So I received the newsletter and futures will be on sale April 15th! I know I am excited, but I am curious to see which barrels will be used this year. Last year's barrels were definitely really interesting to taste, especially the Rebel Yell, Corn Whisky, and the Pikes Blend Rye. Those were my favorites of last year, but I am really curious to see what comes out this year. Anyone have any guesses!?!?!
They aren't worth the price to me either, but it's hard to argue against their pricing when they all sell out before the next batch arrives.
Futures are fairly reasonable. 5050 doesnt control how much retailers and distributors mark up the Eclipse. And to be honest I have paid more for average wine, but no one bats an eye at that when really good wine goes for over $50 a bottle! Sometimes over $200, like Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, etc.
Could that be attributed to hype? I think there are some great Eclipses from previous releases that I have paid quite a hefty some for, and futures is a good way to get a better deal on them.
A lot of people bat an eye at those prices, the wine world is just as subject to hype and overpriced mediocrity as the beer world is. One of my closest friends is a wine geek with a large cellar, and he has many of the same complaints about wine that I do about beer as it pertains to hype, pricing, and value. Your analogy holds some value, but it's also a double-edged sword, in that there are many similarities between wine and beer that beer geeks would prefer not to admit.
You can talk about price vs quality with these beers, but they're still better (quality wise) and cheaper than most of Stone's Quingenti Millitre series.
Agree. QM has been a huge disappointment. Except for the BA Mac nut, oh my! Eclipse, while expensive, are worth it IMHO.
Eclipse futures are a phenomenal value. For ~$22 each, you can sit on your ass, do nothing and have myriad bottles of delicious, varied and nuanced barrel aged stouts delivered to your door. Sure, if you put in the time, stress and energy you can round up BA stouts of comparable quality for cheaper, but time, stress and energy cost you a lot more than money in the long run.
It's very hard to get more than one bottle of Barrel Aged Stout in any state that isn't California I hear from the trading forum.
Where did you see that? I am on the e-mail list and got no such notice. Can you copy and paste the info, please.
Hmm, Parabola should be hitting around that time too. Alesmith better not do a release that month too, or I am fucked
Oh, you know they will - it will probably be when they do some BA release paired with bottled Vietnamese Speedway. Or worse yet, that will be when the BA Vietnamese comes out.
I wonder if they'll just skip bottled Vietnamese Speedway since they've been offering it for grumbler fills. BA Viet Speedway sounds more like their next move. And my body is ready (but not my wallet ). That + Parabola would make me forget about Eclipse altogether.
I wish I had that problem. I have over a case from 2012 and all but EC12 and four roses from 2011... I kinda want to find somebody to proxy for me but I don't know how much longer I'll be around after I get back.
At the Eclipse party in December I asked what their plans were for next(this) years Eclipse and if they will continue to expand with more and more versions. They said no way and that they will do far less than the 11 versions they came out with this year...not much info, but I suppose it is something. And we'll see if it's even true.
I'm still sitting on a 3L Rittenhouse from 2010 (or was it 2011?) I have no idea when I can serve or what I can do with it! However, I "won" the right to buy it at the release party and simply counldn't pass it up.
Buying these presale is the only way to go. Not worth the cost at retail, but presale is slightly closer.
Probably skipping the futures this year, I'll probably just use the money for the release party instead since they'll be pouring all the varieties. Plus I still have 3 years worth of Eclipse in the cellar. It's a fine stout but with 8+ varieties a year lately they take up too much space.
I spoke with a couple of the Alesmith beertenders a couple weeks ago and they both thought that BA Grand Cru would be next. When I asked about BA Vietnamese SS, they said, "We haven't even bottled regular Vietnamese SS yet." That being said, both of them admitted that it was just a hunch and that they did not know for sure.
Glad I got futures last year, will be getting more this year. Too bad the best blend imo (Gourmet Haus Staudt) wasn't available through futures, still excited to see the new blends and hopefully make it to the release party this year.
Eclipse futures, Chocolate Rain, Bourbonic Plague and being in San Diego for a week in April. . . if my wallet was a character on Mortal Kombat, it would be on the receiving end of a brutality finisher. Just spend the $$$ and tell yourself you're too big to fail. . .
You know, you could probably order April beers from Alesmith on brown paper tickets and pick them up while your in SD......FINISH HIM!!!
I am in the process of completing my 2012 Eclipse set, and I can't wait to be a part of Futures for 2013. Glad my buddy moved to San Fran!
