Philly/SEPA BCBS Hunt 2018

So I will probably hit up either my local Wegmans or head into the city and go to Foodery again, not sure. After talking with the guys at the Philly Goose Island Brewpub we learned a couple things (also some of this is on their social media):
1. They will not be selling any bottles on site, so as to not compete with their retail chains.
2. They will be tapping a different variant every two hours throughout the day, we are getting everything aside from Prop.
3. They will have BCBS regular on tap year round.
4. They have it worked out that they will tap a variant every week of the year.

Cheers!

 

So very little need to buy bottles, got it, thanks

 

Yeah that was what my wife took away from that as well haha.

 

Do variants typically make it to Wegmans? And how long do they typically last? KBS around my way lasted about a day. Would I need to go at opening to get guaranteed a bottle?

 

Past couple times I have gone to Wegmans they sell out immediately in line that morning. They typically do not get a lot and depending on the Wegmans they don't know what to do with them. One year they let each person get 1 of each of them until they realized that only the first 12 or so in line would end up with beer then moved it to 1 variant per person. When 2015 rare came out they got a case of that as well.

 

Only reason I went to foodery one year was that a friend of mine lives three blocks from the nolibs location and they were running an event where x people in line got x prizes etc. I ended up getting a pretty good selection including the rerelease of the 2015 rare as well as a bag of the intelligencia coffee that was in that year's coffee variant which was an amazing blend. We were part of the first 50 in line but also got in line at a stupid time in the morning in the dark and cold.

 

I'm going to guess price per ounce on the bottles is a much better deal than the draft versions? Plus, you can drink them in the comfort of your own home.

 

Check the social media of some of the larger craft beer stores in SE PA. That will give you a better idea of where you will have the oppportunity to get more variants. Trust me on this one.

 

I see some places are selling a bunch of '17 either now or next Friday. FWIW, I had one I cellared last night. It tasted great. Sweetness has really fallen off over the past year.

 

Just walk into any beer distributor on black friday and you can snag a case, if you only want a bottle or two wegmans/whole foods is probably the way to go. The cases were available for a few weeks after release at most places.

 

I'm assuming the regular will be available by the case, but what about the variants?

 

Had it again at the bourbon county even the other week, 17 was a good batch and was really interesting in pairing with its non barrel aged counterpart which was pretty harsh as to be expected.
This past year I noticed that places definitely held on to some throughout the year and every now and then released a case here and there. I wonder if allotments to the area will be similar this year.

 

Yeah I'm curious as to how variants are handled this year as well.
1. There are a lot.
2. There are some that people are going to go crazy for (Vanilla, we getting Reserve?, Midnight Orange?).
3. There are some that will be less crazy but I maybe want more than the others (coffee barleywine, wheatwine).

 

reserve will not be available. Barlewyine coffee, wheatwine, bramble, and vanilla will all be available but limited.

 

Capone's is having a draft event on Wednesday the 21st at 11am:

On Draft Will Be:

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY VANILLA 2018

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY MIDNIGHT ORANGE 2018

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY COFFEE BARLEYWINE 2018

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY WHEAT WINE 2018

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY STOUT 2018

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY STOUT 2017

GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY STOUT 2016

GOOSE ISLAND COOPER BARREL AGED SCOTCH ALE

GOOSE ISLAND HALIA

GOOSE ISLAND BROYHAN

GOOSE ISLAND OLD MAN GRUMPY

GOOSE ISLAND SOFIE

GOOSE ISLAND 312 WHEAT

**GOOSE ISLAND PAPER UMBRELLA IPA CANS**

**GOOSE ISLAND DRY-HOPPED 312 CANS**


********NO BOTTLES OF BCBS AND VARIANTS WILL BE ON SALE DURING THIS EVENT!!! THEY WILL BE ON SALE SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24 AT 11AM NO RESERVATIONS FOR BOTTLES IT WILL BE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE ONLY.*******

 

I've been there both early and late and he usually had enough on that it doesn't matter. Honestly though in years past it's been the other stuff he put on that was drawing my attention more. Og parabola, cantillon kriek, bottle pours of eclipse variants etc etc.

 

Any places with Bourbon County early?

 

Wheatland Distributors in Lancaster currently has regular BCBS available for $11 a bottle. Just bought one. They had about a dozen bottles sitting by the register.