KBS Week 2017

Yeah, but expect significant gouging in certain areas of the country...

 

I'd have to agree (sadly). I didn't even think it was heavily coffee-forward. Just somewhat non-descript until it warmed up considerably. In my experience, KBS is best enjoyed somewhere 6 months after bottling. So I'm holding my remainder till then.

 

Had it on tap this afternoon at Monelli's. Great bourbon smell right out the gate. Coffee forward when cold and then smoothed out and blended nicely when it warmed. I think it's still a great beer for the money.

 

It's also great to not run around like a lunatic this year to buy one bottle at a time this year. Got my case at my first stop! Sharing 3 four packs with fellow beer buds and drinking/saving the rest for me over time. Probably aging one four pack

 

Was the difficulty in obtaining KBS the part that made the beer special?

I don't think the recipe has changed, however without the subtle notes of unobtainium on the finish, people may be scared away.

 

http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2017/03/14/founders-kbs-2017-release/99157972/

Brewmaster say a lot of older barrels account for lees bourbon "heat".

 

Don't know about Michigan Ave, but Airport Rd released it on Monday, just like all the other Meijer stores. When I called, they said it was out on the floor, but they actually had that same "Line starts here at the release time" sign that the locations put out and saying to ask a manager. 1 4-pack limit. I think most other places in town get their deliveries on Thursday.

 

That was a good article. I was at event that the author was referring to. Koz and others Founder peeps was supposed to be there for a meet and great.

They could not make it because of the snow, so they gave free BIG pours of 17 KBS to those that had free tickets to make up for it

 

I think this idea has been discussed at length in several other threads throughout the BA boards. Does it make the beer special? No, but it could make it feel that way. I can understand that some of these "feels" are inherently natural.

I think there is a general psychological (maybe even physiological) perception that something that is rare has more value than something that is common. For example, a trading card with a defect can be valued as more than the ones without a defect. It doesn't make the defective card any better at being a card card, it just increases its perceived worth.

In general, I would also assume that humans feel more rewarded when their accomplishments take more effort. For example, running a mile after knee surgery is a hell of a lot more rewarding than just running a mile. The accomplishment/outcome is not any different, it was the journey it took to get there.

 

The frustrating thing about Meijer is they have no idea how to handle a special release beer.
I showed up at two Meijers Tuesday morning. The second one (Auburn Hills) I called (after seeing nothing at the first), and was told "yes we have KBS" - get there 15 minutes later, see 3 other guys lurking around - we had all called, got the same message (it's here), and showed up. The "beer" guy then proceeded to say that the KBS was all gone on Monday at every Meijer.
I was ok, having gotten my allocation at Founders, but wanted some more for friends.
Last night I got 1 bottle at LBS that got 8-10 cases, but was still limiting to 1 bottle per person.
This is still not an easy get in SE Michigan, for most of us.

 

I agree that the recipe probably hasn't changed, but the taste sure has. Not sure if you've tried '17 yet, but the barrel is lost.

 

I think you just showed your age with this example. Makes me miss the day of baseball cards.

 

I agree that the barrel is not very prominent.

 

So the scarcity does not make it special, but the chase makes it special, and it is not as special if the packaging is damaged and a pristine package is more special. Got it. Thanks.


Sorry for busting chops, but in one paragraph you say the scarcity is not the reason that it is special, then you devote two paragraphs to scarce objects being more rewarding.

I agree with @jaybes that the is not as much heat on this one as older barrels were used, but it is a damn fine beer.

 

I'd wager that 9/10 people wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference between this year's batch and that of the last few years (Fresh). I've only had KBS for the past 4 years, so I may not be quite as experienced as some of the veterans, but I thought it was extremely comparable to the last few years. I think you're getting into "they-made-more-so-it's-not-as-good" territory.

 

It is very easy to tell the difference with this year. It certainly has a lot less of the usual bourbon booziness that usually takes 3-6 months to balance out. That said, its a terrific beer.

 

I was thinking more about pokemon cards!

 

This is the most I have liked this beer right out of the gates in a while.

 

Gonna pop a bottle this weekend and report back (only had it on tap so far this year), but I thought it was extremely similar. To each his own though, right?

 

Haha...I thought there may be something a bit newer to the scene that you were referring to. I have actually become somewhat familiar with Pokémon cards over the past few months as they are all the rage with my daughter and other Kindergarten kids. The best thing about that is my daughters asked me if I had them as a kid and I tell them I collected baseball / football / basketball / hockey cards. Now they want to get some baseball cards (in particular Tigers/Miguel Cabrera), which gets me a bit sentimental!

Back to KBS, I am always skeptical of folks talking about how different one year's version is "fresh" versus prior years', as it's nearly impossible to dispute/confirm (i.e. you have no way of tasting fresh versions side by side). But, I plan on getting a taste on the 31st here in Chicago to see what my thoughts are. I'll definitely scale back from prior year's purchases, as I've just got too much on hand of the past couple years still.