Beer in the new era

Sad I've probably missed out on 'em. Going to try my local, out in the burbs places tonight though.

Call first!

Definitely.

I've found in calling stores, the managers/employees sound super annoyed. I'm sure they get hundreds of calls about these releases, so maybe I'd be annoyed too.

Beer distribution is so weird. Everyone I've talked to knows what they've ordered, but they don't know what delivery it will come in on. The last guy I called said that I would know better than him when the beer would come in???

i hate calling stores for that reason.

at least around here, g.i. reps have been hand delivering bcbs to stores. so it's not coming with normal deliveries, which means most stores really don't know when they're getting it.

Yeah, I've talked to lots of annoyed employees over the phone, but if it saves me a wasted trip, oh well.

They're totally annoyed when you ask them when it's coming, but slightly less annoyed when you ask them if they still have it. One strong bet for stuff of this nature is to play the long game. Put in enough face time over the year, ask good questions, make the occasional special order, get recognized by the manager. Then ask closer to the season (BCS was released earlier than usual this year, due to the warm weather, but in years past it's come out in or around November) if they can give you a call when it comes in, or if you can put your name on a notification list. I mentioned (I think?) in the whiskey thread that I was emailed a head's up when the PVW arrived, with the caveat that it was first come, first served. In the case (so to speak) of BCS, there was plenty of it to go around in Chicago this year, at least the 4-packs, so if you just kept an eye out pretty much everyone was guaranteed some within a day or two of delivery. Vs, like, all gone in the first hour.

I mean, this is the first year I sought it out, and even then I didn't try that hard and was more or less sure I missed my chance when I stumbled on some by accident. In normal circumstances I imagine (in Chicago) it's not that different from trying to get moderately popular concert tickets: takes some effort, but far from impossible.

By the way, it occurred to me today that these things will make awesome holiday presents!

Josh in Chicago am I on your holiday gift-giving list, y/n?

apparently there are 3 left at a deli 15 minutes away. i'm heading over now to get them. wish me luck!!!

nice! g/l

I play the long game with a couple of shops, but them I feel obliged to buy something every time I go in. Gets pricey. And I end up with a ton of beer. Still I got a pretty good relationship with the shop a block away from me, he'll usually hold a bottle for me. Unfortunately, he doesn't sell GI.

Harder to do at a Binnys since a thousand beer dorks are trying to do the same thing at LV/LP/SL/DT stores

I got a case! They actually had a few cases but they are expensive. I'll drink one tonight and if it's really out of this world maybe I'll drop by tomorrow and grab what they have left. They also had the Samuel Smith Imperial Stout that was mentioned above, and I'll maybe pick one of those up (and a Samuel Smith holiday too) if I go back for the rest of the Bourbon County. Amazing selection at this little deli I've never been to before. None of the variants, tho.

Er, not a case(??). A box of (4).

I'm guessing you'll probably like it.

i may have to check back at this place since i don't think they're on the radar for anyone and they seem to get great stuff. not so far away either!

The recommendation I hear is honestly to give the 12oz bottles a good year to mature in bottle, though some folks like to try one for reference. Also, I repeatedly see them referred to as "sippers" and meant to share, so invite a friend!

Distant xpost, shit, I got confused with the KBS v. FBS. I got a couple of four-packs of the Founder's Breakfast Stout, not the KBS (Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout). Different animals, and in many corners equally beloved, but the FBS is much easier to find (though still hard for some, apparently).

That makes much more sense. I've only had KBS once, I paid $50 for a four year vertical tasting.

wowee that's good. i shared it w/ a bunch of friends over a lambchop dinner and it was EXCELLENT. thanks for the recommendation and i'll def get some more to stash away to let age.

FYI - and this is something that few ever consider with beer - but I believe one 12oz. bottle runs about 500 calories. That's like a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, which to be fair sounds about as good as this beer tastes. I read someone describe it as "like drinking the richest coffee and the darkest chocolate at the same time, just without the coffee and chocolate - a kind of husky and smooth darkness that defies explanation other than to say, 'That beer is very dark and heavy, as if drinking the end of a black hole.'"

Pretty sure I've had a 2500 calorie bourbon county night.

i have no issues with booziness in beer but even with that in mind i think this year's bcbs is drinking excellently right away.

