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The White Whale List - 2012

Discussion in 'Trade Talk' started by AgentZero, Dec 24, 2012.

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  1. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    Some agree with you, I personally ranked the Narke beers significantly lower than what their overall rankings ended up being. Because there is no defined whale criteria, whales exist on because of perception of their desirability. The ranking methodology therefore was to rank them based on your perception of them as a whale.

    As it's completely subjective, you can't really get it wrong, and all we ended up doing was averaging a lot of peoples' subjective opinions to try to get a general overview of what beers people consider are whales.

    None of us agree with the list either, but it was a fun exercise to try to get a look at an overall picture of whales.
     
    Bluecane likes this.
  2. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    Wait until the 2013 year when it busts into the top 20 with Cherry Rye BCS and RareR DOS.
     
  3. cfrances33

    cfrances33 Initiate (0) Jun 12, 2012 Illinois

    Move over Dave... Cherry Rye is the real whale in these waters...
     
  4. TurdFurgison

    TurdFurgison Pooh-Bah (2,891) May 29, 2005 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    What BoA said.

    2002 Oude Gueuze Vintage is in the highest echelon. I didn't even like some of the vintages, they are very different beers.
     
  5. BearsOnAcid

    BearsOnAcid Pooh-Bah (2,215) Mar 17, 2009 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    That and the Valentine gueuze are some of the best 3F blends I've had.
     
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  6. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    The Guezue for lovers was pretty freaking good stuff.
     
  7. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    Where is the Earthmonk 750 ML? That is a wale if I ever saw one.
     
  8. cpferris

    cpferris Zealot (500) Jan 22, 2008 Indiana
    Trader

    Cool list guys. Obviously there will be variation in every person's list...but this has all the significant ones nailed down. I didn't do a count, but proud to have shared many from the list with the cool BA's I've known in my years on this site.

    Maybe one day I'll get to try some of the top...but it's cool...most of those beers are are really top notch and it's a pleasure and treat to drink most any of them.

    Now I just gotta find a new tasting crew to split some of these rarities with. My old bay area crew will be tough to top.

    Cheers all...and happy holidays.
     
  9. tehzachatak

    tehzachatak Initiate (0) Sep 19, 2010 Massachusetts

    Last time I was in that basement I didn't even know what a wale was. If I only knew then what I know now...
     
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  10. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    Earthmallet did not make it either, and it tasted better and was significantly more rare.
     
  11. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    A true beer hunter would do that. I did:slight_smile: There is nowhere you could buy a Dave, Batch One Castleton ect ect ect.
     
  12. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    Don't get started on the Earthmallet. My number one most wanted tick.... UGH.
     
  13. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    That takes a lot of disposable income that many will not possess.

    Two bottles of Dave were recently sold, if one does not buy them for financial reasons, or doesn't make the pilgrimage to Europe, does that make them not a true beer hunter?
     
  14. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    Sadly, that one may be extinct. MasterSki might know.
     
  15. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    I can inquire with Struise too.... Messy if it ever is bottled would immediately be a canidate and go from a D.O.N.G. to a wale. In my opinion of course:slight_smile:
     
  16. AgentZero

    AgentZero Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2009 Illinois

    Messy might, although it might be one of those ticks that kills you :wink:
     
  17. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    Well we are talking about the far far extreme of beer hunting. The average joe would have never heard of any of these beers. If someone is gonna pay 1000$ for a bottle of Dave at an auction vs 700 for a plane ride to Brussels more power to them. Let's not kid ourselves and say that just cause you arn't tickin Millenium Gueuze you aren't a beer hunter. Honestly a lot of my ticks of this list were due to the extreme generosity of others or being at the right place at the right time and the fact that I am very generous with my beer. The list is a bit American centric too. Believe me I like the list and the discourse around it.

    One man's wale is another's man's cellar filler!

    I was sorta joking BTW. I would have gone to Belgium no matter what. As a matter of fact my first 2 trips I did minimal tickin. I went to DeHeren because the place was highly reccomended to me by a good friend. I would have gone even if there was no Blauw Rose and Helena. The place kicks ass for food and there just happen to have an insane Lambic cellar.
     
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  18. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    It's actually suprisingly drinkable for the ABV. It's doesn't taste a bit over 12 % ABV.
     
  19. ChrisPro

    ChrisPro Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2009 Illinois

    Conceptually I agree with this statement, but in practicality that is not entirely true. Just because a beer exists in a cellar at a bar does not mean you will get to purchase said beer at that bar. It has to be "on sale," you have to be there on the right day and get the right owner/bartender to be in the right mood. There are multiple beers on this list that you could in theory just visit a bar and purchase even if you had the money, but it's not a given.
     
  20. jedwards

    jedwards Initiate (0) Feb 3, 2009 California

    One very important criteria for something being truly sought after is that there's enough of it for people to be aware of it (or that it's existed for a long enough period of time for it to become part of the collective knowledge base). Things like Earthmallet, Kaggen! Stormaktsporter Rauch, and so on don't exist in enough quantity for people to get excited about them to the same degree as something that they could still potentially buy at a bar/trade for/et cetera. Those are the real white whales... with a few exceptions everything on this list is a potentially realistic goal. Which is healthy :grinning:
     
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