Gingerbread Stout Release Day, 11-8-14

Whole Foods is sold out! Kind of insane, Lee posted a picture of about 14 cases less than 2 hours ago. I guess people were buying it by the case.

 

who does that?

 

Thanks. Ill keep it quiet until Weds morning then. May not happen by the sounds of things but then again its possible again in a few weeks by the sounds of things.

 

any word on total wine? want to try and grab a couple bottles tomorrow

 

The BA GBS will be distributed in NOVA.. at least that's what I was told by the distributor..

 

People who solely buy it to trade off to other parts of the country for things they want and keep maybe one or two for themselves. Although it's their right to do so, it does suck for those showing up late to the store. Dreams squashed!

 

Its a very good beer but I think people who go crazy for it are going to be disappointed. Their Raspberry Stout is just as good if not better imo, but I guess more people like ginger than raspberries.

 

I didn't try last year's fresh, but every time I've had this beer on draft its been noticeably better than in the bottle. I got a crowler at the release and it has a much more pronounced gingerbread taste than the bottles from the same batch.

 

I haven't had this year's bottle yet, but this year's draft compared to last years bottles, this year is quite a bit better. A 4.0 -> 4.25 for sure. Hopefully this year's bottles will be more of the same.

 

Since you want to be a dick behind a keyboard, let me start from the top for you.

I figure it was shitty handling because it was. Admittedly so by the brewery (they later issued an apology on Facebook & said they handled it wrong).
It wasn't because MY fiance & HER brother didn't get THEIR beer. The issue is LOTS of people who took time out of their lives to travel & wait in the cold didn't get their beer.

Hardywood said they would sell bottles to people that got in line from 9:00-10:30PM & that is NOT what they delivered (my fiance & her brother did get there early). They didn't even sell bottles for that full amount of time. They told people in line that they were sold out almost an hour before their line "cut off." Also a part of their apology, they stated that they should have sold bottles until they ran out or sold them to everybody that was in line in time. So not only did they not deliver on selling bottles for that window of time, but they cut it off early & lied about being sold out.

My fiance's brother did go back the next day & did get his bottles, but the point you apparently miss is that he & many others should not have had to take extra time out of their lives to make an extra trip (which is no short drive for some) to then have to wait in line AGAIN to buy a product that should have been rightfully sold to them in the first place. Hardywood chose to plan a pre-sale event & didn't deliver on their own promises.
No one is blaming a brewery for something they can't control. They scheduled the event. They set the rules. They chose to cut it short & say they were sold out when they weren't.

Next time you want to be an internet tough guy, you might want to have your facts straight. The brewery themselves issued an apology for how they handled it, so I don't understand why you feel the need to be butthurt on their behalf.

 

Does it make you feel better to call someone a dick?

I am just tired of all of these people who think that they are ENTITLED to beer just because they "took time out of their lives to travel & wait in the cold". What the brewery posted on Facebook is called good customer service. They only did that because of people like yourself who take to the internet to complain and whine.

I applaud Hardywood for trying to do what they did with this release but I am sure after comments like yours they might not do a prerelease party next year. Or maybe they will have to hire a lawyer to make sure that they script it correctly. Seems like "GBS will be available from 9:00-10:30PM" is pretty clear to a person with any form of intelligence. I know someone who was cut off too on Friday night and instead of taking to the internet to denigrate the brewery he just planned better the next day. That is called a class-act.

What really surprises me is that you are from Virginia and spending your time slamming your own local brewery. Hardywood is also a class-act and I think that even more now with their response on Facebook. They did not really have to do that. I know that you are also probably the type who has to have the last word so go ahead and reply, I am done here.

 

3 cases left at TW in Springfield, guy called and reserved a case! I picked up 4. Back of the store by the bathrooms

 

Arrowine got 15 cases yesterday, I went after work and got there just as the last bottles were scooped up. There was a guy who had 3 bottles in his arms, knowing that I was looking for GBS, he kindly offered to let me have one of his to purchase. I was very grateful and thanked him. Maybe he felt sorry for me, I had my 22 month old daughter with me and she looked a little sad. But just wanted to shout out to him (don't know him) as despite some problems trying to score some of the high demand beers, there are some really good people out there.

 

TW McLeans has 3.5 cases left. Back near growler fills.

 

It was easy driving to Richmond last night for bottles of GBS. I'm sure there are more today. Happy to avoid that line and the on shelf selection for a guy coming from NC was awesome with Big Bad Baptist, Cranberry Woods, tons of Founder's Harvest, Peche Mortal, Avery Pump[KY]n, Strangeways Vatos Muertos, Strangeways Soledad, and much more. I'm sure I'll experience it all on Resolute day.

 

Anybody hear when we should see this in the Hampton Roads area?

 

No it actually doesn't make me feel better. No, I am not the type to have to have the last word. You quoted & criticized me & people I know with wholly inaccurate assumptions, so I responded. Admittedly, I should have taken a higher road. I'm only responding because the point I was making in the first place was being twisted & ignored. This isn't an issue of feeling "entitled" to something. I wasn't saying people should have gotten something for showing up or that it was inexcusable to "sell out" of something. My point, that you keep getting wrong is they did not sell the beer between 9:00-10:30PM. If you were "a person with any form of intelligence" you would understand that. They stopped around 9:40 & said they were sold out, when they weren't, & told people to come back. That's the only issue here dude. The brewery manned up to it & apologized & took steps to make it right with the people that were turned away, which is very commendable. I'm not slamming the brewery. I can have an issue with how a brewery handled something & not be slamming them. I personally enjoy Hardywood & have had a good experience every time I've been there. I also have long been singing their praises to everyone I know when the topic of good local beer comes up. I was criticizing the handling of the event, which (again) they have owned up to. That was all I was ever complaining about. I also don't understand how I'm seemingly not allowed to feel like something was wrong or an inconvenience of time & money because it didn't happen to me personally, but to people I know. I can put myself in others shoes & empathize. My reaction when something happens to someone isn't an assumption that it's their fault- which, again, was commendably owned up to by the brewery in this case. I don't think I can make it any clearer.

 

TW sterling got 13 today.