High-Westified in CA yet?

That place is consistently getting the best stuff. You pay for it there, though.

 

Bottlecraft in North Park has a little less than a case left. Limit 2 bottles.

 

Isn't this a beer being sold in 6-packs for around $11 MSRP? I'd no longer shop there if this was the case.

 

Yup, and where it is being sold in 6pks seems to have gotten roughly at least half a dozen cases. When only 2 show up in a shop it seems this way they figured that it could reach the most people.

I would rather have a 6pk, but going from none to at least 2 bottles is a step in the right direction.


Also I know Plaza in Mira Mesa got a small allotment today.

 

Yeah, they only got two cases at each location so they wanted to share the wealth. To be honest, I'm glad they do that because if they were selling sixers I'm sure it wouldn't have been in stock when I went in over lunch today since they posted to Instagram last night. It sucks when you want to buy more but it also prevents a dude with some mules from coming in there to clean the place out in 10 minutes.

Bottles were $2.29 a piece which seems fair to me. Bottlecraft is rarely the cheapest in town but they always have a good selection and the people that work there are awesome, especially Gene. That dude rules.

 

Just got a sixer at Texas Liquor in Carlsbad. They had 5 - 6 cases out. $15, surprised it wasn't $20 with their usual prices.

Checked Royal first, was bummed they didn't have any since they're a lot closer to me. Wish that place would use the gram so I'd know these things without going in or *shudder* picking up the phone.

 

Ah, well, I can see if that's the quantity available for sale splitting it up might make more sense. At least they were only charging $2.29 a bottle. For some reason I was picturing the store doing what places used to do with BCBS 4-packs and charging super inflated prices for single bottles vs the 4-pack MSRP pricing.

 

Picked some up from Whole Foods Hastings Ranch, about 4 cases left as of 4:45 PM, $11.99 a sixer. Guy there pouring samples of it said they got in ten cases today.

 

Looks like WF hastings ranch is sold out already

 

What are your guys' thoughts on how High West-ified tastes? Some of the comments and reviews are quite favorable and I'm wondering if $12 six packs are the main reason for the favorable reception rather than flavor.

There's no doubt this is the best value ever for a BA stout at about half the price of other competitively priced options, and it may well prove impossible to not let value influence taste, but what are some thoughts compared to BCBS, Pugachev's, BA Ten Fidy and other widely available BA beers?

I found the taste to be one dimensional, devoid of coffee and bitter. A great value sure but my plan is to use this beer as a palate calibrator to help me appreciate the more complex BA beers in my fridge.

 

I scrutinized my most recent bottle fairly closely, due to the suspicion from the recall/infection talk, and had a KBS the following night with the High West fresh in my mind.

Definitely preferred the KBS. Not that I dislike the High West, but KBS just clearly had a better (IMO) coffee flavor, less bitter, with more enjoyable sweetness.

The High West is solid, and for the price, incredible. But it wasn't really a contest when compared with KBS.

Though my opinion of the four bottles I've had has varied quite a bit... the one I had a week before the last one I totally loved, and didn't notice any of the negative qualities that seemed somewhat blatant in the next bottle. So not sure if it's inconsistent, or (probably more likely), it just wasn't as amazing when I was being more critical.

 

Bevmo on Geary St. in San Francisco has three unopened cases left tonight around 9pm. $12.99 a pack. Good luck!

 

Holding off judgement to see if the entirety of my 6er is solid for at least a few weeks. Early impressions are thinner than I remember from last year. Not overly dynamic in either coffee or barrel attributes. Reserve the right to change my mind, but not nearly the depth as I'd hoped. YMMV

 

Just bought a 6 at BevMo Oceanside.

 

Why is BevMo on the other side of the bay getting it, but we can't get it in the East Bay?

 

BevMo in Sunnyvale has 3 six packs left.

 

Seems like East Bay always gets the shaft.

 

Hasn't hit NorCal yet. We didn't get any bottles last year, only kegs so I traded for a couple bottles. Hope to see it around but I won't trade for it again, it's nothing special.

 

No one got it last year. It hasn't been bottled since approx two years ago.