Upland Secret Barrel Society

$250 and you still have to buy the beer? Love Upland, but that's a hefty price tag.

 

Yeah, that simply makes no sense and must be a typo/internal miscommunication.

 

"Please note, only your Sour reservation, not the purchase of your beer, is included in your membership fee. Your beer must still be purchased at a retail location (Indy or Bloomington) after it is released."


So not a typo.

 

Wow... So unlike every other barrel/sour/etc... "program" in the country, you don't receive any bottles with your $250 purchase?

FAIL

 

That's...that's just dumb. Right?

 

Sour Fest tickets are $40 and you get the glass for attending anyway. I'd rather they just asked for donations. As a person who has supported Upland ever since I turned 21, this is a little disappointing.

It looks like they're eliminating the lottery IMO.

 

agree here. it can't be right. $250 to just reserve bottles has to be one of the silliest things i've ever heard of. At least Bruery gives you 9 beers with your membership. i will assume Upland clears this up....

 

Love upland, but at that price I'll stick with the lotteries.


...and where the f#ck is my Persimmon??

 

Does this mean that someone can still pick up for you? I read and it does not mention anything around that key detail.

 

First right of refusal for 2015 membership

 

I'll just skip that and pay nothing for the first right of refusal for the 2014 membership.

 

$250 a pretty hefty price when you break it down with cost in ():

- 2014 Secret Barrel Society Certificate ($2)
- Two Upland Sour Program custom glasses ($10 each at most)
- First right of refusal for 2015 membership (FREE)
- 1 free non-transferable general admission ticket to Sour Wild and Funk Fest ($50)
- Free entry to a special event for Secret Barrel Society Members ($50?)

So basically it's $130 to reserve the right to buy 8 bottles. I'm sure it's worth it for some people, but the fact that it doesn't include a couple beers or some cool swag (ala Bruery RS with beers, hoodies, totes, stickers, bottle openers, etc) is rip-off IMO. I love their beers, but this is purely a money grab

 

That looks like a big tall glass of nope.

 

What a freakin joke. Maybe Upland has been watching the ISO:FT forum too much lately.... #winning

 

...At least they didn't use a Kickstarter?

 

Looks like a fancy name for a kickstarter project right? Am I missing something here? I would guess this will eliminate the sour lotteries as well. Glad I won the sour lottery this time around because that will likely by my first and last Upland Lambic. As others have mentioned, it's a bit disappointing for someone who regularly buys Bad Elmer Porter during winter trips for Purdue basketball games and has bought Upland Wheat for over a decade now.