Westy 12 for $99.99... Per Bottle

Discussion in 'New England' started by dar482, Jul 3, 2013.

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  1. NiceBeerCans

    NiceBeerCans Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2013 New York

    Don't think quite legal to sell Belgium release bottles in NY, no label, no bottle deposit, NY wants its $0.05! Guess that is why it is behind the counter to keep it hush hush, then they post it on beermenus and facebook (real smart). God forbid to lower the price since it doesn't sell at $99.99. Better to risk your beer license instead.
     
    #41 NiceBeerCans, Jul 6, 2013
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  2. NiceBeerCans

    NiceBeerCans Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2013 New York

    No surprise, they just removed their $99.99 listings per bottle of Westy 12 from both stores on beermenus. Not sure about facebook. Not feeling the love, I imagine.
     
    #42 NiceBeerCans, Jul 10, 2013
    dar482 likes this.
  3. jmarce

    jmarce Initiate (0) May 15, 2011 Connecticut

    from their facebook:
    wow, I might have to open my own bottle shop and start selling Westvleteren 12 bottles if I can buy 6 bottles from BiaB for $120 have a ton of demand to re-sell them for $600.

    also, this was hilarious:
     
    #43 jmarce, Jul 10, 2013
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  4. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'm just shaking my head. If only they had jacked up the price to $200 a bottle, just think how much more cool it would to own a bottle.

    This sort of behavior always strikes me as incredibly foolish and short sighted. Anyone who is in the market for a beer that rare and/or expensive is going to have a pretty good idea what the normal mark up is for it. Folks who don't realize that $99 a bottle is considerably more expensive than what it actually retails for (whether you buy it locally or via the Belgian Shop), almost certainly won't be interested in paying that much for it. So what does the store accomplish? Maybe they can sell a bottle or two to someone who really, really wants it, and who doesn't feel he/she can obtain it any other way, but they're not going to be happy about their purchase (as they're certainly going to feel as if they got screwed by the store in question). Most folks who realize how overpirced this beer is, won't be buying it, and will simply mock the store in question, and make it a point to never shop there. Everyone else will simply note the beer and the price, shake their heads, and move on. So ultimately the store in question engenders all kinds of bad will, just so they can make a few extra bucks on a one time sale. It's amazing to me that a store run by such a bunch of sort sighted idiots can stay in business.
     
    #44 John_M, Jul 10, 2013
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  5. NiceBeerCans

    NiceBeerCans Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2013 New York

    I found this other thread started by nanobrew back on February 29, 2012 on "Bars selling beers not distribute to the state". I know that that thread is about bars and this is a store (actually two stores, same owner), but maybe some same principles and common laws. It was nice to have Todd, BA Founder, comment multiple times on that thread with his opinions. Hopefully he can weigh in on this one too. Here is the link:
    http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/bars-selling-beers-not-distribute-to-the-state.2094/
     
    #45 NiceBeerCans, Jul 10, 2013
  6. abkayak

    abkayak Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 New York

    I’m 2 miles to this place...I gave up on it when I was offered the great deal of "if u pick me up 5 cs of Heady he will give me #6 for free"...650 miles round trip, basicly 78$ pay???...I was kinda insulted....good thing I had my headys(4cs) and all the HF to consol me...I shop everywhere else now...and still have the Everett
     
    #46 abkayak, Jul 10, 2013
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  7. ao125

    ao125 Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2010 Virginia

    I was getting all ready for this to be a Perfect Pour post.
     
    #47 ao125, Jul 10, 2013
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  8. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    As I recall, when the beer was released in the states, didn't the monks require that it be sold essentially at the store's cost? I figured that would pretty much rule out the PP getting any, and as I recall, in fact they didn't sell bricks of Westy 12 in their store.
     
    #48 John_M, Jul 10, 2013
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  9. Jtc2811

    Jtc2811 Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 California

    Only came to total wines in MD.

    Also, having personally compared the import and the brewery only versions in a blind tasting of 4, no one could tell the damn difference.

