Ballast point & Karl Strauss @ Dans

Discussion in 'Australia' started by buddyau, May 26, 2012.

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  1. buddyau

    buddyau Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2009 Australia

    Hi Guys

    They had Karl Strauss red trolley and tower 10 IPA for $17.99 a 6 pack

    Ballast Point Big eye IPA also for $17.99

    All 3 look good on BA.

    Any thoughts?

    Are they a grey import?
     
  2. Lukie

    Lukie Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2007 Australia

    I was waiting for this. Now to write my letter to Ballast Point, to tell them I don't want to drink their beer in such horrible condition from Woolworths.
     
  3. GrahamYallop

    GrahamYallop Initiate (0) May 26, 2012

    Well I'll be writing to them to say thank you for making their beers available cheaply in such an accessible big store retailer.

    I find this whole thing of Dannos having badly shelved beers becoming less and less true. Well, to put it in another perspective you are just as likely to find a bad beer in platinum liquor just as you are in dannos. Probably because they're making small strides in getting the public to try craft, so turnover is increasing, resulting in fresher stock that don't last for months in shelves. I just saw a craft beer guide at the checkout of my local dannos. I saw a tasting corner where some shoppers were sampling german and belgian beers for free.

    And the best part of it all is the beers are way cheaper than your independents and smaller distributors like platinum or chamber cellars or porters liquors. Actually, I find that former are the ones retailing with ripoff prices. Dannos pricing is somewhere in the middle of them and cheap avenues like online.
     
  4. joecast

    joecast Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2003 Australia

    I'll leave out the politics and just comment on the beer. Big Eye was one of the first ipas I ever tried and I still remember it fondly. Amazing citrus character. That price is almost too good to believe.
     
  5. scmorgan

    scmorgan Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2005 Australia

    Met the Sales Guy from Ballast Point at thier tap room a few weeks ago and the Karl Straus MD and all are legit direct imports and reasonably fresh it seems. Had the KS beer on friday and it was in good condition.

    The Ballast Point Big Eye is their biggest selling beer, but I dug the Sculptin. Have a bottle of their Imperial Stout to know over this weekend, sweet goodness.

    Amazing for the Karl Strauss beer, even at $17 and 7% it is cheaper than other locals ...just saying ...
     
  6. deathevocation

    deathevocation Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2008 Australia

    Will check it out but prefer to give my money to independents for a variety of reasons (this extends to groceries, cds etc). I do agree however that we pay too much for beer here though given I can afford to indulge, the pricing doesn't concern me that much.
     
  7. danieelol

    danieelol Initiate (0) Jun 15, 2010 Australia

    /me heads out to Dan Murphy's ASAP

    Wow that's amazing

    a lot more excited for Big Eye IPA than those Karl Strauss beers with average ratings though
     
  8. Kimbo83

    Kimbo83 Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2009 Australia

    Does anybody know if they have been bought over as exclusive products for woolworths, or will all shops be stocking them?
     
  9. scmorgan

    scmorgan Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2005 Australia

    I think they bought in a container direct, Dan at Innspire would be a likely target if anyone else was to bring in ...
     
  10. sinkas

    sinkas Initiate (0) Jul 9, 2008 Australia

    a 98%ile IPA for 18bucks a six pack sound good to me
     
  11. Lukie

    Lukie Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2007 Australia

    Woolworths have a contract with them. They are only going to bringing over 2 of the beers.
     
  12. sirob

    sirob Initiate (0) May 30, 2007 Australia

    Bought 6 pack of big eye, Stupid me. As soon as the lid was popped on first one it was obviously well beyond best condition. Tasting confirmed the same, battled through one and chucked the rest in the bin.

    Basically the dark strong beers from the US stack up on these shores but the rest are drain pours when they arrive. Only exceptions to that in my experience, Monk US Beer week kegs and torpedo when it first arrived but not lately.
     
  13. Lukie

    Lukie Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2007 Australia

    Depends on refrigeration I guess. Everything from the US (through independent importers) is being refrigerated into the country, which is the most important thing. Hitting the equator in non-refrigerated containers, beer is subject to around 50C degrees at the height of it.

    Of course how it is dealt with after it leaves the suppliers/warehouses etc. is another ballgame.

    I am finding a few craft breweries over here are getting keen on refrigeration across the nullabor, and it looks rather cost effective.
     
  14. danieelol

    danieelol Initiate (0) Jun 15, 2010 Australia

    http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_702625/brewdog-sink-the-bismarck-ipa

    lol. value.

    What...really?

    I have had many excellent IPAs from the US, both white and grey market. Some taste terrible though. I hope Big Eye is the former.
     
  15. hawthorne00

    hawthorne00 Devotee (331) Nov 23, 2010 Australia

    I'm a little skeptical about this. Container transport is fast. I've had a (grey) beer in Australia less than 6 weeks after release in the US (Bear/ Fathead/Stone's TBA). I see low value fruit and veg from the North. I know that oceans have a moderating effect on temperature and that large masses of stuff (like the contents of container ships) take a while to warm up. And I see
    current sea temperatures (nowhere is above 32C). I'm not convinced that the ocean voyage is warming the beer to more than the 25C it'd see in a typical bottlo, truck or warehouse for more than a day or two.


    [Editedto add] Leaving the supplier/ warehouse is indeed another ballgame.
     
  16. Lukie

    Lukie Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2007 Australia

    That is what I have always been told, which is why Sierra Nevada flat out refused to send their beer in shipping containers more then 14 degrees.

    Anyway, looks like Big Eye is cheap because Best Before is June 2012.
     
  17. bylerteck

    bylerteck Grand Pooh-Bah (3,143) May 17, 2009 Canada (ON)
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I had a bottle last week that was pretty good. It was offered up by a friend though. I just bought one and noticed the BB date as well. June 27 2012 is pretty rough. Does that mean the shipment is more than a year old or do they just suggest the best before?
     
  18. jbowers56

    jbowers56 Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2008 Australia

    The best before on Ballast Point is only 6 months.

    Anyone seen Big Eye in Melbourne yet?
     
  19. MrKennedy

    MrKennedy Pooh-Bah (1,814) Dec 29, 2006 Australia
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Out of interest: what's a good, bottle-dated, year-round Australian IPA that i can hunt down?
     
  20. jbowers56

    jbowers56 Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2008 Australia

    MrKennedy: Doesn't exist. Barely any Australian brewers date their bottles. Internationally there are heaps of bottled dated, excellent IPA's.

    Sirob: I seriously disagree that things like the Green Flash or Bear Republic stuff have been 'drain pours'. Have mostly tasted very fresh...
     
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