frustrating if the beer doesn't live up to your expectations or if you never catch it- but it can be really exciting when the beer is like liquid gold~

Also out of my top 100 beers of all time-
10 are "whales" obtained from trades by either myself or someone in my tasting group.
39 are either special release beers I obtained from a local store or beers I had on tap at a brewpub.
18 I "chased" by trading for but because I wanted to try it-they either aren't rare or not really chased by many BAs
The rest are pretty easily available to me

8 of my top 100 -rdevs are "whales"

 

It's bittersweet.

 

Exciting when I can get them, like Zombie Dust and Bourbon County. Frustrating when I'll probably never get them in my lifetime, like Heady Topper, Pliny The Younger and any Hill Farmstead beer.

 

I travel out of state a few times a year. There are usually too many good beers on the shelf to worry about what they dont have.