What qualifies as a whale?

I prefer to use a recursive definition:

1. A wale is defined as a beer that can only be acquired by trading another wale.
2. If you acquired a beer for which other BAs are ISO and offering walez FT, then it is also a wale. And how do you know if the beer being offered FT is a wale? See #1.

 

try living in Montana, I think it's a whale

 

You can acquire it easily though. You just have to reach out from someone in CA. It's a $30 beer that isn't something that people feel like they need to drink often. I think Reserve Society members can buy at least six bottles. Hoarders MIGHT be able to buy more.

 

'easily' is a relative term

 

I say that b/c in the past, people have purchased their full alotments just because it's Black Tuesday, not because they actually want them for themselves. That beer goes $4$ in my opinion. People used to give them away.

 

who are these people and is there a line to get in

I suppose I was just commenting that in an area of minuscule nationwide distribution most big beers like Black Tuesday seem like wales to me

 

For me it's if the wants>gots

 

to put it as simply as I can, it's a beer you really want that is limited and difficult to obtain for you

 

Whales are usually too expensive, I prefer walleye or maybe a delicious bass

 

Whalez are like taste. Both are subjective and always evolving. When I started getting into beer, would have said Heady was while I loved Barleywines. Now for me, Don Quitjote and Sours fill those two spots.

 

Whales are extremely limited beers that are in very high demand, typically due to being perceived to be of extraordinarily high quality - or at least, once were. The ones that go for 4 digits tend to be more like collectors items at this point, although as many are lambics and sours, are probably still quite drinkable and may even be in their prime. I would think, though, that the stouts and barleywines that are 10+ years old are likely oxidized messes by now. Stille Nacht Reserva 2000 probably tastes great but has also probably lost the barrel-aged character that made it special.

In any case, if procuring a beer doesn't cost you at least a couple hundred dollars, or trading the equivalent worth of your own beer, it's not a whale, simply because it's not limited enough and with high enough demand to truly be considered a whale. However, that shouldn't make it any less exciting for you to get that bottle of BT 2013.

 

Bruery has even sold BT on their site via raffle

 

I consider any thing that I really want that are difficult to get. I would also include anything limited not distributed in my state to be a whale.

 

The first beer "whale" - Newark's finest*:


* Well, along with numerous Ballantine, Fiegenspan and Krueger beers.

 

Agree with everyone else, however in 2018 BT 2013 will mean a lot more to people as most bottles will be gone and it'll be 5 years old.

 

Something I have to trade that you want and not something that you have that I would like to trade for. That is the way it works for most people on here these days

 

Living in another state with limited distribution, I agree that "easily" is a term that doesn't necessarily apply in Montana, Oklahoma, or several other states. I continually hear how "easy" it is to land almost any beer through trades. That is totally not true. Take a look at the beers sought by people on the Trade Forum. Now compare that to the distribution that's available in Oklahoma. See the problem? We just don't get tradable beers. Now, I'm lucky enough to be able to travel some. Many BAs in Oklahoma aren't. For them, they're limited to trying to trade Oklahoma distributed beers, which very few BAs are looking for. As a matter of fact, the only Oklahoma beer I've ever been asked about when contacting others for a trade is Pirate Bomb.

 

Said it before...all in the "Eyes of the Beerholder" !!

 

Personal opinion.

 

Well i didnt know what a Whale was so now im happy it was answered without me looking like an idiot