That's the fun of it, right? I'm sure it tastes great now. Who knows how it will taste later? Likely still great, but probably a little different.

One point people have brought up is that at or around 15%ABV, it's probably good for a lot longer than 5 years. I mean, that's boozier than wine, so if stored correctly, there's no reason BCS can't go much longer.

So no luck in calling the Binny's out in the burbs by me, or the Armanetti owned joint by me (which usually has a terrible selection anyway, but thought I'd check). BUT the guy I talked to at Binny's said he actually saw five cases at a Jewel in the West Loop of all places. So, who knows.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-27/features/chi-new-brewery-john-laffler-20121127_1_craft-beer-siebel-institute-john-laffler

I tried the Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner recently. Supposedly it has rye in it but it tasted pretty much like a regular pilsner to me - similar to Pilsner Urquell - which is fine by me, since that's one of my favorite beers.

xpost I highly doubt any store has five cases of BCS left at this point, let alone a Jewel. Though the craft selection has gotten pretty solid at a lot of them.

Per Jeff's recommendation, bought a bottle of the Firestone 16th Anniversary. It wasn't hard to find at all, though, which is not to say I'm not tempted to grab another to hold on to. I love the idea of beers that age in the bottle. Really strikes my collector chord.

Well, to be fair, the guy didn't clarify exactly when he saw the cases, so it may have been some time ago.

True enough.

I found another two 4-packs at the River Grove Binny's! And I think they still have some coffee, and definitely Night Stalker (which I see everywhere). My wife has forbidden me from buying any more, so everyone else, give 'em a call and grab what's left.

Don't have the time to go anywhere the next few days, so freaking busy, so I may just miss out. I do have one connection to try this afternoon, but that'll probably be my last attempt.

Just about everything Firestone walker puts in a barrel is good.

Since all I can seem to talk about is BCBS, this is a ridiculous lineup for a bar close to my place. Tempting to skip my company holiday party to go. http://www.paddylongs.com/goose-island-bourbon-county-stout-tap-takeover/

yeah i would go to that for sure

that sounds like nerd central

Pretty much. Welcome to Chicago beer events.

Had you read the trib link I posted upthread? The BCS guy is starting his own brewery, although my guess is you know this already.

I've really enjoyed the sips of BCS that I've had (usually courtesy Jeff) but can't bring myself to care about seeking it out. Not really interested in Dark Lord Day, either.

Dark Lord Day takes real work. So does KBS. The fact that I was able to find so much BCS, plus variant, this late in the game - it was released in September, no? - proves that Goose Island did indeed up production and keep a lot of the product local.

My local shop had a few bottles of Firestone Walker XV Anniversary as well as the XVI.

Anyone here find any BC in So Cal? Goose Island is out here, but this thread is making me want to seek out these BCs.

Still has the XV? Buy it when you go in there, I'll pay you for them. XV

Dan, yeah, I read it already. Basically gives many of the nerds that were on the fence on hating GI since the AB-InBev purchase a chance to really write them off now. I'm fine with that, more beer for me. And also excited about his new brewery.

My wife was just in Portland for the weekend, and her host had been calling around. Apparently the out of state allotments, given how much was kept for Chicago this time, were particularly paltry.

xpst. Whoops, finishing the first sentence. XV was a wonderful beer and I liked it better than the XVI. But both are great blends.

I may have snagged the last two XV, for me and my friend, but I can try to pop in again tomorrow and see if they have more/totally convince them I am a psycho by making three trips for the same thing in three days.

I can indeed confirm that BCS is still out there, and that you may find them in unusual places. The tiny, tiny 24-7 market on Wabash near my office had at least six 4-packs and one other full case as of today, from what I could see. Their beer selection is tiny, so I was really shocked to see them.

So you lucked out? That's awesome news. Any chance of revealing your source. :)

I would imagine that the Walgreens at Fullerton and Greenview still has some. I can't imagine too many people paying $29 for a four pack at Walgreens.

Can't remember if I talked about it before, but the Bayerischer bahnhof Brettanomyces lambicus is a fantastic light, sour Weisse beer. And only 3% ABV.

See, I drink low ABV beer sometimes.

I noticed the pendulum swinging to lambic and sour beers lately. Which is fine by me, though I'm not a huge fan.

xp yeah that beer is really cool!

if it was available in six-packs for cheap i would drink a lot of it in the summer