    Trying to imply that the straight from the brewery beer is superior is a low move. May as well try to start a rumor that these were secret bottles usually only for the monks...
     
    #49 Jtc2811, Jul 11, 2013
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  10. Flashy

    Flashy Pooh-Bah (1,767) Oct 22, 2003 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    were you paying for gas? If they paid for gas, and you were going anyway- not that bad of a deal.
     
    #50 Flashy, Jul 11, 2013
  11. abkayak

    abkayak Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2013 New York

    no mention of gas $$...but the point really being you don’t drive to the Northern Kingdom for heady and other lovely beverages and give any of it up except to friends and family or a BA or 2 who cant make the drive...particularly w/ a 2 cs /person limit....yea, I can be bought but not cheap.
     
    #51 abkayak, Jul 11, 2013
    frankthetank86 likes this.
  12. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, that's right. I know places like Corridor Wine in Laurel and Beltway liquor up in Towson got some, but now that you mention it, those ARE all Total Wine stores.
     
    #52 John_M, Jul 11, 2013
  13. 2Xmd

    2Xmd Initiate (0) Apr 19, 2013 New York

    Then he sells them for $10 a can and makes almost a grand for your inconvenience.

    I'm pretty sure most of the calls for the Westy were like mine just to see if they were actually selling it for $99.00
     
    #53 2Xmd, Jul 12, 2013
    frankthetank86 likes this.
  14. jbdpsu82

    jbdpsu82 Pundit (942) Aug 28, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Hot damn, I've got $400 of "REAL" Westy sitting in my cellar right now! I had no idea. I'm going to flip that!
     
    #54 jbdpsu82, Jul 12, 2013
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  15. SpeedwayJim

    SpeedwayJim Pooh-Bah (2,877) Jun 19, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader


    Seems like you have to "friend" them to comment. Someone please post the BIAB and Etre links to Westy12 on their facebook and call them out for their "you don't know what we paid for these" comment. Yes... in fact we know EXACTLY how much you paid for these.
     
    #55 SpeedwayJim, Jul 15, 2013
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  16. VonZipper

    VonZipper Savant (1,005) Feb 9, 2011 New York

    Don't let him know about those sites. He'll just buy them and mark them up, again.
     
    #56 VonZipper, Jul 22, 2013
  17. ao125

    ao125 Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2010 Virginia

    Step 1: Buy Westy 12.
    Step 2: Carefully uncap and drink
    Step 3: Refill with Trappist Rochefort 10 and recap
    Step 4: Resell to ***** willing to pay $80 a bottle

    Seriously though, I'd posit that no one who has actually had Westy 12 would pay that much for one.
     
    #57 ao125, Jul 22, 2013
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  18. Daniellobo

    Daniellobo Grand Pooh-Bah (3,102) Jul 30, 2009 Spain
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Whoa... The whole thing is nuts on a variety of levels (as explained very well by many posters above).
    I've just returned from a week trip to Belgium (stopping in Spain shortly before returning to the States) and bottles of Westy 12 were commonly available in good specialty stores, despite the instructions from the monks, in plenty of cities: Bruges, Antwerp, Brussels... Pricey stores sold them at the abusive price of about €13, with Westy 8 running about €10, and the blonde at €8ish? More accessible stores had all of them for about 2 or 3 euros less. Spain distributors are also getting them on a semi-regular basis reaching the newish craft stores and Westy 12 is typically a €10 tag. Hype does not make it sit long in shelves but it is relatively easy to get some, and 8 is fairly easily available.
     
    #58 Daniellobo, Jul 23, 2013
  19. Crookdrain

    Crookdrain Initiate (0) Jan 13, 2010 New York

    On vacation in Rome right now and Johnny's Off License has them for 12 Euro/bottle. Also has incredible selection of reasonably priced Cantillon. Picked up a St. Lamvinus for 18.
     
    #59 Crookdrain, Jul 23, 2013
  20. marshmeli

    marshmeli Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2012 New York

    great deal... feel free to buy extras and bring 'em back to NYC :wink:
     
    #60 marshmeli, Jul 23, 2013
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