Refunds for 2015 Regular BCBS and 2015 Prop

Factor in all the calls and drop ins stores have to field on whether they have BCBS and I can see why some charged double.

 

Anecdotal evidence of one distributor in Georgia proves nothing. Also I'm not saying ABI even wants to drop them, the GI social media blamed retailers not distributors for being above their false $14.99 MSRP. Based on that price sheet, the retailers absolutely were not the cause of the price to consumer being >$20 and even if distributors were to go way over the recommended price to consumer (which I'm not saying they did), AB would damn well know that and blaming retailers for a jacked up price to consumer was completely dishonest or uninformed.

Do you really think the distributor jacked up the price on what probably less than 100 cases of Regal? Is that really even worth it to them? Doubtful. Do you really think the distributor would price over the recommended price to retail from AB for a measly $1,000 or so?

 

Based on the prices distributors were charging to retail, they didn't do anything wrong. At $14.99 on Prop/Regal they would have lost money.

 

You seem confused, I responded directly to incorrect statements you made about how distributors would never cross the big bad AB (or supplier breweries in general) and if they did, macro beer could just grease palms to get around the restrictions to drop them, that is simply not the case. I assure you, distributors give the finger to breweries with some regularity. I picked one of the more extreme examples but I have plenty more (heck, I know a macro distributor in your state selling $1/unit above recommended PTR on a flagship product!).

If a distributor is willing to throw an extra $1/unit of distributor profit on a package they sell year around, what makes you believe they wouldn't throw more on a limited release?

Btw, how's the view from 250 S Wacker Drive? ;-)

 

in my view there are too many nuances all of which may vary by individual instance, or region or specific distributor to blanket say 100% who's at fault when perceived gouging occurs. there is also the fact that the release model promotes these types of issues too, which again, that's 1000% at Goose Island's feet. they ought to reconsider the uniform date thing & honestly evaluate the collateral activities it inspires.

let me offer a hidden aspect i bet went unconsidered in the convo. because of the pile-up & controls to the release, it's not completely unheard for shops not getting their allocation fast enough or those unsure if they'll be allocated at all. . . to buy-off drivers to accidentally miss-deliver cases to them. in those instances, there's an invisible middle man's fee or hidden re-distribution cost of some sort involved. something you'll never know about or consider, but it shows up & out in your final cost / the shops' asking price.

never mind whether the above is legal, morally acceptable, a violation of the spirit of good business etc, it happens. and part of what contributes to it is a release that almost mimics Walmart's: "I'll stab you in the parking lot for that last Tickle-Me-Elmo doll ".

 

I guess all I'm getting at is that it's not wise to expect something that seems too good to be true in the first place to be repeated in the name of consistency. Hell, I didn't even get rid of my empty BCBCS and BCBBW bottles until after I got my check in the mail, just as a failsafe.

 

Ooh a $1, I'm sure that results in a $10 difference at shelf right? HA! Also, when you say unit you are probably talking a 12pk which is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. A $1 per bottle would be pretty egregious, but even that wouldn't get you the insane variance in pricing between MSRP and shelf that GI originally claimed on Prop.

What would the price to retail difference have to be vs. AB recommendations to get a $10 difference PER BOTTLE at shelf on a 12pk case? They'd have to do something completely ridiculous like charge a price to retail of $90-$100 above the distributor's recommendation and you know it. I know they don't follow recommendations to a T, but to suggest they would charge an amount high enough over recommendation to result in a $10 per bottle shelf difference is ridiculous.

You keep focusing and nitpicking on immaterial points such as distributors that vary by a massive $1 on price to retail. Newsflash, that comes nowhere close to explaining a $10/bottle shelf difference. My point isn't AB owns the distributors (though they do in a lot of states), it is that such a massive gulf between a claimed $14.99 MSRP and reality is impossible to blame on the distributor. GI's social media person either lied or was completely misinformed is the whole point.

P.S. I don't work at MillerCoors

 

Since when have any of those things stopped someone in Chicago?

 

I guess we all know how to get a couple of cases for home delivery now...

 

I tried searching, but couldn't easily find any data regarding Regal Rye. Is there any issue with infections in Regal Rye?

 

According to this source,

http://tenemu.com/news/goose-island-offers-refunds-for-infected-bcs-proprietors/07/2016

nothing showing up yet in that variant.

 

Got my check today for the 4 bottles of regular, mailed the labels out 7/16

 

My buddy and I did the full 2015 lineup on Saturday night...all of them were infected except Regal and Rare. We obviously knew that possibility going in, but it was still a letdown. In terms of the scale of "most" infected to "least" infected, it went: Barleywine (drain pour after a sip), Prop (drain pour after about 4-5 sips), Coffee (we drank about half this bottle), Regular (we drank most of this bottle). To help ease the pain, we did a 2012-2015 vertical of regular as well, since I had backup 2015 regular bottles.

 

Man I loved regal. At least you had that one.

 

Man, people need to start saving these beers for funerals and GI could re-market them:

"Bourbon County Stout the original gangster beer- for when you have to pour one out for the homies."

 

I can't do it either, ridiculous it's so complicated. I'd send it messenger it and let them upload it.

 

I usually just upload a pic to a free hosting site, and throw that link up here. It's definitely counter-intuitive, but at least you can still do it without signing up for anything elsewhere.

 

I mailed mine in on the Saturday after they announced the regular refunds. Got my check sometime from this past Saturday to Tuesday (was out of town) - 10xbottles that I had left from a case that I bought.

 

Glad I'm not the only one! Received my $45 check in the mail some day this week along with a stock apology note. I mailed my rebate info on July 16 and my check envelope was postmarked July 29. Fast turn around. Very pleased about that. Two weeks is incredibly fast IMO when it comes to the world of rebates.

 

It's incredibly fast. I think most of us assumed they'd wait until the window closed in September to cut checks, similar to what the did with BCBCS and BW. Even if you thought they'd do it earlier, two weeks is crazy. I sent mine in on the 18th, so hopefully my check is coming soon!